South Gap Hotel Reviews

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.

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.

The journey to the hotel takes about 15 mins from the airport. The hotel is located on a quiet road a stone's throw from the beach.The hotel is a little dated but the rooms are airy and clean and it is supposed to go through a refurbishment in 2007.We found most of the staff to be pleasant and helpful.

You can breakfast in the hotel but there are a number of pleasant places to eat just down the road heading into the Gap.Lunch and evening meals are also available but we ate out most nights as there are so many nice restaurants to try such as Pisces and a nice Mexican restaurant. An average evening meal costs about £20.00 each plus drinks, although there are cheaper places for lighter snacks. The fish dishes are fantastic especially the dolphin fish (not the Flipper variety!)or flying fish. There are a number of bars in the resort to cater for different tastes, and a night club called Bajan Roots which is an experience in itself!

The hotel will change approx. £50's worth of travellers cheques a day, but there's a bank in the Gap that will change as much as you want and it has a cash point as well.

The pool in the hotel is small, but quiet and clean. Most people go to Dover beach across the road which is very pleasant but can be busy. The water is good for swimming and safe for children and there are sunbeds and parasols for 15BD (approx £10 for the day).You're not supposed to go topless and it's suggested that you wear a top and shorts when you leave the beach and return to your hotel or wander in to town.There are guys that sell aloe vera leaf extract on the beach in old rum bottles. They make it up infront of you- it's really cheap and works wonders if you get burnt like we did -much better than aftersun!

It's worth hiring a car -mini mokes are fun -and they're cheap- about £35 quid a day. We'd recommend going through the rep as we didn't, and went for the place to the left of the hotel which was cheaper, but they weren't the most professional car hire company and weren't too hot on insuring us properly! There are some fantastic places to see-even if you don't hire a car there's a good,cheap bus service that goes around the island.

We'd recommend Harrison's cave, rum tasting, wreck diving in Bridgetown,Oistin's fish market on Friday evenings, the Animal Flower caves and the Barbados Wildlife Reserve and Graham Hall Sanctuary. It's safe to walk around in the evenings, although they suggest you don't walk on the beach alone at night. In general the people are very friendly and polite, the only problem we had and I had on a previous visit, was the hassle you get as you walk into the Gap from people wanting you to buy things or come to time share meetings. They're polite but very persistant and even rang us in our room one morning to see if we were going to come to a sales meeting! Once a few days have passed and your face is familair, they tend to leave you alone!

Overall we had a great holiday and found the hotel to be basic but clean, comfortable and good value for money.

Please dont belive all you read about this hotel,while not the Ritz its a little gem,food is top class rooms are
spotless staff are very freindly and its right on the beach,sun beds and sun shades porvided,entertainment is low key but we enjoyed it.We didnt go on any trips but we hired a taxi to take us round the island ( best way as he knew all the places to visit) we even got into Sandy Lane.A word of warning the sea can be very rough and has a strong undertow take care with the children,and dont get caught out with the sun its very strong.Recommend the upgrade to Premium economy on the return leg (night flight)

We plan to visit Barbados again and this little hotel will top the list.

Well where to start any gripes we have are with the reosrt and island rather than the hotel. This is the smallest hotel we have stayed in before but it was lovely we upgraded to a delux ocean view room and it was really worth it the rooms were large we had a seperate bedroom and kitchen area and a great view of the beach. The rooms were cleaned every day and the maids were lovely. The food was good and there was plenty to choose from the kids never had any trouble finding something. the pools were ok the main pool was across a road but did have a self service bar where you could get water tea/coffee soft drinks (the kids loved that). The hotel staff were great really friendly and couldn't do enough for you and because it was small you felt more like friends. The kids club was a godsend janette who ran it was brill with the kids it started at 2 and ran til 10 pm with a break in between which was perfect as a morning round the pool in that sun was enough.

Now for the gripes I was expecting a fantastic beach which it was except for the hawkers which to be honest were a little intimidating at times and could get really in your face and persistant. I was also expecting to snorkel everyday yet I went in the sea 3 times over two weeks it was just too rough my husband lost his wedding ring when a wave took him under and even when the waves semed to calm down the currents were still too strong which really spoilt it for me also even when the kids were sat at the edge of the water playing in the sand you had to be wary as the waves could come right in.

Another gripe the people of barbados are friendly but there is always an undertone of them wanting you to buy something which can really get you don if all you want is to go for a quiet walk.
Excursions the hotel has a courtesy bus which goes to bridgetown in the morning and fetches you back just after lunch shopping is a must as diamonds emeralds and watches are duty free you can pick up a bargain. We also went on the virgin catamaran fantastic trip the kids loved it and we swam with turtles and went snorkelling they treat you like kings there was always food and drink on offer.

