Sandals Royal Barbados is home to a few Sandals’ firsts, including a rooftop pool and bar, a 4-lane bowling alley, and health and wellness-inspired restaurant concepts—all waiting for you to experience during your stay. Located on Maxwell Beach in Barbados, it’s the ultimate destination for a sun-soaked vacation filled with endless hours of beach and pool relaxation, along with plenty of activities and tours to explore. And speaking of pools, this resort has the largest glass-fronted infinity pool in the Eastern Caribbean. Enhance your vacation with a butler-included suite with pool, ocean or garden views, and make the most of the “Stay At One, Play At Two” Sandals Resort exchange privileges, allowing you to enjoy the amenities and restaurants (20 in total) at the nearby Sandals Barbados!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled on a picturesque beachfront, Sandals Royal Barbados has received commendations for its stunning location and overall cleanliness, though some guests have voiced concerns over room maintenance and towel service. Despite boasting an array of amenities like multiple pools and diverse dining options, the resort has faced criticism for occasional service lapses, particularly regarding room service.
The ambiance of the resort is perceived as less than vibrant by some visitors, contrasting with the dynamic local scene. Moreover, a number of travelers question the value, correlating the high costs with their overall experience.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Dull
Rooms
Uncomfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Abundant
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My husband and I just returned from Sandals Royal Barbados, and we had a wonderful time for the 9 days we were there. I have been reading reviews for a year and was really worried about going here because of the negative reviews. We did not have Butler service, but we are repeat Sandals customers (Diamond members). We chose a club level partial ocean view and that's exactly what we got. The resort is beautiful, and the beach/ocean is amazing...white powdery sand, and warm crystal-clear blue water. We never noticed anyone trying to sell any drugs on the beach and no one ever bothered us while we were on the beach. We never had an issue getting reservations at the restaurants and were able to dine at any restaurant we wanted to eat at. We did go to eat between 6:00 and 6:30, and we never had to wait to be seated, and the service was also very good and quick. The food at the restaurants was good, not huge portions, but you could order more than one entree if you wanted to or go to another restaurant if you were still hungry. We ate at Portifino's, Butch's Seafood and Steakhouse, Butch's Chophouse (favorite), Soy, Chi, Schooner's, Neptune, and Kimono's for dinner. We found the staff at this resort were all very friendly and helpful, and we never had an issue with anyone being rude. We are early risers and were up by 7:00 a.m. and never had an issue getting a sunbed. Having said that, I will say that the butlers do get the best sunbeds at the infinity pool and on the beach (by 6:00 a.m.). We sat at the main pool at the Sandals Barbados side because it was a little quieter than the infinity pool. We also noticed on all but two mornings, pool towels were out early around the pools and refilled at least once if not twice a day. The trick to having pool towels is to grab two before you go back to your room at the end of the day which is a common practice. There are a few floats at each of the pools, and people are generally good about sharing and taking turns using them. We only had minor issues with our room, nothing I would complain about. The temperature in our room (7218) would not go about 63 degrees no matter how high we raised the temperature. We just opened the balcony doors for a bit and that shut off the A/C. The other issue was the fan on the balcony didn't work, making it too hot to sit outside...not a big deal. Our only disappointment was the lack of entertainment. It was almost non-existent! The other Sandals' resorts we have been to always have a couple of different shows or some type of entertainment starting around 7:00 - 7:30 p.m. We only saw two different people (two separate nights) playing in front of the pool at the roof top bar while there was music also playing in the background. We enjoyed our stay and would definitely come back to Sandals Royal Barbados.
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Dec 23, 2024
Thank you so much for sharing your detailed and thoughtful review of your recent stay at Sandals Royal Barbados! We’re thrilled to hear that you and your husband had a wonderful time during your 9-day visit and that you felt comfortable and well taken care of throughout your stay. It’s fantastic to know that you enjoyed the beautiful resort, the pristine beach, and the crystal-clear waters. We’re also happy to hear that you had no issues with reservations, dining, or service, and that the food met your expectations. It’s great that you were able to enjoy a variety of restaurants, and we’re glad Butch's Chophouse was a standout for you! We appreciate your feedback about the pool towels, sunbeds, and the minor room issues. Rest assured, we will take your comments into consideration as we continuously work to improve our guest experience. Regarding the entertainment, we’re sorry to hear that it didn’t meet your expectations during your stay. We always aim to provide engaging and diverse entertainment options, and we will certainly look into this to ensure that future guests have a more vibrant and lively experience. Thank you again for your kind words and for being a loyal Sandals guest. We look forward to welcoming you back to Sandals Royal Barbados in the future!
