After an exceptional stay last year, our return to The Sands was a major disappointment. Across the buffet, Noir, and dinner, all proteins were overcooked, dry, and tough, and drink servers vanished for the second half of our trip. From check-in to check-out, staff were dismissive, disrespectful, and distracted by their phones. While we love Barbados and enjoyed local gems like the Worthington Food Court and Beans and Bagel, we will never return to The Sands.

Spent 7 nights at the Sands. May 2026 Right from the warm and personal welcoming upon arrival, the stay was fabulous. Highly recommend this resort very clean and well maintained, wonderful staff. alwats friendly and available at all times. Rooms are very spacious , loved the separate living space from bedroom, spacious balcony. Food was great, with lots of variety , rotating from ala carte to buffet for lunch and dinner, afternoon barbecues. Would definitely vacation here again was sad to leave. Special shout out to Ricardo ( jack of all trades) you needed anything he was the man!

The resort is just the right size if your looking for pool, restaurant and ocean all within sight and do not want long walks to reach any of them. The food was excellent switching between buffet and a la carte for lunch and dinner. Plenty of drink options and the bar tenders always willing to help you make a choice. One particular bartender, Gregory stood out and always had a smile, made suggestions and joked with us daily. It felt really nice going to bar and having someone great you like an old friend. 5 stars to Gregory. Also Ricardo, who seemed to be everywhere doing everything. Man with many hats, and doing it all with a smile and enthusiastic attitude. He would literally seek us out to make sure we had everything we needed. The beach is small, but we had no issues with it other than not being able to take long walks. Rooms were great, we had 2 levels with a small kitchenette and living room and bedroom and bathroom upstairs with a large balcony. Trip from airport to hotel is only 20 minutes, which was awesome. All in all, we totally enjoyed our stay.

Generally well kept and clean. Beach was not very big and was unusable till around 9.00 a.m. because of the tide. Had to beg the beach staff to put umbrellas up for us on one occasion after sweltering in the sun for 2hrs. Food was repetitive at the buffet and little choice. Noir, the a la carte was ok. Nightly entertainment was good. Biggest disappointment was the attitude of a lot of the staff. A lot of eye rolling at what we thought were straight forward requests. Many of the other guests had the same experience. We made the best of it but would not return here.There are a lot of other minor things i did not like about this resort but the main downfalls were the staff and beach.

After spending weeks researching various resorts, reviews and different sites, all the negative reviews were wrong and the positive reviews were spot on. This resort was amazing, clean, service was great, the staff were very nice and friendly and always willing to help. This resort was perfectly located within close walking distance to St Lawrence Gap (excellent night life and restaurants) and a short cab ride to downtown Bridgetown with excellent shopping and close to Savvy on the Bay for daily excursions and beaches. The Rooms were very nice, decent size and nice balconies. Restaurant, bar, pool, beach are all very close and easily accessible. Our flight was delayed for 5 hours and the hotel was very helpful in allowing us to remain in our for the day. The food was good, decent options, not a huge selection for more than enough. Short commute from the airport which was nice as well. Beach was very sandy, no rocks, no sea weed and the water was clear. I would highly recommend the Sands Barbados.

Small intimate resort. On the plus side the location is good.Close to the Gap,bus routes, and a couple beautiful beaches.Nice beach fronting the property. The meals were a mix of buffetts and A la carte that were very good. Never any issues getting recliners at the beach or around the pool. Bar service was adequate, with a nice surprise of some premium brands. The room was a little bit tired, however lots of space. These are converted from condos. Problem with this the air conditioning only worked in the bedroom. This needs to be ratified.

A welcoming atmosphere with a 5 star hotel staff. Service and performance were prompt, courteous, helpful, respectful and friendly. Families members, young and old who were visiting, were laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.

