Loved it

Beautiful grounds and beach-our penthouse butler suite was huge-had a great view of the ocean and the infinitely pool -the food was good and would highly recommend the Bombay restaurant-the hotel staff was wonderful- very friendly, accommodating and helpful

Amazing Resort(s): Sandals Royal & Sandals Barbados

We stayed at the Royal Barbados for 7 days in mid August 2023. The Royal resort is right next to Sandals Barbados so in fact two resorts in one, that was fabulous given so many restaurants to go and try, and every one of them are gourmet like (Indian one is the BEST). The morning breakfast buffet is yum yum yum!!!! We found the beach to be stunning, just the right mix of open beach for full sun exposure, and palm trees for some needed shade. The main Royal pool was incredible and the daily [... read more] entertainment & team;top notch (so much fun). The rooms at the Royal are very comfortable (although there are no free munchies in the room, have to buy them, other chains like RIU & Secrets do have munchies), the shower is heavenly and king size bed so so comfortable. The service by the Sandals staff is top notch, very friendly and will go out of their way to service your every wish, a smile every day, they are the main reason why this Sandals is a 5 star resort. The Royal also has a bowling ally which is super cool and great to use if it rains during the day. I loved that there were two gyms, which have updated equipment and not too busy, and a place called Heart & Soul for smoothies, small snacks or healthy lunches. There are areas where Royal Sandals can improve so that to ensure it maintains their 5 star rating (and I will say they are 5 stars no doubts): 1) Towels at the pool are not always available, ugh!! 2) not all restaurants take reservations which means a potential 30 min wait time, 3) Being a "Club" Member, I didn't feel that I was a "club member" for the extra cost, the Secrets Resorts have "preferred" which you can buy and they ensure you always have towels, get preferred access to restaurants, and their check in process is better than Royal Sandals 4) Royal has a donut shop - we went there three times (at different times during the day) and the donuts were not that fresh 5) Royal Beach House Shop - the wait times are excessive to buy just munchies, and 6) the nightly entertainment is no where as good as RIU and Secrets, both of them have Cirque du Soleil type of entertainment versus just singing at the Royal, it should be noted that the White Party / silent party at the Royal was awesome on Wednesday nights. Overall though, we had a great trip and feel relaxed. Trip Central was awesome to work with and are 1000% better than using Air Canada Vacations.

Vacation from hell

Here is a breakdown of what our holiday was in Sandals Barbados It started when West Jet ( we were in Premium) rand out of hot breakfast. All they had was fruit. We had to wait for our luggage for 1 hours at the Barbados airport – our bags were tagged premium – should have come off first. Got to the hotel and they gave us a room at the back of the hotel by the stage. We booked Oceanview and there was none. We even asked the club level person to see if he could see the ocean and he [... read more] could not. We asked about why no Oceanview and they said they were full. They we not. That night we could not sleep do to the music on the stage right by our room. Next day we complained and the supervisor told us they could give us a room in the other Sandals, not the royal, but it would be with a butler and would cost us 3100.00 USD more. We finally settled on 2200.00 uSD. – Still this is wrong. We also wasted 3 days complaining. Butlers were useless, we got our own chairs by the pool each morning. The swim up pool was closed due to water and then one day the whole pool bar was closed due to electrical problems. This meant you had to go and get your own drinks at another bar . When you were in the pool by the swim up bar there was an awful smell of sewage. First restaurant we went to , recommended by the butler was schooners. When we got there at 6:30 we were seated and there were only 2 others couples in the restaurant. We ordered in about 10 minutes. We received our appetizers in amount 15 minutes, then we waiting for 1 hour and still not food, other people came in and got there food before us. Finally called the butler as no one in the restaurant would give us an answer, all employees did was roll their eyes at you as if you were a burden to them. 1 ½ hours later our food came just as the butler came to the restaurant , food was cold, even got the butler to feel it. We went to bed with no food. Next restaurant was Bombay , my husband had a beer in a glass that broken in his hand and mashed all over the table and myself. Glass was all on the table, we used our napkins and the table next to us gave us their napkins to clean up the beer. No employee came to help us. They just brought us our dinner and placed it on the table on top of the glass. We complained for 4 days and finally Barbara ( Manager of Customer Services) said she would credit us the 2200.00 USD for all the problem when had. I believe this is still unacceptable for a sandals resort. We paid 10 thousand for one week of hell. Please reach our to west jet and sandals and explain all of this . This was the vacation from hell and you know we have been places before that were great and cost less money. Also the extra we paid for the lounge at the Barbados airport – All they had was cookies, chips, and sandwiches that had the smallest tuna on the bread you have every seen. This was a waste of money too. Joanne

Trip of a lifetime!

