My boyfriend and I stayed here mid to end November 12. We had a fantastic time, the hotel is as chilled and relaxed or as manic as you want it to be, we were incredibly lucky that from the time we boarded the plane we had already 'jelled' with fellow guests, each individual and all great fun. I think this helped with the check in that could have been better, but it gave us all something in common to laugh about. The staff were all lovely and interacted very well with everyone. Food was good, however as with all all inclusive holidays it gets repatative, As many of the reviews say the beach really does let this hotel down, although Savannah puts on a free shuttle bus on a Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun....the two T's and two S's :) to a beautiful beach nearby ( 10 mins ride away) and they put up a very good packed lunch (on request) that was put in the fridge on arrival at Copabana beach... this bar was then all inclusive to Savannah until transport took you back or 6pm for those of us who stayed!! :) I was very impressed with the overall holiday, met some great friends a couple of whom we have stayed in touch with :) Had lots of fun, laughs and drink!! on this holiday would defo recommend it.

I also need to mention Donna the Virgin rep, she was fantastic in every way, the concierge contacted us 3 times before we went and Donna took over fantasticly, she really is a gem :)

We visited this hotel 14 December for two weeks, from the moment we arrived three hours late .... the hotel were fantastic. Firstly I am going to manage people's expectation's as i was very frustrated with some others expectations, most people where so so happy but a few .... i paid this and want food all day .... bla bla .... etc, this hotel is a virgin 3.5 stars, I have previously holidayed 5 star gourmet for example el dorado seaside suites to mention one in Mexico or jamaica, They are of similar price possibly Mexico cheaper, however you are paying because you are going to the fabulous island of Barbados, safe to hire cars and walk along its many beaches which are breath takingly beautiful. The staff are such polite, helpful people there were so many hugs we wanted to give when saying goodbye when we left, everything is expensive in Barbados, staff hire more expensive than many islands and they have so many staff for such a small hotel. This hotel exceeds its 3.5 stars and is exceptionally good value for money in Barbados. Just remember virgin probably pay them peanuts compared with what we pay!!!

The hotel is so well layed out and pretty, lots of steps though, think approx 100 rooms, the plants are being nurtured and flowering in all the flower boxes throughout the property. Starting to look fab. There is a plantation house where there are some of the less expensive rooms, nice rooms and very good value, everyone who I spoke to who stayed in these had a very cheap Barbados all inclusive holiday and were happy, same facilities as all.

We had a delux courtyard room, lovely verandah and furnishings, the rooms are a lovely size and nice furnishings, beds comfy, plenty of space for storage, they are as they are on their web site so take a look. The rooms are kept very clean, bathrooms could do with a refit some time in the future but but by no means an issue or a reason to knock reason the hotel, they are kept clean and towels and bedding refreshed. Rooms have free wifi access, although like at home a couple of times that access was intermittent !! All the common area's including the beach have Wifi which is a nice bonus!

Food is of a very high standard, less selection than in big hotels for obvious reasons, breakfast is in Rachel's, approx, 7 am to 10 am, various, cereals, pastries, fruit (melon, apples, banana and oranges, prunes etc), egg station, scrambles eggs and a selection of other hot dishes, beans bacon etc. lunch buffet in drifters approx 12/12.30 to 3pm, always salads (4-6), items to make rolls, hot dishes fish, chicken, pasta, fries and other items vary daily, the view of the ocean is fantastic from this area. Plenty of water and drinks refilled often!! could sit and laze at drifters for hours, lovely sea view for hours, sunsets fab, Dinner most days a choice of places drifters, Rachel's, and chop stix. Drifters themed buffet no bookings, Rachel's and chop stix a booking needs to be made, the food in the Rachels is way above what's expected!! As well as a new VERY GOOD menu all included in all inclusive, choice of prob approx. 8 mains and 8 starters there is a daily menu which has another 2/3 selection for each. Every a'la carte meal was superb.... Way above what I would expect of a hotel of this rating. Well done to all the head chefs (who are around to meet) lovely food, a couple of times in the buffet when loads of people came all at nice we ran out of plates or people had to wait for chips for a for a minute or so, some people got mad grrrr!! but when brought to staff attention they soon came and replenished, We are on holiday not in a rush! But equally it was a very efficient service.

Service and the people well it's outstanding from management to every worker, they are so so polite and friendly it is astounding. You ask you get ....... If As sometimes happens something is forgotten (you remind them it's soon put right), I wish people would treat all the staff with respect they deserve, I heard people talking them in a way they think is normal I thought degrading. Every day every one we met good morning / afternoon how are you ... how was your day ... It was obvious the majority take pride in working in this team. The friendliness and facilities are here are so good so embrace this.

