The Sandpiper

The rating for this hotel is 4.5, but it's a 5 all the way. The rooms are beautifully appointed, the food is great, the beach although small is wonderful and most of all the staff are friendly and attentive. After just one day they say hi and call you by name. Don't forget to chat with Harold at Harold's Bar on the beach. He's a fixture and everyone's favourite.

One of the loveliest hotels I’ve stayed in, understated luxury, no glitz or fuss. Incredible levels of service from all the staff who are friendly rather than stuffy. Several of the staff have been here for 35+ years. Excellent light lunches at Harold’s with daily specials and the main lunch menu is also available in the evening, which we appreciated particularly on the day we arrived. Superb fine dining restaurant, we had our best meals of the holiday here. Plenty of places to lie in the sun either by the beach or around the pools, although could perhaps do with more shaded areas in the afternoon. Extremely comfortable sun loungers. Live music on several nights which was very good when we heard it, finishes by 22:00 but could do with starting a bit later as it’s very close to the restaurant and bar and rather kills the conversation. Easily walkable to Holetown. Children are now accommodated all year round but apparently they try to limit numbers of very young ones, it wasn’t a problem when we were there. Seemed slightly odd to have White Company toiletries in the bathrooms, would have been nice to have a local brand such as those in the public areas (St Lucy Botanicals, I think?) Will definitely return.

Booked The Sandpiper for 8 nights in January 2025 for a winter getaway. Barbados absolutely surpassed all my expectations and this amazing place was absolutely a major contributing factor to that feeling! What a place. A little slice of heaven. From the moment we were accompanied to our room by the General Manager Ken, I knew we were in for a special time. It is the first time I have ever stayed anywhere (and I have stayed at a lot of top venues around the world) where I have been walked around the resort and to the room by the GM. Our room was absolutely beautiful. A suite overlooking the most tranquil and beautiful beach along the west coast of Barbados. The location is paramount to what makes this hotel so great. However, and this is key for me, there is one absolute key ingredient to what makes The Sandpiper simply one of the most amazing places I have ever stayed. It is all about the staff! It would seem like they have found all the most amazing people on this planet and plonked them in to The Sandpiper as a team. The gardeners, the cleaners, security, reception, bar teams, restaurant staff, management, everyone, absolutely everyone at this resort was incredible. No one would walk past you without a greeting, no one would walk past you without a smile. In a world where hospitality struggle to recruit and keep good people, The Sandpiper is the complete opposite. Everyone we spoke to had been working at the hotel for many many years. From 3 years up to about 40 years. So many staff have worked here for years and that showed from the level of commitment us as guests received from the staff. These people believe in customer excellence, they care about hotel guests having the most memorable experience, and that, that is absolutely priceless. Wherever you were, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, at the bar there was always someone waiting to assist you. I never had to fill up my water glass or wine glass myself. The staff are absolutely on it and absolutely incredible. The best I’ve experienced. It is no wonder that so many of the guests we spoke to had been on their 3rd 4th or 10th return visit to The Sandpiper. The hotel is the perfect size to not be overwhelming and maintain that personal touch. We simply loved everything about Barbados and the Sandpiper and if we return to Barbados which is absolutely certain I would not even think about booking anywhere else. Nothing to fault here, it’s a 10/10 all the way. I joked to the GM that his job was made easy by the loyalty and commitment of his team and he agreed. So The Sandpiper management team, kudos to you guys, however you maintain this loyalty, whatever it is that keeps your team so focused on service delivery, keep doing it, as you guys have created a little slice of heaven on this beautiful island.