Overall, we had a nice relaxing time at the resort. Only one of the hot tubs was heated and most of the restaurants served mediocre food. None of the pools were heated...in fact they were quite cold. We did enjoy the private island and the food at Baccarat was enjoyable.
Awesome service. Entertaining workers friendly staff. Couple resort has 2 main pools a couple of hot tubs. Party pool and relaxing pool for both types of moods. Great food and dinners. Playmaker team was great! The other island across from sandals resort was also very beautiful and quiet with many areas to sit. Water was beautiful. Such nice scenery and they have a great gym on their 6th floor penthouse level with an awesome view. Def worth seeing. Also this is all inclusive. Drinks were so good too. Goombay smash. Sky juice. Mudslides.
While the resort is lovely, and the private island is fantastic, the service/management wasn't great. My wife and I booked a last minute trip for our 10 year anniversary (which happens to be Feb 13). When we arrived, we tried to book some of the "reservations required" restaurants, but they were already booked up. Since our stay was only 3 nights, it felt like we were put at the bottom of their priority list. They didn't go out of their way at all to accommodate us. It was just "sorry, everything's booked". And when they said that they would investigate and call us late, they never did. I always had to call back.
Also, since we bought a package, they knew what time we would be leaving (6pm) and yet made no effort whatsoever to accomodate a late check out. They just asked us to leave at 11am. When I asked, they said "as a courtesy" they would let us stay until noon (why didn't they just do that from the beginning?), and anything later would cost $50. We were fine with the $50, but again, they said they were booked and would call back to let us know. Guess what...they never did. I had to call myself just to find out that they couldn't do anything for us. Like...nothing. I can think of any number of things they could have done (e.g. provided a shower to use so that we could spend the afternoon on the beach, suggested a dryer so we woudn't have to pack wet clothes, directed us to a change room that wasn't a toilet etc.) but they did nothing. Anyway, we had a great time, and I'm nitpicking here, but given the price we paid, I did expect it to feel luxurious but it definitely did not. My advice: if you're not planning on booking the more expensive rooms, and staying more than 3 days, don't expect to dine in any of the nicer restaurants, and don't expect "luxury included".
Hard to justify returning to this location and paying for the high daily & all-inclusive costs when prompt service was mediocre, rooms old worn-down and outdated, outside infrastructure crumbling, and food & drink quality inconsistent every-other day. Even shared some of these concerns with front desk and persons whom appeared to be management.
Standard rooms and bathrooms non-luxurious whatsoever. More like 3 star instead of 5. Our room in particular (#310) on the old Windsor side of resort had cracks in the tile floors, ceiling patched up from a previous leak, bathroom sinks cracked and separated between faucet and bowl, shower faucet and controls splitting and cracking from the tiling, flooded bathroom and malfunctioning toilet.
One shouldn t have to remind room service or front desk 3-4-5 times that something needs to be fixed, done or completed for us. Room service was negligent to restock our refrigerator with complimentary beer and water. Sandals was forgetful to deliver our room with complimentary wine, liquor, and champagne for our honeymoon celebration. Likewise didn t want to honor our 1 time complimentary room service breakfast either until we continued reminding them after our third day. Some employees were very nice, helpful, and prompt. Others meanwhile needed an attitude adjustment and get out of the hospitality service / resort industry. Room service and maintenance was mostly incompetent. One day toilet overflowed, and maintenance didn't bother cleaning up flooded floors and bathroom. Thanks?
If you like to drink, then this is the place for you, but some bar tenders have no business pouring drinks, as everything inconsistent day to day. Food portions very small, likely to cut down on food waste & costs. (Only 1 small crab cake per large plate?) For the price of my vacation and one who wants a good filling meal, I d expect much more hearty food & plate sizes. Food was just okay. After a couple days, my stomach wasn t in agreement with what I had been eating and digesting for the entire week. I ll spare the details. . Tip For one person, order multiple appetizers, and 1 or 2 entrees to get your moneys worth at each meal. Also shouldn t have to ask for water & drink refills minutes after the glass goes dry. Even though there are 10 or so restaurants on the property, all food and menus seemed to be from same provider, and prepared similarly. There is very little uniqueness or difference. Best good meal we had was a candlelight dinner, which we spent $199 for, and the chocolate/ sweets bar delivered every Wednesday night.
