Anyone lucky enough to be returning to stay at Sandy Lane will know that from the moment you are greeted by the concierge at Grantley Adams International, in their iconic pink outfits, a certain sentence will be repeated to you by all you come in contact with ‘Welcome Home!’

Home is exactly what Sandy Lane became for my family, for a 10-year period, every summer for three weeks. When we first arrived in 2005, I remember sipping our welcome drink and being struck by the view from the hotel lobby down on to the iconic beach and I knew straight away we were going to love it. We did and still do.

Sandy Lanes position, in St James’ with its private beach, is bettered nowhere else in the world and we spent many, many hours at the beach bar with a group of friends we had met over time and who quickly became known as ‘The 5 o’clock Club’ and still do to this day.

Barbados itself is famous for many great bars and restaurants and if you haven’t been, Tides and The Cliff are great for dinner and absolutely nowhere beats The Fish Pot at lunchtime. A fun alternative is to visit some of the great local watering holes, such as JuJu’s on the beach, which also helps to reduce the daily running costs!

We have so many great memories of Barbados and Sandy Lane in particular, it’s where my three children ‘grew up’ and it’s still, I think, their favourite hotel and probably ours too.

If it’s not on your bucket list it should be.