We visited sandals Royal Barbados for our honeymoon from Nov, 22-29. From start to finish the trip was unbelievable… we didn’t want to leave. Everyone that works at this resort goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to make you feel like welcome and happy. The food was incredible, there is nothing we ate during the 7 days that we didn’t enjoy. The resort was HUGE, very well maintained, luxurious no matter what type of room or area you were in. This was worth every single dollar we spent. The beach was be [... read more]autiful, warm water, no seaweed while we were there. We are obsessed with Sandals resorts now and can’t wait to book another vacation. I don’t know how anyone could visit sandals Barbados and not have the time of there life.

Lovely resort for all ages

It was a typical Sandals Resort - this was our 4th. Airport transfer was quick & efficient.We did not have butler service as we find them intrusive. Club Level was perfect. Room was modern, clean, spacious and well appointed. The grounds were very well maintained daily and were lush and in full bloom. Beautifully lit up in the evening. Variety of pools for different interests eg. quiet vs full of activites. Beach was disappointing - not very long and full of reserved cabanas. Unfortunately seaw [... read more]eed was a problem but out of the resort's control.Restaurants & food were very good. Our favourite was Chi. Several employees were outstanding but most seemed disinterested in service or a smile.Nightly entertainment was so-so. Some cute amenities as Sweet & Salty Donut Shop and Cafe de Paris.

Wouldn’t go again - a disappointment!

Selection of food was good but invariably warm when delivered with one or two exceptions. Large number of restaurants but limited seating in most. Reservations required at five but although we tried to make reservations the morning after a late arrival, the best we could get was 5:30 p.m. we were told to be on time as they would only hold the table for 10 mins. Arrived promptly at two to find the door locked! Wouldn’t let us in one as the manager hadn’t arrived,when we did get in we’re to [... read more]ld we were at the wrong restaurant as they have two restaurants with the same name!! Couldn’t make sense of the reason to not let us in at the second restaurant. The one booking we had for 6:00p.m. was a disaster as the table for four (large round table) was in the entrance to the main dining area. The chairs were so low they had to supply booster cushions to enable us to reach the table. After some exchange we were seated elsewhere. Dress code required at some restaurants but not applied so taking dress shirt and pants a waste. The room was comfortable but getting the right towels and facecloths was a challenge. The handbasins were one long trough without a stopper. Good to avoid spills but awkward to wash one’s face under a running faucet. Overall, not what I expect from Sandals

Sandals Royal Barbados

Overall nice resort, friendly hospitality, a lot of amenities with adjoining Sandals Barbados. Ample loungers around pools & beach at any time of day. Twenty restaurants on site. Staff too busy to justify club concierge upgrade costs. Many cellular antennas / IT equipment on site and surrounding area that may interfere with sleeping depending on room location and sensitivity.

Sandals Barbados - Very Good COVID protocols

We spent a week at Royal Barbados and the cleaning protocols and mask wearing requirements were very good. Staff were constantly cleaning touch points and all staff were wearing masks and some wore gloves. Guests were asked to wear masks around the resort also. It was windy the week we were there so the beach wasn’t as pleasant and the waves were rough. The restaurants eee hood and each guest had to sanitize before they went in. We really enjoyed the Bombay and Chi restaurants.  [... read more]Great food and friendly staff. Our butlers were excellent - Stephen - Shamara and Romerias. Very accommodating and Professinal. Of note - Some of the bar staff and others were not as friendly as you would expect from at a Sandals. Perhaps it’s the stress of working in COVID times - I don’t know. We have been to 10 Sandals. Jamaica SouthCoast still ranks number 1 with us. Royal Barbados is beautiful we felt safe and it was very clean but some of the staff weren’t inviting. Good trip - enjoyable week

Best Honeymoon Ever!

This was such a stunning Resort! Very clean and everyone speaks English and are very helpful! My hubby and me had a swim-up room and it was stunning our swim up room only had sun in the morning but that’s okay because there are so many pools to hangout at! I personally loved the roof top! You get more sun and the water is a little cooler! The food was amazing and we didn’t get sick at all!

Most memorable Sandals experience with amazing butlers!