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To preface - this was my sixth stay at a Sandals resort, so obviously, I like the brand and what's included. This was my fourth experience at the butler level, and first time in a rondaval with a plunge pool. But let me back up... We were immediately greeted in the airline terminal by an expedited customs agent, who breezed us through the process, and waited as we collected our bags. I was not expecting this, and it was a nice way to start the trip. From there, we were taken outside to our driver with a well maintained white Rolls Royce Ghost. The ride was comfortable and only about 15 minutes. The driver was friendly and careful. Once on resort, we went into the Club level lounge to await our butler & check in. Our butler, Shaakira, met us shortly to take us on a brief tour of the resort and find us some lunch since our room was not ready yet. We ate salads at Heart and Soul to atone for the week ahead. Once our room was ready, our butler took us there, gave us our cell phone to contact them, and we reviewed our room. The room was spacious with a high ceiling, separate bath area, shower room, toilet room, soaking tub, seating area, kitchenette with stocked bar, etc. King bed was very comfy with nice linens. Outside, we had a private patio with the plunge pool, outdoor shower and another soaking tub. This was R14, and despite the attempt at privacy, there were 3-4 nearby balconies that could look directly into our enclosed space. By day three we didn't really care though...Overall, the room was a winner (although toilets drained very slow - likely an island issue, not Sandals). We didn't really get an invitation to the returning guest dinner, which was fine, we'd prefer to eat a la carte vs. buffet. Meals we enjoyed most were at Soy, Parisienne, and Bombay. Lunches were easy, mostly jerk chicken, pizzas, salads, veggie burgers, etc, and were delivered via the butler to wherever our location was in about 45 minutes. We were dissapointed for the first time at Butch's - food was uninspired, and our server was totally checked out. We deleted our second planned visit and switched back to Parisienne. There are plenty of bars on site, although they ran out of some pretty common items sometimes (olives? Bananas?). I think our favorite place for an evening drink was the rooftop infinity pool area though. It has an element of class overlooking the resort, and people tended to be dressed up more for dinner. It's easy enough to get around the resort, and literally, Sandals Barbados is like walking across a sidewalk and you have access to all their restaurants, pools, etc. It's really like one giant resort. Our spa experience was fantastic; we received two couples massages - a 60 and a 90, one outside (note - you cannot do them across the resort like at other Sandals) and the second one inside (AC!) Both were fantastic, and the garden inside the spa was relaxing with several water features. The butlers (Shaakira, Donald and Daquan) did an excellent job keeping us happy throughout our stay with nice surprises in the room, filling up the tub a few times, and setting up our spaces at the beach or the pool. We did have an experience where another guest moved our items, and the butlers quickly addressed it. Sometimes, there was a lack of communication between the three, despite the shared messages /texts on the cell phone. (Example - we had asked for a specific breakfast served on our patio, which we waited and waited for, only to learn that room service tried to deliver it, and when we did not answer the door, they returned it - we thought the butler was going to set it up outside for us. Our butler had everything re-made, but it was only about half of the items we had ordered.). Another item of note is that if you do have a special request for a food item - try to let your butler know 24 hours ahead of time. We saw another couple enjoying coconut shrimp by the pool, and our butler pulled it off, but told us of the 24 hour rule for certain foods. Just keep that in mind. The beach itself is very nice, white sands, and since all beaches in Barbados are public, the chairs are set back a short walk across the sand to the warm crystal blue water. Sandals installed two breaks to provide a calmer swimming area for guests, and the water is not too deep - standing depth in most spots in front. There are a few local characters on the beach trying to sell things, but they mostly leave you alone if you are not interested in buying. Most chairs are available in the shade, or with umbrellas. Entertainment was a bit lacking, and I understand there is some sort of transition happening with that department. We saw a lively pool aquatics instructor leading participants in a fun routines a few times, and there was a guess that tune / sing along at the large pool that made us crack up. However, some events we showed up for were non-existent, or required a mother payment(?) like sip and paint. We gladly would have paid to participate, but it wasn't clear and many people showed up but then turned away. Another night we tried to hear instrumental music after dinner by a different pool area and it did not occur - all the lights were off. This didn't really mar our stay, since we usually don't attend for the entertainment. As for excursions - we took an afternoon taxi for approximately $70 to Bridgetown. This included round trip transfer, a wonderfully informative guide, who waited for us while we did our shopping. If you do purchase sometime in Bridgetown at the duty free - they will hold your alcohol and send it over to the airport, so be sure to have your passport and flight info before you go. You can likely buy the same things back at the airport since you have to be there three hours early. The other excursion we did was the SilverMoon sunset catamaran cruise. This was a highlight for sure with a thoughtful, delightful crew who seemed to wait on us throughout the sail, treating us to passed apps, open bar, snorkeling and a delicious dinner. Highly recommend! We did visit the Sandals Return lounge to book our next trip, but were a bit put off when we also later received a phone call reminding us to visit the same lounge to re-book. They may want to check which guests have already re-booked there before placing their calls. Anyhow, the gentleman who helped us was patient, and showed us several options until we found our ideal next trip at a decent price. All in all, I'd recommend this resort and will continue to come back to Sandals!
