Latest Reviews for St Lawrence

Once again, we have just returned from a wonderful holiday at this hotel. Everything you could wish for. Clean rooms, friendly, helpful staff, marvellous location and very reasonably priced. would recommend this place to anyone who doesn't do 'posh'. can't wait to return. would only use this hotel.

From the very first moment that we arrived at the Bougainvillea Beach Resort, we knew that we had made the right choice. The hotel is extremely smart and very well maintained with an upmarket feel about it. The attractive open plan lobby looks down over a pool and beach and after 15 hours of travelling we couldnÂ’t wait to dump our cases and get in to the beautiful warm turquoise ocean.

Our room was absolutely delightful. Large, clean, attractively furnished, with and big balcony looking out over one of the pools and the beach . It had every convenience you could ever want in a hotel room; Satellite TV, air conditioning, radio, safe, hairdryer and a well equipped kitchen with large fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster, kettle, hotplate and more.

The hotel has two beautiful restaurants, which are both on the beach, with lovely views. One has a small cocktail bar area. The other hotel bar is in the centre of the main swimming pool, which you can walk in to or swim up to.

The beach is superb, one of the best on the island. It is spotlessly clean, South facing so you get some small waves with crystal clear water. The hotel supplies just about anything you could ever need on a beach free of charge. Sun-loungers, towels, sun-shades, even body boards and snorkel gear. The only thing that we had to pay for during our stay was the jet ski, which was a very reasonable £25 per 30 minute session.

Food and drink in the hotel is reasonably inexpensive; A Banks local beer about £1.50 per bottle, rum punch about £1.50, a bottle of wine £10 - £12, full English breakfast £6, dinner main courses about £12. There’s a great little van that pulls up outside the hotel every day at 12.30 p.m. selling local inexpensive Bajan specialities for lunch. There is also a little local shop that sells beer, rum, bread and groceries 200 yards away.

There is some entertainment in the hotel, but it's quite low key. A cocktail party, a beachside barbeque with a steel band and a Bajan buffet with limbo dancers and music. There are four small local bars and restaurants within 10 minutes walking distance of the hotel but not much else. We actually liked the seclusion it gave the whole area a very safe feeling. If you want more lively entertainment, The island’s main resort, St Lawrence Gap is ten minutes away by taxi which costs about £3.50 or it’s easy to hop on one of the frequent busses which costs about 40p each way. About a mile to the East of the hotel is the famous Oistins fish market and fish fry which is must do on Friday nights when all of the locals turn out.

We had a terrific time and it is one of the few places that we want to return to and soon. The staff at the Bougainvillea deserve a special mention, particularly Kim and Rod, they are truly fantastic and helped make our holiday really special. In fact the Barbadian people in general are wonderful and extremely friendly.

A few observations; The Bouganvillea is best suited to couples. If you are young, single and looking for a lively club scene this is probably not the hotel for you. In fact Barbados probably isnÂ’t the Island for you. My only criticism of the hotel, is that it could really do with an indoor bar for the evenings, especially when it rains.

Other reports I.ve seen said that there was building work next to the hotel. I can categorically confirm that it is completed and does not effect the hotel at all. Someone was also very critical of XL Airways. Yes the seats are small and uncomfortable but apart from that, the service was good. Both flights took off bang on time and we were well fed and watered, although you do have to pay for alcoholic drinks. Frankly for £275 return to Barbados inc. taxes it was great value.

Having just returned, could not wait to book again for next year.Beautiful island and everyone so friendly.Rostrevor apts smack in centre of ST Lawrence had top floor brill view over little beach and sea.hired jeep for 10 days seen all. Staff so nice nothing to much for them to do for you,booked again June 07 cant wait

