St. James
Barbados


The Experience

Back in the day, regulars would fly down from London on the Concorde and catch the Rolls-Royce shuttle from Grantley Adams Airport to their usual digs at Sandy Lane. The world's only supersonic passenger plane is now a museum piece. But the swankest resort on Barbados remains much the same -- a bastion of British ways and means on the shore of a former colony, patronized (no surprise in this) by a fair number of well-heeled Brits. Setting the tone is a Palladian-style "great house" that harbors both the lobby and the elegant l'Acajou restaurant, which in typical British fashion has French rather than Anglo-Saxon cuisine. Cognacs and caviar are fortes of the nearby Monkey Bar. And so it goes throughout Sandy Lane. You're never more than a few steps away from the main pillar of the bygone British Empire -- an uncanny sense of high style in a remote setting.

The Rooms

"Slumming it" at Sandy Lane means sleeping in one of the 26 Orchid Rooms, which overlook tropical gardens rather than deep blue sea. But at a place this posh, even the bottom end of the food chain is impressive: marble bathrooms with double vanity, heated mirrors, parabolic speakers, Internet service and flat-screen TVs scattered across almost 800 square feet of recently refurbished space, plus a private veranda overlooking the tropical vegetation. The resort's most lavish digs are in the same wing -- the 4000-square-feet Penthouse Suites, which can be linked with lesser suites to form a gargantuan four-bedroom compound.

The Service

Some old-time guests feel that standards have fallen. But for the neophyte, the Sandy Lane staff usually runs with regimental precision -- crisp, confident and efficient. However, service in the pool area and along the beach can be slow during peak periods.

The Highlights

Most hotels can't even boast a single course. Sandy Lane has three -- yes, three -- different golf links in a tropical seaside setting. The brand-new Green Monkey Course, a Tom Fazio creation, was carved from an old stone quarry and served as a remarkable setting for Tiger Woods' 2004 wedding. But Sandy Lane is far more than just a golf resort. You can while away your days lazing beside the pool or gold-sand strand, working on your backhand at nine floodlit tennis courts or realigning your chakra at one of the VIP treatment suites inside the über-luxe Spa at Sandy Lane. Eating is another passion, especially the fusion food at l'Acajou, where dishes like wasabi-crusted yellowfin tuna, tempura of white asparagus and pork char sui bring a touch of the Pacific to the Bajun west coast.

-- Joe Yogerst

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