If you're prepared for the mega-splurge, you'll have an easy time fitting in at this beach front country club ultra-luxe resort. Starting with the constant presentation of cold eucalyptus-soaked wash cloths spread about the resort, they don't miss a beat and are currently tied for 1st place in my list of Caribbean favs.

The Rooms: We booked a 707 square foot "Supreme 1 King Bed Ocean View" room and it was out of this world. Think George V grandeur, with 100% marble floors, dual bathroom sinks and huge his and hers closets, and you'll get the picture. Grand luxe. The linens are out of this world...you've never slept better. The shower pressure is almost astounding (literally 8 shower heads; one a "rainforest" model). What's extraordinary about these rooms is the futuristic technology: they have user-friendly control panels throughout your room that help you regulate everything from the lighting to the drapery to the 'do not disturb' status of your room. Add the full length mirror in the foyer of our non-suite quarters and it officially became the best resort OR hotel room I've ever stayed in.

The Beach: Stunning. Once your loungers are set up by one of the butlers, you'll find a yellow flag dedicated to your chair that you're instructed to erect on the sand whenever you should need anything. One of the dozens of wonderfully friendly beach butlers will come running to your need in a matter of 30 seconds or less (yes, we timed them) and get you anything from a daiquiri to a platter of cheese smothered nachos to lens cleaner for your sunglasses that may or may not now have cheese grease on them. The Caribbean water is just how you've seen it in any one of your latest Travel&Leisure Mags; pristine, refreshing and very swim able.

The Pool: Gorgeous; complete with 15 foot waterfalls, abundant pool-side loungers and a swim-up bar, you won't be disappointed with the scene (NB: there is no separate adult-only pool). We visited last weekend (October) and we were told it was quiet -- I would caution those coming to Sandy Lane during high season...I would imagine it might be a slight stress to get ample room around the pool if the resort was fully occupied. Unlike other posh resorts, the pool scene doesn't offer random complimentary treats (like fruit or sorbet); just something we noticed (the beach butlers, however, did offer the occassional treat).

The Workout Facilities: Great air circulation adds to this very adequate space with several cardio machines, various weight machines and a separate room for classes. Note for picky gym-rats: while the equipment is updated, only the treadmills have personal TVs; ellipticals and bikes aren't TV-equipped but you'll find two large flat screens on the wall...hopefully you'll all agree on what show to watch -- not ideal, but you'll get over it quickly.

The Spa: Near perfection. Treatments are expensive, but if you're a spa-freak (like me), you'll sink into a routine in no time as this spa is over-the-top (what you'd expect at a resort like this). I highly recommend phoning the spa well in advance of your trip and have them email or send you the spa treatment and price list so you can book prior to arrival to ensure you get your ideal treatments and time slots. I would note that, once you've checked in with the reception desk prior to your appointment, the spa caretakers insist on waiting for you outside your respective locker room prior to your treatment (so they can escort you to the waiting area 20 feet away) which makes for a seemingly rushed change-into-robe experience. Looking back, I would have politely mentioned to the spa staff that they simply show me where the relaxation waiting room was so I could get changed at my own speed and slowly transition into my spa mood (otherwise you feel rushed because you know someone's waiting for you outside the locker room). At any rate, if they could change this one aspect, and add a pot of tea or coffee to (and subtract the energetic dance music from) the relaxation lounge, they'd have a perfect 10 spa on their hands. As it is, I'd say we're talking an 8.5 out of 10. Ooops...forgot the ergonomically contoured chaise loungers in the relaxation lounge: make it a 9.0.

The Food: The pool-side and beach-side restaurants are just as you'd expect: great casual food with serious price tags (club sandwich is $47 Barbadian; which is about $24 USD -- split it with your companion and you'll still get full and save a few bucks). The breakfast buffet is truly fantastic and delicious. Being that breakfast is included with your room rate, it does seem like a special treat each morning when you get your made-to-order omelets or chocolate chip pancakes and no bill at the end.

The formal restaurant, l'acajou, on the property is quite good though carries a heavy prix fix tag. I would highly suggest saving your dinner splurge for "The Cliffs" or "The Tides" down the street, or "Wispers" about 15 minutes away (The Cliffs being our top pick during our stay). Or, if none of these options sound appealing, simply visit the concierge and they will pull out this beautiful book of every local Sandy Lane-recommended restaurant and ensure you have a look at the current menu (great touch!). After dinner, definitely head down to Monkey Bar on the lower level of Sandy Lane for a night cap and some great complimentary local entertainment on Thursdays thru Sundays (or so it was during our stay).

Golf: Our husbands hit at the driving range and had great reports; we ate at the Country Club restaurant and it was also good. We never actually hit the links but they were out of this world. Hey - if it's good enough for Tiger's wedding, it's probably good enough for anyone!

All in all, we had a remarkable stay at Sandy Lane and I would highly recommend the splurge. For those that are debating Sandy Lane vs. Ocean Club (the Paradise Island gem owned by One&Only Resorts), you can't go wrong with either....the overall vibe of Sandy Lane is quite Ocean Club-esque. Ocean Club is about 2 hours closer for those coming from the east coast, so that's an interesting benefit when comparing the travel requirements; although I will note that the Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados far surpasses Nassau (or any other Caribbean airport for that matter) -- truly an unexpected surprise to find abundant shopping and a very contemporary airy vibe (if you've ever been to the Exuma airport, you understand what I mean when I say you never know what you're going to get from a Caribbean airport).