We recently stayed at The Sands Barbados and truly enjoyed our week-long vacation. It’s a quaint, smaller resort with a cozy, family-oriented vibe — a refreshing contrast to the larger, noisier chain hotels. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, yet the resort still made a strong effort to entertain guests, with just enough activity to feel lively without being overwhelming. One of the highlights was the location. The resort is perfectly situated, just steps away from a variety of local dining options, beach bars, and of course, beautiful beaches. The island itself felt very safe — we had no concerns leaving the resort at night to explore the area, which added a nice layer of freedom and comfort to our trip. The rooms were spacious, clean, and well-maintained. While the air conditioning was only available in the bedrooms, the rest of the suite remained comfortable throughout our stay. It was a great layout for a family vacation. The food at the resort was generally good, though we would have appreciated a bit more variety in local Bajan cuisine to really get a taste of the island. There are two on-site restaurants. One is casual and accessible daily, while the other is a rooftop fine dining experience — elegant but with some limitations. You can only dine there once per stay, and the dress code is quite strict (no sneakers, sandals, t-shirts; long pants and dress shoes required for men). Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend since the guys in our group didn’t pack dress shoes. Also, children under 12 are not permitted, which is worth noting for families. The beach area at the resort is small, and the water was a bit rough during our stay. We learned this is due to the location, as certain parts of the island have stronger surf. Still, it was nice to have direct beach access and enjoy the views and ocean breeze. All in all, our experience at The Sands was a great one — the stay was easy, relaxing, and memorable. If you're looking for a low-key, charming resort with a touch of local charm and close access to everything you need, this is a great choice.

Had a great week at The Sands. Food and drinks were excellent as was the staff. The room was nice and clean and the beach is beautiful. They had a seaweed issue when we were there but did what they could cleaning it off the beach which is no easy task. We would definitely return.

We liked the fact that the hotel is not huge like some of the other Carribean resorts. It is clean, classy, the staff is wonderfull and and the food and beverages are good. The rooms are large and ours was renovated in the last few yeras. The location is great too, not far from the airport and close to Bridgetown. The beach is white and cleaned from seaweed when needeed. We were hoping it would be a longer walking beach, but you can't have it all! There were always enought beach chairs. The entertaiment at night is also very good. Sweet Caroline every night!

Signature room 30 was not very nice to put it lightly. We were happily moved to room 80 after 3 days and it was wonderful ! The grounds eating area were very nice. It was fantastic eating by the water daily with a gorgeous view of the ocean! The staff were amazing ! The food was excellent.

We will start by saying it was a great trip. The only issue we had was when we got there they told us that we were upgrade to a loft, we didn’t want a loft because the only room with air conditioning was the bedroom and this is why we chose a regular hotel room. They accommodated our request for a regular room which was ready at 5 pm the following day. Once we were able to go up to the room we noticed that the air conditioner was leaking down the wall and we had a puddle of water on the floor. We had to have drama to get that repaired. Then the next day are room didn’t get cleaned until 6pm, we couldn’t even shower for dinner. We ended contacting the Air Canada representative and she actually told me that there wasn’t anything she could do other than contacting the hotel. On the third day we actually started to relax and finally start having some fun. The rooms are in need of upgrades and repair. The food was incredibly amazing, I would give that a 5+ but I would give the room a 2.5 to 3.

The Hotel grounds is beautiful. Nice welcoming entrance. I really enjoyed the self check in, great wi-fi connection, Christmas decorations were amazing as well. The ground washrooms were well maintained and cleaned throughout my stay. If, you are looking for a relaxing vacation with friendly people ,family friendly and a beautiful view of the Caribbean ocean this is it.

