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Have you ever wanted to experience the beauty and relaxation of a Caribbean beach resort? If so, we would totally recommend The Southern Palms Beach Club Resort in Barbados, with our review below.
It is renowned as “The Pink Pearl” due to its pink external walls. From its stunningly beautiful beachfront location and proximity to the vibrant St Lawrence Gap area, this resort is one of the best hotels in the area and our review of The Southern Palms Beach Resort is below covering the service of hotel personnel, rooms, hotel amenities and activities, location and dining options.
Firstly before we look at the hotel itself, I feel the staff deserve a special mention. They provide a wonderfully warm and welcoming service and they went out of their way to engage with us and our children. Staff also provided an over & above service in unexpected ways, such as Richard (who had previously helped us with our luggage) and the restaurant staff, who telephoned our room on separate occasions to let us know when nests of turtles were hatching, to invite us to watch and help collect them to be released safely.
It was a bucket list experience to witness baby turtles starting their journey, but it was thanks to these staff members who went out off their way to let us know.
The pool and grounds staff also invited children to help feed the fish in the ponds and the resident pet cats.
Rooms & Suites
Accommodation at Southern Palms Beach Club Resort range from hotel rooms to self-catering suites, all of which are clean, comfortable and spacious with an old romantic Bajan style. Many have spectacular views of the beach and sea. Room amenities include Wifi, bathroom toiletries, cable TV, kettle and hairdryer. More on the room types can be found here.
We stayed in an ocean view hotel room which was perfect for us. Our vlog captures the details for you here:
Onsite Activities
With two swimming pools and direct access to Dover Beach, there are plenty of opportunities for fun in the sun or reading under a palm tree. And the resort also offers complimentary non-motorised water sports such as windsurfing, body boarding and snorkelling. Plus mini golf, shuffleboard and other activities such as tennis (racket hire charge), table tennis and beach volley ball. We did take our own snorkelling sets as we normally travel with these, and we recommend these ones for kids if you want your own, we also have the adult version too.
Staff will also assist you with booking local and island activities such as golf, catamaran cruises, surfing, paddling boarding and scuba diving - just ask at the front desk.
Location
Whether you want to snorkel around the nearby coral reefs or learn how to surf with local instructors, Southern Palms is located directly on Dover Beach so you're in the perfect location for water based fun - we were hoping we'd spot a sea turtle on our visit, and we were so fortunate to see dozens of them daily. We could spot them in the sea and we swam with so many turtles. We felt so blessed by this experience.
We think this is one of the best places to swim with turtles in Barbados. We also went on a boat trip excursion on the west coast of the island, which was beautiful, but we saw one turtle. Yet we could swim out the front of the hotel and see them without searching for them, feeding on sea grass.
Dover Beach provides a lively atmosphere at one end (near the public entrance to the beach), but is quieter towards Southern Palms, providing a peaceful opportunity to relax on the white sand and look out at the turquoise sea.
With the back of the hotel offering direct access on to the beach, the front of the hotel takes you straight on to St Lawrence Gap which is a vibrant street providing many eateries and bars. You can check out our favourite family restaurants here.
Dining
If you’re feeling hungry after a long day of exploring or relaxing on the island paradise that is Barbados, the hotel offers a great menu of local cuisine and international offerings along with themed nights with entertainment offered on some evenings.
The Garden Terrace restaurant is undercover from the beaming sun and the Caribbean showers but with open walls providing fresh air with ocean views and looking out on the main pool. In this area you'll also find the Khus Khus bar which is the perfect setting to enjoy a lush cocktail. The hotel also offers a lovely complimentary afternoon tea and pastries daily.
We enjoyed our meals in the restaurant and also ordered room service on occasions, which had plenty of offerings for children and less adventurous eaters, plus grill, fish, pasta and salad meals. On quieter evenings we took a pack of cards (our kids choice) to play whilst enjoying a drink after our meal, it was lovely to listen to the waves rolling. Some evenings the hotel hosts live entertainment which is great to sit under the resort lights around the pool and bar area.
So if you’re looking for a hotel which is perfect year round, and whether you’re looking for a combination of well-deserved rest and relaxation or the opportunity for to explore the island seeking adventure, then look no further than Southern Palms Beach Resort in Barbados, it’s a great base for your family trip. Our stay here provided memories that will last a lifetime!