Sandals Barbados

We had a pretty bad experience at Sandals Royal Barbados. To preface, this was our (very expensive) honeymoon trip. For starters, the worst part was that we had our Go Pro and all of its accessories stolen from the dresser in our room. We paid a lot of money to become scuba certified on our honeymoon so we planned to record our dives for memories. However, the camera etc. was stolen before we recorded anything so that experience and memories were ripped from us. As soon as we noticed it missing we called Club Sandals who sent Security. We filled out an entire report in the room with him (this was day 4 of 7). We were told we would receive an update that day or the next. To no surprise, we never received an update. We asked the service desk on day 6 and they said there should be an update the next day before we leave. RIGHT BEFORE we were supposed to get on the shuttle to leave for the airport, the security manager told us they did an internal investigation and did not find anyone who took the items. They said they couldn’t do anything for us whatsoever and we would have to submit the stolen report to our travel insurance (which we booked through Sandals) but since it’s a separate company we must deal with it all on our own once we get home. They provided no consolation or care for the inconvenience, and memories that are irreplaceable. While talking with the security manager, he wrote down all of the concerns and problems we had during our stay. He could tell we were extremely disappointed - he said (confidently) someone from Sandals would reach out by email about our concerns very soon. It has now been over 1.5 months since the trip and no one has contacted us AT ALL (what a surprise). Secondly, our room was VERY humid and wet from the day we arrived. We always kept the doors closed and AC running. There was a smell of mold when you walked in that stayed on our clothes very strong, even beyond getting home. We informed Club Sandals on the first night and they stated they would send an engineer to look at the AC. We told them the AC works temperature wise, it is just very damp in the room. No one came to service our room so we asked Club Sandals again day 2. Once again, nothing was done. On day 3, as I was in tears, we asked for a room change since nothing was being done (all we wanted was a normal room for the insane price we paid) as others at the resort said their rooms were dry/normal. We were told they would look into getting us a room change but it may be the next day (day 4 at that point) and we said yes we want to move. They never contacted us about moving rooms even though we expressed extreme concern, so we never got to change rooms at all. It was HORRIBLE! To add insult to injury, on the day we left, as we were packing, we looked under the bed and the bottom of the mattress was covered in black mold - this is where the horrible smell was coming from. What a wonderful thing to experience for such a price! Thirdly, the attitude and customer service of majority of the employees we met was BAD. One woman at the cafe refused to make a crepe simply because she didn’t feel like making one. VERY frequently there were items not available from the menus. The rude attitude we received was honestly shocking to me for such a “nice” resort company. A couple other inconveniences that just added to our larger problems were: one day we did not receive housekeeping so we had to wait forever for washcloths and towels (we had already showered by the time they arrived). We also had to restock the mini fridge OURSELVES on multiple days with WATER because they did not restock it and stated that the workers had gone home when we called Club Sandals. We showed up at Kimono’s for our dinner reservation and the hostess said they didn’t have us down even though we booked through Club Sandals. Thankfully my HUSBAND discovered FOR HER that our name was down with the wrong room number. Very frustrating. Also, don’t expect to get room service in a timely manner at all. We had to call multiple times in a row one morning and eventually decided to walk and get our own food since apparently room service is only offered if they feel like it. Lastly, Sandals did not hold to their word on another problem we had. Our flight to Barbados was diverted because of a death on the flight causing us to arrive 1 day late. We missed the first night of our stay, so Sandals said they would give us a letter to provide travel insurance to get refunded for the 1 night we missed. We were told it would be delivered to our room that day, but of course we had to check with Club Sandals about this AT LEAST 3 separate days since it was not being delivered. We tried picking it up at the office, everything. They gave us the letter about 30 minutes before leaving for our flight but it had the wrong dates on it!!!!! We needed them to reprint the letter with the correct dates for travel insurance purposes. Of course, you could probably guess, we were given the letter LITERALLY MINUTES before the airport shuttle left. We have still yet to receive an answer from travel insurance about a refund for the night