South Gap Hotel, St Lawrence Gap

Have just returned from holiday in Barbados. I stayed at the South Gap Hotel in St Lawrance, to start on a positive note the people in the hotel were very friendly, in fact everyone we met in Barbados generally were very friendly and as long as you are polite you will have no trouble with the street sellers. Just say no thank you and walk away.

Now to the nitty gritty, I know the hotel was a budget hotel only having two stars, but the room I stayed in could of done with a lot of TLC. The air con worked fine which was a bonus but the noise coming from the bars across the street was terrible, I was glad I kept my earplugs I received on the Virgin flight on the way out which by the way, was brilliant.

The restaurants in the area were very good and I never had a bad meal.

There is a sister hotel to the South Gap called Yellow Bird just down the road, I think this would have been a much better place to stay in my opinion. St Lawrence Gap is very lively and although I would love to go back to Barbados, I don't know if I would return to the Gap and definitely not the South Gap Hotel.

The Ocean South Gap Hotel provides an ideal location in St Lawrence Gap. The staff are friendly and work hard to make your holiday enjoyable. If you want a quite holiday then be aware that the hotel is right in the heart of the nightlife, so take some earplugs or come back from the pub at 5AM.

The hotel is adequate, but some refurbishment is needed in a few areas. Some rooms have had improvements already carried out, so you may find rooms of varying quality. Our room could have done with a little upgrading in the bathroom, but apart from that it was great.

The pool area is great with a nice poolside bar (it also serves up snacks) that has 2 happy hours each day from 12.30 to 13.30 and again from 17.30 to 18.30 serving double quantities of local beer and cocktails -- fantastic!

We went self catering, and you will find lots of bars and restaurants locally that will cater for most people's tastes and pockets. The food at the Pieces restaurant is excellent, with atmosphere. Just imagine eating your evening meal with the Caribbean Sea just 3 feet below!

We enjoyed our holiday at the Ocean South Gap Hotel. The location is central, but be prepared to experience some noise at night from the bars over the road, as they party until around 4 in the morning. I travelled to Barbados with a group of 28 others and enjoyed every minute, with this hotel providing the ideal base for the gatherings before we set of each night. I don't think anyone in our party has had a bad word to say about this hotel, so that must be another 27 recommendations by default I think!

Provisions can be obtained from the convenience store about 200 metres down the road, they have all the usual provisions that you would need for a successful holiday. You may encounter Patrick selling his wares from a seat outside the store, so if you want a bracelet or a Rasta hat, then Patrick is your man.

The hotel offers safety deposit boxes either at reception or in your room. The key is obtained with a $50 (BBD Barbados) deposit that is refunded when you leave, so in effect you can use the safe for nothing. No need to hide your passport in your underpants to save $10.

All the rooms have cable television with the usual assortment of English language channels available including BBC World and CNN.

A real life saver is the air conditioning, which is a must for most of the year. No extra charge is made for it's use, and it's very efficient at keeping your room cool.