Sandy Lane Hotel

We have just recentley returned from yet another superb holiday at Sandy Lane, Barbados. This was our 10th visit at Sandy Lane in the last 5 years. From the moment you drive through the gates, without exception, every member of staff offers us a warm welcome back. On arrival in reception we were greeted with a customary cold towel and a welcome drink and without delay were shown to our room. Each room we have stayed in has always been to the highest standard. The golf courses which include the `not to be missed` Green Monkey course are complimented by the most stunning views we`ve ever encounted from a club house. From the extensive buffet breakfast in Bajan blue restaurant, through to one of our own favourites of afternoom tea served on the lower terrace, dinner at lacajou, we have found both the food and service very hard to fault. For anybody who is looking for an extra special holiday, we would highly reccomend Sandy Lane.

Sandy Lane is a world class place. From arrival, where you are pampered in a Bentley airport transfer, the hotel could not do more to exceed your every expectation. Service has markedly improved since our last visit in 2002, and the facilities are as good as ever. The two Fazio courses are exceptional tests of your golf game, although they are also thoroughly enjoyable. The pool and beach simply exude relaxation. This hotel does everything right, and while the price is significant, a stay at Sandy Lane is worth every dime.

Having just registered as a contributor, I’m playing “catch-up”. We visited the Sandy Lane for two weeks in January of 2004, therefore some of the comments may be out of date and some of the criticisms may have been addressed. We had telephoned ahead to arrange transport to take us from the airport to the hotel. We were met by a female “greeter” who bundled us towards a cab, from the airport rank, which would not have been out of place in Cuba. Not an auspicious beginning to our vacation! A large amount of money has been spent refurbishing this hotel and it shows in the quality of the rooms and bathrooms. The problems lie in the areas of food, service and pricing. The food was just mediocre; the service appalling to non existent and the pricing represents seriously bad value for money. The attitude of the staff is probably best demonstrated by the fact that there were union notices of meetings pinned on the wall of the beach bar inviting their “comrades” to staff meetings to discuss their conditions. In addition, a union tax was added to the bill. I felt that this was indicative of who is in charge here. There seemed to be no management presence at all. It would have helped if someone took the time to (a) appear and (b) circulate and make the guests welcome. The front of house staff were friendly but seemed to be too preoccupied preparing bills to deal with queries or complaints. Put simply, there was no display of the warmth, nor of the welcome, that a hotel of this calibre needs to provide. Our room was spotless and had all the amenities one would expect from a five star hotel (flat screen T.V, radio, DVD and internet). The problem again related to service. Ants gathered on chocolates left on the bedside tables in the evening and despite asking housekeeping on three occasions not to leave them in future the requests were ignored. The beach has beautiful white sand and was pristine....until you took a walk passed the boundary of the hotel’s area. There you will find empty beer cans, discarded plastic, broken bottles and other debris In addition, It was impossible to sit in peace on the beach without being pestered by the locals competing to plait your hair, rub aloe on your legs or sell you scarves, beads, watches and other trinkets from a suitcase. If you are a golfer there are excellent courses available to play on payment of exorbitant green fees (c. $650). So, I decided to take my exercise walking, only to be told by the concierge that I would be ill advised to walk along any of the roads in the area on my own. All in all, the Sandy Lane left a sour taste. The bill was a “rip-off” for the level of service and quality of food provided. Any 5 star hotel in South Florida will provide you with similar or better accommodation for one third of the price and if you really want to experience Barbados (which I wouldn't want to do again), you will find the Royal Pavilion much more palatable.

This is our sixth time staying at the Sandy Lane and our first under the 'new management'. Things have changed: 1. It started with the new in room system. They now charge $10US to listen to music. We were spending over $5,000US per night. This is 'cheap'. 2. The airconditioning broked at 2.00am one evening. At 4.30am they were still saying (for the 5th time) it'll be fixed in a half hour. Anthony, the front desk manager, would be better suited to managing a MacDonalds drive through. 3. We found a dead bird, covered in maggots, in a feed area (that was not operating) to the swimming pool. I have photo's but they'd put you off your breakfast. 4. Frequently at breakfast it would take 30 mins to get coffee. Twice we just gave up. 5. I am vegetarian. I was served food, promised to contain no meat, which I eat and contained prawn and chicken. I was fairly ill. If this were someone with a nut allergy it could have been fatal. A chef should know what they are serving. 6. The new Chief Executive, who says in the brochure 'I look forward to welcoming you...' never appeared. No staff members we spoke to have seen him either. Overall we will not go back again. It is very expensive and it used to be special. Now the setting is special but the service is below average and would compare with a low end chain hotel. We spent over $30,000US on a week's vacation and very felt dissapointed.