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Put a personal item on your reserved chairs before 10AM. Order specialty items or discuss with...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Oct 22, 2024
Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful review! It sounds like you had quite an adventure during your stay at Sandals Royal Barbados, and we're glad to hear you enjoyed many aspects of your experience, especially the warm welcome from the staff, the luxurious rondaval with a plunge pool, and the beautiful surroundings. We're pleased that you found your butlers—Shaakira, Donald, and Daquan—helpful and attentive, and it's great to know that they helped make your stay special. We appreciate your feedback regarding communication; it’s something we always aim to improve, and your insights will help us enhance the experience for future guests. It’s disappointing that you faced some challenges with dining reservations and entertainment, but we're glad the dining experiences you enjoyed, like at Soy and Bombay, were highlights for you. Your suggestions about the entertainment schedule and clarity are very valuable, and we'll ensure they are passed along to the team for consideration. We're also thrilled to hear you enjoyed your excursions, especially the SilverMoon sunset catamaran cruise—it truly sounds like a fantastic highlight! Thank you again for your loyalty to Sandals. We can’t wait to welcome you back for your next trip and provide you with even more memorable experiences! Safe travels until then!
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We celebrated part of our honeymoon and a special birthday at Royal Barbados and it was lovely. I had been to Sandals Barbados previously so tried the new resort this time and it was great to have the large selection of dining options. The rooms are spacious, clean and lovely modern decor. Sandals all inclusive is consistently good at all restaurants. Our favourites were Soy and Butch's (Royal), the service at both was great and the food was delicious. Highly recomend the prime rib from Butch's! Beautifully pink and very tasty. I was concerned on arrival that only Butch's and teppanyaki accept reservations as the resort was very busy however it wasn't an issue getting a table any of the nights. The drink selection is fine - with 3 red wines and 3 white wines (no rose). The cocktails are fine if you are having a pina colada or daquiri, but there isn't consistency of quality of other cocktails at the bars. We found that the courtyard bar at Sandals Barbados was the best for a cocktail that wasn't 90% alcohol and was enjoyable to drink. A few negatives - I felt the selection of soft drinks was poor with only coke, diet coke or sprite available. 80% of the pool sun loungers are reserved very early each morning by guests who have butlers, meaning every morning we arrived at the pool at 8.30 there was no loungers left (at both main pools). I found this quite irritating as most days these loungers had nobody at them most of the day and could have been used by someone else. I don't feel the price difference between a club room and the butler room is enough to justify this benefit, so it's not something I would consider. Thankfully we had a small pool below our room that was fairly empty, unfortunately it didn't have a bar so it meant we had to walk back and forth to the main pool bar for drinks. There are some facilities at the restaurants that could be done with a refurb - in particular the facilities at Parisienne/roof top pool area. The ladies bathroom here was unacceptable - toilet roll holders hanging off the wall, the doors of the cubicles don't fit properly and there is a large gap between the frame and the door, and the locks on them look like they are temporary fixes. The Club Sandals services could also be improved - they had note that it was both our honeymoon and a special birthday. They placed a generic note and the bottle of red wine from the shelf in our room onto the table with a bow as a congratulations, I felt that very little thought went into this. The special birthday wasn't even acknowledged. I've stayed at various other hotels who have recognised guests special occasions and at recognising return guests (we have stayed at 3 Sandals) with a much more personal touch so this felt a little poor.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded today
Thank you for sharing your experience at Sandals Royal Barbados! We're so glad you enjoyed your honeymoon and birthday celebration, especially the spacious rooms, great dining options, and delicious food at Soy and Butch's. We appreciate your feedback about the drink selection, pool lounger reservations, and the need for some refurbishments—these details are valuable for improving guest experiences. We’re also sorry to hear that the recognition for your special occasions fell short of expectations. We hope these minor issues won’t overshadow the wonderful memories you made, and we look forward to welcoming you back again soon!
