The Sands Barbados

Barbados, Caribbean

Virgin rating

The hotel

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    Occupying one of the most sought-after beachfront settings in Barbados, the All Inclusive Sands offers not just sun, sea, and sand by the bucketful, but very comfortable accommodation too. Choose from a variety of room options, including a garden studio with gorgeous tropical views or an oceanfront family suite, all with plenty of amenities, including complimentary WiFi, to make you feel right at home. Not that you’ll be in your room too long, there’s too much else on-site to tempt you, with a swimming pool, spa, and fitness centre to keep you occupied. St Lawrence Gap, the entertainment capital of Barbados, is just a few minutes away, featuring some of the best restaurants, bars and nightclubs on the island. Want to stay closer to home? No problem. The Sands boasts two restaurants of its own as well as two bars in which to linger over drinks and eats.

    Amenities

    • Kayaking
    • Snorkelling
    • Babysitting service
    • Honeymoon
    • Wedding
    • Bar
    • Evening Entertainment
    • Fitness Centre/Gym
    • Free Parking
    • Internet Access
    • Laundry Service
    • No Smoking

    Where is it

    On Worthing Beach, within easy walking distance of St. Lawrence Gap. Oistins Bay Garden market is a short taxi ride away. Transfer time from airport: 15 minutes.

    Hotel information

    151 rooms within 87 suites. All with air-conditioning, flat-screen cable TV, complimentary WiFi, fridge, tea/coffee-making facilities, safe, bathrobes, hairdryer, and iron and ironing board. All rooms have bathrooms with showers. 

    Virgin Supersaver rooms are cosy and open to internal corridors, they have small frosted windows but do not have balconies/patios or a mini-fridge (all other room categories will include this). Rooms have 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

    All Inclusive of: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. All beverages, except champagne and speciality wine. Weekly Manager’s cocktail reception. Complimentary water sports include kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling, and body boards. 

    Please note: guests must be 18 years and over to be served alcohol. All activities featured in the All Inclusive programme are subject to availability, demand and weather conditions.

    The Sands Signature Rooms have either a patio or balcony with garden views and 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request), sleeping maximum 2 adults.

    One-Bedroom Garden/Pool Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. These suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge and flat-screen television with cable channels. The bedroom has 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request) and a sofa in the living area, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

    One-Bedroom Ocean View Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. These suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge and flat screen television with cable channels. The bedroom has 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request) and a sofa in the living area, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.

    Two-Bedroom Garden/Pool View Duplex Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The duplex suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, a sofa and flat-screen television with cable channels. Bedrooms are located upstairs and have 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

    Two-Bedroom Garden/Pool Family Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The family suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 4 adults and 2 children (under 16 years).

    Two-Bedroom Ocean View Duplex Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The duplex suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, a sofa and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Bedrooms are located upstairs, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

    Please note: children under 6 years are not allowed in the duplex Suites

    Two-Bedroom Ocean View Family Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. These suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. The family suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 4 adults and 2 children (under 16 years).

    Three-Bedroom Garden/Pool Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. These suites feature a separate living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, sofa and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 6 adults or 2 adults and 4 children.

    Two-Bedroom Penthouse Suites are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. Penthouse suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with a sofa, flat-screen television with cable channels. The oceanfront Penthouse Suites are on the highest floor and is well appointed with magnificent oceanfront view, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Please note: children under 13 years are not allowed to stay in the Penthouse Suites.

    On The Water (beachfront restaurant serving Caribbean/International cuisine - open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Noir* (à la carte rooftop restaurant, open 5 nights a week for dinner only - guests 12 years and over only). 2 bars (the main bar is open from 10:00am-11:00pm and the second bar is open when Noir is). Afternoon tea. Snack menu available daily from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Room service*.

    Please note: guests may dine at Noir once per stay. Subsequent visits will be subject to availability and additional supplement.

    Please note: reservations are required for lunch and dinner at both restaurants.

    Nightly live music in the main restaurant from 8.30pm-10.00pm. A selection of complimentary seasonal activities and programmes are available to kids and teens during Christmas, Easter and the Summer school holidays. Subject to change and rotation, and will run based on minimum numbers.

