The Crane Resort is the oldest hotel in the Carribbean dating back to 1887. It has changed much since the original historical property that still sits cliffside but all for the good. This is one of the best hotels I have been to. It strikes the appropriate balance between nice and formal while not being pretentious.
Picture a quaint town with palm trees, a famous white sand beach, cliff-side views, and a cool breeze. This is The Crane. Design for both families and romantic getaways it has a variety of restaurants, shops, pools, a spa, beach and grand rooms.
TTST Recommended Hotel!
The Property:
The Village:
This is one of the unique things about this resort. There are small little shops intertwined with restaurants and cafes that make this a place where you do not need to leave. In addition to a “general store” they have “The Village Cafe” which has coffee and homemade gelato. There coffee is okay but their gelato is great! Bar 1887 is also located here and has live music and tasty cocktails.
Beach:
The Crane Beach. Soft white sand, crashing waves, cliff-side views and a breeze that makes everything just right. It is one of the most famous beaches in the Caribbean. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are available to guests and The Grove Beach Bar & Grill is on-site in case you are thirsty or hungry.
Pools:
There are three pools. There is one near the historic property/restaurants (pictured below – left), one in central on the property (below – right) and another pool (not pictured). There are plenty of pool options in addition to the famous beach. Near the main pool, there is a restaurant called “The Carriage House” which is open daily for lunch. It has burgers, sandwiches, beer, etc. in case you get hungry or thirsty.
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The Rooms:
There are three types of rooms. Rooms in the Historic property, the Residence and Hotel Rooms/Suites.
Historic Rooms:
I have never stayed in the Historic property of the hotel however I heard they are still excellent rooms. The building is positioned close to the famous cliffside to capture that breeze from the South.
The Residence:
I have stayed in the Residence area and did not like it. First it is across from the Village and you have to go through the parking lot to get to you room. There is also no breeze unless you have a room at the very top with the rooftop view. The rooms themselves are nice, full kitchen, washer/dryer, private pool and very spacious. However, due to the lack of breeze, the bugs were constant even though the resort tries to take care of them. Personally I would avoid these rooms.
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Hotel Rooms/Suites:
The regular Hotel Rooms/Suites are much better. They have rooms with jump and full size pools, multi-bedroom, etc. They all either have kitchenettes or kitchens (for the larger rooms). I had a Jr. Suite. Even though they were advertised as a garden view, I still had an adequate ocean view (just look left). There was plenty of breeze which kept the room cool (it also has A/C but I love the natural breeze).
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Dining and Eating:
The resort has three main restaurants called Zen, L’Azure, and D’Onofrio’s Trattoria. In addition, they have the Carriage House and The Grove Beach Bar & Grill for those pool or beach side snacks/lunch, The Village Café for gelato and coffee and Bar 1887.
D’Onofrio’s Trattoria
Simply put its an Italian restaurant. Opened only for dinner, D’Onofrio’s is casual in nature offering a variety of pasta options. Recommended is the “Linguine al Pescatora” pictured below. It was excellent. If you are not in the mood for pasta, they also have pizzas and other traditional Italian entrees.
Zen
Similar to D’Onofrio’s, Zen is only open for dinner. This a Japanese and Thai restaurant offering a variety of options from those regions. On the Thai front, they have traditional your traditional soups, noodle and curry dishes from Thailand. The red or green curries are a good choice as well as the Phad See Iew. If you are not in the mood for Thai they have a selection of Sushi/Maki from the Japanese menu as well as some other options. This restaurant sits cliffside overlooking the beach. Reserve ahead and request a seat by the window.
L’Azure
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, L’Azure has a lot going on. On Sunday’s they have their “Gospel Breakfast Buffet” which books up quickly. If your stay includes a Sunday morning, reserve a spot and experience the omelette station, local and international fruits, as well as a variety of other options. I personally did not go here for lunch as I was usually at the beach, but they have burgers, wraps and salads.
Tips:
The resort is on the south side of the island. Here is what I recommend:
- Rent a car (such as Hertz), taxis are expensive and wheels help you get around regardless if that is to see the local sites, go to the grocery store, or purely freedom
- The grocery store is 10-15 minutes away. Its a good place to grab snacks or anything else you want to cook in your hotel kitchen
- There are only two places to eat dinner at the resort. Try to find options off resort (or cook for yourselves)
- Generally things close early so plan ahead
- Flights can be expensive to get there and you may want to consider points like I did on Air Canada. From the USA, AA and JetBlue fly there as well