My husband and I just got back from 10 days here. We stayed in Wahoo building (#7), 4th floor Butler suite, which is 2 buildings away from the beach and overlooking the infinity pool with partial ocean view. Our butlers Crystal S., Archiebald and Abigail made this our most favourite Sandals experience so far...what a great team they are; they took the time to learn what we liked, left special treats in our room, surprised us with a wonderful private lunch on our anniversary, and were just such f [... read more]riendly and lovely people who really put extra effort to ensure their guests have the best time possible. We ate at virtually every restaurant, going next door to the original Sandals for some meals and drinks, and enjoyed every meal! There aren't really any downsides to mention, other than the sea has some seaweed and mushy sand and not much of a walkout, but the beach itself is nice powdery sand. All the staff are polite and friendly, and it's obvious that this Sandals is run exceptionally well. The room was lovely and still looked almost new, as the resort is just over a year old (I think?) and it had plenty of closet space and the largest shower I've ever seen. A plus in our suite was that you can close sliding doors to the bedroom section if one person wants to watch TV late or wakes early. This is our third Sandals /Beaches experience and so far, the best...largely due to the quality of the staff but also because of the lovely grounds and facilities.

Needs to improve customer service

A nice property, frustration starts when you register to find out all the specialty restaurants are all booked for the time we like, really, for 10 days? We did after complaining get some reservations, food was just ok...impossible to get a beach chair as all are covered with towels even though they may not be occupied. We heard butlers arrive at 5 am to fight for the best chairs for their clients. After 10 am apparently it’s a free for all. Food was just ok, entertainment 1 hour nightly...ove [... read more]rall, disappointing.

Incredible Vacation !!

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Sandals Royal Barbados. We have never been to a Sandals resort nor have we been to Barbados although we have traveled extensively all inclusive . Everything about our trip was amazing. The resort is only 15 minutes from the airport which makes a huge difference when you've been travelling all day. We had been looking to find a hotel chain over the years that offered us everything we wanted. And Sandals delivered. All of the staff were incredibl [... read more]y welcoming and lovely. We had the Butler swim up suite. Our butlers were excellent. We had Kwame and Stephen. They were professional and friendly and catered to our every need. The weather in Barbados was beautiful. The weather report said we'd get rain all week which was a bummer however when it rained it was only for a few minutes which actually cooled everything off since it was hot. We love the heat so we didn't mind. The restaurants were wonderful. We ate at each restaurant . The Merry Monkey was a lovely British pub that offered wonderful ciders and a great selection of pub food. We ate at Kimonos where the chef came to our table and entertained us while he cooked a delicious Asian dinner. My husband hates fish and I don't eat any meat. Every restaurant had choices that we were both happy with which is difficult sometimes at home. An awesome addition was was Dinos Pizza. I've never had pizza that delicious before. We also loved the rooftop pool. There is a bar and the view is unreal. We could see the landscape of Barbados while sipping a cocktail in the pool. All of the staff were helpful and attentive. I went to the spa and had Itasha who was wonderful. I had a hot stone massage which I would recommend to anyone . It's worth it. Because we were on our honeymoon we had a candlelight dinner on the beach. It was amazing to sit right next to the ocean with delicious food and the waves lapped beside us. Our dinner was fantastic. The layout of the resort was great as well. Everything was just seconds away. We have been to other resorts and found in some cases you had to walk a longer distance just to get a coffee or a drink. It was like a mini village where everything you need was just a step away. The water sports were fun. We went kayaking multiple times and it's included in the cost of your trip. Other resorts we've been to would offer water sports, but at an additional cost. It's all included which was great. We have now decided that Sandals is our go to place for all of our vacations.

Will definitely return!

We travelled to Sandals for a girls' getaway and it was great! They are definitely still trying to work out the kinks but for the most part - the service was OK. I found the staff to be reactive - not pro-active. Not a huge issue but this does distinguish this resort from other Sandals properties. Unfortunately, we were unable to go in the ocean because of the seaweed - this meant that everyone was at the pool leaving no where for us... those with butlers were able to secure pool side chairs  [... read more]the rest of us were out of luck. The food at the restaurants we were able to try - was fantastic!!!! Unfortunately, we were not told to make reservations at the time of booking and were unable to try all the restaurants we wanted. Overall our experience was excellent and we hope to be back!