missed. We were constantly given answers that did not help and seemed as though they just wanted to push us off as long as possible so that nothing had to be done. It seemed very lazy and poorly managed. Overall, I would not recommend Sandals at all, especially Sandals Barbados. Use your hard earned money to go to a different all inclusive where you can get better customer service with people who might actually care. Side note: the boat dock is off property for scuba diving AND snorkeling which can be up to an hour bus ride one way with traffic. Plus the boat ride out to the dive/snorkel site adds about 15-20 mins each way. Just beware because we didn’t know diving would take SO much of the day. It also only goes out on specific times on specific days so you have to learn the schedule. Read less

My second trip to a Sandals resort. I hate to compare but...Royal Bahamian was much better. My second day housekeeping did not bring fresh wash cloths.After 2 phone calls and 2 hours later I finally got some. Very dissapointed. I also conveyed that it was my bday week but didn't receive any acknowledge on it. Butlers were non existant except for Petronia. Never got any snacks in the afternoon like I did in Nassau. All the restaurants we went to took an hour for dinner. Also there is a new room service menu that I couldn't access with my phone. I also asked for loung chairs on the balcony which didn't get. The property is very nice but the service is lacking. I would go back but not stay here. Read less

This is going to be a long review so bear with me. My husband and I stayed for 6 nights 7 days. I'll start with our room... Room: My husband and I had the Crystal Lagoon One Bedroom Butler Honeymoon Luxury Suite with Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub. The room was the best Sandals room we have had thus far and this was our 4th Sandals location that we've stayed at. It was virtually 3 rooms, a bedroom, huge bathroom, and living room with a bar. It was cleaned and stocked very well daily. The location to everything was good as well. Our biggest complaint of our stay was that the elevator in our building broke halfway thru the week and remained broken until we left. I understand things happen, but what bothered me about it was that when we asked for updates or stated that we were upset by it no one seemed to care or apologize for the inconvenience. We were on the 3rd floor so it was quite a trek up and down multiple times a day in the heat. Resort: Everything at the resort is pretty immaculate. The landscape is always gorgeous at all the Sandals resorts and there are always employees out maintaining the grounds. The resort is also fairly small which we enjoyed because we felt it was all spread out enough but we still weren't walking miles to dinner. We went the third week of Nov. 2023 and it was very hot. 85 degrees Fahrenheit from the moment we woke up til about 5pm. Very humid. It was a little too hot for my liking. The past islands we have been to were still cool enough in the morning to eat breakfast outside and very pleasant in the evenings. This stay was a little warmer throughout the day. Pools: The Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados are so close together it is as if they were one resort with 2 sides. It is cheaper to stay at Sandals Barbados, which is why we picked that one and honestly it made no difference. We often didn't even know which resort we were at because they seemed to blend into each other. You can eat at any of the restaurants and use any of the pools. We never went to the pools at the Royal side as we were mostly at the beach, but they seemed fine and the chairs and umbrellas at the pool and by the beach were all in good shape and comfortable. Beach: THIS IS THE BEST BEACH WE HAVE EVER BEEN TO IN THE CARIBBEAN!!! I cannot say that enough. The sand is so soft we found ourselves laying in our chairs just petting it. You couldn't get enough. The water was also a beautiful turquoise and pretty clear. My husband enjoyed snorkeling right off the beach at the resort. Excursions: We booked the snorkel and catamaran ride to Carlisle Bay. It was a blast! The staff on board the boat were fun, safe, and hospitable. The buffet lunch was delicious, and we were able to see sea turtles and a couple of shipwrecks. You also cruise down the west side of the island, which is nice because you won't see that from the resort. Then we did the tram ride through Harrison's Cave. We enjoy visiting caves in many areas so this was right up our alley and we didn't have to walk as you ride on the tram with a guide. Our guide was funny and informative and this was a great morning trip. Food: We keep coming back to Sandals because we find the food to be consistently good. That being said, we were a little disappointed with some of our meals that were just okay. We previously went to Sandals Antigua where the food blew our minds and we couldn't stop eating so we were expecting the same. The food at the French restaurant and Butch's steakhouse were the best we had while we were there. Service at the Italian restaurant Portofino's was VERY SLOW for dinner