TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Just returned and we did enjoy our stay at the Sugar Bay, but there were some negatives and also some positives. We weren't offered a drink at all on arrival and there weren't enough reception staff to deal with a number of guests all arriving at once at night. Our Signature room had one tiny half wardrobe which was shared with the ironing board and safe. The rooms have been refreshed but the flooring is original and is very tired and there was a large chip on the bathroom door. The view was obscured by a very large tree. The lift to the room was visibly dirty and the floor in the room needed cleaning and the sheets weren't changed after the first week. But the room was a good size, and had White Company toiletries provided. In terms of dining, Umi has really good food and wine, and lovely staff on duty. The Reef, for us, didn't have enough choice, although all the food was very good quality. The wine in the Reef wasn't very good, and there wasn't much choice. The food at Colins beach restaurant was very good and the staff lovely. The range of drinks is excellent and they offer delicious cocktails and mocktails. The bar staff are also very good. The pool area is not big enough for the number of guests. The hotel really needs to do something about people reserving loungers very early in the morning for hours before sitting on them. The guys working on the beach are also very good, bringing you umbrellas and tables on request, plus drinks, ice lollies etc. The entertainment is mostly very good. The staff all work very hard and there is a lovely vibe in the hotel. Nice mix of guests, all ages and from UK, USA and Canada when we were there. We wouldn't return but we did have a good holiday.

We had such a great time at Sugar Bay. It was very relaxing. The beach and pool were great. There were always plenty of chairs wherever we needed. We never had to wait for food. The food choices were great and we really enjoyed all of it. The rum punch is really good, too!

Our second visit to Sugar Bay and just as good as the first. Excellent food and facilities. Lovely Ocean View room and in our opinion worth paying the extra. Food delicious and of high standard. Thoroughly enjoyed Umi and Sizzle again but the food from the buffet judt as good. We had our daughter with us this time and she enjoyed all the watersport options and the friendliness and helpfulness of all the watersports team. Tyrise was as chirpy and smiley as ever and nothing too much trouble. This applies to all the staff. As many reviews state, they really do make the place! This is a lovely Caribbean hotel, nothing like the sterile chains, long may it continue. We'll be back.

Lounging on a beach chair, umbrella overhead, drink in hand, I thought to myself, This is what I was looking for. But before that, the arrival at Sugar Bay involved a brief wait in the lobby while we sipped our first rum punch. A little sweet for my taste, but it took the edge off the wait. The staff are numerous, friendly, and helpful. Once in the room, our particular garden view was the kids playset and rooftops. We saw other rooms with much better garden views; we booked too late for a beach view. Our bath was tiny! I did see that the rooms vary tremendously in size, bath size, and view in the same 'room category'. We headed straight to the beach. On the way, we somehow met the head chef. We were looking for something quick to eat but we arrived between lunch and dinner so he offered to make us something; that was SO NICE but we decided we could wait for dinner; we wanted to get to the beach! The dinner was excellent. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the "The Reef" buffet was absolutely delicious. A nice variety at each meal, in my opinion. Frankly too much to try to list what was served; but it was all excellent. Book your reservation for the two "premium" restaurants right away as they book quickly but honestly, you don't really need to. Those restaurants are included in the all inclusive package btw. The entire resort was very clean. There are no bugs but there are were birds annoying the outdoor dining experience. There are a lot of staff and they are busy and I repeat, friendly and helpful. You can tip but I ran out of tip money! As we walked around nearby, we realized Sugar Bay had the nicest beach in the area by far. Some of the others were not even swimmable. Bring your goggles to look underwater as there are fish and plants down there. Bring water shoes too as there are lots of rocks to navigate; but the rocks don't really detract from a lovely swim in clear and calm ocean water. Its an all inclusive and I did not want for drink. Rum Punch or Sour, Mojito, or Banks Beer, Pina Colada, all made to order without much wait. They had entertainment each night; some of it way too loud but the younger crowd liked it that way. I highly recommend it. While there, take the e-bike tour. You see a different part of the island, and get some historical context too. Other guests say the Harrison cave was good but that was booked! Overall, it was an excellent experience and we will be back to Sugar Bay.

Overall the holiday was very relaxing and the hotel has by far the nicest setting with one of the best beach aspects on the island that we saw with palm trees going right onto the beach. We did visit Pebbles Beach about 10 minutes walk away at 6am one day to watch the racehorses being taken for a swim (worthwhile) and whilst the sea is calmer the beach wasn't as pretty as the the one at Sugar Bay. Generally the sea at Sugar Bay beach which is surrounded by a man made rocks either side to protect it from the waves was nice and calm in the morning and in the afternoon has some waves (not big) when the wind came up. Our guest accommodation overlooking the garden was in a quiet location and our bedroom had all the facilities that were needed. The main Reef Restaurant where all the main meals are taken had a good variety of buffet dishes for both breakfast and dinner (can't comment on lunch as we never took it there) with tables easily available and the staff throughout were every attentive and smiley. We also ate one night in the Sizzle Steakhouse and Umi on site which you need to book for and both meals were excellent and a chance from a buffet. Each night there was live entertainment and the standard of the varied singers was very high. We were disappointed on the Caribbean night and found the entertainment to be disappointing, sub standard and not what we had expected. We had snacks most days at Colins beach hut which were good but mostly consisted of the same dishes, burgers, hotdogs and the special of the day a fish and a chicken dish - would have been good to feature a club sandwich or something else. Despite a notice saying that only bums could reserve sun loungers on the beach not towels we found that by 8am all the best sunloungers had been reserved by people placing towels on them and then going away - which was slightly irratating! Nevertheless there were always plenty of sun loungers available and the watersport staff were always helpful in arranging an umbrella and table for you. The only thing though was that the sunloungers could have done with a wipedown or hose either every evening of first thing in the morning as some were badly stained or sticky with drinks. Normal all inclusive type of holiday with plenty of alcoholic, soft drinks, wine etc to be had although sometimes it helped if you tipped as you got served quicker either that or some people just butted in and raised their voices to be heard at the bar! All in all the staff were very friendly and we found it to be a lovely stay an value for money.