We decided to book this hotel direct as Virgin Holidays no longer had availability and we really wanted to stay at this particular hotel. When we arrived at Bridgetown airport we took a local taxi parked up outside the terminal which cost us just $40 Barbados dollars (including a tip for the friendly driver). On arrival to the Coral Mist we were greeted by the lovely receptionist who asked us to go the beach bar as we couldn't check in to the room until 3pm. The bar is directly on the beach giving you super views of the ocean whilst kicking back with bottle of Banks - the local beer. Once we were in our room we were pleasantly surprised, the rooms are immaculately cleaned, beds are made you for you daily and the little kitchenette had everything you could wish for, there is also a hairdryer in the bathroom. All of the bedrooms face out to the ocean so everyone gets a great view without having to pay over the top supplements. The beach at Worthing is by far one of the best beaches in the south, sand was really clean, sun beds free of charge and crystal clear sea (beware: the waves are pretty intense so make sure you are a proficient swimmer before getting in). There is a pool at the hotel and also another pool at the sister hotel The Blue Orchid Beach Hotel. There are some restaurants and bars close by and Big B's supermarket is about a 10 minute walk away.

The walk into Bridgetown is long so make sure you take some water a hat and some sun protection. When you get to the city make sure you head to the fish market where you can find amazing fresh fish.

Hire a car and explore the island - but watch out for people loitering by the roadside as they will charge you for directions or try to sell you souvenirs. The West coast has exclusive hotels and some of the best beaches and with restaurants and bars popular with celebrities. The East Coast has The Crane beach, Bottom Bay and Bathsheba - stunning views but you cannot swim in the sea as it is so rough. The Middle of the island is full of lush greenery, working plantations the Flower Forest which is a lovely rest stop with exotic plants and walk ways to discover. Make sure you take a picnic and plenty of water.

Cool Running's catamaran tour is a great way to spend the day; included in the price you pay are drinks and a good lunch of fish and salad You can snorkel over a manmade coral reef with multi coloured fish and swim with turtles. Book through your hotel receptionist or activities coordinator and transport will come to pick you up on the morning of the trip from your hotel and drop you off too.

The nicest restaurant we found was Champers just a few minutes walk from the hotel, the service was exemplary and the food was absolutely delicious the whole evening was very special from the moment we booked to the moment we left. I cannot recommend this place enough. Another restaurant we visited was Josef's which was set in a lovely plantation house but unfortunately the service and food didn't match the quality of Champers.

St Laurence Gap is an easy 20 minute walk along the main road from the hotel and there are a selection of bars and restaurants along the strip all with colourful décor and chilled out atmospheres, we went mostly to Jumbies bar in St Laurence Gap for cocktails and simple bar food and to the Mexican bar opposite the church on the bend of the gap road (can't remember the name!).

The Coral Mist hotel provided us with one of the nicest holiday experiences we have had in a very long time, together with the beach side location and amazing staff I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to family and friends.

I went to this wonderful hotel with my mum for 7 nights and it was the best experience of our lives. My mum is partly disabled and cannot walk very far. The hotel were aware of this and we were put literally 5 steps from the pool, 7 to the beach and about 10 to the restaurant. It was amazing. We couldnt have been any closer to the beach than we already were. I know what your thinking, they must have had to pay a lot for that to be right on the beach? No, we had a deluxe studio. The second from the bottom of the accomodation choices.

When we arrived there someone took our bags to our room and he showed us how to work things like the safe and the air con.The room was kept clean all week by a maid who came around every morning, she made the bed, changed our towels and even did the washing up. The people were so friendly. If ever we needed anything all we had to do was make a phone call to front desk and somebody would be around straight away to help us.

Each morning there was a man who cleaned the pools and made sure the beach was clean, they even raked it.

I have never felt so safe before neither. There was a security guard walking around all the time. Me and my mum are going back there next year as we will never find a place like that anywhere else in the world. There is so much to do outside the resort but for reasons i have alreasy said we didnt do much walking and found that everything we needed was at the hotel, the restaurant(which was amazing) even did take-aways.

I would definately recommend this hotel to anyone, even those who have children. It was beautiful. Cant thank the staff enough for giving us such an amazing time and we will always have those memories.

Happy holidays......

