Southern Palms Hotel

Arrived Christmas Day 2004 left 8th Jan 2005 my third visit and not my last. Great Beach,very friendly helpul staff, everything nice and clean apart from the fish pond but that;s been like that for three years! rooms tastefully decorated most have good ocean views.the crazy golf and shuffle board areas looked fine to me.there are some cats but a lot of hotels in Barbados have them. Food above average breakfasts fantastic in a beautiful setting.already booked for Dec this year. It's no Sandy lane but you are not paying those prices either.

We spent Christmas and New Year at Southern Palms and although the general upkeep and presentation of the hotel was very good, the accomodation was disappointing to say the least. Rooms need modernising and a good clean. The lighting is inadequate and the bathroom was basic. The shower had to be run for a good ten minutes before the hot water came through and even then, to get any kind of decent amount of water through the showerhead the cold water had to be turned on full. Cold showers were the order of the day! St Lawrence Gap itself was a little disappointing also. Really not as much night life as we expected... very little music and nobody dances! Having said all this, if what you want is a glorious uncrowded beach, excellent food and wonderful sunshine then this is the place for you!

We stayed at Southern Palms the first week of December a year ago. Its clearly not a five start hotel--if that's what you're looking for, go elsewhere. If you are looking for the best beach in Barbados, a clean, cute hotel where you can get a beach front room and walk to lots of restaurants and nightlife, this is the place. We had a room overlooking the beach and would walk down the stairs and take three steps to be on the beach! Everything was great... the only problem for us was uncomfortable pillows, but we got by fine. We did not eat dinner at the hotel, so cannot comment on that. Their breakfast was just OK. For lunch, we would walk to the Gap (not even five minutes) and buy "roti" for lunch (which is pretty much a giant tortilla with curry potatoes or chicken or fish wrapped inside) at the mini mart. The roti's were inexpensive and delicious! One day we even stopped at a lunch truck on the way and it was very good too. The mini mart was also a great place to buy drinks and snacks. We did buy pina coladas at the hotel's beach bar and they were pretty good. For dinner, the best restaurant was Pisces which is also in the Gap (walking distance from the hotel). Their food is spectacular by any standard and the service impeccable. They're only slightly more expensive than the average restuarants, but so worth it!!! You probably want to make reservations. I have to say, the high level of service at Pisces was uncommon in Barbados--the island style is kind of slow, so we would have to snack before dinner when we went to other places because food usually arrived 45 mins to an hour after we ordered. The beach was truly amazing--the water crystal clear, small waves for body surfing, clean, soft sand and not over crowded. While we were there, turtle eggs had hatched on the beach one night and two students from the local university had come to collect, measure and release them into the sea. It was a very neat experience. We'll definitely be going back!

I was at the Southern Palms the week of Aug 8-14, 2004. Really quite stupid on my part... no research beforehand so I didn't realize we would be arriving during hurricane season. I am 25 years old and my female friend I travelled with is 23. We were looking for a nice relaxing vacation in a warm clime with options for nightlife, but we weren't looking for a party. Upon arriving at the Southern Palms, we took our luggage to the room, passing the run down mini golf course and a bunch of stray cats. I love cats so it was kind of exciting for me. Our room key did not work so I had to hoof it back to the front desk. Then we were in our room and I was rather disappointed. The bathroom light did not work and there was very little sunlight coming into our room, so the bathroom was pitch black. Our alarm clock was not displaying the time. I made a call to the front desk and they said they would send someone up to fix the light. An hour later, a cleaning lady came in with teacups, but nobody came to fix the light. We decided to go to the beach and worry about the light/clock situation later. After a trip to the front desk, the woman informed us that the clock didn't work because it was American, which I thought was weird since my girlfriend and I are Americans. Dinner in the Gap was very good. The next day it poured nonstop, so we chilled in the restaurant (which was soaking wet) and drank Banks beer. mmm I also had a chicken rollup sandwich which was delicious. A little spicy and just the right amount - none of these gigantic gut busting American sized portions. The televisions didn't work since they were on satellites and it was pouring so hard. We made reservations with Jenny (the hotel travel planner) to go on a tour of the island the next day and then for a catamaran cruise. I highly recommend the cruise. We made two stops to snorkel. During one, we swam with sea turtles and during the other, we viewed a sunken barge and loads of pretty fish. The captain and his mates were very accomodating and kept the drinks flowing. We also visited the flower forest and the caves. My memory is poor so I don't remember the names of either, but the hotel travel planner would know. The rum punch party at Southern Palms was nice. The hotel staff was quite friendly and talked to everyone. Overall, the trip was nice but I am not in any hurry to return to Barbados. You definitely have to get your mind into Caribbean time... all shuttles and taxis we took were rather late. If I did go back, I would check into a more expensive hotel and make sure I didn't go during the rainy season!

