Sandy Lane

As part of my Barbados hotel due diligence for me and my husband’s Anniversary Trip/Spring Break vacation to my Fatherland (I’m half Bajan), I researched the top luxury hotels in Barbados including Sandy Lane, Cobblers Cove, Coral Reef Club, and Fairmont Pavilion as viable options to get some much needed QT and relaxation. Ultimately, we booked Sandy Lane, as it was the most appealing to my hubby and because it’s been on my hotel bucket list for quite some time. It also gave me an opportunity to check out the hotel as a whole to recommend to my travel clients (I am a part time Luxury Travel Advisor). Definitely the most expensive option, which I was hoping to avoid bc splurging during an economic downturn with ongoing layoffs isn’t the wisest, but based on the facilities, the amenities, the great reviews and the very responsive reservations team, we felt that the SL hotel would be worth the splurge. Day of Arrival - After seeing the Sandy Lane sign 🪧 after deplaning our aircraft, we were whisked away expeditiously thru the Immigration line via Sandy Lane’s VIP airport concierge, and then we were immediately greeted by another SL representative who directed us to our private driver who took us to Sandy Lane, which was about a 30 min drive. Definitely a 5 star experience and a great start to the trip. The entrance to the grounds is quite lush and paved the way to a beautiful arrival experience. Check-in was great too as they knew our names upon arrival and they had two non-alcoholic welcome drinks ready for us. We were then given a brief rundown of the hotel and then we were escorted to our room where our luggage was already placed and where we completed the rest of the check-in process with one of the front office staff. All very professional and smooth. Things I absolutely loved during our stay: - Attentive and friendly service throughout all of the outlets during our entire stay - The beautiful white sand beach with the clearest blue water AND that you get your own dedicated beach loungers throughout your stay (once checking in w the beach hut team who have seating charts) so there’s no issue with trying to find vacant loungers each morning. - The spa & fitness center. It was huge, gorgeous and very state-of-the-art. The epitome of a full service spa and perfect for a full blown spa day. You could literally spend the entire day there. I love that hotel guests could access the facilities even without a booked treatment. My husband and I loved the sauna, huge jacuzzi and steam room which were perfect for relaxing. Didn’t try the spa restaurant but I heard it has the same menu as the Beach restaurant. - Huge pool with attentive pool service. The pool has a swim up bar and waterfall which was a nice resorty touch. And huge comfy loungers. From the pool you could easily access the spa facilities at your leisure. - Oh how I loved the spaciousness and feng shui of the guestrooms and guestroom bathrooms. We stayed in an Orchid room (base room type) which was well appointed and comparable to the other room types; but had less of a view and located in a building further from the beach/ restaurants, which was perfectly fine for us. The room and outdoor patio was thoughtfully designed, large and extremely functional. Also, very well taken care of and very clean. As a former Hotlier (I’ve built and renovated hotels for a living), I did not see any real wear & tear which was impressive, especially for the age of the property. Great job to the engineering & maintenance team! - I found the food to be tasty. We dined at Bajan Blue for breakfast every morning, the Beach Bar (the blackened fish sandwich was so good) and Monkey Club for dinner. - The two boutiques on property had beautiful clothing for men and women, well known designers, cute swimwear and fashion accessories. Nothing too kitschy. I literally wanted to buy everything in sight but alas had no more room in my carry-on bag. Boo! But I did buy a few souvenirs for my family and received duty free pricing. The sales associate who works there (I forgot her name) is really nice and helpful as well. - The Sandy Lane Country Club and golf courses were above PAR, pun intended. Considered some of the best and most exclusive golf courses in the world. The restaurant was also quite tasty and offered beautiful, breezy views. A great spot for a sporty, but elegant lunch or for an early sunset cocktail. Things that could have been better / room for improvement: - The staff asked us a few times if we were celebrating a special occasion, in which we were (11 year anniversary), but surprisingly, nothing was really done about it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have assumed, but from them asking us various times, we were expecting some sort of handwritten note or a special dessert delivered to our room to memorialize our anniversary, but nothing ever came. I’m accustomed to receiving a bottle of wine/Prosecco, desserts and the like, so that just seemed like a miss and was confused why they kept asking us why we were there. Perhaps an 11 year anniversary is not momentous enough? Or gift giving at this property isn’t customary?🤷🏾‍♀️ - Breakfast buffet at Bajan Blue had a decent spread but not the greatest. I’ve definitely experienced more robust breakfast setups at other comparable hotels around the world. Also, I was surprised that there was no champagne/prosecco provided at the juice station for adult guests to make mimosas. A lot of the luxury hotels I’ve been to offer complimentary sparkling wine with their breakfast buffets so I was disappointed there was none here bc I love a breakfast mimosa when on vacation. Vitamin C with a kick. 😉 - The birds! Omg there were so many aggressive scavenger birds on the hunt at Bajan Blue restaurant every morning. They were quite distracting and did not make for the most pleasant dining experience as they flew in and out of the restaurant, landing on tables, chairs and were stealing food off plates and even landing on some buffet items…Perhaps something more can be done to keep them more at bay to make conditions more sanitary and pleasant? - The cost for food and drinks at all dining outlets were noticeably expensive, especially in comparison to other top restaurants on the island. I’m talking $50 USD for a Cesar Salad, $60 USD for a fish sandwich with fries and $50+ for a sushi roll. I eat at Michelin rated restaurants around the world so paying high prices for food isn’t something I normally take issue with, but no salad or appetizer should start at $50USD in my opinion. - Instead of a taxi van that takes 15-20min to pick you up from the country club to take you back to the hotel, I was thinking that perhaps there could be dedicated electric golf carts that can shuttle guests to and from the hotel to the country club. I’ve seen this work successful at other golf hotels. So just a thought. Would I return? Yes - absolutely. We had a great time overall. But realistically when rates are the most cost effective in efforts of getting the most value. Overall Review: 4٫4/5 Read less

As the title suggests, this must be one of the best hotels in the world. I only have positive things to say. From the moment we arrived we were treated like royalty. No request was too much. The staff are amazing. The beach is stunning. The food was outstanding. The gym was large and clean and have all the equipment we needed. The spa was world class with amazing treatments. It wasnt cheap, but getting something at this level never will be. We will absolutely be back! Read less

After a slightly less positive experience in 2024, 2025 was absolutely fabulous!! It was so lovely to see many familiar faces from the Sandy Lane team and everywhere across the hotel seemed well supported this year. We were met at the airport in style, had wonderful food and friendly service throughout our stay, and the manager’s drinks evening was a generous highlight. Our room couldn’t have been more perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed Dawn swims, friendly fellow guests, and the welcoming atmosphere of the team - thank you! Read less