 ,
London, "Paradise for a Song" (Sept 4th, 2005)
This place is a complete surprise, and not just because of its rather daft
name. Standing 50ft above the feisty Atlantic Ocean at Bathsheba, it is
different from any other holiday place on Barbados, being neither
platinum-coast posh nor south-coast mass-market concrete. It is a place to
escape to for days spent loafing in hammocks, meandering among the coconut
palms in the garden or idling through pulp novels on the patio, all the time
lulled by the pounding surf and the relentless whoosh of the trade winds.
Built on traditional
colonial lines, the guesthouse has just six rooms, all with sea views,
mahogany and rattan furniture, private bathroom and kitchenette — fridge, hot
plates, coffee-maker. It’s not everyone’s cuppa. The east coast is wild, windy
and untamed by development, the sea a challenge for even competent surfers. If you
want pussycat lappings, you need to catch a (regular) bus right across the
island (it takes 45 minutes).
But there are natural pools
for dunking, and Andromeda Gardens, one of the best botanical displays in the
Caribbean, are just a walk away. Better still, you’ll find it much easier to
ease into local life on this side of the island than in the more touristy
places.
David Wickers
Arthur Frommer’s Budget
Travel Magazine,
50 Totally Charming Hotels For Under $150 (Nov 2007)
Chic, stylish,
boutique--blah, blah, blah. What we want in a hotel is that unique mix of
warmth and personality. In other words, we want it to be totally charming. Here's our
picks, from Argentina to Vietnam.
Sea-U Guest House
After visiting Barbados for a writing assignment, German native Uschi Wetzels
bought land in Bathsheba and built a seven-room hotel. Four are in a
colonial-style house facing the sea; the others are in a whitewashed cottage
decorated with rattan furniture.
Travel + Leisure Magazine, USA, Caribbean for Less (Dec, 2005)
Never mind the silly
name. The Sea-U Guest House, on the island's east coast, is the ultimate hideaway. From the front, it
doesn't look like much, but out back is a two-story plantation-style hotel
with seven simple rooms cooled by island breezes. Opened by friendly former
travel writer Uschi Wetzels, this place isn't for everyone—there's no
air-conditioning or television, guests share a single phone, and mosquito
repellant can come in handy at sunset. But Sea-U's charms are what make it so
appealing: easygoing Americans and Europeans get to know each other over
family-style meals, and entertainment is provided by the wandering resident
cat and monkeys playing in the trees.
Sunday Times, London, Luxury hotels: no need to splash out (December 3, 2006)
Can’t afford the world’s ritziest resorts? Good — you’ll find fewer
flunkies but more fun just around the corner, says Stephen Bleach
... if you want
Premiership footballers, and chilled towels handed to you on the beach,
there’s no substitute for Sandy Lane. If, however, you’re after an idyllic
tropical holiday, in serious comfort but with a soupçon more real Bajan culture,
it’s |
Sea-U Guest House
Mrs. Thompson - Taxi Driver
Palm Tree in the Evening
View from Sea-U |
waiting just eight miles away at the Sea-U Guest House, near Bathsheba. On the
more beautiful, less developed east coast, it offers seven rooms in a lovely
colonial-style building high above the Atlantic surf.
Expect
hammocks on the veranda, an honesty bar (no white-gloved waiters here) and
tasty local dishes (barbecued lamb, marlin in rum butter sauce) instead of
fancy five-star fusion. In short, the place feels untouched, authentic and a
bit of a find — which you certainly can’t say about Sandy Lane ...
Travel
+ Leisure Magazine, USA,
names Sea-U one of worldwide "50
Affordable Beach Resorts" (March
2004)
It's a travel writer's dream: to open a hotel on a Caribbean island. After
falling in love with Barbados while on assignment, Uschi Wetzels left her
native Germany and applied everything she had learned over the years about
the hospitality industry to create Sea-U
Guest House. The whitewashed wooden building on the rugged east
coast is modeled after the island's traditional architecture and has five
dressed-down rooms cooled by ceiling fans and ocean breezes.
Footprint
Barbados, Travel Guide 2003
This is the nicest place
to stay on this side of the island, colonial-style wooden
house on top of cliffs, five spacious guesthouse rooms
with kitchenettes opening onto a veranda with glorious
sea views over the east coast through coconut palms and
casuarinas. Run by Uschi (German), family style evening
meals served two or three times a week, honour bar, lots
of hammocks for lounging on the veranda or in the garden, quiet, peaceful.
Cadogan Guides,
Caribbean & The Bahamas. James Henderson, UK (Oct
2001)
Here there are five rooms (perfectly pleasant, with
muslin nets over the beds, four with kitchenettes) set in
a modern wooden building in traditional Caribbean style with
a large veranda where you can while away your time in a hammock.
Harry Pariser, Author
of "Explore Barbados", USA (Sep 2000)
Operated by travel writer Uschi Wetzels, Sea-U! is a
remarkable guesthouse. Uschi first happened upon the location
while staying in Bathsheba and researching her travel guide for
the nation which is published by the Marco Polo series. Struck
by its beauty, she came up with the idea of a guesthouse. Although
newly constructed, it resembles a traditional Caribbean-style
home. The attractive rooms have fans, mahogany beds, and great
views from the porch. |