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We booked a stay with 5 rooms for 10 guests for my husband and my 40th birthday celebration. When 3 of the 5 checked in, 2 at Royal and 1 at "regular" Sandals, we were told the room category we had booked was unavailable due to maintenance and were moved to "a lovely new building". This building was as far as one could get from all of the amenities at the resort, had no oceanview (which we had paid for), and backed up to homes directly on the opposite wall from the resort. There were multiple dogs barking at all hours. When they explained we would be moved to a different room category, we asked for spa credit for each room to have a couples' massage and a refund of our room cost difference. This was agreed to in writing by the hotel sales staff.
Every morning we tried to go to the main pool, but every single seat was reserved. The signs indicate that any towel still on a chair at 7am would be removed. We went to the pool at 7 and 7:15 and did not have space to sit any of the 5 days.
One evening we wanted to go off property. The hotel helped to book a shuttle service. The driver called someone to "meet us" when we arrived, who then sneakily introduced us to someone who charged my friends $50 to touch a monkey and did not tell them until afterwards. Then, our "hostess" shuttled us to a restaurant where there was no price on the menu for any of the food and struggled to tell us exactly how much our meal was going to cost. It was very clearly a setup that the driver was surely being paid a "finders fee" on.
We booked our massages, had them, and told the spa staff that there should be a full credit on our account for the service. They did not see this credit and said the front desk would handle it. We immediately contacted our travel agent on our behalf and she began attempting to have any charges waived. The hotel was unresponsive and finally stated everything would need to be handled at check out. Well, our check out was at 5am, where I was given a bill of $244 for the massages. When I asked to speak to a manager I was told there was none on duty.
Not only should we have not been charged $244 we should have also been refunded roughly $300 for the room discrepancy. It has been 7 weeks since returning and despite ongoing attempts there has been $0 refunded for our stay.
In addition to ALL OF THIS, the staff at the property was roughly 10% kind, 90% bothered to help. This is NOT a 4 star resort.
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Date of stay: November 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don't go
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Jan 5, 2025
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback about your recent stay with us. Please allow me to extend our sincerest apologies for the challenges you faced during what should have been a joyful celebration of your 40th birthday. We deeply regret that the room category you had booked was unavailable and that the alternative provided did not meet your expectations. We understand how disappointing it must have been to miss out on the ocean view you had anticipated, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the room's location and surrounding noise. We are also very sorry to hear about the difficulties you encountered at the pool, with off-property arrangements, and with the spa credit and billing process. Your frustration with the lack of resolution during your stay and the subsequent delay in addressing these issues is entirely understandable. We take your feedback about staff interactions very seriously. Providing warm, attentive service is a cornerstone of our values, and we regret that this was not reflected during your visit. Please know that your feedback is invaluable to us as we strive to improve our services and guest experiences. We request that you please respond to the private message that was recently sent to you for a few additional details. Thank you for bringing these matters to our attention. We sincerely hope to regain your trust and have the opportunity to provide you with the exceptional experience that you deserved.
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Beautiful resort, meticulously maintained. Loads of friendly, smiling and helpful staff. Beautiful, modern rooms. Great food and plenty of restaurant options, especially from the Royal side; you get to eat on both resorts if you book on the Royal side! Shuttle from airport and back is pretty seamless and stressless. The most clear water I have seen in my travels. Multiple pools; one with DJ and others with a more quiet setting. Caribbean rum! All food & drink included! Some excursions included (we did the snorkeling and it was great!). Adults only.
