TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

After spending a lovely honeymoon at Sandals Grande St. Lucian in June 2019, my husband and I decided to try Sandals again and booked Royal Barbados for my 60th Milestone Birthday celebration. On 12/3/25, we arrived and were greeted by Ackhil, who is one of the most warm, caring, and professional representatives we’ve ever met from Sandals. ?? There was some liquid sunshine falling so Ackhil drove us to our room so we wouldn’t have to walk in the rain. On our way, Ackhil spotted a resort monkey which we appreciated him pointing out since the sighting was a fun and neat way to begin our Caribbean vacation. Ackhil’s title is Butler but based on how well he treated us, we consider Ackhil a Dear Friend, that we will one day visit with again! ?? Ackhil had already read the Butler preferences, included wishing me a Happy Birthday, knew what excursions we had planned, and outlined our dinner reservations with the times and restaurants we had requested. Ackhil provided us with a tour of our room, provided information about the Royal and adjoining Barbados resort, provided us with the Butler phone, popped the champagne and our vacation began with us knowing that everything was in place for an awesome birthday vacation. ???? If there’s a mentoring program that shows Butlers how to provide excellent customer service with a high level of professionalism, Ackhil would be amazing in that role!! Through the resort, we booked the Garrison Historical Sightseeing Tour for 12/4/25 and as a history buff, my husband enjoyed it immensely. On the ride there with James, he provided us with a wealth of information along with Peter being an extremely informative historian and guide during the actual tour. It was wonderful to understand the connection of George Washington to Barbados that we never learned in US history and to visit the George Washington House and grounds, along with seeing sites associated with the British military, seeing cannons at forts and the National Armory, and walking through the Garrison Tunnels. We’re keeping our eye out for Peter’s historical novel which will be amazing! Returning to the resort, we met and worked with Shae and she was very professional and met all our needs. And on the date of my birthday, because of Shae’s warm personality, she really made my special day fun! ?? We requested and Shae provided a front row spot on the beach and provided us with food and drinks, as requested. A special surprise was when she was joined by her ‘Beyonces’ and they sang Happy Birthday to me…that was so very sweet!??And, an even bigger surprise was waiting for us, returning to our room to Happy Birthday bed art and a drawn bath, which was a perfect relaxing transition from the beach birthday celebration…Nice Touch!! We also had the opportunity to work with Rashied who was very professional during our interactions and went above and beyond to ensure all of our needs were met. After returning from the 7-hour 4x4 Best of Barbados Jeep Experience, which was another amazing excursion that we booked through the resort, it was a lovely surprise to return to additional bed and towel art created by Rashied and Ackhil, along with a drawn bath…it really made us feel special!! ?? On our last resort day before heading out, we got to work with Rahyeme who was so very nice and professional. We requested and Rahyeme provided a front row spot on the beach and provided us cocktails. Rahyeme was so attentive and anticipated what we needed before we even had to ask, which was so very much appreciated! We stayed in Room 7106 Royal Seaside Crystal Lagoon Swim-up Room and each day, beverages and ice were always stocked. And I meant to note the name of the housekeeping staff listed being responsible for the room and I believe her name was listed as Octavia but I do apologize if I’m incorrect. Regardless, our room was expertly cleaned each day which was very much appreciated. The food was delicious at each restaurant and provided an enjoyable dining experience. We especially enjoyed beginning our morning at the American Tavern when Tony was there making the best made to order omelets, with so much happiness and a smile! And the ladies working the tables were so friendly and attentive which started your day on a happy note! All in all, we had an incredible vacation experience and enjoyed the resort entertainment…The Beach Party was our favorite!! It was really hard having to leave on 12/10/25 but having Shae say her goodbyes on our way to the lobby and having Ackhil and Rahyeme give us goodbye hugs on the bus before our departure, made it somewhat easier since we know we will see each of them again, when we return to Sandals Royal Barbados. THANKS AGAIN to our Top Notch Butler Team including Ackhil, Shae, Rashied, and Rahyeme, for making my 60th Milestone Birthday week, very memorable, amazing, and fun, for me and my husband!!! Until next time!!!?? If you have a special celebration in your life, I would highly recommend celebrating at Sandals Royal Barbados! ????