I would also note that we didn't see any obvious or extra-special amenities for children (unlike Ocean Club with a separate pool and waterpark access for kids). This may be because there were hardly any children here during mid-October and they kept things hidden and out of the way. OR, it could be because children's amenities are lacking...I honestly don't know. For those with children, a quick call to the excellent Sandy Lane concierge will clear up the mystery in a heart beat I'm sure. For those of us with no kids, we definitely appreciated the adult-friendly tranquility of it all.

Nothing is perfect, so I feel compelled to offer one lowlight: After lounging like beached whales for days, we finally decided to partake in a beach activity and rented a boat from Sandy Lane for what was billed as a one-hour "Barbados Real Estate Tour". For $120USD, you too can leave your luxurious lounge chair, British Home Interior Design Mag and ice cold Banks beer for a 1980s, totally weathered, algae-infested, 5-person "Boston Whaler" and finally understand what Gilligan and The Skipper went through. 30 minutes into our "Tour" as my eyes were rolling into the back of my head from nausea….we slowed down for the 9th time so we could hear our guide tell us about Arnold Schwarzenegger's beach front estate and breath in the gas fumes from the Whaler, I felt a sense of sadness and depression as I pictured how lonely my wonderful Banks beer must be sitting quietly on my lounger's side table. Yes, the Terminator's house is beautiful... but this was no real estate tour. And, the high from the gas fumes was definitely not worth the expense and the nausea of it all. Bottom line, take it from me (as it's 4 days later and I'm still nauseous); stay put on land and relish the beach and resort luxe and all the other wonderful perks Sandy Lane and its top notch staff has to offer.

Great service even before we arrived....dinner reservations made for us each night and promptly picked up at the airport even though our flight was delayed. At check-in we were greated with a smile and an island cocktail. The rooms are exactly like they are pictured.....fabulous! Our favorite restaurants were The Cliff, Whispers, Lone Star, and Aqua. We had a great sea-side table each evening thanks to the concierge at the hotel. By far the best food was at the Cliff.....rivels any food you've ever had in NYC, Vegas, LA......Daniel, Jean George, Picasso, Spago, etc.
We watched the sunset several evenings from the Country Club where Tiger Woods was married. The beach was marvelous....great drink service and cold towels delivered chairside. Did I mention how hot it is here in September? We were very lucky considering it was the 'rainy season'......never used my umbrella even once. SCUBA divers will love it here....go to Roger's SCUBA Shack. [---] We went on 4 dives one of which was the Savronikita (80 -120 feet deep). Great photo op. Back to the Sandy Lane....the only hotel I've ever stayed in where I was excited about staying on the property. Usually we're on the go exploring every inch of the island we're visiting. You should rent a car and drive over to the east side of the island to see the shore/ cliffs/ surfing at Bathsheba. I'll be back to the Sandy Lane sometime soon!

We stayed at Sandy Lane for just one night at the end of three weeks island hopping in the West Indies.

It was the most perfect culmination to a great holiday. From the moment we arrived at Grantley Adams Intnl Airport and were met by one of the hotel's Mercedes cars, complete with chilled bottled water, nothing was too much trouble. The hotel's motto could be "the customers are king and queen" as that is how we felt.

A great welcome on arrival from management & staff and then ushered to our Ocean Front superior room which anywhere else would be classified as a de luxe suite! Superb bathroom with deep tub, multi-jet shower, two sinks and acres of marble.

Huge bed, great sitting area, terrace area and electroninc gadgetry to take care of everything. Nice touches included the Nespresso machine, a chilled bottle of Laurent Perrier in the icebucket and of, course, in room check-in. No queuing at Reception here.

Dinner in L'Acajou restaurant was outstanding and memorable - the lobster to die for - and the wine list contained some reasonably priced gems amongs the superstars.

Breakfast downstairs was part waiter service, part buffet and catered for all tastes [even those dreaded jars of Marmite!] with fresh juice, delicious French yoghurts, and cooked dishes.

We spent far too much money in the various hotel boutiques - lovely clothes etc.and then it was all too soon for the time to come to leave.

Thank heavens for the quality of Virgin Upper Class which brought us back into the real world quite gently, only reached with the horrors of Gatwick airport at 06.30 the following morning. Wecome back to the third world!

I was very fortunate to be able to stay at Sandy Lane with my family and was highly impressed. The rooms and the rest of the hotel are beautifully decorated and furnished. Loved the electric control panels that control the lighting, curtains etc but beware the very slippery marble floors especially when it has rained which it did fairly often. Breakfast and lunch at Bajan Blue were fantastic and although we ate at The Cliff. Tides, Aqua and others one of my favourite dinners was at L'Acajou in the hotel. The beach staff, spa staff and housekeeping were excellent and the regular use of guest names was for me a very welcome and personalised touch despite not being famous, i felt it! I don't play golf but had lunch at the Country Club from where the view was amazing, not surprised Tiger Woods chose this venue for his wedding. Watersports were readily available and the Good Times catamaran was well worth the 5 hr trip. Overall I fail to see how anyone would be disappointed with this amazing destination which amidst all its luxury, the Bajan welcome was very much in existence as always.