Some minor complaints I have: the a/c in the room smelled of mildew. The mattress was mediocre and the linens were rough. Room service was included in our club suite, but it was hard to get someone to answer or I got put on hold so long I hung up. Then it took an hour to get our food. Went to the Portofino restaurant one evening and it took over two hours from seating to finish. Several patrons got up and left w/o eating. If you go to dinner 7 or after w/o a reservation, be prepared to wait. Unless you have a butler suite, you can't reserve a chair on the beach or by the pool, other than putting a towel down and hoping no one takes it. The butlers get up nice and early and snatch up the prime spots. One day I was so proud that I got up at dawn and snagged a beach front chair/umbrella and "reserved" it by putting some towels on the chairs ONLY to come back after breakfast and seeing that a butler had taken the spot. I could only watch from my new location 3 or 4 rows back as the butler showed her guest the reserved umbrella. The guest hugged her and told her how fabulous a location it was. :-( The two hour "reservation" limit for chairs seems not to apply to butler reservations as the butler guest may not even go to the beach until closer to noon. You may get lucky if the butler guests leave with their towels to show others they may now use them. However, I did always get a chair, just never on the front row. Not that you can't get a front row, but you have to get out early and not leave until the butlers have gone away.
All said and done, I love Sandals and Barbados and would definitely go back again!
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Date of stay: April 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If I were to go again, I would think very hard about upgrading to the butler suite so I could get...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Apr 28, 2024
It sounds like you had a mostly wonderful experience at Sandals Royal Barbados, with plenty of positives to highlight! The beautiful, well-maintained grounds, friendly staff, modern rooms, and great dining options all contributed to making your stay enjoyable. It's also fantastic to hear that you had a seamless experience with the shuttle service and enjoyed the included excursions. However, it's understandable that some minor issues detracted from your overall experience. Issues like the mildew smell from the AC, mediocre mattresses and rough linens, and difficulties with room service and restaurant wait times can certainly be frustrating. Regarding the challenge of reserving beach and pool chairs, it's disappointing to hear that non-butler guests may have difficulty securing prime spots. It seems like there might be room for improvement in ensuring fair access to these amenities for all guests. Despite these minor setbacks, it's clear that your love for Sandals and Barbados shines through. Thank you for sharing your feedback, and we hope to welcome you back for another memorable stay in the future!
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I don’t usually write reviews, but this resort has compelled me to speak up, considering the price we’ve paid to vacation here. As I write this on October 11th at 10 a.m., a Sandals employee is still cleaning the pool—hardly the level of preparation one would expect.
Room service is abysmal, with a minimum wait time of two hours. While staff are instructed to say “good morning” as you pass by, their attitude while serving at the bar suggests they would rather be anywhere else. As someone who spent 8k, I’m left feeling as though my presence is an inconvenience to them.
The bar service is plagued by long lines, slow staff, and a general lack of professionalism. Towels are a constant issue, both at the pool and in the rooms. The rooms themselves are in desperate need of refurbishment, with worn-out fixtures and rusted metal. The hot water in the shower takes forever to heat up, and even when you set the room temperature to your liking, it never stays consistent.
There is no one available to take poolside drink orders, and the pool daybeds and chairs are stained and filthy. It seems that only guests staying in the butler suites with personal attendants receive anything close to decent service.
For the extremely inflated cost to stay at Sandals Royal Barbados, the service is comparable to what you’d expect from a budget all-inclusive in Cuba or the Dominican Republic.
Having stayed at numerous resorts throughout the Caribbean and abroad, in both standard rooms and butler suites, I’ve consistently received far better service at a much lower cost. Sandals may have had a strong reputation in the past, but the decline in service, staff quality, and overall guest experience is undeniable. The once-glowing reviews from past visitors are no longer representative of the reality here.
Sandals Royal Barbados, do better.
And to Mr. Jarred Williams—spare me the canned apology. Not all of us are gullible enough to accept empty rhetoric.