Wedding Experience Review: Sandals Royal Barbados (12/11–12/16) We stayed at Sandals Royal Barbados for our destination wedding with 13 guests. While individual staff members and the food were excellent, the overall experience was negatively impacted by repeated communication and coordination failures—especially concerning arrivals, transportation, and billing. Arrival & Transportation: Despite Sandals collecting all flight and room details months in advance—and managing both for our group—our entire party waited over an hour at the airport for resort transportation. One couple had their Friday flight canceled by Delta and moved to Thursday, yet Sandals never notified them. They only discovered the change when calling four days before arrival to confirm transportation. Sandals then informed them an additional $1,000 would be required for the unexpected extra night. We had to independently secure a hotel room at the Hilton to resolve this issue. A guest with butler service waited over an hour at the airport and another 1.5 hours in the lobby, missing the welcome cocktail and Oistins Street Festival we had booked. Another guest arriving the same day also missed the event due to excessive waiting. Additionally, we were over an hour late to Oistins because we were incorrectly told we had a private shuttle, when it was actually a shared, on-demand service. Wedding Day Coordination: Bridal and maid-of-honor makeup were scheduled at the same time with only one artist, causing unnecessary delays before our 3 PM ceremony—an avoidable planning failure. Military Discount Billing: Multiple guests booked using Sandals’ required ID.me military verification. The day before departure, we were unexpectedly charged $485, claiming military ID was not shown at check-in—despite no one requesting it. Even after providing verification through VA.gov, staff were reluctant to honor the discount, resulting in 1.5 hours spent at checkout resolving errors. Had our group been larger, this experience would have been unmanageable. Positives: Exceptional staff and consistently excellent food. Special recognition to Danica, Sade, Jamisha, Mikala, Kashira, Samantha, and Jack. Conclusion: Sandals Royal Barbados has strong frontline staff, but serious improvements are needed in corporate communication, group travel coordination, and wedding logistics. For a resort marketed as a luxury destination wedding venue, these failures were unacceptable.

Currently on day 2. Purchased swim-up Room with concierge service. No idea what the point is ???Don’t waste your money!!!!! Concierge service means zero. Coffee machine has white tape blanking buttons and has no,power ?and asked wil, it be fixed tomorrow and she had no idea? It’s the concierge lounge ? and has no other offerings apart from a stale pastry. Room above is poor soundproofing. 1 pm every night has river dance The alcohol offering in the room are third rate yet the pool has the brands wanted in the room, ie ( titos, Bombay, yet to request these brands in room is an additional cost ???…. So wanted to like this place, but after 2 days it’s a 3 star at best. So many new places offering much better service. Spend your money wisely. But don’t waste it here. The staff are brilliant. The management and I don’t mean local Management I mean Sandals global management are lacking Get out to sites and see what’s happening. I’d spend my money elsewhere going forward

We did cousins and friends Thanksgiving in Barbados and they made sure we were THANKFUL and GRATEFUL. It was truly amazing. Already planning for next year.

