Sandy Lane reopens                  (Venues)

Friday saw the Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados open its gilded doors to guests following a multimillion pound "aesthetic refurbishment and renovation scheme." RedKarpet takes a look at what its international clientele can expect after the exclusive refurbishment by British interior designer, Richmond International (UK).           (9 0ct'08)

There are times when 47,000 sq ft spas and luxury airport transfers by Bentley aren't enough, so Sandy Lane's management enlisted Richmond International to look at its hotel offering in microscopic detail.

The resulting makeover has endowed each room at Sandy Lane with new curtains, bed linen and patio furnishing with material sourced from the best boutiques in the world. Other room fixtures such as bathroom lighting have been replaced with extravagant new variations.

The existing flat screen televisions, that most hotels would have been happy with, have been upgraded with new 55–70 inch flat screens. Sandy Lane has also added 16,000 sq ft of marble in all public areas. Made from semi-precious quartz and pink granite, this complements the glamour for which the hotel is renowned.

Suites   

A number of the classical features will remain, such as the coral stone exterior set in the mahogany grove.

The revamp applies  to:

-112 Luxury rooms
-26 Orchid suites     -six Luxury orchids
-10 Ocean rooms
-60 Luxury ocean rooms
-five Dolphin and
 three luxury Dolphin suites (pic right)
-two penthouses

Spa & Beach
The Spa at Sandy Lane has undergone its own special treatment with the introduction of a Rassoul bath which the hotel reports to be the only one of its kind in the Caribbean. All treatment rooms have been redecorated with bamboo floors. The fire, water, earth and aroma air element ritual is designed to leave guests uniquely refreshed and relaxed.

The beach sees the addition of the Sandy Lane Water Sports & Nature programme with an eco-friendly ethos to the fore. Surfing, windsurfing and boating are now bolstered with new activities ranging from hiking in the forest trails to abseiling under supervision.

Dining

The Bajan Blue restaurant is now completely redesigned by Las Vegas-based ABA (Avery Brooks Associates) architects and interior designers, with Todd Lanahan as the appointed designer.

The new open, multicultural, all-day dining facility has seating capacity for 160 guests.

Other features:
-residential-style kitchen
-a wine store
-Asian station with professional sushi station
-lobster and live sea-food tank
-fresh herb garden and wood burning oven, -American grill station and Italian station -Bajan Blue will showcase a private dining room with a chef’s table.

There will also be a stand-up bar and a new banquette-seating lounge area. The restaurant will feature both air-conditioned seating as well as alfresco dining. Culinary director, Grant MacPherson oversaw this area including the new barbecue area which will provide beach dining during the day, new menus and specialty evenings.

Comment

"At Sandy Lane we pride ourselves on excellence in all things and this is just another example of our drive to keep the property looking exquisite with a fresh new look for our guests. I think our repeat guests and, indeed, new clients will be impressed now that we've opened the doors to our new look."
Michael Pownall - Chief Executive, Sandy Lane

RK  _________________________________________