    Saltwater swimming pool. Reflections Spa*. Fitness centre. Non-motorised water sports including kayaking, paddle boards and body boards. Snorkelling equipment.

     Complimentary WiFi access. Guests Lounge with computer (with Internet access). 24-hour reception. Complimentary parking. Laundry service*. Babysitting service* (on request).

    A Tourism Fee will be charged per bedroom, per night and will be collected at check out. The rate is subject to change by the Government, and varies by hotel room. Fees currently range from 8.75 Barbadian dollar (approximately £3.90) to 35 Barbadian dollar​ (approximately £16.00) per bedroom, per night. 

    3 nights between 1 Apr-22 Dec.

    5 nights between 6 Jan-31 Mar.

    7 nights between 23 Dec-5 Jan.

    * Denotes local charge.

    Dress code

    On The Water: the evening dress code is smart casual. Gentlemen may wear smart dress shorts and short sleeved shirts (polo shirts are allowed). Ladies tops/blouses must be full cover. Please note that no sports replica shirts or club branded merchandise are allowed at dinner. Smart jeans are allowed. No flip flops or trainers are allowed in the evening in the restaurant.

    Cover-ups are required in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch and footwear is required in the restaurant at all times.

    Noir Restaurant (à la carte): elegantly casual. Full-length trousers for gentleman and shirts with sleeves (either short or long sleeve), smart casual footwear. Stylish jeans and polo shirts are allowed. No T-shirts, sports replica shirts or club branded merchandise. No distressed jeans, three quarter pants, cargos or shorts (shorts applies to ladies also). No running shoes, flip-flops or caps are allowed in the restaurant. Children under 12 years are not allowed in Noir Restaurant. 

    Please note: all rooms are non-smoking (including on balconies). Smoking is permitted in limited areas around the hotel.

    Rating summary

    • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
    • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

    Traveller rating

    • Excellent (296)
    • Very good (116)
    • Average (64)
    • Poor (34)
    • Terrible (30)
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great location, nice small hotel with everything you need for a lovely stay.

    Dec 18, 2024 Becky P

    Had a great holiday, but spent lots of it exploring the amazing island so we didn’t use the A.I. & facilities to the max. We had a suite with 2 bedrooms 1 en suite king & the other 2 doubles with a second bathroom and lounge and kitchen area with a fridge and table. Really large and spacious and ideal for our family of 4 - including 2 teenagers.… Read more
    Had a great holiday, but spent lots of it exploring the amazing island so we didn’t use the A.I. & facilities to the max. We had a suite with 2 bedrooms 1 en suite king & the other 2 doubles with a second bathroom and lounge and kitchen area with a fridge and table. Really large and spacious and ideal for our family of 4 - including 2 teenagers. Lots of people complain about the rooms but they have booked the savers not the suites. Negatives of the double beds room were that the curtains weren’t large enough so didn’t block out the light - there was a large light directly outside the room, so it was like daylight at all times of night. Food was generally good - breakfasts buffet, dinner mostly ala carte with 3 options - meat, fish and vegetarian. Occasional buffets on the evening. Lunch can be ordered from the beach menu or main menu and you can mix and match. Noire was very nice. Drink service at the bar was a real let down. Often long waits and disorganised staff. A couple of the bar staff were brilliant at cocktails- none of the throwing in as much booze as possible so it tastes awful, but others were less experienced in both cocktail making and knowing how to run a bar so you’d have long waits and people served out of turn. The main bar tender at noire is an absolute cocktail genius - we returned just to see him and sample more of his creations. Staff are generally friendly and helpful but there were a couple of incidents of staff who were grumpy and even a couple who had an argument in front of us. Night entertainment is a bit varied and there are not sufficient numbers of tables and chairs on the evenings. Also lights are often not available which isn’t great. A small gym is open from 7am, but actually accessible before that. Beach is fairly small but nice enough. Just be careful around the rocks as we saw a lady get swept out and a life guard rescued her. There are signs to this affect but it was quite scary how quickly it happened. We managed to get a reservation at both sister hotels so we could see what they were like- this is definitely the best of the 3 - island inn (we did breakfast here and saw the horses swim at pebble beach) & mango bay- we had lunch here. Location is great for walking into Lawrence Gap and exploring some of the local restaurants & other beaches. ZRs pass all the time and there’s parking if you have a car. Enjoyed our stay very much. We got a bargain price to stay here for 2 weeks, if we’d paid the normal 12-18K we see this advertised at for a family of 4 I think we’d be more critical, but for what we paid it was great. Would return but only if the price was right. Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Ok!

