TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Overall, hubby and I enjoyed our stay at the resort. Apart from a few glitches, we had a great experience at both of the Sandals resorts in Barbados. The good definitely outweighed the bad. Previously, we've also stayed at the Sandals resorts in Jamaica and St. Lucia. Here are the pros of the Barbados locations: *Both Barbados locations are literally right next to each other, so we didn't have to take a shuttle to get to the other location. It actually felt like one big resort and gave us direct access to more restaurants and other amenities. *Kudos to the dining options. We especially enjoyed Kimono's, Pariseanne, the dessert/cafe shops, and Green House. Thele Tavern had an amazing breakfast buffet. Kudos to the omelet chef! *The room decor was amazing and very modern. We had a great ocean view. *The night time entertainment topped the other Sandals locations we've visited in the past. We especially enjoyed Marsala's stage performance. Kudos to the dj at the Lovers Lane bowling alley/lounge! *A majority of the resort's staff was amazing, welcoming, and accommodating. Any issues we had were quickly rectified. Here are the cons: *The excessive seaweed on the beach *Hubby saw a roach in the closet of our room *Took us almost 24 hours to get clean face cloths. I think the resort ran out because they provide newly arrived guests with cool wet face cloths. *Our check-in to our was delayed because our room wasn't ready. We had to wait almost 2 hours after arrival to get in our room. Lots of other arriving guests had to wait. Words of advice if you visit: *If you want a poolside lounge chair with an umbrella, claim your spot early, as in 6:30 a.m. early. *Wear waterproof shoes on the beach and in the ocean due to the seaweed. *For off-site excursions: most definitely do the fish fry in Ostinis, the jeep tour, the cave tour, and shopping tour (we did all of our shopping at the stores; they have duty free). The US dollar is very strong in Barbados ($1 US for every $2 Barbadian dollars). We took a pass on the street vendors; we didn't want the hassle of haggling with them. *Some of the restaurants are reservation-only and have a dress code. *A shuttle is provided to take you from and to the airport. Allow 3 hours from the time your flight leaves Barbados. The luggage check-in line was astronomical. *The infinity pool on the Sandals Royal Barbados side is more of a "party atmosphere" so you may want to go to the pool on the other side if you want a more quiet poolside experience.

We stayed here 6/22 - 6/28/24 for our 20th anniversary. We stayed by the main party pool club level. Everything started good. By day 1 we learned the staff is rude and mean. If you ask for a drink you are bothering them. No menus at bars so I complained. We paid for a candle light dinner after being rained on at the beach and 3 hours into our dinner WE NEVER GOT OUR DINNER! The absolute worst. I was promised a refund and I'm still waiting 25 days later. The roof top bar would close 30 to 40 minutes early if there were not many people. Restaurants are hard to book, yet they are completely EMPTY inside. Half of the restaurants are completely empty, no workers. The liquor is extremely watered down. Service at restaurants took about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, which is why you won't get inside SLOW! The first second I walked on the beach (which is public) you are immediately asked if you want to buy "White or Green" endlessly. Sorry I don't do coke. Gross! By day 3 (after tipping the maid) we never got cleaning service again. Yep no towels to wash up, no toilet paper, dirty floors in rooms. Complained to manager. They don't care. Good luck. My husband was injured on the property by a nail in the ground, there is endless constructions by the main party pool area. The nightlife was awful. Shows are boring and lack everything. Bowling alley was always closed or some reason or another. The only way you will get good service is being FORCED TO TIP! Otherwise good luck. You have been warned do not go to Sandals Royal Barbados. Enjoy the pictures for proof.

