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Style: Incredibly grand, rather glamorous home with all the trappings of wealth, (Versace Master bedrooms with his & hers bathrooms, the impressive entertainment room with baby grand piano). Bohemia is the must have villa for the discerning VIP traveller and is perfect for impressive corporate entertaining or a special wedding
The Beach: An approximate 5 minutes drive to Sandy Lane Property Owners’ Beach Facility
The Rooms: 5 en suite bedrooms – the 2 Master bedrooms have his & hers bathrooms
Key features: One of the more glamorous villas available for Barbados vacation rentals, fully air-conditioned, swimming pool (23ft x 42ft), use of the Sandy Lane Property Owners’ Beach Facility with lounge chairs provided, Weinbach piano, pool table, 60" TV with cable and DVD, surround sound stereo system, TV/VCR and mini fridges in all bedrooms with cable TV in the 2 Masters, built-in bar, office with fax, WiFi and ADSL internet access.
Children: Welcome but should be well supervised
Staff: Butler, chef, maid, maid/laundress, gardener, assistant gardener/maintenance and night watchman |
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Description
Bohemia is the must have Barbados villa for the VIP Caribbean traveller and is the kind of home that evokes images of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, with its marble floors, sweeping staircase and feeling of sheer custom made luxury. Those accustomed to staying in top hotels will appreciate the opulent surroundings and the feeling of being in one’s own luxury mini hotel. The views are equally as splendid, with a canopy of tropical trees creating a sense of being on the edge of a secluded hillside, rather than an estate (albeit Sandy Lane).
An electric gated entrance to a sweeping drive-way lined by royal palms gives way to a rather imposing view of Bohemia’s Palladian style front portico. The 1 ½ acres of landscaped gardens include a natural water course over which a bridge has been built to access the villa. The grounds boast an orchid garden and several fountains, and being so well established and surrounded by mature trees, it is hard to imagine that the setting is on a popular residential ridge of the Sandy Lane Estate. The area is one of the most exclusive in Barbados and is within close proximity to the best that the West Coast has to offer – the beaches, the sports and recreation, the restaurants, shopping and night life.
The lofty entrance portico leads into an impressive, highly polished, Crema Marfile Italian marble hallway which is dominated by an attractive, hand crafted oak staircase (stained the colour of mahogany, it was made in Toronto and shipped to Barbados) and upper gallery. The hall is at the heart of the villa and leads straight out to the pool terrace with its views of the Caribbean Sea. The entire villa is centrally air-conditioned (although if air-conditioning is not required a good breeze will cool the house when it is opened up) and has marble floors throughout. Off the entrance there is a spacious formal dining room dominated by a splendid mahogany table for twelve, which was made locally and Versace covered chairs. The dining room, which is seldom used as guests usually prefer to dine outside, can be converted into a boardroom which makes Bohemia ideal for corporate entertainment.
Across the hallway lies an enormous, open-plan living space that has games, entertainment and sitting areas. Features of this extraordinary room, which looks out onto the driveway and pool terrace, include a full size pool table, built-in bar area, wide screen 60" TV with DVD and Direct TV (cable), surround sound system and a Weinbach piano. The room, hung with a selection of original paintings in keeping with the entertainment theme and enhanced with some interesting objects d’art, gives onto a very spacious and well equipped kitchen area, which itself is all open-plan and has an extra dining area (again seldom used as Lincoln, the chef finds that guests enjoy barbecues out on the terrace). French doors along the rear of the villa lead from the living area, hall and kitchen out to the covered terrace and pool beyond.
Outside there are two covered terraces, one that serves as an additional sitting area and the other for dining. Both enjoy glorious uninterrupted views over the treetops to the ocean. Steps lead onto a spacious pool terrace with an area for sunbathing and an inviting infinity pool, within which there is a semi-circular area fitted with additional circulating jets. Above the south side of the pool is a further smaller terrace, which is perfect for enjoying cocktails at sunset.
One of the five bedrooms is located downstairs, just off the main living area. It has been elegantly decorated in whites and gold, with the distinctive gold designs of Versace adding a touch of glamour. It has a king size bed with French doors leading out a private patio and the gardens, to the side of the pool terrace. There is a dressing area and en suite bathroom with large step in glass tiled shower.
Upstairs are two Master bedrooms with king size beds that face the coast and two twin bedrooms (one with two queens) overlooking the drive. The Master bedrooms are of very generous proportions and each has custom built walk-in dressing rooms (the dressing room in the south Master is the more impressive). Again here are Versace fabrics on the bedroom furnishings including a large sofa and some chairs, plus the bed linen, which is all a striking black, gold and leopard print. Each Master has cable TV and ultra luxurious marble ‘his and her’ bathrooms with touches such as gold plated taps – ‘hers’ with a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower and ‘his’ with shower only. The north Master again has a king size bed and has dark blue furnishings with hints of green, with white patterned drapes and bed cover to match. The fabrics and original paintings in this room are by Louis Feraud.
The two remaining bedrooms are located either side of a reasonably sized office with fax facilities. The south bedroom has been attractively decorated in keeping with the two four poster beds. These are made of pickled wood with pineapples carved into each post. The fabrics are a light gold with small pineapple motifs, and the room has been decorated with work by local artist Linda Roach, who hand painted the TV cabinet with local ‘green’ monkeys and created the oils of tropical fruits and scenery on the walls. There is a walk-in wardrobe and en suite bathroom with shower. The north bedroom also has beds with gold Versace soft furnishings and striking black shaded bedside lamps. Again there is a walk-in dressing area and en suite shower.
