My husband and I are starting to plan a trip to Barbados next Oct. and need recommendations on where to stay. We'd like a place where we can eat breakfast/lunch in the room and then walk to several restaurants for dinner. A nice pool area and beach are also important to us. Someone suggested we stay near the St. Lawrence Gap area. Do you agree and which places should we research? Thanks for any help you can give us to narrow the search! Carol

We stayed at the Southern Palms Beach Club in Oct, 2003. Look for the "Best of Barbados" package with either your travel agent or AAvacations (that's where I booked). We paid $1200 total for air and hotel for oceanfront suite in Oct. We had free breakfast every morning, included in the package.

The SPBC is in the heart of the gap. It's a 5 min walk to some very good restaurants including Picses, Bellini, Josefs, Aqua picses, cafe del sol, on and on.

We enjoyed the place. Its on Dover Beach, wonderful, wonderful beach. The hotel is very well run and extremely clean. I would definitely go back to SPBC.

greenie,
how long did you stay, where did you fly from?
1200$ for 2 people.. I am not familiar with this resort, but this sounds almost too good to be true!

Ruby
[email protected]

You might look into Coral Sands Resort www.coralsandsresort.com. The off season rate this year was $140/night for a studio suite with kitchen facilities. Very nice place, lovely pool and good beach. Two grocery stores within 5 min walk and the Gap is about a 10 min walk. We usually walked down for dinner and cabbed it back ($5). Very good small restaurant, Shells, about a block and 1/2 away

Howard,

I just read on caribbean-on-line that Shells has closed. We are staying at Coral Sands in a couple of weeks. Which restaurant in the Gap would you recommend for our first night? I read that the restaurant in the hotel is just OK. We are renting a car, but since this is our first trip we thought we would eat close by. Thanks!

I appreciate these suggestions. Keep them coming! Can anyone compare Southern Palms and Coral Sands Resort? Carol

We booked our trip online at american airline vacations. The Best of Barbados program is the best deal around. It is subsidized by the Barbadian Tourism Board. If you go to aavacations.com you will see the specials for that program. We flew out of atlanta and stayed 8 days. We went 10/04 through 10/11. We originally booked an oceanfront room and got upgraded to a suite when we checked in.

One thing about Southern Palms is that almost every room is oceanfront. I think that is true with Coral Sands too.

Also, the Coral Sands being a 10 min walk to the Gap is a bit of a stretch. Maybe a 10 min cab ride. My husband and I walked to The Big B on Rendevous Road (one block from the Coral Sands) from the Southern Palms (in the heart of the gap) and it took us over a half an hour. Also, there is a stretch of the road that has no sidewalk. You wouldnt want that walk at night!

The Coral Sands is a very nice property. Right on Sandy Beach. I would stay there.

Another board the is active for barbados is www.caribbean-online.com and go to barbados forum.

We ate at Calabazza on the west coast one night and it was very good and very expensive. We also ate at Bellini's, Cafe Del Sol, Aqua Pisces, Patisserie Flindt to name a few. Patisserie Flindt is in Holetown right down the street from Folkstone.

Hope this helps...sorry to rattle on. We love Barbados, we have been twice now, and are planning another trip for October (hope I can get that good deal again) =) Peace

Kendall: I would try Pisces the first night. It's right in the heart of the Gap, has a nice atmosphere, good food, and it won't break the bank.

To Kendall and Purdue74---Okay it took us 15 minutes to walk to the Gap from Coral Sands. We are 63, have long legs and walk fast. Yes you do run out of sidewalk about the last 100 yards but if you walk single file it is manageable as there are places you can step aside to avoid traffic. Don't recommend high heels for women on this walk. Sneakers or sandals. Not a lot of parking space in the Gap. Where to eat--Shame Shells has closed Sort of an eclectic place on a side street with good food. Depends on how much you want to spend. First recommendation would be Josephs which will run about $150 with a couple of drinks, and next would be Pices which will run about $100. Then Belinnis and MIchaels. I didn't rent a car on Barbados. Usually do on other islands but the Barbados traffic is frenetic. Bridgetown is a massive traffic jam. I can't compare Southern Palms with Coral Sands as I've never seen Southern Palms. The rooms at Coral Sands look like the ones on the web. About 800 sq.ft with private balconies. Fully equipped kitchen with microwave but no oven, only stove top burners. Large bath with his and hers sinks and closets. Shower, no tub. If you e-mail me I can send a copy of my trip report and some other Barbados info and a couple of pictures. e-mail [email protected]. The Bajan breakfast at Coral Sands is very good and you can get it for lunch. A good web site for Barbados info is www.insandoutsofbarbados.com

Just returned from 2 weeks in Barbados (our 17th trip).

Southern Palms is an older hotel in the Gap -- nice. Beach there is not as nice as that by Coral Sands.

Coral Sands is about 3 years old now -- great property. Lots of good reports from it. What Howard says about the walk into the Gap from it is correct.

We ate at Pisces for the first time in a few years and were not at all impressed - not one of our better meals on the island. We have been to Bellini's in the past - it's ok. Joseph's service/food is not what it should be for the prices you pay. However, that's pretty much what you have to chose from in the Gap area. The best restaurants are all located on the West Coast - about a $15-$20 taxi ride there. But we feel it's worth it. We usually have our own car.

A really nice, South Coast restaurant is Champers -- also a cab ride away but closer than the West Coast.

Lois

I went to www.caribbean-online.com and all it was is a DOMAIN area- what am I doing wrong, as I copied and pasted the website you listed...

Help--

Andy

it's caribbean-on-line.com