By Charmaine Hibbert

It’s been another relaxing day by the pool for me while James has been playing golf, our bags are packed and we are waiting for the pick-up to take us to Sandy Lane. The journey doesn’t take long and within minutes we are escorted to reception while our bags disappear, a swift check in and we are being escorted to our rooms, the surprise was my bags are already here waiting for me.

We have both been allocated Luxury Ocean Rooms and you guessed from the title the balcony looks straight out on to the clear blue azure waters of the Caribbean Sea and its pure white sandy beach. The décor is very formal and classic with lots of deep oranges, browns and creams and the bathroom is a masterpiece of white marble bath and duel vanity with grey stone work, dark wood with a large walk in shower. The balcony is large enough to play tennis and has two double-seater sofas each with a coffee table and two stone pillars adding to the classical décor finish. I notice as I take my face dive onto the pillows that the controls for the air conditioning are attached to the bedside table, so any adjustments that need to be made during the night can be achieved without having to leave those crisp, warm cotton sheets.

L’Acajou
We are dining with the resident manager tonight in the L’Acajou restaurant and James has dived straight in and gone for the tenderloin steak cooked Pittsburgh style – or as they say here Black and Blue. I have decided to try the herb crusted loin of Colorado lamb with Provencal vegetables, fennel crumble and fondant potato, with lamb jus. Our host has chosen a couple of red wines for us to sample from the cellars and while I have a couple of glasses James and Eric seem to rather enjoy the bottles that have been chosen.

The food as you can imagine is wonderful and the lamb was cooked to perfection for me, but it is the views from the restaurant that have got me captivated. The table sits between two stone pillars on a balcony looking out to the Caribbean Sea and while the time is around 8.30pm it’s dark but not so you can’t still see the sea lapping the shore; it looks so peaceful that I know I will be taking a walk along there later. Unfortunately, I can’t go for the chocolate delight as it contains nuts, so I have gone for the chocolate soufflé, while James has gone for the pineapple baked Alaska. After coffee Eric bids us goodnight and we decide to take a walk along the beach - the perfect way to end a wonderful meal.

Bajan Blue
What better place to have breakfast than right on the beach? The sky is a wonderful deep blue and the sun is posing in all its magnificent splendour as we start with some fresh fruit before hitting the hot food selection and egg station. The Bajan Blue restaurant has an informal vibe and apart from breakfast it is open throughout the day and offers European, Caribbean and Asian cuisines along with Sandy Lane’s famous Sunday Brunch. Other options include a sushi station and state-of-the-art grill.



The Spa at Sandy Lanes
I spend the morning on the beach while James is off playing one of the Sandy Lane golf courses before heading off to the spa. I have decided to just chill out for a while before my treatment in the secluded outdoor spa garden and make use of the hydrotherapy pool. The spa here was redeveloped several years ago and is over 47,000 square feet and as well as the pools it has 11 treatment rooms.

Today I have decided to try the hot stones massage, I am quite surprised how large the treatment room is on entering and it also has its own private hydrotherapy pool with the décor being granite and cherry wood with soft music gently drifting around the room. After massaging the oils into my body, the masseuse expertly places the stones and they are the perfect temperature, warm as they touch my skin but not too hot so they make me jump and I slowly start to feel the heat penetrating my body.

The masseuse slowly and deeply manoeuvres the stones around my back, arms and legs before turning me over, I am trying my best to stay awake and soak in the subtle feelings and the heat from the stones as they work round my body, but my mind just drifts off with the sheer elation that my body is feeling. As always, the session is over way to soon and I am left to slowly gather my soaring spirit. After meeting up we spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach slowly watching the sunset on another wonderful day in Barbados.

Sandy Lane Hotel
Sandy Lane St. James
BB24024
Barbados

T: +1 246 444 2000
W: sandylane.com