Sandals Barbados reviews
5959 TripAdvisor reviews
Excellent Vacation!
Vicki S on Mar 23, 2024
Honestly the best vacation my husband and I have had ever! We booked a 9 night stay with the butler service and it was worth every penny! Not only was the island itself stunning and the locals friendly, the service at this resort was top notch! Every single employee we encountered made us feel welcomed and right at home! I have to give a huge shoutout to our three spectacular butlers: Monique, Fernella and Petrona! These wonderful professionals made our stay extra special. I can’t say enough about how much we love this resort and island. We will definitely be back, and of course requesting the butler service and Monique, Fernella and Petrona.
Wonderful!!!
Lindsey T on Mar 22, 2024
Wonderful experience! Aritha & Nicola were the best butlers ever! So helpful and remembered all of our favorite things! They made our week so special. The walkout butler suite was beautiful! We spent most of our days enjoying the tranquility of our private space. Highly recommend!
Unhappy Sandels Barbados employees
Wayne W on Mar 21, 2024
The surroundings are beautiful. However, we felt uncomfortable our whole stay due to the way we were treated by the staff. Although some effort was made to conceal it, the staff clearly didn't want to be working a service related job. I felt I was putting them out. We were forced to book either 5:30 or 9 pm dinner reservations, then told on our timely arrival to hurry because the kitchen was the victim of sarcastic, undeserved comments such as "I better not forget your french fries or you'll report me." I have more.
Disappointed ??
May W on Mar 21, 2024
If you can afford accommodation with a butler then worth a visit if you can’t then go somewhere else. There are plenty of resorts where you don’t have to get up at 6am to get a sunbed with sunshade on the beach. Beds are available without shades if you want to burn in the sun. In addition there is often a waitlist of 30-60mins in the non reservation restaurants, as the butlers have reserved tables for their clients. Standard of housekeeping is inconsistent, we were left with no towels in our bathroom one day, after phoning housekeeping it took 45mins for the towels to arrive. Also apartment tired and in need of refurbishment. Bathroom had crazing in the sink and toilet was stained. So avoid King James House in the Caribbean Village Maybe you get what you pay for but you have to pay top dollar for higher standard at Sandals Barbados. We are not alone in our comments as others we spoke to felt the same …
A Fair Review Based on our Experience
Penelope L on Mar 20, 2024
We are a couple from England that have travelled in luxury but also extreme budget on backpacking trips. I feel it only fair to review our own experience at Sandals Barbados to help others. We booked a crystal lagoon tranquillity suite with Club privileges at Sandals (not Royal, although the two resorts kind of merge into one as lots of reviews say). This room was above a massive lagoon kind of lazy river that you could really enjoy a swim in, and was very quiet during our stay - there was always a sunbed or two available, and if you did pop out early, you'll definitely be able to reserve one after 7am. We did not reserve a bed with our towel as it is not our kind of thing - we simply rocked up in the mid afternoon and always found a bed around the lagoon - there are also these circular comfy huge chairs for two, however there are no umbrellas over them unless you move a spare one from an unoccupied bed. There is a shower near the lagoon and loos in the main building which is really close to the sunbed area around the lagoon. I'd say the other pools vary - Royal's main pool is loud, seems to have a younger crowd, although we enjoyed cocktails standing round the bar one afternoon, listening to the DJ - it's not my choice of loitering on a sunbed. The rooftop pool was really quiet when we visited - there is a lovey large covered seating area and I was in the pool with only about 3 other people - this was during lunch 12-2. The view is lovely. There are other smaller pools dotted around too. Have a look around and you can decide. The beach is lovely, sunbeds are generally occupied unless you get up early, however we did find a lovely comfy big chair for two that we used for an hour. I must say that I think people are being selfish and saving two sets of beds - one near the pool and one on the beach. I think a system should be put in place for this - perhaps you should have one clip per person with the room number on or a unique QR code for both people, that you can use to reserve a sunbed - once you leave the bed, you should leave! and take the clip with you - if you need food or drink to your bed and have to go and get it, this is a couples resort so I'm assuming one person can go and get it if you don't want to lose your bed. In the lagoon I saw a couple leave a book on their bed and disappear for over three hours and then come back - I do not think this is fair. Anyway - room wise, I did not think our room was dated - it was lovely and well kept. It's worth upgrading for a soaking tub if you like that kind of thing (ours was the larger round ones and we used it at least twice a day). We were on a high floor and could see lots of birds and trees. Also, be aware that in Sandals (not Royal) you only get room service at club level. We had room service breakfast every day except one - the order was perfect and it came 30-45 mins after phoning. Highly recommend this if you like that kind of thing. At club level you check in at the club lounge and not reception - if you check in online first a week before your trip, it seems much quicker. I wouldn't bother booking any trips or restaurants at check in, as they say the system takes a while to register you - and the booking we asked for at Chi which was done there and then, never materialised (luckily we managed to get a table anyway as it was an early 5.30 booking). The club lounge has air con, a small bar hidden away in the corner and occasional! bottles of water but you sometimes have to ask and they don't always have them. The staff we encountered in the lounge, apart from one person, were not friendly at all - I guess they are constantly dealing with complaints or something. Restaurant wise, we actually booked and then cancelled Butch's and Kimono's - they looked too formal and busy for us and we had much more fun at the others. You can actually book one restaurant only using the app before you leave home, if you put your reservation number in- this is worth a try if you really want one particular place - just make sure you confirm it properly when you are there. We tend to eat at 5-6pm and never had one problem getting served or seated at the ones where you don't book. If you must eat between 7 and 9, then I think some places will have a long wait. The only issue we had getting in somewhere was Neptune's for lunch at 1pm - there was a 30 min wait so we didn't bother - if you get there for opening though, at 12pm, you might be ok. When we first arrived, it was late and Bombay Club was open until 10. We went in at 9.10pm and had an awesome Indian meal with fast service. I must say that all of the restaurant staff were really professional and friendly - massive credit to them. If you fancy a snack or a late night meal - the Merry Monkey is excellent and I had a few late bits of food there - they have a late night menu after 10pm and it is nearly as good as the regular menu! Daytime food in both resorts has quite a few options - I loved the Mariners grill - it's really informal and you order then pick up your food after 20 mins - you can take it to your room or sunbed easily if you ask them to cover it. Dino's pizza is next door with the same system and it is delicious - the pizza comes in a box. Both of the above are great with a cocktail from the beach bar. Food quality, I have to say, was absolutely excellent in every place we visited. And now to the staff attitude - it really was random - about 20% of staff we encountered were either nonchalant, tried to ignore you, or were as unfriendly as can be, and two people were actually rude to us - we just ignored it. The disappointing staff members in question either worked in one of the bars, or in the club lounge or at the bowling alley desk or bar. The other staff members were really lovely - groundspeople/gardening people, housekeeping, room service delivery people, restaurant people, and any other staff apart from those few in bar/bowling/club lounge in the 20% deserve a mention. Please note that there were some really friendly bar staff / club lounge staff, but these were the exception not the rule I am afraid. Bear in mind that we are very easy going people, generally always smile, and would not say this without good reason. I don't know if tipping would help (it isn't allowed), or if it would just create a stressful situation for customers. I think it is a shame that quite a few staff are unhappy, and now we have visited, I would question why... Anyway, we hope this review helps, and each experience is unique - this was ours. If I was thinking of spending a honeymoon or anniversary on this, or a once in a lifetime experience, I'd choose somewhere else to be honest. If you are easy going, don't mind paying the money, and are prepared to be flexible, you'll enjoy yourself a lot.