”It was such a joy to stay at Bon Vivant Villa in Sandy Lane, Barbados. The home has everything you could want on vacation and the best thing about it is the staff. Esma is in charge; she knows what’s what in the house and on the island. The best meals we had in Barbados were at the house. I’m not kidding. Esma buys fresh fish and fixes it beautifully (we found that many of the restaurants over cook the fish). Breakfast was fantastic every day.

Check out BonVivantVilla.com for a video of the house. It’s so spacious. There are 9 air conditioned bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and a cool outdoor shower. There is an enormous pool which we used constantly. It’s well maintained and served as the central gathering place for us. There’s a huge billiards table, ping pong, shuffle board, a full size basketball court, a trampoline, outdoor grill area, and a giant garden with fresh fruit.

The 10 minute walk to the ocean is very nice: enter the beach at the Sandy Lane Resort. You don’t even have to cross the street: use the tunnel. There’s a bar there and they’ll set up chairs for you, bring drinks or fresh fruit smoothies. They have a restroom with showers, too. Esma provides a cooler on wheels if you want to bring your own drinks to the beach.

Our experience at this Villa was just wonderful. The staff and the owner, Beth, are great to work with and quick to answer all your questions. There is even a laundress at the villa who collects the clothes you leave in the hamper and brings them back the next day, clean and ironed. (!) There are a ton of beach towels, too! We highly recommend staying here.

It's also just a 10 minute drive to High Tide Dive shop. Our favorite dive was the Stavronikita wreck. Sim, Lenny and Captain Victor are a pleasure to dive with.”

— Fiveof11