- Barbados Holidays
- St James
- Sandy Lane Hotel
This hotel is located on the western coast of the island of Barbados and sits on a 1000 m long white sandy beach beside the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea. Public transport links are to be found right outside the hotel and the nearest shops are in Holetown (some 1.6 km). Guests will find attractions such as Harrisons Cave, the Flower Forest, Orchid World (all about 8 km), the Andromeda Gardens (around 9.6 km) and St Nicholas Abbey (approximately 19 km) all nearby. The resort is approximately a 35-minute drive from Grantley Adams International Airport.
This beach resort hotel features classic design decorated with coral patterns in stone and is set in a mahogany forest. The family-friendly property comprises a total of 112 deluxe rooms, including 16 suites and 1 villa. Facilities on offer to guests at this air-conditioned establishment include a lobby area with a 24-hour reception and check-out service, a hotel safe, a currency exchange facility and lift access. Guests have a hairdressing salon, a children's playground and a kids' club at their disposal. There is a bar and a restaurant and guests will appreciate the conference facilities and wireless Internet access (throughout the property except for the spa). They can also take advantage of the room and laundry services. Parking is available for those arriving by car and it is also possible to hire bicycles on the premises.
All rooms come with a private bathroom with a shower/bathtub and a hairdryer and offer a king-size bed. They are equipped with a direct dial telephone and a 52-inch flat-screen TV with in-room entertainment features, which provide access to movies, a music library, email and the Internet. There is also a private honour bar/fridge and a personal in-room safe. Furthermore, an ironing set and either a balcony or terrace are provided in all accommodation as standard.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
Unfortunately same issues as last year. Building works, slamming doors and sunbed hunting.
We contacted the hotel five weeks before our planned dates before booking to check on maintenance, building works and specific room type, all in a bid to avoid the spoilt holiday last year.
After two lengthy calls and dozens of emails ( one thread alone was 21 emails) we were assured we would have our Ocean View room with no disturbance. We booked the hotel and flights on the back of this information Soon after Sandy Lane reservations changed our room type. We knew this room is on a long corridor with service and bedroom doors the staff ( housekeeping, maintenance, mini bar, room service) allow to slam shut. It echoes throughout the corridor and in the room it causes the patio doors to vibrate and clatter.
I gave up asking reservations to stop changing my booking and decided we would visit in person, as we were staying at Royal West Moreland before Sandy Lane.
Turns out there was major refurbishment taking place, not painting and soft furnishings as promised, so we had to move types. Apparently there had been a delay in materials. Why this would affect anything is beyond me……we had checked relentlessly, there was to be no noise. I feel management was not open and honest about their plans. Projects in Barbados are always delayed. We would most certainly have not booked had we known this major refurbishment was taking place immediately before our arrival. (FYI mini bar service has just entered my room and exited with a massive slam of my door and banging of patio doors!) With some effort from Adrien Piot and reservations we managed to secure a room at the very end of the corridor I did not want to be on, in an effort eliminate some of the noise. Fire doors have to self close, but they do not need to slam shut (The House Hotel just down the road from Sandy Lane is a great example - silent closing doors) During our in room check the very cheerful and friendly lady and I spoke of my emails regarding the slamming doors, she had read these. Excellent I thought! She then left my room letting the bedroom door slam shut behind her. Not a good start. Most of the guests are great, they manually close the door. It’s mostly the staff that leave it to self close and slam.
I have always loved the reserved sunbed system here. Unfortunately the last two years have been mayhem. I never know where my bed is. We tipped the beach boy on our first morning and asked not to be moved, thinking may this was the answer. Didn’t happen. Beds in completely different spots every morning. Meaning you need to search out a beach boy to be shown your spot. Today we repeated this sunbed dance, settled down for half an hour……….when a group arrived and were put next to me. Shawnessy set up three of the beds at right angles to me. So 3 ladies on loungers were facing the entire side of me 2 feet away. Very awkward and unpleasant for me. Why would staff do this, particularly after he knew we had struggled every morning. Sadly due to feeling I was in a goldfish bowl and disappointed again with our experience we left the beach.
Regarding noise you can hear tile cutters and some power tools from the sea most days and I did hear heavy goods vehicles/machines from the spa relaxation pool. Currently in my room none of the building works are audible.
I’m not a typical Brit. I do and have made those around me aware of issues and always feel hotels need to be given the chance to put things right.
On a more positive note Linda a therapist from the spa gave me the most amazing facial . The swimming pool lounger cushion covers and towels have been given a fabulous upgrade and are super comfy. We enjoyed the manager’s champagne reception, with the brilliant Strolling Minstrels- thanks to them for singing my favourite Barbadian song - I Got My Rum!
Obviously not all people are aware of noise. So these may not be issues for all. Take from it what you will.
Having visited Sandy Lane many times I’m happy to answers any questions.
Shocking experience, this is normally a lovely place to visit. We visited for a special occasion and couldn’t believe how the place has degenerated. The service was shocking, the food inedible and the response was ‘ okay we are sorry you didn’t have a good experience’ . Bugs in food is not acceptable at any restaurant, yet they think that being in a hot climate you should accept it . We ate off the main menu and what was served was disgraceful. The attitude from the manager was of arrogance and not understanding the quality required from such a renowned establishment. The staff seemed more interested in having a play and joke around the bar than serving their guests. Mr Desmond and the owners need to have a look at what is happening, we will not be going back in a hurry. There are so many better options in Barbados that should be explored before going to Bajan Blue. Tides restaurant, Bia Restarant , Nishi are all great places to go and put Sandy Lane to shame.