    Dec 14, 2024 Kelly K

    This was our first stay at the sands, we’ve stayed at their sister hotel 3 times so was keen to see what the sands had to offer! The room was extremely spacious and clean, we had a pool view room. The food was good, I felt there could have been more options during buffets though. I read on previous reviews that staff make the hotel, I did not… Read more
    This was our first stay at the sands, we’ve stayed at their sister hotel 3 times so was keen to see what the sands had to offer! The room was extremely spacious and clean, we had a pool view room. The food was good, I felt there could have been more options during buffets though. I read on previous reviews that staff make the hotel, I did not find this the case. There was a handful of friendly staff, however I found the majority to be quite rude. Myself and my partner often commented on this a number of times. The outdoor area is modern, bathrooms in particular could do with some minor updating. The sun bed situation is the worse I’ve seen. People reserving them at 6am and often not using them. There was a subbed policy in the room and this seemed to have no significant effect on the situation. Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great place to visit

    Dec 10, 2024 901glennp

    Visit it here this year 2024 for the second time when they’re in 23 an excellent place to visit the hotel the staff, the facilities, the food the drink entertainment is absolutely brilliant. Would recommend it to anyone. Went on a few trips around the island absolutely brilliant tour guide knew all his stuff would recommend going into fish fry… Read more
    Visit it here this year 2024 for the second time when they’re in 23 an excellent place to visit the hotel the staff, the facilities, the food the drink entertainment is absolutely brilliant. Would recommend it to anyone. Went on a few trips around the island absolutely brilliant tour guide knew all his stuff would recommend going into fish fry Friday I brilliant experience to do But of course, everyone is different and everyone wants different experiences, but would recommend the hotel and the country to visit Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great hotel great staff, should not sell super saver room....

    Dec 10, 2024 krakow72 Manchester, United Kingdom

    The location is perfect,the food is excellent , the staff are probably the best hotel staff we have come across, if there are no sunbeds just ask the staff,only 2 days did we not have one and just asked the staff who provided us with one. Now the bad bit, if you have booked a supersaver room, upgrade or cancel now, it is just a bed with no… Read more
    The location is perfect,the food is excellent , the staff are probably the best hotel staff we have come across, if there are no sunbeds just ask the staff,only 2 days did we not have one and just asked the staff who provided us with one. Now the bad bit, if you have booked a supersaver room, upgrade or cancel now, it is just a bed with no windows/balcony it's terrible, we asked to change but none available, they really should not sell these "rooms", apart from that great hotel. Read less
    Image of the Tripadvisor rating A week away from it all!

    Dec 3, 2024 Jae G Ottawa, Canada

    The resort is located on the south coast of the island on Worthington Beach, about a 30 minute drive to Bridgetown, is well maintained and clean. There is a grocey store just at the entrance to the resport which carries a wide variety of north american brand foods. The staff were all very pleasant and accomodating. Each evening there is live… Read more
    The resort is located on the south coast of the island on Worthington Beach, about a 30 minute drive to Bridgetown, is well maintained and clean. There is a grocey store just at the entrance to the resport which carries a wide variety of north american brand foods. The staff were all very pleasant and accomodating. Each evening there is live entertainment. The food was good and there was always something on the menu for all. I traveled with my 90 year old motherand we were placed in a two level suite. Many of the units are two levels and not suitable for individuals with mobility limitations. The Sands staff were quick to upgrade us to accomodations that were more than adequate. The Reflections Spa is small but lovely. I had the best massage of my life! I would definately go back. Read less