Beach yes it has rocks and not good for swimming, however often you see turtles heads bobbing up and down! Yes saw them four times!!! But very easy to walk left or right to better swimming or body boarding parts of the public beaches, or there is a free shuttle 4 times a week to Carlisle bay the nicest sand ever Like powder, drinks included and you can take a pack lunch from the hotel or buy food reasonably at the beach!! You can walk to Carlisle bay about 20 mins.

The green monkeys come running through the grounds most days, they are so funny ..... Sometimes they put a show on and pose others just jump through the trees .... They go home at night via the empty block next to the hotel behind the club terrace.

Yes you have it monkeys in the trees turtles bobbing in the sea all in their natural environment.

We did the club upgrade and loved it, had a wooden deck with lovely sun beds and good service from Dexter. Got cold towels and their was a club menu you could order lunch. Club gave you priority bookings at Rachel's if busy and also in your rooms 500 ml bottles of diet coke, coke, sprite, soda, tonic,ginger ale, 2 beers, a 200 ml bottle of vodka, gin, rum and whisky all branded and replenished every two days ... If you like a nice drink on your balcony after dinner well good value !!

Drinks and entertainment, drinks all local, rum, gin vodka, cocktails, beer and wines good, and refilled so often !! Always something you would fancy, there is a payable option payable and i am sure they would get anything,the evening entertainment is good and varried. There is a management BBQ, quiz and games one lunchtime which is fab fun !

All inclusive is a fab option even if you go out like we did, supermarkets and restaurants are not cheap.

Well I have tried to give a full picture, this is a fabulous hotel (I was worried as we have never done 3.5 start all inclusive), but it was an exceptionally good value for money option for visiting Barbados, this hotel for obvious reasons is becomming very popular, many barbadians visit the restaurants. This hotel stole our hearts as they have made Barbados all inclusive at a fab standard for the money. We will be back hopefully twice next year. Thanks you to all the management and staff for the best holiday of our life, it was fantastic, but made by everyone at the hotel, Sally and Jan room 315 14 dec 2 weeks x

Sat having last cocktail before flight home. Have heard negatives comments while here but to us this place is a bit of paradise. Some people expect British standards wherever they go and should stay at home if that's what they want, didn't they realize they hadn't booked the Sandy Lane hotel. Rant over, the staff were fantastic and very friendly and welcoming. Rachel's was our restaurant of choice and tasted true Bajan flavours. Rm 328 was large with lovely views over the grounds and beach view. Previos comments about the beach being rocky are true but this meant we could watch the turtles bobbing up from our sun loungers I'm sure they were playing hide and seek with those who ventured in to get a closer look. Finally thank you to everyone who made our silver wedding celebration special on Christmas eve despite the weather. See you next time

There were a lot of little things that could be improved about our stay here and a few big issues that needed to be handled. We arrived and had to cart our own luggage down steep stairs to our room. Only to see the next day they did have a lift and a trolley!
Our room smelt mildly of damp, but I thought maybe it will pass! Only to find a few days later that our bathroom was leaking after some heavy rain. We had 2 large leaks and clearly it had leaked before hence the damp smell! Phoned reception didn't apologise of give much advice! Had to find a maintenance lady and get a mop bucket ourselves. It was Christmas Eve, so that ruined our night.

The food in Rachael's restaurant from the al a carte menu is good. A lot of the locals spoke highly of it. The buffet night food wasn't as great. Breakfast is a nice idea with the birds flying around, but practically a bit annoying when you have to watch your back on the chairs in case of bird poo. And don't leave uneaten food unattended as the birds will be at your plate.
Drifters beach restaurant serves buffet food and is hit and miss. On the whole ok for lunch.

The service from the staff is what could have made a real difference to the holiday. I would say 5 out of the 30 or so staff that we encountered were approachable and seemed happy to help. The rest all need serious training on Customer service skills. To me they didn't seem like they wanted to be there and gave off a bad vibe. They don't know how to deal with complaints, small gestures can turn a situation around.

The beach strip is long, but the bit for savannah hotel specifically is a bit cramped, and at about 3.30-4.30 near the kitchen area of the beach,there was a nasty sewage smell everyday. The beach staff for the loungers were really helpful though. Make sure you get some protective footwear for when you go in the sea, as it is very pebbly and rocky underfoot.

The room size is ok for a couple. The bed is big and the room size is ok. Decor is a bit dated, especially the bathrooms. Our bed was a bit uncomfortable also.

When we complained about our room, they did offer to move us, but we only had two nights left. I believe they only had smaller rooms to offer us. But when it came to check out they still charged us for the 2 bottles of water we had. It would have been a nice gesture to waive this at least! This is where I think they do all need serious training in customer service. It would make the hotel ok then.