sandy lane has got to be the nicest hotels i have ever stayed in. you dont even have to get out of bed to open your shades. the pool is beautiful along with the beach. the service is great and so is the food. i have been going there for 4 years striaght, i love it to death and i refuse to go anywhere else. sandy lane has spoiled me though considering the fact that not every hotel has the quaility things this hotel has. it will be the best vacation!

Having gone to Sandy Lane on account of the praises I read on TripAdvisor, I can only add my voice to the chorus. My wife and I have two children aged 6 and 8 and we stayed in two adjoining rooms (the "family fun" program). The children were ecstatic. The beach was perfect, and the rooms were beautiful. The service was superlatively good throughout. I have been to many nice hotels around the world, but I think this is the best. The arrangement on the beach where you keep the same spot everyday makes a lot of sense, despite some criticisms I read here, and the beach is actually quite spacious and everyone had a direct view of the beach. Some minor negatives, all about food: the breakfast, which is included with the room price, did not have things you would normally expect (e.g. fish other than smoked salmon, vegetable salads, seasoning for lettuce and tomato). For lunch the choices are somewhat limited and expensive. Also for dinner we were out practically every night because the prices are just too excessive and not justified by the choice or taste. There are many delightful restaurants in Barbados (Daphne's, Tides, etc.) but it would be nice to have a better option at the hotel. We would definitely go back and recommend Sandy Lane to everyone.

Without doubt one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in, and I have stayed in quite a few. Service is next to none. Rooms are large and sumptuous, even the garden view rooms. Okay its a little expensive but you wont forget it. Cant wait to go back. Try the sweedish spa massage.

Just returned from a family holiday at Sandy Lane. The hotel setting was stunning. My husband and I were on holiday with our 3 children 11, 5 and 4 when we first arrived we both thought this is not a hotel for children! We couldn't have been more wrong it was wonderful. The tree house club was excellent, although we didn't use it much as the children just wanted to play in the sea, the staff were fantastic with the children in all departments of the hotel. Our rooms on the ground floor facing the ocean were perfect as we were seconds from the beach and sea, perfect for a quick swim before breakfast! Our 4 year old was ill during our stay, the hotel nurse really took care of him and even drove after she had finished work 15 miles to a supermarket to get him a drink he liked and delivered back to our room. The service during our stay was as you would expect first class. It is very difficult to fault Sandy Lane, we will certainly book another family holiday there in the near future.

If you can - indulge in a honeymoon at the Sandy Lane where luxury and service is above an beyond any other caribbean beach resort. The Luxury Beach Front Suites are absolutely beautiful with sparkling turquoise water at your doorstep. No detail is overlooked and the service is top notch. Golf is divine with breathtaking views. The Green Monkey course is a must. Beach is narrow but lovely (not quite like Anguilla or Turks). The pool is also gorgeous. If you are on your honeymoon or travelling as a couple do be careful when you book - lots of families arriving for July 4th weekend. Try to avoid holidays or school breaks or you will be surrounded by children and nannies. We found that most were by the shaded pool during high sun so we stayed at the beach and migrated to the pool when the kids crossed over to play in the sand around 3 pm. We dined later (8:30) and the few children we did see were sleeping at the table! restaurants: Southsea: amazing 9.5/10 Cliff: also excellent (service not as good ad Southsea) 9/10 Tides: disappointing 6.5/10 Acajou: very good 8/10 Bajan Blue: great for casual dining (be prepared to pay $30 US for sandwich!) Spa: Treatments were excellent Do swim with the sea turtles and keep your eye out for the green monkeys! Prices at Sandy Lane are rediculously high but worth every penny.... back next year.

I returned from Barbados last week, and although I didn't stay at Sandy Lane, I did have the opportunity to dine there. While I imagine the hotel rooms are lovely, as is the beach, the restaurant was less than impressive. The evening I dined there, I was horrified to discover that the only options for dinner were a buffet or a dinner at the bar. I admit that I find buffets horrid to begin with, and this was very disappointing. So, if you choose to dine at Sandy Lane, unless you love buffets, check the dining calendar first!