The Sands is a small resort, with easy access to everything, including the beach. The beach is nice soft sand and allows for about 3 lounges deep. The beach was not long and in order to get a good beach walk you had to enter the ocean and swim to get past some coral then emerge back onto the beach. Not an issue for us, but could be for elderly or people with young children. The food was top notch for an all-inclusive. Most days were a la carte with only a breakfast and a couple lunch & dinners as buffet throughout the week. Only complaint on the dining, and this is really a personal complaint. You had to schedule/book lunch & dinner. I live my life by the clock at home and when on vacation would prefer to do what I want when I want. I understand their reasoning, it's a small resort with limited space and so planning makes it easier, but this was a negative for me. During our stay, Barbados was amidst a heat wave. Air conditioning is only available in the bedroom throughout the whole resort while it worked great there, it was a bit uncomfortable some days while eating. Drinks were great! Again the best I've had at an all-inclusive. Staff was always happy, friendly and smiling with the exception of the beach/pool water sports crew. Lots to explore outside of the resort and felt relatively safe while doing so. Common sense will take you a long way!

Great location! Great people and food! Always trying to make your stay better. Helpful with information on how to get around to sightseeing areas. Very safe! From the front desk to the restaurant….. staff always helpful. Visited Barbados 39 years ago and although much has changed, still a beautiful, welcoming place.

Staff was excellent. Very friendly and extremely helpful. Food and drinks were great. White sand beach, warm clear water. Location is central, very convenient. Smaller hotel- which we liked. We had a ground floor room with patio with view of pool area and could see ocean. Room was large with fridge and small kitchenette. Bathroom was very small- would be difficult to maneuver for larger people. Overall had a great stay at this hotel and felt we got excellent vacation for price we paid.

My fiance and I spent 4 nights at the resort and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It was clean, comfortable and the food and service was good. The staff were especially friendly, always smiling and always accommodating. Beach was clean and water was beautiful.

We recently returned from the sands hotel. I had read reviews so I was a little concerned at first. Upon arrival the resort was small in comparison to resorts we had stayed at in the past. We were pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed the small resort. It felt like we were one big family during our stay. The resort was very clean and the grounds were kept well maintained. We had no complaints on the food there was a good selection. There was always chairs at the beach for us. My girls are 18 and 22 and they enjoyed themselves even though most guests were older. If you are looking for a huge party atmosphere this isn’t your place but if you want to relax and reconnect as a couple or family this is your resort. There was a grocery store right in front of the hotel if you needed anything extra and a pharmacy a few minutes walk away. You could jump on the bus and go visit a different beach for a couple of hours or just stay at the resort. I felt very safe here and my girls weren’t bothered by any locals. Overall a great holiday. Thanks to Kevin

It was a small resort, all inclusive meals and drinks. Friendly. Courteous and helpful staff - always checking to ensure stay was comfortable. Our room was on 3rd floor, apartment like, with a small kitchenette, dining and living room on one floor, stairs lead to a bedroom with one queen bed and full bathroom - which was only room with air conditioning. Room overlooked back alleyway, no pool/garden view as listed. Offered choices for meals, lunch and dinner alternated from menu to buffet; breakfast was buffet style with option to order omelettes. Beach was clean, provided lounge chairs, umbrellas and towels. Overall was a very nice unit.

Amazing staff, service was fantastic from every one of them. Food was was very tasty and nicely presented. Beach was awesome and the resorts sunbed policy was so appreciated No getting up at the crack of dawn to reserve. Rooms are lovely and well appointed. The only complaint that I have is that in the suites with a separate bedroom, only the bedroom is air conditioned. That made the main living area unbearably hot, especially for those rooms that face south or west and there is no t.v. in the bedroom.

Everything about this hotel was amazing. The staff, the food, the amenities, even the other guests! We had the best holiday ever. The island is so beautiful. The nightlife is great for reggae dancing.

We have stayed in a lot of resorts over the years, this is definitely one of the best. Great people, fantastic food, beautiful beach, easy swimming, fish and turtles for snorkeling. Couldn’t ask for much more!

Hotel generally was clean but small. The check in process is basically a “self check in” one where you have to enter info on your phone. Resort is smaller with one main restaurant/buffet with a 2nd more fine dining open 3 nights a we week. Food was good for the most part but the level service definitely needs to improve. It felt like there was no service manager oversight.

