I just got back from a week-long stay at Silver Sands. I booked it through a Best of Barbados deal, so it was extremely cheap (about half of what I paid for airfare and room for another terrific hotel the year prior). Seeing this, I wasn't expecting too much, and I was definitely correct in thinking this.
Silver Sands is on the south of the island, but more like southeast, so airport cabfare wasn't too bad ($15 US). Upon arrival, reception wasn't the friendliest, and our room wasn't ready even though we were there past check-in time. When we did finally check in to our room, it was a small, tired room with a TV and functioning AC. This would have been ok, but my biggest problem was that our requested king bed that was 2 twins pushed together to form a king. The beds and pillows were TERRIBLE (as I type this I am suffering from a terribly crinked neck that required chiropractic care upon arrival at home). Very unhappy with this aspect, as we only used our room to sleep and shower in. Our room had a small patio overlooking the pools and restaurants, and we were very closely situated to the center of the resort, which was nice. Breakfast was included in our package (buffet), but the food was sub-par and the same every day, so I usually ended up doing the continental of cereal, fruit, and coffee. Still worth it, though. There is a small mini-mart on the premises that sells food and sundries, which was great. We bought waters, fruit, bread, etc. They also have cold beer, cheese, etc., but we couldn't purchase any of these because our room didn't have a fridge. The hotel also makes you purchase EVERYTHING (breakfast, bar drinks, etc.) on a stupid card that they make you load at the reception desk. I didn't think this would be bad, but as the week went on it became extremely irritating to have to load the thing and wait in line at reception, not to mention if you lose it. The bar was disturbing, with bad drinks and poor entertainment. There are a few restaurants around, but it was recommended not to go walking around Silver Sands at night, so we didn't try any of them (we did try GiGi's Italian on a previous visit to the island, and it was very good). The hotel was right on the beach, but as other reviews mentioned, there were always locals patrolling it, trying to get you to buy drugs. The pools never really looked too crowded, but we never used them, and the jacuzzis were ice cold. The hotel has a computer for internet-use that was $5 US for 30 minutes. Computer was very sloooow.
Ok! Well, now for the good part... Silver Sands price allows you to visit a beautiful island country for a fraction of what you pay at other hotels. It is very out of the way of everything, but we rented a car for the whole duration and got to explore every inch of the island. Seeing that this was not our first trip and were familiar with the island, this worked out great. Every day we woke up, ate breakfast, and then left the hotel for the whole day to explore the beaches and other sights that the island has to offer. We returned in the evening, showered, and then drove out again to the various excellent restaurants around the island. (We did take a taxi to the Gap once for US $15, one way). This was our second time in Barbados, and the island experience was in no way marred by the hotel experience. If you are a person that likes spending time at the hotel, lounging by the pool or at the bar or at the beach, this hotel probably isn't for you. If you want to get out to explore the island and don't mind weird, tired quarters, then Silver Sands would work fine. To be honest, however, I would not stay here again, even for the cheap price. It is a little TOO far out of the way for my liking, and the small inconveniences started to add up by the end of the trip. I would pay a little bit more for more comfort and better location, which I think is definitely possible in Barbados. But I did get to visit a wonderful country again, and we had a great trip all in all. The beaches, food, and sights of Barbados are incredible, and is definitely a trip well worth taking!!

I spent two weeks, room only, at Silver Sands from 10th May. Before arrival I checked out Trip Advisor many times to get an idea of where we would be staying, and frankly, I started to get a little worried because of all the bad reviews. I shouldn’t have worried. The rooms are basic and in need of a bit of a face lift but they are cleaned daily and, lets face it, you don't go on holiday to stay in your room! The air conditioning was also great; it felt like you were stepping into a fridge – perfect after the heat of the day. It was a little noisy but once you get used to it, it doesn't bother. They have a cashless system in the hotel which is really handy as you don't have to carry any cash with you when you are in the hotel grounds or relaxing on the beach, just simply sign for any purchace and they return any un-spent money at the end of your stay. The lunch menu is a little limited but the food is fresh and tasty (although I would have preferred to see more local dishes on offer - it was a little too American for my taste). The flying fish sandwich was great though and only about £6.50. The Mini Mart was stocked with the basics but it could have longer opening hours considering it is the only shop in the area.

The location is great! As it is on the south coast, there is a very welcome breeze which comes from the sea so you don't feel as hot as you do if you go to the beaches on the west coast. The sea is quite rough but just buy a boogie board and off you go - many hours of fun to be had! It is a little in the sticks though and there isn't much in the immediate area, but what is there is very good. The Sticky Wicket is small and clean and offers the best priced meals in the area. Gigi's is an Italian based restaurant with a lovely garden setting, fairy lights and great music - more of a romantic setting. It was here I had my best meal of the holiday - great seafood pasta, so good in fact I had to ask for the recipe. My favourite overall though was the Surfers bar. It is tucked away behind some trees down a little winding road, but what a great find! They have a different offer of food every night so you never got bored of eating there. They have a really nice view over the sea, very friendly staff and great music.

