Afternoon Tea at Sandy Lane

 

The Sandy Lane Hotel is an icon of luxury in Barbados.

It is a definite must-see, but if you can’t afford the $1200/night price tag luckily you can still book yourself in for an afternoon tea.

Having been a British colony for over 300 years, Barbados has retained some of its British influence.  One of those being afternoon tea.  And there’s no better place to enjoy it than the elegant Sandy Lane Hotel.

Located on the West Coast of Barbados, aka the Platinum Coast, the Sandy Lane Hotel is known as the place for the rich and famous to stay.  In fact, Rihanna’s condo is right next door at One Sandy Lane.  Sandy Lane Hotel is so prestigious that you can’t even enter the grounds without a reservation.

 

Want to take a peek inside this opulent hotel but don’t have super deep pockets?  Your best bet is to book yourself in for an afternoon tea at Bajan Blue, one of the hotel’s restaurants.  Reservations can be made directly on the Sandy Lane Hotel website.

 

The hotel is accessible by taxi from Bridgetown, which is what most cruise ship passengers opt for.  Your other option is to rent a car and drive yourself, which is what we chose to do.  The local bus does go past the resort but we would not recommend it as you will definitely feel out of place walking up to the front gate. When we arrived we were asked for our name by the gate-keeper.  He checked his list to ensure we were on it before he let us through.

 

Note that parking is valet only.  Also, even though there is no dress code, you will want to dress nicely otherwise you may feel like you stand out.  Staff were very friendly and professional and even though we were almost an hour early for our reservation we were seated without any problem.

 

The afternoon tea is served on the lower terrace and is open air.  It makes for a really nice, relaxing atmosphere with a lovely view of the ocean.  It is also the perfect spot to people-watch and daydream of staying at such a fancy place.

There were four different options for afternoon tea.  After perusing the menu, we decided on the Classic Tea.  We had previously read other reviews that the Classic Tea is shared between two people, but they brought Ryan and I two orders.  At $90BDS/person (about $45US) the cost may seem like a lot but you actually get quite a bit of food.  We had our tea time at 3:30pm but definitely wished we had skipped lunch so that we could have enjoyed more of it!

Tip: Skip lunch and book yourself in for afternoon tea around 2pm.  It is very filling and you will enjoy it more if you have room to enjoy all the treats!

 

 

The cost of the afternoon tea is pricey, but it is still less than high tea back home in Victoria at the Fairmont Empress Hotel.  We felt the price was definitely worth it, though, for the experience and getting a sneak peek into this beautiful hotel.

 

If you feel like splurging a little more, Bajan Blue also has a fabulous Sunday Brunch buffet, as well as fantastic dinner buffets!

Best Place to Stay in Barbados On A Budget

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