OK,OK. My husband and I were at Southern Palms the same week as everyone else it seems-12/03-12/12. We had a bit of a different experience. Our room was very clean. Our kingsize bed was very comfortable. We had a fridge. We started out as ocean front but wanted the bigger bed and our request was accomodated by the very friendly staff. Big up Kim, Hendrick and Michael!The beach and staff were the biggest asset. The pool wasn't dirty. The fish pond wasn't working and so it was murky--. The miniature golf and shuffle board weren't dirty either. I had clean beach towels every day at all times. We didn't eat at the hotel--we were happy to experience what was outside of the hotel. St Lawrence Gap has many restaraunts up and down the street. There are vendors selling heaping plates of chicken, macaroni pie and salad right on the sidewalk, all good, all safe to eat. The hotel is quiet but again, St Lawrence has some form of entertainment in almost all the nice bars and restaraunts. In the span of three nights we saw the reggae bands Culture, Third World, and Steel Pulse in an outdoor setting at the "After Dark" night club - No, Southern Palms is not Sandals. It isn't as expensive either. We have been at posher places too but Southern Palms has its good points.The only time we were in our room was to shower before going out at night and when we were asleep. Rent a car, eat fish and drink a Banks beer at Oistins at least 2-3 times during your stay, explore the island ,experience the wonderful Bajan people and soak up the sunshine. (No matter where you end up staying!)

My husband and I planned to stay at The Southern Palms 12/4/04. When we arrived we decided not to stay. it is a run down/old, small resort (if you want to call it that). It had asolutely no charm and the decor was extremely bland. To get to the room we were taken through the back way past the miniature golf course (looked like it was shut down, dirty and unused), which looked very unkept and dirty. The room appeared pretty clean, but it smelled of mildew and under the bed had ALOT of dust balls. I felt we would eventually see bugs. The pool is really small (for a resort) and appeared dirty. The only good thing was the beach, which was big and beautiful. Before leaving, we did ask some nice folks from the UK and they said they liked it. I think in this case you get what you pay for. We did venture off to another hotel which was only $20us more per night, called the Coral Sands Beach Resort. Its near St. lawrence Gap, only 4 years old and right on the beach. All the rooms are equipped with kitchenettes, ocean front rooms, pool and its on a large walkable beach (worthing) and only 5 minutes to The Gap. You must try this place. There are only 30 rooms, all ocean view and it was so clean and extremely relaxing. We absolutely loved it, and you will too. Tip: you can see the sun set from all the rooms. Also, eat at the Restaurant at South Seas.........enjoy

Agree with last reviewer - I just stayed there for a week - probably at same time as last reviewer. We decided to stay at Southern Palms based mainly on reviews here!. In short, great location and nice hotel, however, it's not as good as the reviews contained here. My wife and I liked the location, however, the hotel needs to be updated somewhat. The lobby area (with old fish ponds and terrible looking leather seats) and the pool area need to be cleaned up and updated. The service at the hotel was fairly poor - service incredibly slow (is this Barbados or this hotel?) and the front desk staff appear to know nothing about anything - it's not worth asking them any questions about the hotel or Barbados (in fact, they seem to resent any questions being asked about the local area!) The older rooms with great views are the best. We had a suite (we had children) - it had a great view and lovely surroundings - the room was ok but certainly not great (e.g., bathroom old and bath backed up). Overall, great location, however, it is getting abit old and is resting abit on past glories. Enjoy

Nice Hotel- Nothing Fancy Right on the Beach. Beach has great sand great for swimming. Turtles in the water at sunset. Don't bother with the bar though. Horrible service. Food not that great. Harleqiin and Steak house good food. Prices high. For Chinese food Try Jade House. Tons of food low prices.