I really would advise hiring a car to get out and about around the island and explore. We went to Bathsheba (great scenery and also on the drive there), Andromeda Botanical Gardens (smaller than I thought they would be but really well kept), the Wildlife reserve (go at 2pm as you get to see the animals being fed and get really close to the monkeys), Animal Flower Cave (a bit of a trek to get there but well worth it) Harrison’s Cave ( a bit of a disappointment for me, not as spectacular as I had hoped), the Mount Gay Rum Distillery (a good insight into the production of rum from a video but I would have hoped for something more interactive - the only part of the process to be seen is the bottling production line. The price of the rum in the shop there is very cheap and the 1.75 litre plastic bottle - so it doesn't break in your luggage - for less than £10 is a must-buy). Oistins on a Friday evening is really good fun, there are stalls along the beach front selling necklaces and wooden carvings and the famous fish fry. I really liked that there were as many, if not more locals there as there were tourists, so it gives a good feel of Bajan life. We also went to Raggamuffins in Holetown on Sunday evening for dinner which was great fun! You need to book a table as they have a drag act which comes on at 9.15pm, really good atmosphere. Afterwards there is a little bar next door which has street Karaoke whit lots of locals participating which was also had a great atmosphere. The taxi home was only £20 to virtually the other side of the island.

When we had the car, we went to the supermarket in Oistins every day to but a packed lunch for the day. It is so much cheaper than eating out. There is the Bajan equivalent of a Subway – Subby – in there where a large sub with great fillings for only £1.60 which was great as eating out for three meals a day does add up.

We got offered drugs from the locals every day, simply say you are not interested and they won’t bother you. It does get a little tiresome though after two weeks.

We booked two excursions through Virgin when we were there, deep sea fishing and ‘Virgins Ahoy!’. The deep sea fishing was a big disappointment as we spent £100 each for the 4 hour trip but we didn’t get a single bite. Nothing you can do about it – just one of the risks of the trip. Virgins Ahoy was a catamaran trip along the coast which stops so you can snorkel around coral reefs, a shipwreck and with turtles. They serve you a tasty lunch which is included in the price along with unlimited drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. This was by far the highlight of the holiday. We did this on the last day and wished we did it earlier as we would have definitely done it again!

The only regret I have is not visiting Crane Beach, one of the top 10 beaches in the world, as we had given the hire car back when we heard about it.

Overall it was a fantastic holiday, my only advise would be would be realistic with your expectations for somewhere as good value for money as this, kick back, and enjoy!

The staff at this resort all seemed very unhappy and unfriendly which doesn't make for a great vacation. The resort also doesn't return e mails, so forget about asking questions in advance. The rooms were a bit shabby and were without the customary amenities like shampoo and wash cloths. They were at least clean though. The pool and beach were very nice, although there were constantly drug dealers hanging around the outskirts of the resort. The food is expensive (i think this is where they make their money). Maintenance on the rooms was terrible, it took me 3 days to get an alarm clock and leaky toilet fixed. The entertainment at the bar was excellent and we really enjoyed it. They had a different band almost every night and they were all great. Although don't get a room near the bar if you plan on going to sleep before midnight. Taking a taxi into St. Lawrence Gap was about $15 USD. It was easy to take the local bus by walking up the hill. For $1.50 USD we got all the way to Bridgetown. Local buses are very cramped and no A/C though. There was a good restaurant called GiGi's around the corner from the resort. The location is fine if you don't mind seclusion but if you want to be close to nightlife i wouldn't recommend it.

I stayed at the Silver Sands Resort as part of the Best of Barbados Deal, so at 70% the original price I would say this hotel was great for its value. Its 20 minutes from the Bridgetown Airport, is beach front with a decent size pool and two restaurants. I would probably choose a different place to stay if I went back to Barbados but I still enjoyed my stay.

Although its 20 minutes from the Airport, the hotel is also 20 minutes away from anything you would want to see, therefore if you like to walk to locations this isn't the hotel for you. Taxis weren't bad but the fares quickly add up if you are going out every night. The hotel does offer a $6 US shuttle 3 days a week to the capital city of Bridgetown which is great for shopping and many attractions cater to hotels like Silver Sands by offering rides for a small additional fee (ie. Mount Gay Rum Tour, Catamaran Cruises, etc.)

If you are looking for a resort that has everything you would want to do this is not it. The night entertainment there was awful, but the bar was never crowded so it made it slightly easier to get drinks. The restaurant staff was not always particularly nice but my friends and I think it was more a cultural difference. For example, they won't bring the check to you no matter how long you wait, you must ask for it. Something we learned the hard way after being at our dinner table the first night for 3 hours.

Overall, if you do not have a lot of money to spend but want a nice place to stay, I'd recommend Silver Sands. If you have the extra money stay in St Lawrence's Gap as that is where the majority of the nicer restaurants and nightlife is.