I am writing this review to express our disappointment with our stay at Sandals Royal Barbados. We got married on July 5th and were extremely excited to head down on July 8th for our honeymoon. We stayed for 9 days, returning last night on July 17th. This was our first Sandals experience. In our mind, we wanted to make this a potential once and a lifetime trip going to a luxurious 5 star resort. It saddens me that I have to write this as I never do this and the fact that I had to do this after spending the amount of money that we did and following our honeymoon, which should have been the best experience we have ever had. Throughout the trip, this was a common trend with all the people that we met. Talking about how terrible the resort experience was. 1. The pools were extremely dirty We never saw any staff upkeeping the pools. There was debris all over the pools, it was visibly murky water. 2. Towels at the pools Often, it was impossible to find/replace your beach towel. Most nights we took home our towels from the day before to ensure we would have a towel the following day to use. 2. Music around the resort When we first got there, there was no music around the resort. It was very odd and quiet. Some of the couples we met had brought our their speaker to have some background music. 3. Lack of bartenders The bars had maybe one bartender for the day. You had to wait quite long to be served. At times, there was entertainment staff or waitresses helping out but did not know how to make drinks. We had to settle for "easier" drinks just to get a drink. Guests were coaching bartenders on how to make certain drinks. 4. Late night at the Irish Pub There were nights that would have absolutely no bartenders. Many people waiting at an empty bar. At one point, a guest had gone over the bar to serve guests because no one was serving. There were staff lingering around, but they were not bartenders. They would be standing at times at the bar but would not check in with the people at the bar waiting unless they were called over... 5. Room Service When ordering room service, we were told 30-1 hour and it would come 2-2.5 hours later 6. Walk in reservations If you did not go when the restaurant first opens for dinner you are waiting well over an hour to be seated. Once you are seated you are waiting over an hour for your meal 7. Restaurant service You would get your appetizers fairly quickly, but your main meal took about an hour to come. 8. Late night snacks The Irish Pub is where everyone would go for late night snacks/drinks. With many nights of lack of staff it was an extremely long wait. At times we opted out to not eat because of the lack of assistance and long wait time. 9. Entertainment There were things on the schedule that did not occur throughout the week. For example, we had met a few other couples and had met at Lundy's Lane for the late night DJ experience which was written at 10pm on the schedule. This never occurred. We waited and waited for it to start, and it never did. 10. Birthdays My husband and I shared our birthdays on this trip. I had identified that when I checked in. I was told by other couples what other Sandals has done for them on their birthdays, we did not get any recognition. 11. Room smell Our room smelt very old/musty/moldy Needless to say, this is unacceptable for a 5 star resort that my husband and I spent $10,000 on. We have saved up for this trip following our wedding and truly thought of it as a once and a lifetime trip. It was very disappointing to hear other couples who have gone to many other Sandals tell us that the experience at Sandals Royal Barbados was well below par, an experience they have never had before at a Sandals.

**Sandals Barbados Review** As seasoned travelers and loyal patrons of Sandals Resorts, we had high expectations for our stay at Sandals Barbados. Unfortunately, our experience fell significantly short of the standards we’ve come to expect. Firstly, we were disappointed to find no pool towels available, which was quite inconvenient. The staff seemed disgruntled and unengaged, offering no apologies or acknowledgment during wait times. This was particularly frustrating given the extreme long wait times we faced, compounded by the closure of several restaurants. We waited over 30 mins at one restaurant that had no reservations, only for them to cut the line off stating they were not taking in more and would need to add us in tomorrow. He then called us the next day to cancel, stating they were closing without explanation. We were further disappointed by the lack of basic amenities at outside events, such as water, and the poorly lit walkways at night, which posed a safety concern. Our experience with the entertainment points was also frustrating. After winning points at the pool playing games, we were initially told the points would be added to our room account, only to be informed later that we needed to accumulate more points for them to count. The condition of our room upon arrival was unacceptable. It was dirty, with food on the table and hair in the shower. Despite multiple promises from the staff, it was never serviced, and we ended up cleaning it ourselves. Additionally, food left outside for pickup remained there for several hours, detracting from the resort’s cleanliness and appeal. This was our fourth vacation with Sandals, and unfortunately, it was by far the worst experience we’ve had. We hope that Sandals Barbados can address these issues to meet the high standards typically associated with the Sandals brand. Regards, Megs

Amazing trip!!! Took an island tour with the great Captain Larry service did not disappoint. Drinks were plentiful sky top pool restraint and bar were amazing. We enjoyed all of the food and restaurants. And those signature drinks wow just wow get 3 of each!!!