and breakfast at least an hour and half. Also, one night the hostess at Portofino's was arguing with our butler over our reservation which was extremely unprofessional. Entertainment: The nightly shows are a little tacky in my opinion but I've come to enjoy them and consider them part of the experience. The staff at night is always very energetic and seem to really enjoy their jobs. Charlie especially has a very nice voice and we enjoyed his impromptu Michael Jackson show. The piano bar sing along was also a favorite. The silent dj headphone party was the first one we had been to and it was the best time! Spas: We did a couples massage at both the Sandals Barbados and the Sandals Royal side. They each have a spa. The Sandals Barbados spa is simply you wait in the lobby until a room opens up, you go in and get your massage, and then you leave. While it was an absolutely wonderful massage, I wanted the spa EXPEREICENCE. The spa on the Royal side gives you the experience. You get into a robe and relax by water pools and fountains. There was a hot tub but it wasn't hot. Also, the tile in the pools were all falling off and it looked like it desperately needed to be repaired. That being said, it was a fabulous massage and they put some aloe and tea tree oil on my sunburn that worked miracles. Butler: I'm sure you're going to ask is a butler worth the money, cause we asked that ourselves. This was the first time that we had one and I can honestly say it was simply because it takes the stress off of you and frees up more of your vacation time to relax and not spend fetching drinks, food, making reservations, or saving yourself a seat by the pool or beach. It made our trip more carefree and enjoyable. I also don't think we would have gotten the reservations we wanted without a butler. Shameka, Mark, and Aquilla did a great job meeting our needs and requests with a smile. We appreciated their down to earth attitudes and personalities. Overall: All in all Barbados is a beautiful island and the people are great. Service was decent and so was the food. Our room and the beach were top notch. Our butlers made the stay more personable and high-end feeling. We definitely recommend you visit this resort. WARNING: The Barbados airport does not have air conditioning. You also have to enter and exit the airplanes outside using ramps. We waited 3 hours in extreme heat to go home and I thought I was going to pass out. While this obviously has nothing to do with Sandals it is something I wanted to mention in case that was an issue. Besides the shout outs to our butlers and Charlie from the entertainment staff we also wanted to mention Cori from reception. He was the first person we met when we arrived and we thoroughly enjoyed his song and good attitude. We also liked Claire who was our host one night at Butch's steakhouse. Read less

We just returned from 8 nights at SBD ( Sandals Barbados) , the resort itself is beautiful. A couple pieces of furniture were showing their age, but still completely serviceable. The housekeeping staff is at the top of their game, our room was SPOTLESS as well as done nice and early and turndown service was done nightly unless we were in the room. We were able to get most of the reservations we wanted although this particular resort releases reservations for the upcoming week on Thursdays, so depending on when you arrive it could be difficult to get what you want ( only 3 require reservations). Favorite supper was at "The Greenhouse" a big shout out to Lorisa, for excellent service and Dario interacting with us even though we were not his table. Chef Christopher at Kimono's did an awesome job as well. Least favorite meal was Butch's Chophouse, not that is was bad, just did not meet all the hype. Favorite bar was the pool bar on the Barbados side, favorite bartender was IAngel ask for her special drink, it will not disappoint. Even treated ourselves to some spa time and another big shout out to Erika at Red Lane spa. All the pools were nice and clean although there were some towel availability issues at times, the hot tubs are really hit and miss temperature wise. Make sure you check out the roof top infinity pool and hot tube, just wish there was more shade up there. So the only reason I gave it a 4 and not a 5 is the dive program. Now the Dive team themselves are TOP NOTCH, a big shout out to Tory, Nikki, Petrona, Clayton, Ken, and Nikki. There is one more but I cannot remember his name. I have to give props to the whole crew on dealing with a bad situation, the dive boat is not on site and if you hit traffic can be almost 45-60 minutes depending on traffic. One day things got totally screwed up but the crew handled it like the pros they are and made the best out of what they were handed. Personally travelling with a non diving spouse the approximately 5 hours away for the morning 2 tank dive is probably a deal breaker for me on a return trip. In closing I will add that 99.9 percent of the employees that we passed along our travels around the resort greeting us with big smile and a heartfelt hello, everyone is entitled to a bad day occasionally lol. Read less