Just returned from holiday and all i can say is FANTASTIC! can't wait to go again,

weather brill,location of hotel couldn't be better,rooms comfortable,staff friendly and helpful. As two women in their forties we were apprehensive of going out in the evenings but were suprised how many people were walking up and down the 'gap' in the evenings,and didn't feel intimidated,locals would call out to us but answering a pleasant 'no thanks' was sufficent for them to move on.Ship Inn good for live groups and food good. Met some great people in hotel which is very friendly and got mini bus from Sam outside to Oistins which is a must. Also had ride on jet ski driven by Shaun on beach something neither of us thought we would do and thoroughly enjoyed it. Virgin's service was superb start to finish twilight check in at Gatwick and luggage collection from hotel all made it so easy and relaxing.Bridgetown trip with free shuttle bus was great we should have stayed longer though and got a later shuttle back as we rushed around and could have seen more.

For beach location,nice clean rooms,good food,and friendly atmosphere between guests you couldn't beat this hotel.

4th time in Barbados, best hotel yet < big clean rooms in the heart of the fun ( beach and nightlife, Friendliest staff esp Chris the barman (Spongey to his friends) .

My wife and I stayed at the Bougainvillea for 13 nights in November, 2006.

We always book direct with our holiday hotels, and we chose the Bougainvillea from a shortlist compiled from reviews of the hotels that fitted our price range. As at the end of our holiday we were leaving on an evening flight, a very important requirement was a guaranteed late checkout from our room (not the use of an amenity room, etc). Of the hotels we contacted, only the South Gap Ocean offered us our requested late checkout at no charge; the Southern Palms refused any kind of guaranteed late checkout and we therefore lost interest and they lost business. But booking with the Bougainvillea was not without its problems either. After three attempts at using the 'Contact Us' facility on their website, receiving no response on each occasion, I finally made contact direct with a member of their management team. Then came the question of a late checkout, an extended exchange of emails, and the issue was eventually resolved to our satisfaction. We have been on holiday in a number of hotels worldwide, and have never had a problem with early or late checkouts, so this problem in Barbados was a surprise to us. We are prepared to pay, but we want early/late checkout from our room guaranteed, not just a vague promise of a different or amenity room 'subject to availability'.

The Bougainvillea is in our opinion a good standard four star, with beautifully landscaped gardens and spacious areas. Because it includes the older Sand Acres hotel, it is effectively two hotels in one, with two of everything - pools, beaches, bars and restaurants. We never found it a problem to find either a quiet or noisy spot that suited us during the day. The resort is only 10 minutes by taxi from the airport, but bear in mind the downside of this - there is noise from aircraft approaching the airport, although this is not intrusive enough to spoil a holiday. On the subject of noise - there is still some coming from the building site next door on that side of the resort, particularly when they are using the heavy equipment, although it looks like the work will be finished in the near future. Check with the resort if in doubt about whether the noise will affect your holiday - they seem to be very flexible about the allocation of rooms.

We were given a suite in one of the older blocks - ground floor, as per our request. While it is difficult to disguise the age of the buildings in this part of the resort, it is commendable the way they have been refurbished. Our room was more of a one-bedroom apartment than a suite, and was tastefully and smartly decorated. The bedroom had a king bed, ceiling fan, air conditioning and spacious storage. The living room had a sofa bed, and more than enough seating area (not that you tend to spend much time sitting inside). The kitchenette was exceptionally well equipped, with a fridge/freezer bigger than the one we have at home, full oven, microwave, kettle, coffee maker, toaster, and even a sharp knife! The bathroom (shower, no bath) was the room that most showed the building's age, but everything worked so the occasional bit of discoloured grouting didn't spoil the whole effect. What was appreciated were the little touches, like the plug-in mosquito repellent in the bedroom, the hairdryer, tissues and toiletries in the bathroom, and the washing up liquid and dishcloths in the kitchen. There were about 20 TV channels - mostly American, with the token BBC World thrown in, but it would have been nice to have had some local radio channels for atmosphere. Outside was a double-sized balcony, with two dining chairs and table, two easy chairs and coffee table, and two sunbeds - luxury! We had two minor problems with the room early in our stay - the TV remote and the toaster were both faulty - and both were dealt with very quickly. Guests are requested to smoke on the verandah rather than inside, which meant there was no danger of evil-smelling bedclothes.

