we decided back in January 2007 to go away for the following xmas and New Year so we decided on a carribean island searched the net and found this Virgin exclusive hotel which looked and sounded great. We worked hard all year and was so excited for our first xmas away with our 4 year old daughter however things never happen as you would like.

I was contacted by letter a month before departure our flight times had changed putting then forward 4 hours because we were flying on xmas eve I was concerned any delays may result in us being in the air xmas morning which we didn;t want so I contacted the number on the letter and spoke to the most unhelpful customer service person ever who i believe wasn't situated in the UK and couldn;t understand my disappointment of possibly missing xmas morning eventually after further research and a week I was given another flight a day earlier...
I should have read this as a warning...

The flight with Virgin as usual very good however their choice in hotels is worrying...

Once I arrived to my upgraded room I just sat and cried I couldn't believe how old it was it was set out like a self catering room in the 70's delapadated kitchen and bathroom. It had no windows just wooden slats and one air conditioning unit in our room and my daughter didn't even have a bed just a pull down sofa which after complaining a single bed was put in the lounge area making it even more awkward to manouver.

We found out the 3rd night how important it is to have double glazing when the night club opposite woke us up at midnight and continued until 4 a.m. even having it;s own snack attached to the front of it's building.

The hotel was full and obviously wasn;t prepared, they just couldn't cope, the buffet area was always busy with ignorant people just pushing and shoving and the food was'nt very appetising especially for my daughter who struggled to find food she liked.

The staff would win the most unhelpful award if there was one, most of them were miserable and didn't like being asked for anything like sugar etc: The same in the childrens club they were happy if the children watched tv so they could continue eating there food, texting friends or just talking amoung themselves.

The hotel was situated right on the beach which was lovely but getting the sunbeds was a struggle, my husband had a knee operation 3rd December and due to an infection was hospitalised for 10 days he was instructed to talke approx 30 tablets a day and couldn't put a lot of pressure on his knee, so it was down to me to ghet the sunbeds and drag them along the beach to where we wanted to sit, while of course the male staff who were passing me the beds just watched and never offered to help.

There were so many other things but I think I have written enough to put anyone off (I hope) luckily my husband found us accomodation next door and we moved on new years day so the holiday did have a happy ending.

i have Just returned from Sandy Bay, and had a fab time. After reading some of the previouse reviews i had been a bit worried, but went with an open mind, and boy im glad i did as we had a fab time. our party consisted of two adults and two teenagers and we loved it. please keep in mind that it is a 3* family resort you will be fine.

please keep in mind that the sun is bloody hot, i dont normally burn whenever im on hols but the sun there was really strong and there were many burnt people around, we used factor 30 and still got burnt.

rooms: we stayed in an 1 bedroomed appartment which was fab, a bit out dated but very spacious and clean. the room easily fitted 2 adults and two teenagers. we stayed in room 302 which had an ocean view and a lovely large balcony.

Beach, the beach was beautiful, their were plenty of free sunbeds contary to what previous reports said. the beach vendors did try to sell their goods but were always polite, and friendly. if anyone is going soon look out for the aloe vera man and Mr Booogie woogi, both of which were extreamly helpful even though i didnt buy anthing.

Pools: are very small, but kept my kids happy when they wernt on the beach.

The bar staff were always friendly and were happy to make a variety of cocktails for you to try. the only downside to the bar was that they ran out of beer a couple of times, and they were happy to serve anyone from the age of 12 upwards! then again i guess thats the parents responsibility anyway.

Food: this was the only downside for me, breakfast was ok, with a choice if cerals, and pastrys or a full cooked breakfast, however the dinner choices were very limited, the vegitarian choice was almost non existent and there was a lack of any healthy choices in the snack bar.

Entertainment: well we were there for 10 days and there was only really entertainment on for two of those otherwise you just had a cd playing, this wasnt a problem for us as we met some lovely people and it gave us plenty of time to chat. however my children say it would of been nice if there was more entertainment on their point of view. there is a teen room but this shuts quite early, and the pool room was unfortunatly situated in between two rooms which obviously didnt go down too well with the guests staying in them.
however St Lawence Gap is a five minutes walk and has some excellent restrants and night life if you need any more excitment.

the Virgin rep Gail was extreamly helpful and if your planning any trips dont miss the Virgin ahoy, swimming with TURTLES was amazing, if you can only afford one imake sure its this one.

if you hire a car make sure you explore the east coast it was beautiful, where ever you go on this island you will get a friendly reacton from the local, iv never stayed somewheere before where where the llocal taxis and buses stop to let you cross the road! i cant imagin that hapening in britain!!

overall this was a fab holiday, so take the negative reviews with a pinch of salt, as long as you remember it is a 3* and thats what you get, it is also advertised as a child friendly resort so their will be lots of children, you will have a fab time.

Happy holidays

This was my first all-inclusive holiday, I don't think it will be my last! It was so relaxing, no need to worry about having your wallet, just get what you want when you want it.
The hotel was very clean, beautiful location, right on a gorgeous beach, a few minutes walk from the lively St Lawrence Gap, a short bus ride from Bridgetown.
The food was varied, but of a uniformly high standard. Staff were very pleasant and helpful.
It's not a 5* hotel, for example you only get a stick to make your tea and coffee, no spoon! But, we thought good value.
One warning, if you are afraid of birds you will not like the open restaurants. The birds certainly enjoy breakfast and lunch, but on the plus side of that, you are not plagued by flies etc.

Like all hotels in the world you will see both good and bad in Sandy Bay. We went with our two children (10 and 6) and we had an excellent holiday. The good points dwarfed the bad by far.

The food was very good at both the buffet and the a la carte restaurant. The birds mentioned by some are not a problem and the food is always covered. The free drinks, icecream and the snack bar were great for the kids. The bar and bar staff were excellent but the jewel in the crown is the water sports outfit who are incredibly helpful. I would particularly recommend a trip with Rob to go snorkelling with Turtles. Kayaks are free.

The beach is excellent with free sunloungers and umbrellas and any roaming salesmen on the beach are really no trouble and do not hastle you once you say no.

I would encourage any visitor to Barbados to go to the North and East of the island where you will see sugar plantations and a rugged beautiful coastline. The caves and wildlife reserve in the North are also well worth a visit.

The hotel can be noisy altough by the end of our stay we had convinced the open air restaurant not to play music before 9am in the morning. The local nightclub noise can be intrusive some nights when you are going to sleep. The hotel has a strange approach to booking tables in the a la carte restaurant that involves lining up at 9am each morning. Organised activities are virtually non existent.

Our room was a one bed suite room with a double bed in the bedroom and a pull out bed in the lounge area. We had a proper bed put into the lounge on the second day with minimum fuss.

All in all a great holiday.