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Oct 13, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in such detail. We sincerely apologize that your stay at Sandals Royal Barbados fell short of the high standards we aim to provide. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are truly sorry that your experience did not reflect the premium vacation you anticipated. We recognize that the issues you encountered, from delayed room service and lackluster bar service to the condition of the rooms and poolside amenities, are disappointing. It is especially disheartening to hear that our team members did not provide the warmth and professionalism that should be a hallmark of any Sandals resort. Rest assured, we are addressing these concerns with the appropriate teams to ensure improvements are made where needed. We are also disappointed that the overall state of the resort, including the timing of pool maintenance, did not meet your expectations. Your remarks regarding the need for room refurbishment and consistent temperature control have been noted, and we will prioritize these issues with our maintenance and housekeeping teams. You may also reach out to our Management team via our Loop system should you have any requests, concerns, or queries, as they are always happy to help in any way possible. Once again, we apologize for the inconveniences you experienced, and we thank you for providing such honest feedback. We hope you might reconsider giving Sandals another chance in the future, allowing us the opportunity to truly deliver the experience that has defined our reputation for decades.
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I got married September 6th, 2023 at the Royal Barbados location. I would love to say that it was all rainbows and unicorns, however it was not. Sorry this will be detailed. While the resort itself was beautiful, it was nothing like I remembered when I first visited back in 2019. Our wedding was small and simple, but ended up complicated and tiresome. Day 1 (Sunday) we arrive and settle in, we get a call to our room around 7pm from the weddings department saying they kept calling the wrong room, and couldn't find us. Day 2 we meet with the wedding planner. We walk through where we'd be getting married, she also escorts us to setup our sunset Catamaran cruise, the honeymoon breakfast and dinner for Thursday. Later that evening, I decide I no longer wanted the original location because sadly riff raff (dealers) are allowed to bother the vacationers. so I complained after I complained and changed location the resort started doing a better job keeping the beaches clean. Also after I was told I could get a refund for the arch I originally bought, they decided "we can't refund you", and made me use or loose the additional money. Day 3 is the wedding day, decorations wrong, my original wedding planner wasn't even working. Day 4 we have our breakfast delivered and the order was messed up, we shake it off no big deal go to a restaurant. At 1:30 we leave for the Catamaran which was awesome. When we get back to the resort we're told we missed our honeymoon dinner and it was our fault and that we should have notified them we were going to miss it? Remember I said the wedding planner escorted us to schedule this cruise, yeah. They tried to make it better once we explained what really happened by giving us a $125 credit towards pictures. They also tried to reschedule the dinner, but at this point I was fed up and just didn't want anything else from them. Day 5 (Friday), we go to see if our photos are ready around 5pm to be told we missed our appointment at 3pm that was scheduled by the wedding team, but we had no idea? Saturday they rescheduled us to view the photos. Overall, going for just a vacation, wonderful. I would never recommend a Sandals Wedding. Oh and last thing, the website says marriage certificate is received 2-4 weeks. On the resort I was told it would take 6 weeks, and that I could take a picture copy for my lawyer, nope. Still no marriage license. So I called, over the phone it can take up to 8 weeks. Honestly just do not waste your time with a wedding.
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Shawn Redhead, Owner at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Oct 28, 2023
We are truly sorry to hear about the challenges you experienced during your recent stay at Sandals Royal Barbados. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We take your feedback seriously and are committed to addressing the issues you raised. It is disheartening to hear that your wedding experience did not meet your expectations. We understand the significance of this special occasion and regret that it was marred by the difficulties you encountered. Rest assured, we will be reviewing your feedback with our team to ensure that we take the necessary steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. We are committed to continuously improving our services and making sure that every guest has a seamless and memorable experience. We understand that this experience has left you disappointed, and for that, we are truly sorry. We appreciate your feedback and hope that you will consider giving us another opportunity to exceed your expectations in the future.
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As seasonal travelers we had high expectations for our stay at Sandals Barbados. Unfortunately it was the worst experience. It was 4 couples that went so all together it cost us $20,000.00 trip for us. First we all came to celebrate a birthday and the hotel was told to decorate the birthday girls room and the decorated the other couples room. So this was the first disaster! They never explained the different rooms when booking. So we were placed in a room 10 minute walk with poorly lit lighting at night. We were lost the fist 2 days going back to room ( No drinking). There entertainment was horrible and that was only one night. They did not have any more shows. The hotel restaurants were not accompanying us as a group they kept telling us we should have reserved restaurants before coming to Hotel so we could not sit together. The rooms were unexpectable, we had to stay in a hot room the first night because the air conditioner was blowing warm air. We called front desk at least 4 times and they kept saying "they will send someone up, but no one should up. In the morning we changed the room. Every night we had to call for clean towels. The floors in the rooms were very dirty, never moped the floors and linen was dingy. Staff never brought towels to the pool, we had to search over by the beach for towels every day! The staff seemed disgruntled and engaged offering no apologizes or acknowledge during all times of our stay. Breakfast food plates outside of doors were picked up in the late evening! We made certain complaints and were told there is nothing they can do. This was the worst vacation ever! We would not go to any more sandals!