We booked this last minute vacation at the Southern Palms the week of 11/6/2004 because of the great reviews we read here. The Southern Palms is not a 5 star hotel, but I will tell you this, our room was clean (the air conditioning worked great and we had a free upgrade to a suite), the beach was absolutely beautiful (pink sand and turquoise waves) and the staff were the most helpful, kindest people we have ever encountered (and we have been traveling throughout the Caribbean for the last 20 years.) The hotel is located in 'The Gap' which is full of great restaurants and bars all within walking distance, but we never had a problem with loud music or street noise - just the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. Late afternoon we would sit on the beach and watch the turtles come up for air practically right at your feet! Barbados is a beautiful island, with none of the heartbreaking sites of starving dogs in the streets or dead donkeys and goats in the road. Plenty of beautiful beaches and wonderful people - we felt completely safe wherever we went. Of course, there are people trying to sell you everything from real estate to aloe, but they go away with a smile when you tell them no thanks. Favorite Restaurants: AquaPices, Cafe Sol and Bellini's all found in the GAP. Great Catamaran Cruise - Stiletto (top of the line!). We truly had a fantastic week in Barbados and the Southern Palms is highly recommended for making your stay an extra special one!!

Just returned from two fantastic weeks at the Southern Palms Hotel, the brochure does not do this hotel justice. Set on Dover Beach, it has a magnificent beach front of approx. 1000 yards, that's as good as the West Coast Hotels. As you step from your room, into a little Italian garden, then onto the pinky/white soft sand, the beautiful carribbean sea calls you to dive in, and being your first day, its probably only 6.30am in the morning, you will be on UK time, if you were anything like me. It doesn't matter its so early, as the air is unbelievably warm as is the sea. Take a dip, and swim with the turtles. Yep, we thought at first how lucky we were to see a turtle, but after an hour or so I came to the conclusion they like to watch the tourists as they bob up to take a breath, there is one every couple of minutes. Back to the hotel, as the hotel is set out to stretch along the beach, most of the rooms have a great view of the sea, or garden with a side view of the sea. We stayed in a suite, go the extra mile and book one too. The extra space is great, with a living room, with a great comfy couch, two conservatory style chairs, ceiling fan, TV and coffee table you feel right at home, then of course you have a dining table and chairs (we moved ours out onto the patio, so we could take advantage of the sea view, just open up the french windows and move them out) Now the bedroom, a great big bed, the most comfortable we have ever had on any of our hols. In the bedroom there is air-conditionioning with remote control, so you don't even have to get out of bed if you want to alter it. Off the bedroom, is a walk-in- wardrobe, with plenty of good hangers and a safe (extra charge of $BD3.00 per day, that isn't much we were getting $3.50BDS to the £) and it is really handy saves going to receiption for the free safety deposit boxes. You'll also find a full size ironing board, just phone house-keeping for the iron. Now the bathroom, with two doors, you can go in from either bedroom or living room, however, our switch was wired up wrong so you could only switch the light on from bedroom, needs sorting out. Anyway, small bath, with shower over, big, sink unit with lots of space for bits and pieces, hairdryer on the wall, and shaver point too. Big mirror with excellent lighting (important for us girls) (Fittings look a bit tired, perhaps a re-fit may be needed) Then there is a small kitchenette, seperated from the living room, by sliding doors. You'll find a large fridge with freezer compartment, two ring ceramic hop, kettle and toaster, plenty of pots and pans etc, tin opener, cheese grater, ice bucket etc On arrival we opened the frindge to find a small bottle of rum and two bottles of coke (nice gesture I thought) Room service is excellent, and it's only $5BD on top not much really we had it all the time, really handy when you've just come off the beach and fancy a cocktail or an ice-cream. The restaurant, bar and snack bar are all open air and are next to the pool by the sea shore, great views. Happy hour is daily Tue to Sun 6pm to 7pm, then on Monday its the managers cocktail party, they only serve rum punch or soft drinks though at this. The food in both the restaurant and snack-bar is excellent as is the service, I can recommend the steak fish, its great, I can honestly say all the time we were in Barbados we never had anything other than excellent food, and we ate everywhere, from the best restaurant 'Southsea' down to the burger girl on the street, it was all great. I would say prices on the whole are similar to the UK for food and booze, and the supermarkets are as good as we have here, if you get out of the resort, we found a great supermarket at six roads, it had everything you could want. Like anywhere, you can spend as much or as little as you like, I would say hire a car, and get about and see the Island, go and visit Nigel Benn's Auntie' she'll want you to take a picture of her and send it back and she'll put in on the wall of her bar for everyone to see, there are loads of them. Other good days out are the helicopter and submarine, combine the two and save some money, then there is horse-riding in scotland (yep that what they call it) and gallop on the beach at bathsheba (jennie the activities lady at the hotel can arrange anything for you, car hire, day trips and has loads of ideas of places to go. I would say this is a great hotel, close to the night life of the gap, but not in your face, it has a fantastic beach and everyone at the hotel is happy to help you have a great holiday. Hope i have covered everything you may need to know.(sorry for any spelling error's)