This Barbados luxury hotel called the Sandpiper, which is located on the west coast of Barbados is relatively unknown, but is without doubt one of the nicest small luxury hotels in Barbados.

The Sandpiper is a small hotel with only 45 rooms, and it would be fair to say very elegant, well laid out, and the gardens as well as the hotel are extremely well looked after and immaculate.

The one bedroom suites at The Sandpiper are really what makes the hotel a luxury hotel. They have a large living room, with a pull out bed if you are travelling as a family. A fully equipped kitchen, a large bedroom with of course a king size bed, and two bathrooms, with of course all the trimmings, plus air conditioning. The balcony is huge, and this makes such a difference, and it is big enough to have a dining table which seats four and two chaise longues. Take note there is no television in the rooms, but then who needs TV when you are on holiday!

The real best touch which makes all the difference in a small luxury hotel, is that it is a family run hotel. Family interest shows in all the little touches, not the least of which is the service, which starts with a very warm welcome on arrival at reception, where it is likely one of the management team will show you to your room personally. In fact a short time after a manager shows you to your room, complimentary rum punches will arrive, adding to the feeling of being made thoroughly welcome.

It is quite common to hear that the service at The Sandpiper is the best in the Caribbean to give you an idea of how good it is. The staff seem very quickly to know your likes, and dislikes, your seating preferences, and then they almost and invariably accurately anticipate your needs. This is something of course that a small luxury hotel should be good at, but very few are, and certainly this feature is definitely the best in Barbados.

One of the features that makes The Sandpiper a top Barbados Luxury Hotel is the fact that room service comes free, so you can eat breakfast on your balcony, or dinner for that matter and it doesn't cost anything. You also get a couple of hours of free tennis coaching with your booking which is a nice touch.

The food by and large is good, with a wide choice at breakfast, and everything cooked, is freshly done, and Harrolds Bar for lunch has everything from tasty snacks to more substantial meals. Dinner in the evening is excellent, and if for a change you want to eat out, there are plenty of good local touristy restaurants nearby. You might care to check out Ragamuffins which does a good curry, Mews stays open late, Daphne's, and Spagos.

Small criticisms are the fact that the beach is on the small side, so sunbeds get booked early, and the other which is a bit pathetic is that the average age of the guests is on the high side of forty, and The Sandpiper has the slight air of an exclusive club. This isn't anyone's fault it is more a measure of just how good this particular small Barbados Luxury Oceanfront Hotel is, because the guests keep returning year after year, and they all seem to know each other!