The two restaurants in the resort provide an acceptable standard of food, although not outstanding. Breakfast is available at the Lanterns by the Sea until 11am, and the options range from the Continental, at about £7, to the full buffet, at £10, the latter of which gives you an unlimited choice of fruit juices (real juices), tea/coffee, pastries, pancakes, full English, and fresh fruit - worth the money if you are hungry. We had dinner twice in the Lanterns - the BBQ and the Caribbean buffet - and both were fine. Our dinner in the Water's Edge restaurant - rather more expensive - was OK, and was good more for the atmosphere of beachside dining than the food.

The beaches and pool areas are ideal for a relaxing holiday. We mainly used the older pool on the Sand Acres side because it was quieter than the free-form pool, but we could not get umbrellas for the pool from the watersports hut as they only provided them for the beaches. A lot of the area around the older poolside loses the shade in the afternoon, and it would be good to make umbrellas available by the sunbeds.

The beaches are very pleasant, with ample umbrellas, sunbeds and towels available at no extra charge. One of the outstanding features of the Bougainvillea is the availability of sunbeds. At no time did we have a problem getting sunbeds at any time, nor was there any evidence of selfish reserving of them. Perhaps the answer is that if hotels make more than enough sunbeds available, people do not find it necessary to reserve them. The sea is a little rough, and you need a certain amount of confidence to venture out, but there were plenty of people swimming throughout our holiday. We didn't try any of the water sports or trips, but there were certainly plenty available. There are a number of beach vendors, but, as other reviewers have reported, a polite 'no thanks' will send them away. Don't assume, as I did, that the guy who asks you whether you 'want to see action man' is trying to sell you a toy soldier!

Children are well catered for at the Bougainvillea, although for obvious reasons we can't comment in detail. There is a very well-equipped games room for older children and a fitness room which I promised myself to take advantage of and, of course, finished the holiday without trying. Other - outdoor - facilities included a giant chess board and a shuffleboard, which was a very pleasant way of passing half an hour. There is a small library, where you can borrow/exchange paperbacks.

The one thing that we felt let the Bougainvillea down is the poor entertainment. During our first week, the Caribbean show was enjoyable, but was let down by the DJ that followed playing loud music that had nothing to do with the Caribbean. The 'steel band' that was advertised several times turned out to be one man with a drum and a synthesiser. All the entertainment finished at ten o'clock, and on one evening we had just settled down at a table in the pool bar to enjoy the last of the one-man steel band/singer when he started packing away at 9.30! This drove us to look for something suitable that did not finish at children's bedtime, and on several evenings we walked to the nearby Sea Breeze hotel, where there always seemed to be some low-key live entertainment in the outside (but covered) decked area of the bar. They also had Banks Beer on draught at half the price of the bottled stuff in the Bougainvillea. On both Sunday lunchtimes we spurned the one-man steel band at the Bougainvillea and walked to the Southern Palms in the Gap, where they had a full seven-piece band that was very good. However, I understand that the Bougainvillea will be improving their entertainment program in the near future, so I would not be put off the resort by my comments on this subject.

To get into the Gap, it's a 10 minute walk along the beach and through a small alley - okay during the day, but a bit intimidating after dark. Alternatively, walking along the road would take at least 20 minutes, but both these routes are unsuitable for people with buggies or disabilities, and both brought you into the quiet part of town, with the livelier part a further 10 minutes' walk. So it's quite a trek, but taxis are always available outside the hotel and charge BD$15 (£4) each way.

At the far end of town, around a small sandy bay with superb views, were three restaurants with seating looking out over the bay. Our favourite was Pisces, but there was also David's Place, where good the food and service were slightly let down by the presentation, and Bellini's which was the smallest and required a reservation for a good table. At the quieter end of town was Luigi's, run by a real Italian couple, which served superb food, although larger appetites might find the portions a little small - but at least this was walkable from the hotel. A two-course meal with a couple of drinks for two people would cost about £60-80 at these restaurants. A little less expensive is the Harlequin, with good food and service. The Captain's Carvery at the Ship Inn was the best value, at about £30 for two; worst value was McBride's, where we were unimpressed by both the food and the service. We did not try the Restaurant at Southsea, where they have quite a strict dress code, or Josef's, where the menu did not appeal to us. The crowds and noise at the busy end of the Gap step up a notch after 10 o'clock when the clubs get going, so the older generation tend to be leaving the Gap around this time, while the younger generation are pouring in.

