“Buyer Beware. The first thing they did is misled how much this house was going to cost. They charged extra because we were using all 5 bedrooms and not just 4 bedrooms. Secondly, when I requested assitance with the group payment, instead of allowing each of 5 couples to pay separately they charged everything that had not been paid to my credit card. One couple was very upset, as they had to reimburse me and were not able to access points for another trip on their credit card. They refused to reverse charge and allow everyone to pay separately. They offered an extra $200 concierge credit for these issues, and now they will not apply the concierge credit to the concierge assigned to our villa. As for the villa, once we arrived and were no longer dealing with Barbados Blue, everything was fabulous and the villa itself was lovely. I would simply rent from somone other than Barbados Blue.”
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the circumstances surrounding your reservation.
With respect to pricing, the villa offers both a 4-bedroom and 5-bedroom rate structure, which is clearly established by the property owner. Your reservation was initially secured at the 4-bedroom rate. When it was later confirmed that all five bedrooms would be occupied, we advised that the reservation needed to be adjusted to the 5-bedroom rate in accordance with the owner’s published pricing. This was not an added or arbitrary charge, but rather an adjustment to reflect the actual occupancy of the home. In an effort to be accommodating, we extended an additional concierge activity credit as a goodwill gesture.
Regarding payments, the Group Pay option must be selected at the time of booking and initiated by the head guest. In this case, Group Pay was declined by you when the reservation was created. When secondary payments were later made, the system followed the terms authorized under the primary payment method on file. For privacy and security reasons, only the head guest can send payment requests to other members of the group; our company does not have the ability to independently divide or reassign charges once processed. We understand that coordinating group payments can be challenging, but we must operate within the parameters selected during booking and within merchant processing rules.
As for the concierge credit, the activity voucher provided is applicable toward experiences such as charters, tours, spa services, transportation, and other bookable services arranged through our concierge team. It is not redeemable as a cash equivalent or gratuity to on-site villa staff, as gratuities are handled separately and directly.
We are pleased to hear that you found the villa itself to be lovely and that your stay in Barbados was ultimately enjoyable. Our team works diligently to provide transparency, clear communication, and meaningful support throughout the booking process, and we regret that certain aspects did not meet your expectations.
We sincerely wish you the very best in your future travels.
“While our trip was fabulous, I did however have an issue with Bardados Blue/Isle Blue staff Lisa and Andrea. Their lack of accountability when it came to communicating an urgent matter with us while we were vacationing almost ruined the trip. Thankfully, we were able to find a company through our driver Jamal, who came through for us last minute. The only reason for the 1 star is the customer service (or lack thereof) from the Barbados/Isle Blue staff Lisa and Andrea.”
Dear Brandee,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re delighted to know that your trip overall was fabulous, though we are truly sorry for the frustration you experienced regarding the catamaran charter.
For all charter reservations, we advise that 24–48 hours are required for confirmation. In your case, as the request was made last minute, the charter company unfortunately informed us that the selected boat was unavailable. We responded promptly by email with several alternative options, but we did not receive a reply.
We certainly understand that you may not have been monitoring email while on vacation, but email is the method of communication we use for all reservation confirmations and updates. Our process does not include phone calls or text messages during the booking stage.
We regret any inconvenience this caused and greatly appreciate your understanding.
Warm regards,
Barbados Blue
