The beach at Sandy Lane

Area guide · St. James

Holetown & the Platinum West Coast: Our Favourites

The Platinum West Coast in one page: Sandy Lane and the family-run hotels of Holetown, The Cliff and The Tides, 1st and 2nd Street, Limegrove, the golf estates and the calm beaches of St. James.

Show 34 places on a map

The back story

  1. The back story

    Sandy Lane in depth: the resort, the golf and the beach

    Sandy Lane · St. James·In depth: Sandy Lane

    Sandy Lane from Ronald Tree’s 1961 hotel to the rebuild of 2001: the rooms and the villa, the restaurants and the rules for non-residents, the spa, the three golf courses and the beach.

    Explore View on map

  2. The back story

    Holetown and the Platinum West Coast: the back story

    Holetown · St. James·Area guide

    Where the English landed in 1625 and settled in 1627, now the heart of the calm, chic west coast.

    Explore View on map

What to see and do

  1. The Platinum Coast at its finest

    Paynes Bay & Sandy Lane Beach

    Paynes Bay · St. James·Beach

    Paynes Bay and Sandy Lane Beach, the calm, golden heart of the St. James coast.

    Paynes Bay, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  2. Between Paynes Bay and town

    Fitts Village Beach

    Fitts Village · St. James·Beach

    A stretch of west-coast sand at Fitts Village, south of Holetown.

    Fitts Village, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  3. A marine park off Holetown

    Folkestone Marine Park

    Holetown · St. James·Beach

    A marine park off the beach at Holetown, with snorkelling close to shore.

    Folkstone, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  4. Forty-five holes, two by Tom Fazio

    Sandy Lane Golf

    Sandy Lane · St. James·Three golf courses

    Sandy Lane’s 45 holes: Tom Fazio’s Green Monkey and Country Club courses and the original Old Nine, with a 450-yard driving range.

    Sandy Lane, St. James, Barbados BB24024Explore View on map

  5. Golf in the hills of St. James

    Royal Westmoreland Golf

    Westmoreland · St. James·Championship golf course

    The championship course at the heart of the Royal Westmoreland estate, with green-fee packages for guests staying on the estate.

    Westmoreland, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  6. High-altitude golf with an island green

    Apes Hill Golf

    Apes Hill · St. James·Championship course & par three

    A championship course in the hills of St. James, with the Little Apes par-three course, an island-green 19th hole and a performance centre.

    Apes Hill, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  7. Polo at Holders since 1965

    Barbados Polo Club

    Holders · St. James·Polo club

    The island’s polo club at Holders in St. James, where polo has been played since 1965, with a season that runs roughly from January to May.

    Holders, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Where to eat

  1. Torchlit terraces over the sea

    The Cliff

    Derricks · St. James·Fine dining on the water’s edge

    Fine dining on tiered terraces right above the water at Derricks, with an à la carte menu, a sushi menu and a private dining room.

    Derricks, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  2. A seaside house with an art gallery

    The Tides

    Holetown · St. James·Fine dining & art gallery

    Waterside fine dining in a coral-stone and mahogany seaside home on the edge of Holetown, with an art gallery inside.

    Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  3. Breakfast to dinner on the sand

    The Lone Star

    Mount Standfast · St. James·Beachfront restaurant

    The restaurant of a small boutique hotel on the west coast beach at Mount Standfast, open from breakfast through to dinner.

    Mount Standfast, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  4. Sandy Lane’s late-night brasserie

    The Monkey Club at Sandy Lane

    Sandy Lane · St. James·Contemporary brasserie

    Sandy Lane’s signature restaurant, reimagined as a contemporary brasserie with a DJ four nights a week and a bar over the terrace and the sea.

    Sandy Lane, St. James, Barbados BB24024Explore View on map

  5. Breakfast, lunch and dinner by the sand

    Bajan Blue at Sandy Lane

    Sandy Lane · St. James·Beachside dining

    Sandy Lane’s beachside restaurant on the lower terrace, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and home of the festive-season buffets.

    Sandy Lane, St. James, Barbados BB24024Explore View on map

  6. Holetown’s sushi bar

    Nishi

    2nd Street · Holetown·Japanese & sushi

    A Japanese and fusion restaurant with a sushi bar on Holetown’s 2nd Street, open every evening except Tuesday.

    2nd Street, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  7. Italian on 2nd Street

    Spago

    2nd Street · Holetown·Italian

    An Italian bar and restaurant in the middle of Holetown’s restaurant street, open in the evenings all year.

    Second Street, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  8. Caribbean cooking at Clarke’s Gap

    Cariba

    Derricks · St. James·Caribbean

    A Caribbean restaurant at Clarke’s Gap in Derricks, run by chef-owner Glen Bent, open for dinner from Monday to Saturday.

    #1 Clarke’s Gap, Derricks, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  9. Penthouse dining under the stars

    Fusion Rooftop

    Limegrove · Holetown·Rooftop dining

    A rooftop restaurant above the Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown, billed as penthouse dining under the stars.

    Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Where to stay

  1. Ronald Tree’s 1961 resort in a mahogany grove

    Sandy Lane

    Paynes Bay · St. James·Resort, spa and golf

    Ronald Tree’s 1961 resort in an ancient mahogany grove above a 1,000 ft crescent of coral sand, with 113 rooms and suites, a five-bedroom villa, three golf courses and a 47,000 sq ft spa.

    Sandy Lane, St. James, Barbados BB24024Explore View on map

  2. West Indian elegance in 12 acres of gardens

    Coral Reef Club

    Porters · Holetown·Family-run luxury hotel

    A family-owned and family-run luxury hotel in 12 acres of gardens on the calm west coast in historic Holetown, with a spa.

    Porters, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  3. Coral Reef Club’s sister on the sand

    The Sandpiper

    Holetown · St. James·Boutique beach hotel

    A small luxury hotel on a sandy beach at Holetown, with suites, tree-top suites, Harold’s Bar and a spa.

    Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  4. Every room on the beach

    Fairmont Royal Pavilion

    Porters · St. James·Beachfront resort

    A beachfront resort at Porters on the west coast, with two restaurants on the sand, Palm Terrace and Taboras.

    Porters, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  5. A small hotel on the beach, adults only

    The Lone Star

    Mount Standfast · St. James·Boutique beach hotel

    An intimate, contemporary boutique hotel and restaurant on the west coast beach at Mount Standfast; guests must be 18 or over to check in.

    Mount Standfast, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  6. All-inclusive in the heart of Holetown

    Mango Bay

    2nd Street · Holetown·All-inclusive beach hotel

    An all-inclusive beachfront hotel on Holetown’s 2nd Street, steps from the town’s restaurants and shops.

    2nd Street, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  7. Villas round a championship course

    Royal Westmoreland

    Westmoreland · St. James·Golf estate & villas

    A residential golf estate in the hills of St. James, with more than 250 homes, villas, cottages and apartments to rent around its championship course.

    Westmoreland, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  8. Hilltop villas and a championship course

    Apes Hill

    Apes Hill · St. James·Golf resort & villas

    A golf resort and residential community high in the hills of St. James, with hilltop and courtyard villas for short stays.

    Apes Hill, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Bars, rum shops and nights out

  1. The west coast’s seafront rum shop

    John Moore Bar

    Weston · St. James·Rum shop

    A classic Bajan rum shop on the seafront at Weston, on the road between Holetown and Speightstown.

    Weston, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  2. A sundowner at The Sandpiper

    Harold’s Bar at The Sandpiper

    The Sandpiper · Holetown·Hotel bar

    The bar at The Sandpiper hotel, on the beach at the edge of Holetown.

    Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  3. The west coast’s night out

    1st and 2nd Street, Holetown

    Holetown · St. James·Restaurant and bar streets

    Two short streets in Holetown, a block back from the beach, lined with restaurants and bars.

    1st and 2nd Street, Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Shopping

  1. The Platinum Coast’s designer address

    Limegrove Lifestyle Centre

    Holetown · St. James·Designer shopping centre

    Holetown’s designer centre, with boutiques from Cartier, Bvlgari, Hublot, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, restaurants, a cinema and galleries.

    Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  2. Shopping in chattel houses

    Holetown Chattel Village

    Holetown · St. James·Craft and boutique village

    A cluster of brightly painted chattel houses in Holetown selling local fashion, art, crafts and souvenirs.

    Holetown, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Spas and health

  1. A 47,000 sq ft world of its own

    The Spa at Sandy Lane

    Sandy Lane · St. James·Resort spa

    Sandy Lane’s 47,000 sq ft spa, with a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, cold rooms, a gym, yoga studio and couples’ suites.

    Sandy Lane, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  2. A spa in the gardens

    The Spa at Coral Reef Club

    Porters · Holetown·Hotel spa

    The spa of Coral Reef Club, in the hotel’s 12 acres of gardens at Holetown.

    Porters, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

  3. The west coast’s clinic

    Sandy Crest Medical Centre

    Sunset Crest · St. James·Medical centre

    A medical centre at Sunset Crest, St. James, on the west coast, with a second centre at Coverley.

    Sunset Crest, St. James, BarbadosExplore View on map

Getting there

  1. How to get there

    Getting to Holetown and the west coast

    Holetown · St. James·Getting there

    By bus, ZR or taxi up the west-coast road.

    Explore View on map

Questions and answers

Why is it called the Platinum Coast?

It is the name given to the calm, upmarket west coast of St. James and St. Peter, with its beaches, villas and small luxury hotels.

Can non-residents eat at Sandy Lane?

Yes, by booking with the dining reservations team, except from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, when only The Monkey Club and The Country Club are open to non-residents.

Share your Holetown & the Platinum West Coast tips

Been there? Share your experience and tips with other visitors.

  1. Loading the conversation…

House rules: keep it about Barbados and the topic; off-topic political slogans and campaigning on any cause will be removed. Be civil and respectful, no personal attacks, no links or advertising. Comments are public and moderated, and we may remove any that break the rules. Please don’t share personal details such as phone numbers or emails.

The ULTIMATE letter

Barbados in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.