just returned from Sandy Bay and although it was not five star the staff more than made up for it.Would thoroughly recomend it to everyone,couples ,singles,familysthe lot.
Very relaxed atmosphere and set in a great location,just five minutes walk from the gap.
Food was above average for an all inclusive in the biffet section,but don't bother with al acarte.Could do with a larger bar area or even another one but it was acceptable.There are two bars and a nightclub just outside the hotel if that is your thing,both bars are very cheap and do great meals if you are looking for a change.
Beach was very clean and friendly,beach vendors can be a pain but if buy something the first day such as a small bead bracelet or the like they leave you alone(don't forget to barter $5 US tops) would recomend you see the rasta doctor on the beach on sunday for your sunburn problems ,pure allo vera which really does work but chase the foot massagers as they just use baby oil on top of all the sand.
A few small one and two dollar tips to the staff on the first few days ensures you prompt service at the bar and in the restaurants.
Beach towels are provided by Kenny the water sports guy.

We have just returned from Sandy Bay Beach Club - Barbados the hotel its self is OK the rooms were clean and the towels and bed sheets were immaculate, despite what I read about the size of the room I have to disagree about them being small.

The receiption area gives you a good impression and checking in was no bother at all.

The pools I never saw being cleaned, this is something that needs looking into.

The birds are a problem at breakfast , three of our party got birds droppings on them while eating, this could have very easily landed in their food, no one is bothered and the staff never try to chase them.

The food is a BIG problem there is no choice a typical evening meal would be paster made from red hot peppers, mashed potatoes, carrots, chicken wings, flying fish, boiled rice. Out of the 14 nights this was the buffet menu at least 10 nights. The a la carte was not much better, but you can only dine in the a la carte 3 times a week and you have to book every meal in advance and if you are not quick enough you can end up dining at 9 o'clock or very early. One night we waited 40 minutes for our starter and when it came it was 4 slices of tomato and 2 strips of cheese. Two nights running the menu was exactly the same in the a la carte. Booking your meal time applies to both restaurants.

You can lose the will to live while wating for a sandwich at the snack hut on an afternoon, and if you want a drink, well, you could die of thirst, the soft drinks machine was broken almost every day and when it worked you only got soda water instead of sprite or orange.

On the nights when there is entertainment you cannot see it, there is no seating in the area, the only seating is at the bar and that is around the back so you can only hear any entertainment.

But the beach is beautiful and the sea is amazing

The sandy beach bay is in a great location, within easy reach of St Lawrence Gap and Bridge Town.
However the hotel has a few faults, it is too small to be all inclusive and some of the staff are not very friendly. You need to book your evening meal in either restaurant which can be a pain if you forget in the morning. At lunch if it was near the end of serve food which had run out was not replaced, if you ask staff about this food being replaced they would just disappear. On several occasion they ran out of various alcoholic drinks and no replacements for these until the next day. The bar closes at 11pm prompt.
The apartment rooms are great and very large. The maid visits very day.
I would not return to Sandy Beach Bay, only because there are some great places to eat within walking distance of the hotel and being all inclusive you not want the added expense of eating out.
The beach is just fantastic, but watch the current in the sea it is very strong.

Did not enjoy this hotel at all, in fact we transfered to another hotel after 12 hrs at being at the hotel.
Staff very unfriendly, we were at the hotel for less than 2 hrs before we got offered drugs on the beach and constantly being hasseled by people selling drugs and other people on the beach.
Our room was very dirty and small there was hair in the bath on the soap dispensor, sand in the room, we had a standard room which over looked something like a buliders yard which looked horrible.
The hotel was also located opposite a night club and a 24hr sports bar. Also the door did not lock, there was no plug in the bath and also there was no socket in the wall.
There was no security at the hotel what we could see, if you want to have a nice holiday we seriously suggest you do not book this hotel, in the virgin book it gives this hbotel a 3v+ rating we would give it a 1
Please look at attached photos.