We went to the Roots 'n' Rhythms show at the Plantation, which takes place twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. For about £43 per person, you get a lift from and back to your hotel, a professional Bajan dance and music show, an average buffet, and free drinks until the show ends at 10.15. Worth it for the experience, but you probably wouldn't want to go twice.

One evening we followed the experience of another couple and ordered a large pizza from Paradise Pizza - phone number at Reception. They delivered bang on time and with a smile, for a cost of £14 including delivery charge and tip, and the pizza was so large we had to finish it for lunch the following day (thank goodness for the microwave). On Friday evenings, like everybody else, we went to Oistins Fish Fry (the hotel runs a shuttle bus, but doesn't advertise it). We bought our food at the Fish Net stall - for BD$20 (about £5.50) you get two pieces of fish, potatoes and salad, and beer is only BD$3 (less than a pound) a bottle. There's a good atmosphere, and look out for the US all-night style dance room, where the locals are dressed up for a good night's dancing!

For lunch there is an eat-in or takeaway service at the Lanterns (about £5-8), or rolls and sandwiches available at the bigger supermarkets and service stations (£1.50-£2). Or there's Leroy's van at the front of the hotel which serves Bajan style fish, chicken or lamb, rice or mashed potatoes, and salad or coleslaw for BD$14 (£4) for a large portion.

With the kitchen facilities in the rooms, it is easy to prepare home meals, but shopping is the issue. The nearby convenience store is adequate for bread, drinks and other basics, but watch the prices as they can be up to 50% higher than the main supermarkets, and for that you still don't get a smile from the staff. There is a small supermarket in the quiet part of the Gap, but the main one is in the Southern Plaza in Oistins - at least a 20 minute walk, or a £4 taxi ride each way. You have to calculate whether you are going to save the taxi fare by going to the main supermarket, or you can take advantage of the supermarket's shuttle bus for the return journey. Alternatively, take advantage of the 'Commissary Service' from this supermarket - order at Reception and they deliver to your room - but we didn't try this.

We didn't travel around the island too much, as our holiday was for RandR more than activity, but we took advantage of the hotel shuttle bus to go to Bridgetown twice. There are numerous jewellery shops in Broad Street if you're into Columbian diamonds (but do you really know what you're buying?). The Pelican Craft Centre is worth browsing round if you can manage the walk from the town centre in the hot sun, but the Jewish synagogue was closed when we were there. A light lunch at the Waterfront Café is worthwhile, but leave plenty of time as the service can be slow. We also hired a taxi for a guided tour round the island - the standard charge seems to be BD$60 (£16) per hour plus tip - and 2 or 3 hours would be sufficient unless you want to make lengthy stops in several places. This can at least give you an idea of where to return to if you subsequently decide to hire a car. There are many other excursions you can go on - a jeep safari, submarine ride, catamaran, but these were too energetic for us.

As is our normal practice, we went to several nearby hotels - mostly the others on our shortlist - to compare them with the one we chose. The Barbados Beach Club, next door, has rather scruffy-looking outdoor areas, and is an all-inclusive, so does not welcome outside guests. A few minutes further on, the Sea Breeze looks quite nice, but the pool, beach and gardens are smaller than the Bougainvillea, and not as attractive. This would be a good choice for their all-inclusive option (we spoke to several guests there and all were positive), or as a cheaper alternative to the Bougainvillea. In the Gap, we looked in on the South Ocean Gap, where there is limited space around the pool, which on this particular evening was occupied by a large crowd of beer swillers with bottles all around the pool area. This was the 'cheap and cheerful' option on our shortlist, but as it is in the noisiest part of the town, we are glad we didn't choose it. We quite liked the Southern Palms, with its spacious bar, nice (but smallish) pool and beachside location, but we did not look at any of the rooms. The Southern Palms definitely had the best location, in a quiet but convenient part of the Gap. Overall, none of the other hotels matched the Bougainvillea for space and well-designed grounds, although the Southern Palms had the best location and both the Southern Palms and the Sea Breeze had better entertainment.