We had a really good time but I felt that it is a lot of money for an island that is nothing special and no different from the other caribbean islands that are maybe not as exclusive in price.

Just returned from Escape at the Gap, had a fantastic holiday, first time in Barbados and it was all i wanted it to be!
Only went for a week but should have gone for two! The beach is fantastic but, the water is rough and there is a red flag on the beach. Although it is magnificent to sit and watch all day.Some people have stated on this site that they paid for sunbeds?? We never experienced this at all, in fact we never spent a penny for the first 3 days!!
If you dont do any other excursions, the Collaps and Relax Catamaran trip is an absolute must, sheer paradise, and the crew really look after you.

Also we dont usually do tours but someone reccomended Teds Tours, we were going to do the Virgin one but it was full, lucky for us because Ted is the funniest tour guide you will ever meet and the iced Rum Punch is available at every stop!! you also stop for lunch and it was superb with stunning surroundings.Cant say anymore about it other than just do it!! The locals are all lovely and very friendly, I cannot wait to go back.

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) .

Hotel is very clean, although studio rooms are quite basic, they are serviced daily(if you wanted it).
View from every balcony is of the Ocean - beautiful breath taking sight!
Staff are extremly friendly.
Pool area is kept clean and tidy,plenty of loungers and seats.
Barman ";Jiggy T"; is great fun - although he is a close friend of our family!
";The Gap can be a little noisy at first, but after a few days you don't notice it. There are plenty of places to eat,I recommend - THE SHIP INN; JADE GARDEN; ST LAWRENCE PIZZA AND STEAK HOUSE; THE CHICKEN BARN.
Blue and Yellow buses run regularly and cost $1.50(Bajan) fare to any where,although you could take a ZR taxi if you felt inclined.
The beach is a short walk away -and it's magnificent and very safe.

Barbados is beautiful.

From the minute we arrived at time out we were made to feel very welcome and this continued for the whole two weeks we stayed here.The staff are very friendly and cant do enough to help you.

The hotel is quite basic but very clean and well equipped with hairdryer iron fridge kettle and tv with a good selection of channels.The pool is quite small but its cleaned every day and you are given a clean beach towel every day which you can use either at the pool or the beach.The beach is fantasic and the guys from tigers chairs really look after you.There are plenty of quality restaurants to choose from and they are reasonably priced.I would avoid bridgetown like the plague as its very busy its like Argyle Street on the lead up to xmas.Didn,t do any trips as we,ve done them all before but we took a taxi ride round the island with a driver who has lived in Barbados all his life and we saw loads of interesting things.

You can come to st lawrence and have a very livley holiday or a total chill out fortnight its up to you.We enjoyed it so much we,ve booked to come back again this year and a word of warning go easy on the rum punch.

Time Out is a great 3 star hotel. Perfectly positioned at the end of St Lawrence Gap 5 - 10 mins walk from the bars / restaurants and directly across the road from Dover Beach. The staff were helpful, but a bit moody at breakfast. The rooms are great, quite basic but very clean and had all the essentials including large fridge, kettle, TV with American channels including one showing movies and air conditioning.

We recieved free breakfast everyday, this was basic but lovely including tea / coffee, toast, cerials and really nice rock cakes. We never ate in the restaurant at night as no one seemed to be eating there but the drinks were reasonably priced. The pool is small, but never busy. There were always plently of free sunbeds to go round.

St Lawrence Gap is the best place to stay if you are room only / B and B because it has the cheapest bars and restaurants on the island. You can easily get a meal for £7-10 each. In my opinion the best place to eat is St Lawrence`s Pizza Hut, its really cheap and the food is great. We had a couple of meals here that came to no more than £15 between the two of us. As well as pizza they also do hot dogs, burgers etc... If you are looking for something a bit more expensive try Cafe Sol, a mexican, the food was lovely and the place is great. All the bars have happy hours with buy one get one free on certain drinks.

If you are going to do any excursions I would reccommend a boat trip to see the turtles and the jeep safari, they were both around £50 each but you get lunch and free drinks included and were well worth the money. Also the Green Money Wildlife Reserve is great fun, its only small and we didnt get to see any green monkeys but there was plenty of other animals to see. In the evening Oistins fish market is well worth a visit, but make sure you go on a Friday night, as thats when all the tourists go. Dont be worried about getting on the buses they are really easy and cheap to use and anyone will help if you hve any problems. Bridgetown is great for duty free shoping but there isnt a lot else there, but it does give you a good idea of the real Barbados.

The only problem with Barbados, espcially St Lawrence Gap is that you do get hasselled, especially when you first arrive, they soon get used to your face. We got asked quite a few times it we wanted to buy drugs, but if you are polite they are polite back and they soon leave you alone.

