Sugar Bay Barbados reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.5 Excellent

  • Cleanliness 4.5
  • Location 4.5
  • Rooms 4.5
  • Service 4.5
  • Value 4.5

2162 TripAdvisor reviews

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Best holiday ever

taylochester (Chester, United Kingdom) on May 11, 2024

Staff and hotel are first class, could not fault them. Other guests were very good company and a great time was had by all. Nothing was too much for staff and they were very friendly. Would recommend their tours as were very informative and entertaining

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

What a place!

Holidaymaker9 (Lincolnshire) on May 08, 2024

What a beautiful place. Hotel sits right on the beach, we were lucky enough to get a sea view room Rooms have everything in them, cleaned daily, robes supplied. Water bottles, tea and coffee always topped up. Food is plentiful, something always available. Plenty of choice, there was nothing we didn't enjoy. Bar drinks are excellent, anything you want!! Staff all extremely friendly,nothing is too much trouble for anyone. I don't say often but I wouldn't hesitate returning to this beautiful hotel

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

First time - enjoyable stay!

thesleen (Hillsdale, New Jersey) on May 08, 2024

This was our first visit to Sugar Bay and we were pleasantly surprised. As we typically stay on the West Coast, we were a bit hesitant about the water in the South. For the most part, the sea was calm enough to swim, but there was some current making paddle boarding and kayaking a bit tough (when paddling south). The watercolor was beautiful. There are some large rocks around, but there are plenty of access points without the rocks. Lots of fish to sea, especially along the rock walls. Also, sea turtles frequent the area so that was exciting to see! We booked a family ocean view suite for our family of four (6/11 year old). The rooms were very spacious and clean, with lots of storage space for luggage/clothes. There was also a decent-sized fridge to keep drinks/food cold. The room was provided cleaning daily, but we often had to ask for additional towels for some reason and some days we never received hand towels. Robes were provided but not slippers. My one complaint with the room is that even though it was a living room and a bedroom, there was no desk or vanity, or even a mirror in the bedroom. There was plenty of space to have a vanity, or at least a mirror, so not sure if it was just our room. We found the food to be pretty good overall. Breakfast included omelet station (to order) and fresh waffles put out, pastries, yogurt, fruit, and some other hot options in chafing dishes. We never saw pancakes, and other than the fruit and egg whites, a bit hard to eat healthy. An option for fresh smoothies would have been great! The dinner/lunch buffet did seem to change pretty often. The specialty restaurants were very good, but would be nice to be able to frequent them more. I was also slightly frustrated at Umi as you were limited to one appetizer, and when we asked for edamame or miso soup, they said we'd be charged if we were also ordering an appetizer. Colins bar grill also had some nice options! My picky 6 year old LOVED their hamburger. Also, at the buffet, you can ask for them to make chicken tenders or grilled cheese for the kids. Thought the drink service (cocktails) when eating at the buffet was a bit slow, as the drinks were being made at the beach bar (basically the only bar other than collins). They should probably have a dedicated bartender/server for those dining. Also there is room for improvement on liquor options (Wine was house or below house, as was the Tequila), and perhaps some fresh fruit ingredients over the premade mixes. I didn't see much on offer that would be considered "top shelf" except perhaps the rum. Pool area was nice, although we didn't spend too much time there. I think some island or music would be a nice touch! The beach was great, with some games around (ping pong, connect 4, cricket), and the beach guys had lots of beach toys for loaning out. My kids didn't utilize the kids club except for the trampoline briefly, but if you have young kids that want to get out of the sun for a bit there was both and inside and outside shaded area. There is also a teen club area with pacman and air hockey and some other games, but much was out of order the week we were there. The staff was super friendly, but some standouts include Antonio and Rashan at the beach. They were amazing with the young kids and always worked so hard to accommodate the guests. They were really nice guys who seemed to genuinely enjoy being there. Damien/Damon at the bar made the best banana chocolate milkshake for my kids as well. We really enjoyed our stay overall, and hope to visit again in the future!

TripAdvisor users rated this property 4 out of 5

Wonderful place, some minor issues but would still love to return!

