Fantastic stay on the North West side of the island in Speightstown. Great to have a kitchen and is literally steps away from the beach across the street. A lot of restaurants within walking distance as well (Can't go wrong with Baia & Orange St Grocer). Very easy to get around via the PickUp Barbados taxi app and the apartments also have a courtyard to park your car.
We just got back to Canada after staying at the Sunset Sands for four weeks. For a certain kind of traveler this place is ideal. It is walking minutes from excellent beaches (actually, the beach across the street is used by many) and walking minutes from Speightstown. You cook for yourself but towels and bedding are provided and the apartment is thoroughly cleaned (by very nice people!) every weekday. The lovely back garden gets a good breeze and the gazebo provides shade. It is not resort luxury but we paid USD $500/week and that is a very good rate for west coast Barbados. If possible, get one of the two upstairs apartments (#3 and #4) -- the view and breeze are much better.
I stayed here with my girlfriend, who is from Barbados, for a week in January, 2014. We stayed in one of the two downstairs apartments and paid $110 a night. All four of the apartments are nice, but stay in one of the upstairs ones if you can; nicer view plus you can keep the ocean-facing windows open.
The building is right across from a beach, and there are lots of shops and a few restaurants a few blocks down the street.
A central bus station is just a few blocks away, next to the police station, and you can ride just about anywhere in Barbados for a dollar or two US. Best transportation deal in the world (although the buses drive fast on narrow and curvy roads; just close your eyes and know that it is more than likely that you will get there in one piece).
The AC worked nicely. The TV was small and had just a few channels, but who wants to watch TV in Barbados? You want to be out and about!
The shower/bath water could be very hot; sometimes during the day the hot water ran low and it became warm rather than hot, but not unpleasant.
There was daily maid service during the week.
The kitchen was fully-equipped, and a Jordan's supermarket is about a 15-minute walk away.
Be aware that Barbados can be pricy, although a few blocks away you will find a clean chain restaurant called Chefettes where you can get pizza, chicken, ice cream, and other fast food, although for a higher price than you would see in the US. Like the rest of Barbados, it is clean.
Customer service in Barbados is diffident at best; you get the sense that the cashiers could care less whether you are there or not. I had a number of transactions in stores in Barbados where the cashiers did not say a word to me the entire transaction -- not hello or goodbye or thank you. And it is not just tourists who are treated this way -- Barbadians really despise the level of customer service they get from their fellow Barbadians and complain about it frequently on radio talk shows and in newspaper columns. But tourist-focused Barbadians give excellent customer service. It doesn't ruin the trip, but it is something Barbados knows it has to work on.
Barbados has some of the cleanest tap water in the world. Someone ought to bottle it and sell it to people in other countries.
A Canadian couple occupies one of the upper apartments from December 15-April 15 and has been doing so for 9 years now, so you know this is a nice place, conveniently located. There is even a $3 dollar store (US $1.50), which is adding $4, $5 and $6 items. There are a couple of bars and restaurants nearby and three or four ATMs.
There is a gazebo in back, and it is lovely. There is a barbecue grill there for your use.
The furniture was dated, according to my girlfriend, but, being a straight man, I did not notice. It seemed fine to me.
I found the beds to be very comfortable; they were two twin beds squished together, which my girlfriend did not like, but we got used to it.
There was wireless internet access that was strong in the living room but did not work in the bedroom.
In various places in the building are some good beach-read books.
I would stay here again.
We were a bit nervous because the most recent review had been 2005 when we booked???
The location can not be beat...right across the street is the beach and the ocean...although we always walked down to Heywoods Beach which was a bit wider/nicer.
Our air conditioning was not working in the Living Room and despite a promise, no one ever came to look at it but at least it was working at night.
The apartment is large nothing fancy...our main upgrade suggestion would be newer, more comfy beds and pillows - we did not find them comfortable at all. Other that that, for the price, you really can't beat it.
Personally, we found Speightstown a bit underwhelming.
Luckily, we had rented a car so we were able to tour around to other locales.
Be prepared for groceries in Barbados to be really expensive...for example $16.00 American for 3 heads of Romaine lettuce hearts.
I booked this last minute directly with the owner via the Barbados tourist website.
Communication prior to my arrival was excellent and I was met by the housemaid when I arrived.
The accommodation is exceptionally good value for the size of the apartment and the spectacular view from your room. Try and book either apartments 3 or 4 as the view is from the first floor, rather than the ground floor.
Speightstown is a bustling town with plenty of amenities and the beaches are beautiful. Take a walk towards the Almond Beach Village and make use of the beaches.
The apartments have a very pleasant garden to have breakfast in and are very well equipped - fridge-freezer, oven, coffee perculator, toaster, etc. There is also plenty of piping hot water for your showers. Beds were very comfortable.
