TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Whoever runs the recruitment process and drives employee culture in this hotel has nailed it! All the staff are fabulous, top to bottom. They are friendly and engaging, they genuinely seem to enjoy their jobs and believe that their performance is important. Young or old! And I saw some immense patience demonstrated with the rare, overly demanding guest. Sugar Bay reminds me of old Barbados (I first came in 1970). Kind, friendly and respectful in both directions. Sort of Plantation in design and feel, welcoming and friendly. A lovely beach, not too crowded. A little breezier than the West coast, which is perfect. I’ve done the 5 Diamond resorts in Cancun, done an Aruba visit to a big brand name AI. This was a far better experience. Food is delicious and varied, if you want Michelin stars, stay in NY or London. Access to UMI for Asian cuisine and Sizzle for a steak. But the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner suited all in someway. Drinks are made mostly from scratch and not big pre-made vats of mixers with rum added. No signing Chits for tracking adds to the relaxation. Plenty of umbrellas, the Beach Team set them out in the AM at request. Always seem to be enough seats and umbrellas. Drinks flow freely with no wait, entertainment in the evening is fun, and while we were there, there were younger families and retirees all interacting. Nevertheless our two teenage Daughters also loved it. A night out to Oistins helped. Thanks for the tips Nate. It would be unfair to point out too many individuals because ALL the staff were awesome. Kay, you are great fun! Cherise, you’re like a Swan, serene on the surface and I’m sure paddling furiously under the water to get things done. And Trisha, we know who’s boss in the bar! But everyone, you make Sugar Bay what it is. To the pair who helped me jump start my car after I left the lights on! You are so kind. We will come back and we will bring friends! Truly, the real Barbados as I remember it, at its best. Thank you.

Back to Sugar Bay for another break. The upgrades around Reef have certainly worked with the new bar area a great addition. We had a room change to contend with but I must say again the rooms are excellent, made up daily with all the amenities you need. No need to bring a hairdryer as the one in the room is perfectly sufficient. Small fridge with water is a welcome addition. The resort is has received a spruce up. The groundsmen work tirelessly to keep the redort clean and tidy. Plenty of loungers available on the beach with parasols available on request. Bit of an issue this time round as the loungers adjacent to the pool were booked by guests laying towels to reserve from early hrs. Pool bar well looked after by David, who always made us feel welcome. Serving staff are much improved this time round. An excellent variety of food, all tastes catered for. En site restaurants Sizzle and Umi were excellent. Book early as they get busy. Damien and his team at the bar were excellent and the entertainment was as good as usual. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable break. Will definitely be back

A great place to visit but not the best place in Caribbean . You can have a better sea or better entertainment and fun and activities in Cancun city , or Havana is a probably better fun city with similar beaches. People are a bit aggressive like Jamaica but don't get me wrong not rude at all.

This hotel is all a bit tired and needs a rethink. If you are looking for a luxurious Barbados experience you will be disappointed. Sugar Bay’s staff are friendly but they are masking a hotel that is not up to it anymore. Our welcome drink had a dead wasp in it, the hanging rail in the room collapsed, food is repetitive and the all inclusive drinks aren’t very drinkable. The pool is dirty and not big enough to cater for the number of people staying there. Positioned nicely on the south west corner surrounded by nice beaches, it seems to be unlucky to be very prone to seaweed that the beach staff don’t clear away for days, so it makes the whole beach area look tired. As a result we chose to go out for days at other beaches and dinners at additional expense and in the end we found another hotel up the west coast and checked out 2 days early to enjoy what Barbados really does have to offer but is lacking in Sugar Bay. We told the hotel staff about our poor experience and we were checking out 2 days before we did - no offer of compensation - not even an apology…which tells you everything you need to know about the hotel.

This was our 4th visit to Sugar Bay, once again we had a fabulous time. The hotel beach and staff are great however we would usually give five stars but this year it’s a four from us! On check in we were given room 201 - having stayed a few times before we knew this was sub standard for a signature room (very small, no storage and having to boil the kettle on our bed side table was not ideal!) After complaining we were moved from our second night and room 342 was amazing! I am very surprised though that our initial room would have been issued to any guests, but particularly those who have stayed three times before. Moving on to the food, this was great, the new buffet lay out worked well and there was always a fantastic variety. We also went to UMI which was delicious. We did feel that the service in the restaurants both at lunch and dinner had declined. It was often very slow and took a while for drinks/tables to be cleared etc. We aren’t people that rush on holiday at all and have fond memories of great service in a relaxed manner on our previous visits however this time it did feel like a hassle to sometimes get a drink or service. The service at the bar was great , but we were very disappointed with the wine selection which has changed from our previous visits (despite the hotel becoming more expensive) previously Pinot Grigio white and blush were available, however now it is only Tempranillo which, in our opinion was not drinkable. Having said that the sparkling wine, beer and cocktails were lovely. We were very happy to buy decent rose when in UMI and would suggest perhaps offering customers the opportunity to upgrade to better wines should they wish. Overall our holiday was lovely however I’m not sure if we would return due to the points above, we will however continue with our yearly visits to the Island as it’s simply beautiful!