Sandals Barbados

The entire holiday was incredible, ignore all of the negative reviews because this place is amazing in every area. The merry monkey pub in particular is a real highlight, with a genuine English pub decor and atmosphere and an incredible manager in Jack. A fantastic manager who is both personable and a genuinely nice guy who took the time to chat to me and get to know me, you’ll be missing out if you don’t go there and say hi to him! Also, he pours a mean Guinness if you like it which could rival a lot of the English pubs I’ve been to! Read less

SANDALS BARBARDOS WAS FANTASTIC. WE ARE AMBASSADORS WITH SANDALS. SO WE BEEN GOING TO SANDALS ALOT. MY HUSBAND FELL DOWN THE STEPS AND BROKE 5 RIBS 2 WEKKS BEFORE WE GOT THERE ON DECEMBER 25 FOR 3 WEEKS. THEY WERE SO ACCOMPADATING FOR THE EXTRA THINGS WE NEEDED. THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH, YOU NEED TO ASK FOR JEN AND HER TEAM IF YOU HAVE BUTLER SERVICE, SHE EVEN WENT INTO TOWN TO GET ME MY RUFFLES BBQ CHIPS I LIKE SO MUCH. WHO DOES THAT LOL. THE MANAGEMENT IS OUTSTANDING, HELLO TO FLORIAN. JON PATRICK, CHARLES AND EVERYONE ELSE. IF YOU NEED TO BOOK ANOTHER SANDALS VACATION GO SEE SHAKRYA IN LOYALTY. SHE IS OUT STANDING. THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR VACATION EVEN WITH MY HUSBAND BROKEN RIBS EXCEPTIONAL. WE WILL BE BACK SOON!!!!!!!!! Read less

First thing I want to say is….We love Sandals resorts! However, if Barbados had been my first trip to a Sandals resort, I probably wouldn’t go back to any. We stayed in Bahamas 2022 & South Coast Jamaica 2023. The past two resorts that we stayed at, I felt like I was the only person there. I can easily say that I didn’t meet one person on those two trips that didn’t make me feel more than welcome, helpful and cheerful with smiles. I am writing this because I wouldn’t encourage your clients to go to Barbados Sandals resort. I will tell you the good the band and the ugly. Most of these experiences are based on the fact that we had amazing experiences at the other 2 resorts and we totally expected the same experience in Barbados. -Upon arriving at the airport: There was not a lounge, we stood in the hot outside in our travel clothes waiting. They did give us bottled water. In the past two resorts, they took our luggage at this point and loaded them into the van. After waiting for a bit, we were instructed to take our luggage with us, then they loaded it into the van. We also gave them our carry on luggage. -Arrived to resort. They gave us a glass of Champagne and a cool cloth. That was great. -Our rooms were not ready. We couldn’t change out of our travel clothes since they took our carry on items. To be fair, I didn’t ask for my carry on or luggage, because it had sounded like it would just be a few minutes. And I was tired from the long journey, my mind was foggy. -The cushions in the lobby had stains, the doors were dirty. -They took us to the Jerk shack and told us to come back to the front desk after we ate. -We waited in the lobby for a while and it was about 1 ½ hours before our room was ready. -Our AC went out for one night; they were able to fix it pretty quickly. (Liana and Zack had a different experience about that (please ask them). Our phone didn’t work, but I didn’t ask them to fix it. -The food reminded me of a low end cruise. There was a Panini that was a slice of ham, a slice of cheese put on a hoagie bun then put in a Panini press. The pizza we finally figured out if we asked for 5x the amount of cheese, there would be cheese on it. When asking for a crepe, it felt like I was asking for too much, or the person that made them was not there. The Sushi was fabulous (food, friendliness, and welcoming) The Irish pub food was fabulous. When Jack wasn’t there, the service was very lacking. We waited for 1.5 hours one night for our dessert, that never came even with us checking in 3 x’s. We finally left. The American Tavern food was great, the omelet chef was amazing! The hibachi room where they cook in front of you was closed because the A/C was out. The French restaurant was fair to good, but the A/C was out. -There were a few wonderful people. The manager of the Irish pub, Jack. The manager of the sushi restaurant, Sherwin. Redlane Shernelle and Danica were fabulous. -Generally speaking the staff was not cheerful. Smiles were not often. -We had to ask almost everyday for more towels. There was one day the maid didn’t have any, and our room didn’t have even a wash cloth. I asked if she could bring some back later. At 10pm that night I had to go to the front desk to ask for some. -Getting drinks at the bar was sometimes a 20 min wait, without even acknowledgement that I was standing there. There was plenty of help behind the bar but they were too busy. -I noticed a tip jar at the Bar the last day we were there. That really turned me off. Because, it seems like they wanted tips for a smile and a drink. That is the one thing I love about Sandals, I don’t have to take any money, because everything is paid upfront. -Half way through the week, Denise and I ran to my room. On our way back to the pool, we were in the alley that separates the 2 resorts. I was looking at Denise and a young male employee looked at both of us and grabbed his crotch in a sexual way. I was appalled! -I was more disappointed in the entertainment than anything. Day one…we asked where the party pool was. We were sent to the biggest pool on the resorts. They had water aerobics going on. That looked like fun and I participated. When that was over, the music was taken away. There was no DJ, no music. The rest of the time we went to a different pool where DJ music came and went through the afternoons. They did volleyball and one game a day. The last day we were there, they had some of the workers come out and dance next to the pool, like we had experienced at the other two resorts. I love watching them dance. The evening entertainment was, for the most part, very difficult to find. They had singers and musicians in the bars but no fire dancers, not big entertainment except… -Friday night they had something going on between all the buildings. This was sad because the stage with all the seating would’ve been where they should’ve had it. There were so many people that we couldn’t even see what was going on. We left instead of forcing our way through the crowd. There was a stage area and another area with grass with a sort of stage that they said weddings were done in. By the last few days, we found a TV on the Royal side that showed some of the things that you could get involved in. To have photos done, we had to seek that out. At the other resorts, they were everywhere taking photos making it fun. Here there was one photographer, everyday in the pool and every night at restaurants. There were no other opportunities unless you went down and made an appointment. -The pools always seemed dirty. I didn’t see that the sand had been vacuumed out one time during our 10 day stay. That to me felt like they had not been cleaned. -Same thing when leaving, we were asked to move our luggage closer to the van. Both Dean and I have shoulder and back issues. I am sure this wouldn’t be a big issue for most travelers. But, there again, if I hadn’t have gotten better service at the other resorts, I probably wouldn’t have thought much about that part. Read less

Here, now. It's excellent. 3rd time in 4 years. Food, pools, staff, grounds, rooms, reception, beach. All beautiful. Water choppy, the way I like it. Beach chairs towels moved at 1001 hrs by me. No problem at all. When the couple turned up at 1100 ish, I smiled, and pointed at their stuff, I smiled. Job done. If you're rude, you will receive rudeness. Don't be rude. Servers are minimum wage, hard workers. Talk to them. I don't understand the negativity. Enjoy it all. We are, & will return. Read less