Me and my fiance were en route to St Vincent where my parents own a house and because the flight price was no different we decided to stop off in Barbados for 3 nights.

It was FANTASTIC, the hotel was lovely, we paid only 158 pounds for 3 nights accomadation and it included breakfast....a bargin, the staff were lovely and for the price we paid I expected a VERY basic accomadation, but when we arrived our bags were carried for us to our room where there were 2 Kingsized beds, a T.V with a vast choice of movie channels/music channels etc, a fridge, a balcony and shower. The cleaners came in every day and tided the room, made beds, changed towels.

The beach was gorgeous and just across the road, and although the pool was small, it was never overly crowded and offered a good alternative from the beach.

Bridgetown was an experiance, hop on a bus ( not like your average London bus ) and enjoy the music and locals...Bridgetown had a few good shops and all shopping is tax free i.e 1Litre bottle of Jack Daniels only 7pound as oppossed to 18pound here and there is a Tiffany jewellry store that is 40% cheaper than the uk, I went 3 times and I was only there 3 days.

At night we ate for around 7.50 per head, and the food was lovely, there are lots of bars and they are a 5min walk away, but the hotel is not disturbed by the noise, we were sad to go and on arriving back in the UK have booked a 7day holiday next December, it was lovely to get away in the Winter and the hotel/resort and country were all idylic.

We just got back yesterday from this hotel and we had a great holiday.

As we are a family of 5 (3 young kids ) we stayed in one of the larger rooms in Pirates block which is another part of the hotel situated across the road from the main building. It is not a main road but can get quite busy but during our stay we found all the drivers very courteous and there is also a traffic bump so no one was travelling fast. It was never a problem for us.

Our room was nice and comfortable with a lounge area with air conditioning which had a curtain to screen off three single beds, there was a sofa and 2 chairs, tv,telephone and doors onto the terrace or balcony. We also had a seperate double bedroom and bathroom. Bedding was changed frequently and the room was kept nice and clean considering the amount of sand and water around from visiting the beach and swimming pools. Pirates building also has its own swimming pool which is a nice size and I saw it being cleaned every morning. There are roman steps into the pool that goes from 2ft to 4ft max depth. At the pool there is a self service bar for soft drinks but to be honest its better to cross the road and get your drinks (its not far to walk ).

The al a carte restaurant is also in this block and that is lovely the food we had was exceptional and I can recommend the marlin fish! The restaurants alternate in the evenings between Pirates or seascape in the main building which is often buffet meals as are lunch and breakfast. We enjoyed all the meals and they will do special meals for kids to have either with the adults or at an earlier time if requested. You have to book a time for dinner at breakfast but we never found that to be a problem as we were always up early with the kids anyway.

There is a good kids club too and it was nice on occaision in the evening to have dinner on our own when the little uns were being entertained in the kids club. In the main building there is a small pool which had just been repainted etc when we were there so it was a little slippery and its also quite close to the bar and tables. The bar and seascape restaurant overlook and are virtually right on the fabulous Dover beach. The sunbeds and umbrellas are free and the beach was fab, lovely golden sand and lovely to swim in the sea. There are lots of beach sellers seling aloe vera, jewellery and ladies doing hair braiding. If you say no in the first couple of days they don't bother you again. Aloe vera is good though for sunburn! and facinating how they fill a bottle in front of you. The weather we had was wonderful with only a few hours rain for the 14 nights we were there, but saying that even when it rains you can still swim or walk around it cools you down and nothing like what we get in the UK for rain!

Lastly I must tell you about the Barbadians they are wonderful people, and love kids. We hired a car one day and got lost and a local reversed his car back to us to see if we were ok and then proceeded to go out of his way so we could follow him to get where we were going. They have a respect for people that has long gone from here in the UK.
This was our first visit to Barbados and I was really nervous beforehand not knowing what to expect as I'd read quite a few bad reports about the hotel but I think it is what you make it and if you go with the intention of finding fault then you can always find something, we had a brilliant time and will definately be booking again.

We traveled with Virgin holidays and we could not have been better looked after, the flight was enjoyable the acommodation was basic but clean. The staff at Time out were fantastic, nothing was to much trouble. The locals were the friendliest people that we have ever come across especially Rasi he sells the english newspapers by the Silver Fox, he is such a gentleman and we had many a good night proping up the bar with him, the people were so friendly they were phoning our room to see if we would like to go down to the bar for a drink.

We hired a car and travelled around the island and enevitably when we got lost there was always someone who would stop and point you in the right direction. Harrisons cave is well worth a visit as is sunbury plantation House. If you stay at the time out hotel you will be well looked after by Margaret she is an ex-pat and a very friendly hard working lady.

Can't wait to go back. Rasi, Jane and Summer Jade see you when we return.