I visited Sandals Royal Barbados with my husband for our honeymoon, the last two weeks of November. When we arrived at the airport, we were easily able to find the sandals desk for transport, we had to wait quite a while for the coach to turn up and our cases were left behind at the airport to be brought on the next coach, although slightly worried our cases did turn up safe and sound. The transfer from the airport was about 15-20 minutes and we had a lovely commentary about the island from our driver. When we arrived, we were directed to the Club Lounge with a hot towel and shortly followed by a mimosa. We were given a small orientation about the resort and taken to our rooms, it was absolutely pouring it down, but we were supplied with umbrellas to get to our room somewhat dry! The room we had was a South Seas Crystal Lagoon Club Level Suite with balcony and Tranquillity Soaking Tub. The room was stunning. It was large with a king size bed, sofa, large bathroom with shower and the balcony was a great size. The bathtub on the balcony was huge, and we each used it on several occasions, there are curtains you can pull for privacy. The minibar was stocked daily with coke, diet coke, sprite, fruit juice, white and red wine and champagne. There were also basic spirits too which were fine. On the days we had our do not disturb sign on we got a call about 5:30pm everyday asking if we needed anything for our fridge, which was a nice touch. Housekeeping did a good job and realised that we didn’t want our room doing everyday so put in extra towels for us, the housekeeper when I ran into her was also very lovely. We spent every day by the pool near the Sports Bar, this pool often had a bit of music but was never too rowdy and the bartenders Oshin, Deshane and Hidie were our favourites here. Deshane and Oshin made my husband random drinks they would just put together and he always loved them! The mudslide was my favourite cocktail and a must try! I always got a sun lounger here with a parasol if I was down for 7am, I never really struggled but it would’ve been more difficult if I left it any later, they did fill up quickly. It was frustrating when we were sat next to butler reserved sun loungers all day and no one turned up, but I do believe the resort has put a policy in place to stop this now. We found all the food to be lovely here, and often found something we likes, since we were here for so long, we tried most of the restaurants. Breakfast For breakfast we mostly went to the American Tavern. We usually went for about 8ish and never had to wait for a table, food was always hot and there was a chef doing omelettes, fried eggs and poached eggs too. We also tried the French restaurant once, we had to wait a while to be seated and our food took a long time to arrive after ordering, there were also small birds everywhere often landing on glassware or silverware, it was also essentially a bit conservatory with no air con so it was incredibly hot too so that’s why we only did this once. We also did room service once for breakfast. The menu wasn’t that extensive, but it was okay, the food took about 45 minutes to arrive after ordering but it did come hot and they called us when it was being sent up so we knew it was on the way. Lunch There were lots of great lunch options to choose from. Neptunes - Nice but sometimes a bit of a wait, but staff were nice and the food was delicious and not too long waiting for food every time we came. The Mariner/Dinos – This was on Barbados side, and we really like the mariner, the food was delicious and extras/changes to food was no issue at all, it’s just a bit confusing about how to order. We did the Mariner on a few occasions. Dinos pizza was underwhelming though, the pizzas were small and they tasted really flour-y. Spices Buffet – We only did this once, it was okay if you just wanted a little bit, much of the food was on the colder side and not that much selection even though it was a buffet. Butches Hot Dogs – This was near American Tavern/Chi restaurant and was great If you just wanted a small lunch, we had these most days and we wanted something small as we’d often have a big breakfast. Jerk Shack – This again was okay. We sat down the first time we went, and it took ages for our food to arrive, I think they forgot about us, but they food was nice, especially the chicken. We took it away the second time to eat by the pool and it was much faster! Dinner American Tavern – This was a themed buffet; we only did this once on our first night was we were well fed on our flight and only wanted something small. It was underwhelming but we didn’t feel the need to go again Neptunes – This was nice, but we waited 40 minutes to be seated, but the restaurant was short staffed, so this was okay. The meatballs to start was nice and I can recommend the crispy chicken main too. Chi – The only a la carte restaurant we didn’t enjoy. The menu was confusing and the plates were small and not a lot of choice really. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant at all. Bombay – Our favourite. We went twice and saved it for the final night at the resort, the lamb chops, butter chicken and butter naans were beautiful and we just enjoyed the whole experience. Butches (Royal side) – another favourite. My steak was probably one of the best I have ever had, and we both really enjoyed the food, I can highly recommend the truffle fries as a side! The only let down here is that our server was a little rude and not very attentive, she forgot to give us a second set of cutlery for our mains. The Deputy Manager Darren on the other hand who was the host that night was wonderful, and remembered us when he worked at other restaurants, the guy was probably a standout staff member for us. Butches (Barbados Side) – This was nice, and the steaks again were lovely. My starter of mushroom soup was underwhelming but my husband really loved the crab cake starter. The Oreo cheesecake and the carrot cake were probably the best desserts we had for our visit. Soy – As someone who went into this restaurant not liking sushi and coming out with a full belly I was very surprised. I enjoyed this restaurant so much we did it twice. The crispy chicken and the spring roll starters are not to be missed, and for main you can order as many rolls as you wish. My husband ordered lots of different sushi as he loves it and I (as a non-sushi fan) had the Crispy Philly Rolls. Would absolutely recommend this. Danelle was a standout waitress for us here! Kimonos – The food here was good, and it was nice to get a variety (veg, steak, seafood etc.) but the real reason to go to this restaurant is the experience. Chris our Teppanyaki chef was funny, charismatic and out on an excellent host and made the experience very enjoyable. If you’ve never done a proper Teppanyaki experience before I would absolutely book into this restaurant. Merry Monkey – This “English pub” was okay, we had a meal here as we could get in within half an hour. The poutine husband had was nice and he enjoyed it, the mozzarella sticks were mid. My steak and fries were cooked nicely but my husbands “pie” was meat with a small triangle of puff pastry on the top. Portofino’s – Another one we liked and did this twice. We both had the meatball starter which was our favourite. Out of the dishes we had my husband’s favourite was the veal and I really enjoyed the mushroom linguine. Other stuff - We drank at the sports bar many times and it had a good variety of sport on from football to American football to F1. It was always quite busy but never had to wait too long for a drink. We also used the pool table a lot here! - The sky bar was nice but often got busy, especially with over noisy Americans. It’s best to come here for an early drink ad watch the sunset and then going off to dinner - The Wi-Fi was great and very rarely dropped. We managed to stream two football games on our iPad with 0 issues! - There’s a great offering of alcohol here including many well-known liquor brands, however it was disappointing that there was no Rose wine at all as part of the all-inclusive. - We booked a tour through the resort to Harrison’s Cave (100% recommend by the way) but we were delayed over 20 minutes because 2 people decided coffee and doughnuts were more important than being on time. They should’ve given them 10 minutes and then left without them. It meant we had less time at the attraction and there wasn’t a lot to begin with. - Do the included snorkel trip and book is as soon as you arrive. Sandals staff were great and Carlise Bay was beautiful, we even saw a turtle which made our holiday and our guide made sure to point him out so everyone could see. - Be polite to the staff. Yes, they’re doing their job but a please and thank you costs absolutely nothing. I was shocked at how many people didn’t say use common politeness when ordering drinks or food.