Absolutely beautiful resort

What an amazing resort, the grounds, the people, the food. There was nothing to complain about...a little hiccup with the chair availability at the two main pools, all chairs were reserved by the butlers, which I do understand, if you pay for a butler and your want a spot at the pool, then yes they should be able to reserve a spot but not a spot at the pool and the beach. I think if they had more chairs at both pools then that would solve a lot of the issues. Our second week they were working  [... read more]hard at putting extra chairs, umbrellas and cabana's at the beach. Kim Hartlen was the absolute best, having our travel agent with us to resolve any issues (if there was any) makes the trip that much more relaxing. She go's over and above for her clients. The little extra touches, coffee at the airport when we arrived, along with a goodie bag of snacks, travel mugs etc. Making sure all her clients are accounted for before heading to the resort, the private check in with our own bar and snacks as most of us were starving when we arrived. The generous gifts and extra special touches she gave out to each and everyone of her clients weather it was their first, fourth or tenth trip with her group, our private cocktail party, the sweet dreams, booking of restaurants....I could go on forever as I said she goes over and above and doesn't forget a thing. Can't wait till the 2019 reveal. Can't wait to return to this amazing resort.

Sandals Royal Barbados

We found this property disappointing compared to Grande St. Lucia and Beaches Turks & Caicos. The off property diving was part of it and the professionalism of dive staff did not seem as high as the other two resorts and the dive sites we went to were somewhat disappointing. One of the issues that needs to be dealt with is the ratio of butler rooms to others. We needed to be at the Oceanside pool by 4:30 am to get a seat. The procession of butlers in late morning/early afternoon offering [... read more] cold towels and fruit kebobs to butler guests while ignoring others we felt bordered on being rude. We travelled with the group organized by Kim Hartlen and this was definitely the high point of the trip. Our friends initial room was a construction zone and Kim was able to get them moved. I don't think this would have happened as easily had Kim not been there. We look forward to future trips with Kim! The food was another positive - every meal we had was excellent.

Sandals Royal Barbados Amazing

We travelled for a week with the Kim Hartlen Group and cannot say enough about an amazing week we had. Kim does a fantastic job arranging the trips and goes the extra mile for everyone. Sandals Royal Barbados is a beautiful resort from the staff, the grounds and the food. The staff was helpful and friendly. Lots of choices for restaurants was great. So many options and all the restaurants we tried the food was fantastic. The bowling alley is a wonderful addition. Lots of pool options to rela [... read more]x and enjoy the sunshine.

Beautiful resort

the plantation around the resort was awesome , the pools were fun and the meals were great the bowling alley was a special treat the resort was not that big to get around , with in a day you can find everything you need and more

Awesome vacation.

Sandals Royal Barbados is an amazing hotel. We enjoyed the dining experience in all of the restaurants. The food was amazing. We also enjoyed the pools & the bars.The staff that works in this hotel are incredible. They go above & beyond in making us feel at home. The only complaint I had is the ocean, the seaweed & the sand fleas. I was looking forward to swimming in the ocean but this did not happen due to the seaweed & the rough waves. That is no fault of the hotel however. I am wondering if t [... read more]here is a way to cut down on the seaweed as I have never seen the seaweed so thick. Also I would like to see more lawn chairs with umbrellas. We really enjoyed our hotel room - it was perfect. We enjoyed being part of the Kim Hartlen group. I found Kim to be the best travel agent I have ever dealt with. She goes above & beyond for her clients & you can really tell that she loves her job & loves working with her clients.This was an amazing retirement trip for me. I enjoyed every moment.I would definitely revisit this hotel.Thank you. Doris & Tim White

Exceeded Expectations

Just returned from a fantastic week at Sandals Royal Barbados,after a minor delay due to weather we arrived at our destination.The planning that was prepared prior to our arrival made the transferring to the resort flawless,when we arrived we were treated extremely well and were off to our room along with assistance of Sandals staff.After getting settled we were off to explore,we enjoyed great service food was awesome,weather was fantastic and the rooms were well appointed with lots of room to e [... read more]njoy a bath in the soaker tub.When you have the opportunity to stay at a new resort it’s always spectacular,this is our 5th stay with Sandals and already booked for October all I can say is great staff along with great quality and the bowling was a lot of fun.

Amazing resort

The resort was simply beautiful. Nice beach and able to enjoy the water. Beach not your thing, not a problem 5 large pools to enjoy. Staff are wonderful. There were so many choices of amazing restaurants. Our favourite was Bombay. Don't forget to use the spa. The steam room is so refreshing. Would give this resort a 5 plus