Great stay. Surroundings, beach, pool, St Lawrence gap next door. Commodities nearby. Staff at hotel, bar and restaurant very kind and great service. Would go back anytime. Gourmet restaurant a must try for all visitors

We paid for the 1 bedroom garden suite because we wanted to put the infant crib in the living area for uninterrupted naps/sleep, none were available so they "upgraded" us to a 2 bedroom suite which was not kid-friendly as there were very steep stairs. They locked the 2nd bedroom, stating we would have to pay to have it unlocked. I informed the CS rep we paid for a 1 bedroom suite as the floorplan was listed online and we knew that we could safely place the crib in the living room area. We couldn't leave the crib on the ground floor of this 2-bedroom suite. After explaining this the CS rep still insisted we will have to pay to unlock the 2nd bedroom. The CS rep then said "in Barbados kids usually sleep in the same room as the parents"... excuse me, what does this have to do we me being a paying customer at The Sands!?! After insisting that we either need the 2nd room unlocked or put us in a 1 bedroom suite that we paid for one suddenly became available but needed to be cleaned. Note, the a/c is only in the bedroom and the rest of the suite gets very hot unless you turn the a/c fan speed up and the temperature down. Review of the room: *The bedroom was clean, the a/c worked well and the bed was comfortable * It was a struggle to get clean linens, especially towels. We needed to call room service multiple times and usually, they never brought what we asked for. Ask for two washcloths and get one. * The kitchen area was dirty for 4 of the 7 days we were there and a sewage smell developed. This was only resolved after we met the on-call manager who asked us how was our stay. I told her to go check our room right away. * Toiletries were never replenished unless we asked *** Summary housekeeping was poor and needed better training**** Review of the main restaurant * The food was excellent and had an adequate variety * The food was NEVER ready when the restaurant opened! Traveling with an infant meals and sleep times are very important and our daughter was never able to have to sit down for dinner at the restaurant because the opening time was stated at 6 PM but the food wasn't ready (even on nights where it was a buffet) until 6:45 PM. Being late once is acceptable, but being consistently late is not. * the bar opens at 10 AM so no mimosas for breakfast. * The staff spent more time standing around chatting and on their cellphones and it usually required us to wave them down for simple things like a water refill * The bar staff was excellent and ran an efficient operation Review of the grounds * The pool was excellent, well maintained, clean, and adequate seating was provided * The sea was beautiful and at the mercy of mother nature In summary, this hotel charges like a 5 star yet despite being on the newer side, operates like a 3.5 star. The staff is in need of a customer service training refresher, especially the check-in, housekeeping, and wait staff at the restaurant. Better time management is required. If you provide three meals a day and state that you are open from X-Y then be ready to serve and X time

The resort is well maintained and clean. Food was better than expected. Staff is wonderful and very helpful. Noir was okay. Beach is not maintained enough. Beaches south coast, off the resort were better for swimming. Thank you Isabel for your assistance when I had medical concerns. This resort is a solid 3-3.5 star. This resort is not a party resort, mostly mature crowd. Masks are strongly encouraged but really not enforced. Watch out for the rum punch! Lol

Very clean friendly small hotel. Beach was beautiful and water warm . Turtles right out front to the left of the resort most mornings. Always plenty of sun beds. Food was excellent quality. If you want 100’s of things to choose from this is not the hotel for you. Always a nice selection of food and well presented. Room saver rooms are small but very clean and comfortable , if you want a balcony and water view pay for it. We loved the small hotel vibe. Sister hotel was nice to visit for the day, Mango Bay.

The beach was everything I expected and more. The people were exceptional. The rooms were clean. The food was great. The drinks were strong. We were updated to a studio loft which was with 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms and 2 floors. The only thing was that we were only able to use one washroom and one bedroom, but the view from the balcony was amazing. It is an all inclusive resort. They offered breakfast, lunch, tea time and dinner. If you were hungry at other times, you would ask for what you needed. My only real complaint was at breakfast, you had to enter a time for lunch and dinner. I am not particularly great with having a schedule on vacation. The location is in walking distance to Accra Beach and The Gap. It felt safe to walk.