Five-star St James, west coast, Bridgetown
Sandy Lane
One hundred and thirteen rooms and suites on the beach at St James, a spa of 47,000 square feet and 45 holes of golf on the hill behind.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 113 rooms and suites, plus a villa
- Opened
- 1961; rebuilt and reopened in 2001
- Golf
- 45 holes, two courses by Tom Fazio
- From the airport
- About 40 minutes (our estimate)
The hotel
A sugar plantation, then a hotel.
Ronald Tree, a former British politician, visited Barbados, built a house on the island and then planned a hotel on the old Sandy Lane sugar plantation. Building began in 1958, and the first guests arrived in 1961, when there were 52 bedrooms. The original nine-hole course opened in those years, and in 1967 Tree sold to Trust Houses, which became Trust House Forte in 1970.
In 1998 a group of Irish owners, among them Dermot Desmond, JP McManus and John Magnier, took the hotel down and built it again. It reopened on St Patrick's Day 2001, with the estate grown from 380 to 830 acres, a new spa and two championship courses by Tom Fazio. Today there are 113 rooms and suites, each with a balcony or terrace.
- The Green Monkey Tom Fazio's championship course, kept to ten tee times a day; the Country Club course hosted the World Cup of golf in 2006.
- The Spa About 47,000 square feet, rebuilt for the 2001 reopening, with eleven treatment rooms around a pool of some 7,500 square feet.
- On court Eight tennis courts and two for padel.
Rooms & suites
From ocean rooms to a four-bedroom suite.
Every room and suite has a king-size bed and a balcony or terrace.
- Rooms Ocean and Orchid rooms The entry rooms, facing the sea or the gardens.
- Signature suite The Sandy Lane Suite Four bedrooms reached by a private lift, about 7,000 square feet of open space and a heated pool of its own.
- Villa The Villa at Sandy Lane Five bedrooms, apart from the main building.
Dining
From the beach to the clubhouse.
Restaurants as listed by the hotel. Barbados has no MICHELIN Guide. Shown for information.
- Bajan Blue Beachfront dining Open to the sea
- The Monkey Club Restaurant In the hotel
- The Country Club Clubhouse restaurant Above the golf courses
- The Spa Café Light meals In the spa
Recognition
Rated in two guides.
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star, the only one in Barbados (2026)
- AAA Five Diamond
Good to know
Before you go.
- Golf The Green Monkey takes only ten tee times a day, so book it early.
- Space The hotel spreads over four wings, with the golf courses up the hill on the estate.
Getting there
Flying to Bridgetown.
Grantley Adams International, in the south-east of the island, is about 40 minutes away by car by our estimate. Private jets use the same airport, through one of its two private terminals, and the car meets the aircraft.
- Saint-Barthélemy 1 h 10
- Miami 3 h 45
- New York 4 h 45
- Toronto 5 h 30
- London 9 h 15 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- When did Sandy Lane open?
- In 1961, on a former sugar plantation. The hotel was rebuilt from 1998 and reopened on St Patrick's Day 2001.
- How many golf courses does Sandy Lane have?
- Three: The Green Monkey and The Country Club, both by Tom Fazio, and The Old Nine, the original course. Together they make 45 holes.
- Does Sandy Lane have MICHELIN Keys?
- No MICHELIN guide covers Barbados. Sandy Lane holds five stars from Forbes Travel Guide.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Bridgetown?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Bridgetown, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Bridgetown
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Fairmont Royal Pavilion On the beach, with every room facing the sea.
- Coral Reef Club Family owned and run, in gardens that lead down to the water.
- Cobblers Cove An independent house of forty suites, each with a veranda facing the sea.
- Colony Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Barbados Lagoon pools that wind through the gardens to the beach.
- The House, Barbados, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort For adults only, on the beach at Paynes Bay.
- The Crane On the cliff above Crane Beach, receiving guests since 1887.
- O2 Beach Club & Spa All-inclusive, with a pool on the roof above the beach.
- Sandals Royal Barbados For couples, all-inclusive, with a pool on the roof.
- Hilton Barbados Resort The closest to the town, on the point at the south end of Carlisle Bay.
- The Sandpiper A sister hotel of Coral Reef Club, run by Wayne and Karen Capaldi, with three suites up in the trees.
Staying at Sandy Lane?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Bridgetown, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.