TheObelisk on May 07, 2024

Summary: amazing hotel, amazing staff, would give 9/10 if possible to go that precise but cannot. Some small issues but nothing to stop me coming back Food: top quality, we usually dislike buffets but it is top tier consistently. Other restaurants also on site were perfect as well no complaints at all. Room: again nothing to fault perfect room no issues noted again, oceanview room is a top recommendation. Beach: we had a day or so where you could snorkel off the bay in front but the rest of the time was large waves (not a problem just an observation that may be useful for people considering going). Managed to see a stingray and a turtle right in the bay which was amazing! My only concern was when snorkelling only about 6 meters into the bay i looked under a large rock and saw the biggest sea urchin Ive ever seen. I would have thought these would be removed as with the large waves and the urchin being quite exposed under the rock it could be dangerous. Service: all staff really nice and friendly, always helpful too! My only concern of service was regarding check out time. Our flight was at 10pm and checkout was midday. We informed them of this and they said our options were to either pay to extend our stay or just use a different facility for showering and also be provided lunch. This was excellent and really appreciated, but you are then asked to leave at 4pm (6 hours prior to flying). From having looked at flight schedules over this period a significant amount are around 10pm, so this seems a strange concept to expect guests to arrive 6 hours early to one of the smallest airports ive ever seen (took us 2 minutes to check in and 1 minute to go through security). Staff also gave very good recommendations for things to do (Oistins and the catamarran trip). Entertainment was okay as well, appreciated the different acts each day. I would love to come back to Sugar Bay, they were so helpful and the place was wonderful.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Another relaxing holiday!

sghb (Kingston, Canada) on May 06, 2024

We are repeat guests just returned from a two week stay at Sugar Bay in April 2024. We had a Signature Room overlooking the pool area. The room was quiet and the bed and pillows were very comfortable. The bathroom was large with a rain shower as well as a hand held shower fixture. We always had plenty of hot water. There were dispensers of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Towels were freshly changed everyday. Would have liked facecloths to be provided though. There was plenty of storage for clothes, shoes and luggage. The hotel is set on a lovely stretch of beach on the southwest coast. The beach boys did a good job keeping the beach clean, providing beach umbrellas every morning and several afternoons came around with cool fruity jello shots. The sea was calm most days but occasionally a little challenging when exiting the water. A rocky breakwater helps keep it calm especially at low tide it was beautiful. There are three raft rings to swim up to as well. The food in the on-site restaurants is very good quality and, in our opinion, was varied during our stay. The main restaurant for all meals is the buffet style Reef restaurant, You check in with one of the hostesses who assigns you a table in the area of your choice (inside, patio or terrace). The buffet where the food is has been newly enclosed in an air conditioned space. A hot station offers made to order dishes such as omelettes in the morning, various pastas at lunch, and stir fries at supper (a few examples). The other buffet dishes were varied and non-repetitive during our stay. Salad fixings and cheeses were available for all meals. We enjoyed the many fruit options like berries, kiwi, plums, pineapple and melon. We were truly spoiled for choice. Don’t miss the Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and Guinness gravy. We enjoyed the burgers, hot dogs and french fries at the outdoor Collins Beach Bar. The wait staff are hard working and eager to please. Special shout out to Kay, Keshawna, Hadiko, Justin, Akiel, and JJ at the Reef as well as Davishna at Umi (really good sushi there) and Nikki at Sizzle (steaks were very good). Do not miss the Tuesday manager’s cocktail reception where you can buy some nice quality pottery and art from local artisans and chat with some of the senior managers. We found them very approachable. Nightly entertainment was very enjoyable, upbeat and varied from the Bajan fire eater and stilt walkers to pop groups as well as the mellow sounds of steel pan music on Sunday afternoons. The courtyard and terrace is a lovely area to relax anytime with a drink, enjoy the entertainment or just to chill out or read. There is a 24 hour self-serve coffee station with a variety of coffee options. The bar staff have an impressive repertoire of tasty cocktails and have two beers on tap, Banks and Deputy. The wine, including Prosecco, is very good. The bar staff at Sugar Bay are amazing and we appreciated them so much especially the hard working and unflappable Joan and Helen, and a special shout out to Nick, Damian, Akeem. We also liked the bar service on the beach from Tyrese and Lee. It is a lovely place to relax and be pampered but it is truly the staff that keep us returning!

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