Worst experience, rude staff, bugs in the sauces on barbecue, waited over an hour for service. Rude to my husband because he had broken his foot and in a cast even though i had cleared this with shanice that he couldnt wear trousers. Tides is the best restaurant on the island, puts bajan blue sandy lane to shame! Think carefully before booking a meal here! Absolutely disgusting!!
Afternoon tea at Sandy Lane is an absolute triumph, especially for anyone navigating dietary restrictions. As someone who is gluten-free, I’ve grown used to afternoon tea being an afterthought of dry rice cakes and apologetic substitutions not here. The gluten-free selection was every bit as indulgent and beautifully presented as the classic menu, from delicate finger sandwiches on perfectly textured gluten-free bread to a stunning array of pastries that didn’t sacrifice an ounce of flavour or flakiness. It’s clear the kitchen genuinely understands gluten-free baking rather than simply avoiding wheat.
The tea selection was equally impressive. Rather than the usual predictable options, we were offered a thoughtful range of herbal and wellness-focused blends jasmine fragrant, healthy, and clearly chosen with real care. Each stunning crockery pot was brewed to perfection and paired beautifully with the food, making the whole experience feel considered rather than an afterthought.
Set against the backdrop of Sandy Lane’s effortless elegance, with attentive and knowledgeable staff who took the time to explain every element of the gluten-free menu, this was easily one of the best afternoon teas I’ve had allergy-friendly or otherwise. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a truly inclusive, healthy, and delicious tea experience.
ROACHES. The most prominent memory my young child and I will forever have of this iconic 5-star hotel is a multi-generational family of ROACHES crawling all over the bar/coffee/tea area. 1- checkin in the room 211 was stressful because they had 2 twin beds instead of a king-sized in the room, and it was incredibly hot like they did not turn the air on until they heard we were being escorted to the room. Their solution was to push the 2 twins together. No. The woman doing the checkin could not get my card to work on her iPad, so we had to leave the room for over an hour for them to swap out mattresses, and for me to go to the office to have my card swiped. Returned to the room around 8p and it was still hot, actually hotter. It was 23 Celsius when we left the room and was then 27 degrees when we returned. Phoned the front desk, was told it was my fault, I must’ve left the balcony doors open (I did not). They said maintenance would come. When maintenance arrived the screen temp magically read 23 degrees. He said I need to give it time to cool off (the lowest it goes is 21 degrees Celsius). Right when he was about to leave, the screen temp jumped to 27 again. He said a faulty sensor but nothing could be done until the following morning. Great, so I was expected to suffer and not sleep in 27 degree heat. 9:53p I went to the fridge for cool water in the dark. Opened the fridge door and saw something move on the wall out of my peripheral. I look, it’s a ROACH! I go get my phone to shine a light, the roach is just leisurely crawling, not even in a hurry to scatter and hide. I open camera video to record, and notice 2 more on an adjacent wall, along with several more roaches blending in with the dark granite countertop, and one crawling on a tea cup. This is the bar area where the coffee maker, tea cups, tea box, etc are. I call the front desk and the woman who answered unenthusiastically, dull-toned did not care and just said “oh. This is the Caribbean.” Excuse me? I have stayed in 5-star hotels on multiple Caribbean islands and NEVER seen a roach in the past 15 years! She said she would send housekeeping. Unacceptable! Is the housekeeper going to come in and catch all the roaches?! Worse, all of our things were unpacked so the horrid thought of them crawling on my belongings or traveling home with us. I went to the front desk and was disregarded since there was a couple in the lobby, until I started playing the video. Now you all are scurrying coming from behind the counter and trying to escort me into an office. I had to go back to the room, wake my child up, and we had to wait back in the library for another 1 hour 10 min for them to get another room ready for us. They moved us to 306 that had a whole in the wall from the door handle hitting it. The mirror at that bar had splotches of some sort on it and needed replacing, as did the mirrors in the bathroom sink area need fixing as well. We were bit nightly in 306 (neck, fingers, toes, backs, etc) by tiny black things flying around, but I didn’t see roaches in there. However, the first night experience was so traumatic that I kept the night lights and bar light on every night in fear. There are goods/pros, but none of them make up for the fact that there were roaches in a hot room with the air not working! (The air was working perfectly fine in 306.) They didn’t even have the decency or courtesy to remove the room charge for the first night’s deplorable experience. Pros: complimentary breakfast daily for in-room dining, in-room dining deliveries always arrived before the quoted time; male employees felt genuinely pleasant and welcoming but not the female employees; the spa was nice; great relaxing pool area; the woman in the Pro Shop was nice and remembered me from my previous stay a few years ago; Country Club breakfast and lunch menu were better than the resort menus. Cons: the birds ruined Afternoon Tea (they would land on your table without shame trying to steal food which is a health hazard/concern), air not working in 211, roaches in 211 (and if they’re in 1 room then they have to be in the neighboring rooms as well…), no apology and no compensation offered (just you have a room on a higher floor now at no extra charge… WHAT?!); the woman who was taking us to the airport in a red BMW drove erratically behind Sandy Lane’s house Rolls Royce to the point I thought she was going to crash into it a few times; she also kept staring at my child for having ice cream in a SL cup and lid and said “she better not make a mess.” Hopefully, they find time to make room repairs and fumigate the rooms as well, or have housekeeping ensure no sticky residues remain on bar surfaces that could attract roaches.
