Southern Palms Hotel

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Situated in the St.Lawrence Gap, the hotel is ideally situated to explore one of the more lively parts of the island, with plenty of restaurants and a few bars to choose from, and all can be reached within 10 minutes walk. Not that where the hotel is situated is noisy, it’s pleasantly quiet due to its location.
The hotel itself is made of a number of accommodation buildings, none higher that three floors, and because of the layout, the hotel commands a fair stretch of beach, three to four times longer than either of the hotels adjacent to it. We booked a suite, so had ample space with a separate living room, bedroom (including a spacious walk in closet), and bathroom. Both the living room and the bedroom have wall mounted flat panel televisions, I’d guess a 26” in the living room and 32” in the bedroom, though the number of channels available and picture quality were down to usual poor hotel standards.
The living has a small kitchenette adjacent, which is more like an alcove than a kitchen, with a kitchen bench/sink, built in electric hob, and a full size fridge/freezer. Having only one free electrical socket meant you couldn’t boil a kettle and (for example) make toast at the same time.
The air conditioning kept the rooms sufficiently cool, and the king size bed was the largest I’ve ever slept in. The decor was definitely showing its age, and new fixtures/furniture and a coat of paint are desperately needed. Everything was clean however, and towels were changed every day, bed linen every three days. Outside the living area was a generous veranda/balcony with a coffee table and two chairs. We quite enjoyed sitting there towards the end of the day as it’s both peaceful and private.
The hotel suites all promise a “sea view”, but from our balcony, you had to stretch your neck a little, and what you could see of the beach was mainly obscured by trees, but not really in a negative way. The view from the bedroom windows did look along the curve of the beach and that was quite a pleasant view. If anyone does book a suite, and you don’t mind climbing stairs, ask for one off the ground floor. You not only get a better view, but a lot more privacy on your balcony.
The hotel staff were courteous and friendly, the hotel was kept clean and tidy, and the beach location is idyllic. There’s an Internet Cafe which is free for hotel guests, and dining appears to be mainly al fresco, though with so many good restaurants just outside, we never actually ate in the hotel. Our accommodation was room only.
The hotel offers a free mini-bus to Bridgetown at 9:00am and 11:00am daily which you need to book at reception the day before. It’s also very easy to use the local bus service (all fares cost 1.50 Barbados dollars) and taxis are cheap and plentiful. Safety deposit facilities at reception are free, but if you wish to use the safe in your room, it costs 3 USA dollars/night. Beach towels can be exchanged as often as you like, and all water sports equipment (mask, snorkel, fins, body surfing board) are free hire. There is also a free mini golf course and tennis court.
All in all a pleasant hotel, let down only by the definite requirement for some room refurbishment.