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don't waste your money!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Beron Hurst, Owner at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Oct 29, 2024
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We regret that your experience at Sandals Barbados fell short of your expectations, particularly during such a special occasion. We understand the importance of seamless service and a welcoming environment, especially when traveling with a group, and it is disappointing to hear we did not deliver this for you. Your feedback about the room assignments, condition, and response to service requests has been noted, and we will address these with our team to prevent similar issues in the future. We apologize that aspects such as room cleanliness and air conditioning did not meet our usual standards. We strive to accommodate all dining arrangements, and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused by reservation limitations. Your comments about the pool towel service, housekeeping, and overall service experience have been shared with the relevant teams to ensure improvements. Thank you again for bringing these concerns to our attention. If you have further details you would like to discuss, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team at customersupport@sandals.com. We would appreciate the chance to restore your faith in our brand.
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My wife and I have been loyal Sandals guests for nearly a decade and have always had a great time until the last couple of years and worst of all has been this resort.
It feels like the butler service is stretched between too many guests as our butlers were barely around, frequently forgot about reservations and requests, and seemed intent on leaving us to figure things out. We had made some butler requests before arrival, and were assured they were on their way on our first day, but never arrived and no follow up was given. It was a similar experience with room service with several orders placed that just never happened, and no response after calling.
We also requested pizza one afternoon and were told that Dinos was closed, even though it was almost an hour before closing. We had no issue getting it ourselves by walking over but it seemed that the team was closing up and were reluctant to make it even though there was still about 45 minutes prior to closing.
We booked a 90 minute couples massage that started about 20 minutes late and lasted only about 60 minutes due to delays and subsequent cleanup time.
We never seemed to get into dinner without extended waiting (up to an hour) and our reservation requests were mostly denied due to being fully booked or forgotten about by the butlers until they were fully booked. Alternatively, they’d just book something else without even asking or looking at our excursion itinerary. And all that would be fine if we could just book everything ourselves, but were discouraged from doing it directly without our butler. This goes for alternate dinners, spa appointments, everything. We had shared our itinerary with them at the beginning of our trip, so I’m not sure I understand why things kept getting booked overlapping, especially when we’d try to ensure they wouldn’t.
On the last night, our butler was actively discouraging us from ordering food for after our excursion as it would be close to end of service.
Only one of our days were we able to get reserved beach seats where we had requested, even though seats were available. It seemed that either our butlers forgot to write them down or were otherwise too busy to reserve them for us. It got to a point where we just gave up and told them we didn’t want seats reserved and did it ourselves.
I’d love to say this butler experience was unique, but it was incredibly similar to the experience that we had at Sandals South Coast last year as well. It’s at the point where I wish we could just get the upgraded rooms without a butler because it’s less stressful to just do everything ourselves.
We also noticed that the in room liquors seem diluted from their usual color/strength. It also seemed like drinks on the resort were significantly more watered down than they’ve been in the past.
I wanted to believe that last year’s trip was just a fluke, but after this trip, I'm not so sure. This is the first time my wife and I haven't booked our next trip on vacation because this seems to be the new normal for Sandals. We even reached out to customer support afterward to mention these items and got radio silence so... I don't think anyone is responding to those.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded Nov 8, 2023
We sincerely appreciate your loyalty and the trust you have placed in us over the years as our loyal guests. It's disheartening to hear that your recent experience did not meet the high standards you have come to expect from us. We're sorry to hear that your butler experience did not meet your expectations during your stay. Your concerns are noted and will be addressed with our team. We are sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with our liquor. We take all feedback seriously, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort caused during your stay. We wish to clarify that should any guest have any concerns they wish to address with our management team, the proper procedure would be to share them with us at customersupport@sandals.com. We are happy to assist with any concern and look forward to your email. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we are committed to making the necessary changes to ensure a better experience for our guests in the future. We would be grateful for the opportunity to regain your trust and provide you with the exceptional stay you deserve.