The acid test of any holiday is how sad you are at leaving when it's time to go home, and I could certainly have done another week at the Bougainvillea. If we return to Barbados, it will definitely be on our shortlist, and I understand that they will have improved the entertainment by then!

Stayed at time out at the gap from 17th-31 dec 2006, and overall we had a very good time.

The hotel is ok, staff were always friendly, rooms were clean, but basic. In our room we had a tv with about 10 channels (CNN,ABC,National geographic,FX and a few i cant rememver) a fridge, an iron, a hair dryer, and a decent digital safe. Rooms were cleaned daily.

We didnt eat at all in the hotel, except for a cup of tea and toast in the morning which was ok. A bottle of banks (the superb local beer)was $5.50 (barbadian dollars)about £1.60ish i think. However if you drink outside the hotel it will be cheaper. Hotel had a pool which was quite small, we didnt use it at all though as there is a lovely beach 30 seconds walk from the hotel. ALso had a pool table.

The above beach is called dover beach and is very nice, a sunbed will cost you 5 dollars for the day, and a canopy is 10. Expect to be offered necklaces, music cds, pure aloe vera etc by a few of the locals, im not saying there are loads, but generally about 5/6 a day, they are polite enough though and will generally walk straight away if you say no. Always agree prices before you buy anything though, we paid 35 dollars for a bottle of pure aloe on our first day which was daylight robbery (we was paying 20 after that, and maybe others were getting it cheaper i dont know), you can generally get a decent amount of anything if you haggle.

A jet ski will cost you 100 dollars for 1/2 hour (about £25) Go and see andy (fella with the dreadlocks) if you want one, he's a really decent fella. Theres a few small bars at the entrance to the beach, where you can get drinks, and food, try the chicken stew, its nice and aint too spicy, also gillian has a small bar here and does 5 bottles of banks for 13 dollars, and she also does a decent swordsfish and chips! You will also probly see russ at this bar, smallish fella, sounds like a yank but is in fact white bajan, hes also a decent fella, more than happy to have a chat with you and point you in the right direction with any questions about your holiday (he sorted out our marlin fishing trip on the billfisher II boat which was superb - we paid 800 dollars for half a day - about 200 sterling).

Eating wise theres quite a few places in the gap (which is basically a fairly long street with cafes, restruants etc either side). By far the best service we had was at the steakhouse, its underneath a chinese restruant, and doesnt look up to much but the food is superb, and the service was better (try the fillet mignion - superb). We tried a restruant called aquaspice which was very nice and reasonably priced. I think the meal, with drink was about 250 dollars - about £20 per person. The other place we ate and drank alot at was the ship inn, about a 5min walk from time out, but i liked it up there, real old school feel to the place, inside and outside seating, live music some nights, and a choice of food, you can use either the carvery wich was exceptional one night we had it, and very good the other time, which i think was40 dollars per person. They also have a sit down area on the veranda with a set menu which is also very good.

Ive run out of space, but i hope this is helpful.

We stayed in a studio on a self catering basis. The room was nice and clean and a decent size with everything you need, with a balcony overlooking the pool area and sea.

The hotel staff are extremely friendly and helpful and reception is open 24 hours a day which is good.

The hotel is situated right in the middle of St Lawrence Gap with restaurants and bars either side and Dover Beach is only a 5-10 minute walk away.

The hotels restaurant is good value for money and open throughout the day.

The only downside to the hotel is that it is directly opposite the Ship Inn and After Dark which are 2 bars/clubs with music playing till around 3-4am.

Oh yeah and be prepared to get up around 7am to put your towel down on a sun lounger if you are going to be lazing by the pool for the day.

Other than that it is a lovely little hotel and great value for money.