All bedrooms have TV/VCR, wall safes, mini fridges and hair dryers. The upstairs bedrooms also have ceiling fans.
Note that to the north of the pool terrace is the owner’s cottage which is not included in the rental of the main villa. |
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Beach & Swimming
Bohemia boasts a large infinity edge swimming pool which is 42ft long and 23ft wide, with depth of 4ft 9. Steps lead to its centre and there are ladders to each side, with an additional semi-circular area fitted with jets. The beach by Sandy Lane Hotel is located approximately 5 minutes by car, and guests may use the Sandy Lane Property Owners’ Beach Facility there, where sunloungers are provided. The swimming from Sandy Lane beach is some of the best on the island, however at certain times of the year there can be a swell with some undertow, so do make sure to look out for the red flags which warn against swimming. |
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Sports & Recreation
There are three golf courses at Sandy Lane, the Old Nine down below, with tennis courts next to the club house, and the Country Club and Green Monkey courses higher up the hill (the latter is not open to the public). |
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Locality
Bohemia is on the original Sandy Lane golf course and is therefore very convenient for golfers. There are also tennis courts nearby and of course the beach at Sandy Lane, where guests of Bohemia have use of the Property Owners’ Beach Facility. This is literally just down the road, within 5 minutes drive. A couple more minutes will get you to the nearest shopping district, Holetown. Here you will find the Cave Shepherd Plaza and the larger West Coast Mall. These contain a supermarket, bank, photo centre, duty free shops, video rental, and various shops and boutiques. Also close by is the Chattel House Village, a series of traditional-looking Caribbean cabins selling souvenirs, the 24 hour Sandy Crest Medical Centre, and a market stall where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The town also has a gas station (as petrol stations are known locally) which has an in-store mini-mart and an outlet of KFC, both open until late evening. Holetown, the place where the English first landed in 1625, later settling it in 1627, is also a local Barbadian community, with Police Station, Post Office, Parish Church, bank, pharmacy, clinic, fitness centre, school and so on.
There is a host of restaurants within 15 minutes drive along the main West Coast Road in either direction from Bohemia. You might consider the famous Cliff Restaurant, about ten minutes away to the south - also look out for Scarlet, Daphne’s and Calabaza in this direction. Heading north beyond Holetown you could try celeb favourite the Lone Star, about 15 minutes north, or the Fish Pot. There are any number of restaurants in Holetown itself, including The Mews, Café Indigo, Olive’s and The Tides as well as an excellent patisserie, Flindt’s and several pizza parlours, cafés, a beach bar and some fast food outlets. There is also good nightlife in Holetown with lively weekend gatherings in 1st and 2nd Street, where the restaurants and bars stand shoulder to shoulder, with some providing live music. Drinkers tend to spill out into the street to mingle, creating an easy-going ‘street party’ type of atmosphere. The current ‘hot spots’ are The Mews, The Elbow Room, Spago’s and Lexy’s. |
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Useful Hints
Ask your travel organiser or the management company (if booking direct) to make sure that the chef is aware of your food preferences before your arrival, so that they can do the shopping and prepare a welcome meal. There are no grocery packs involved for the larger villas with butlers, and staff will shop accordingly. Once you have settled in, all meal requirements are discussed and planned with either your butler or chef, who will prepare menus and do all of the shopping. You will be billed for food and beverages toward the end of your stay, and a 5% service charge plus VAT will be levied.
Miscellaneous items such as airport transfers, extra beds and baby equipment are payable in advance (see here for a price list). In the event that Bajan Services can only provide an estimated cost for customized shopping lists, or where the final payment for your villa has been made prior to other requests, you will be required to complete a credit card authorization form.
Please note that rental rates for villas in Barbados do not include ‘tips’ about which you will find advice in the guest information book at the villa. |
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Rates
| | 15 Apr-14 Dec 2007 | 15 Dec-14 Apr 2007-08 | 15 Apr-14 Dec 2008 | | Bohemia – Sandy Lane 5 bedrooms 4 bedrooms | 1,500 1,200 | 3.500 3,000 | 2,000 1,800 | Rates are quoted in US$ per night and are subject to 7.5% VAT. Minimum stay 7 nights. All rates are subject to change without notice. Separate rates apply for the Christmas & New Year period - prices on request. |
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How to Book
If you wish to book direct, reservations should be made through the local managing agents, Bajan Services Ltd. You will need to send a deposit of 25% of the total rental fee (50% for Christmas/New Year bookings) to confirm a reservation. Payment of the remaining 75% is required 30 days prior your arrival, as is payment for transfers and baby equipment. If you are booking within 30 days of your arrival, full payment must be made to secure the booking. You may contact Bajan Services by using the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. For a review of Bajan Services Ltd and details of their services please see here. |
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct ask the villa management company to send a taxi to meet you at the airport. Your airport transfers take approximately 45 minutes and should be paid for in advance with the final payment for your villa. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include limousine transfers, a Concierge Service is offered by St James Travel & Tours.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
Although everything is relatively close at hand, a hire car is strongly recommended for all private villa holidays. A car is especially useful if you want to dine out at night or go sightseeing, unless you prefer staff to call taxis for you as required. Book car hire via your travel organiser or direct with Stoutes Car Rentals and ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property approximately three hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Barbados or the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. |
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All the information on this page comes to you free of charge. Please remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact Bajan Services Limited for your Barbados vacation villas or Stoutes for your Barbados car rental requirements.
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