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We have not stayed at a Sandals Resort for nearly 20 years, the last one was in Jamaica so we thought we would give it a try and wished we hadn’t. We stayed in a Club Suite with a soak bath on the balcony and it had lovely views of the sea and pool. It was all inclusive and the package included Room service with restocked in room bar. The check in was quick and they took us to our room and showed us around the resort and it was nice, it was large and well set out. The resort is huge, it’s two separate hotels that have been joined together to create a very large resort. The location and beach are amazing and there are lots of large pool areas spread across the resort and over 20 restaurants. There are so many things that need to be improved at this resort. It’s far too big and they really need more staff. At the weekend it gets even busier and is full of very loud groups of Americans, they obviously come down for extended weekends. Sandals used to be a couples, five star holiday but it’s not anymore. The main improvement the hotel needs to do is employ more staff or take less guests, we had to wait sometimes nearly an hour for a table for dinner and you also have to queue and wait at breakfast and lunchtime. A lot of the restaurants are lovely and the food good but many are just average. When I questioned why we had to wait so long for a table when there were plenty free we were told they can only handle so many guests. I don’t expect to wait an hour for a table when it’s a five star resort.
Even the bars need more staff, many have just one server and there are lots of people waiting, it just seems crazy.
We had what was supposed to be premium spirits in our room but they put the cheapest spirits in the room, I didn’t even touch them.
The worst thing about the holiday is the fact that in order to get a sun bed on the beach or round the pool you need to be up by 6am every morning. The first morning we got up at 7.30am and when we looked for a sun bed on the beach they had all gone, many reserved by The Butlers for their guests. It was crazy, we saw the Butlers at 6am every morning reserve many of the sun beds. We did manage to get a sun bed but it meant being on the beach before 6am every morning to reserve before the butlers. That does not make for a relaxing holiday.
All in all, Barbados is amazing and the resort is great but I would not stay in a Sandals resort again, it seems to have gone downhill and when you pay as much as you do you expect so much more.
Many of the things can be fixed by employing more staff and by stop reserving all the sun beds for the butler guest.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jarrid Williams, Other at Sandals Royal Barbados
Responded May 19, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your recent stay at Sandals Royal Barbados. We sincerely apologize that your experience did not meet your expectations, especially after such a long time since your last visit. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the views from your Club Suite, the quick check-in process, and the overall layout and location of the resort. However, we are very concerned about the issues you encountered during your stay. Your comments regarding the staffing levels, long waits for dining, and difficulties in securing sun beds are particularly troubling. We understand how these issues can significantly impact your vacation experience. We are actively reviewing our staffing levels and operational procedures to ensure that all guests receive the high level of service they expect and deserve. Regarding the sunbed reservation issue, we are currently revisiting our policies to ensure a more equitable system for all guests. The early morning rush and preferential reserving by butlers are practices we are looking to address immediately. We are also sorry to hear about your disappointment with the in-room spirits and the overall dining experience. We strive to maintain high standards in all aspects of our service, and your feedback will help us improve. We will be reviewing our food and beverage offerings to ensure they meet the premium-quality standards our guests expect. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we truly appreciate you bringing these matters to our attention. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future and provide you with the exceptional experience that Sandals Resorts is known for.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We also took a private car to the resort, which you can purchase for an additional cost, we only waited about 15 minutes upon arrival for our suite. It was very beneficial and well worth the price, round trip. Otherwise, you have to wait for the Sandals bus and all the guests to have their bags loaded before departure to the resort.
Pick a different resort, this one is a joke and run by incompetent management who do not manage staff accordingly.
The poor service and attitude you get is something you’d sadly experience at a 2-3K price point resort, shouldn’t happen at the price you pay for Sandals.
Was there Oct 2024
There are more places to choose from in the Oistins area.
PRICE RANGE
C$1,056 - C$1,751 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
CaribbeanBarbadosChrist Church ParishOistins
NUMBER OF ROOMS
338
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Are there any historical sites close to Sandals Royal Barbados?
Many travellers enjoy visiting George Washington House (5.1 km), Garrison Savannah - Barbados Turf Club (4.7 km), and Gun Hill Signal Station (7.8 km).