The photos and renderings of the resort & beaches you may see on google images are misleading. There are no forests or postcard-looking natural beach shorelines anywhere next to the resort, which I was expecting! Instead beaches too small, and too many people. Beware of sea urchins, jelly fish, and contracting swimmers itch if you do any wading on the back side of the island, Sandal s Cay. Last, the local jet skiers who drive past the resort have no regard for navigation safety, and are reckless. Surprised of no fatalities yet......
Conclusion Was it a great and fun vacation? Yes, and we had a great time! Did I get my moneys worth considering the state of the room, mediocre food & service and other week s events? No and you will get more for the value elsewhere. Would I visit this same location again even after my honest & thorough review was taken into consideration with hope for improvements in the future? No. But I would give Sandal s another try at one of its other island or more remote locations for a future vacation.
Absolutely the worst service ever experienced in the restaurants(apart from kimonos), slow, inhospitable and slow again, up to 45 minute wait on mains most nights with no apologies. The saving grace was the other staff were all very nice and the views are out of this world, but the bad service every night after having great days on the beach was irredeemable.
Wow! Love it! Great pools! Bar! And an Island too! Great place to relax
Out island is fantastic. Service was greatly improved over last year.
Our trip was awesome! We watched Benry each day and he was so dedicated, hard working, and such a polite young man, an asset to your staff. Also, a server named Tori was so accommodating, hard working, and polite. There was a server at Spices that served us our first meal named Teddie, she was so helpful, polite, and a great server. That night outside of Spices there was a show with limbo, a brass marching band, and a fire show, all were great and the emcees of the show, Peter, James, Patrick, Kiki, and Zoie, all were magnificent. There was a bartender Quintin that was great too, very accommodating and friendly. Queen Bee and Colin checked us in and they were so helpful, friendly and fun! We had a great experience and would definitely recommend this resort.
Much better than expected. Best things in the all inclusive deal were free ride to their private island, kayak, snorkeling and access to multiple high quality restaurants. Gordon s was our favorite. The Grill was the least favorite due to long wait and slow service. But be prepared to make your dinner reservations in advance to a void lines.
Staff were friendly except for a few that seems like didn t give sh*t. Rooms were cleaned twice daily! Easy access on their shuttle to and from airport. Much recommend this place!
I stayed in the Royal Village. The room was fine for the little amount of time I spent in it. The beaches were amazing, I spent everyday beneath their umbrellas with drinks from one of the nearby bars. The staff were very friendly, helpful, and quickly delivered drinks. The restaurants were better than I expected with Baccarat and Kimonos being standouts.
The all inclusive aspect was amazing. Also no children allowed greatly improved the trip.
The one negative was the bugs on the private island. In the evening the sandfly's come out. I went for dinner on the island and in thirty minutes I was bitten several hundred times. Avoid the private island at night.
Good food for all inclusive and very friendly staff
Just got home from our honeymoon at sandals royal Bahamian. Let me start by saying we had a great time and nothing was going to ruin the week for us, however we expected so much more from Sandals. The butler service was amazing they go above and beyond for you. The island is beautiful, the food is great, and drinks even better. But some bad news that unfortunately would keep us from returning. $50 was stolen from our room, rooms are not cleaned well, honeymoon suite is not as pictured, bathrooms in room were gross, and I wouldn t say all exclusive unless all you plan on doing is beach and pool otherwise you will spend over $500 on excursions. Overall if I had to give my own rating in my experience here it would be 3 out 5
Good service, but you need a butler or you don't get full experience. Bueatiful place, people are friendly, but guests can be rude. Also make sure you join and purchase oceanfront room otherwise view is not that good. Lots of pools, and bars everywhere so you want run low on alcohol. Although the alcohol didn't have much of a kick. Island is great when not crowded, you can swim and have lunch plus snorkeling and spa on island. Boat ride about 1 every hour, takes about 8 minutes. Had dinner at Gordan's over the water with an amazing sunset. Resort Downside, roaches were in my room, could not sleep well for checking room for bugs, could not get room service without butler, could not get reservations without butler. You can still get food, but not at the nicest restaurants. Other places are 5 to 30 minute wait. People smoking in most areas outside. Guest services did not do a good job explaining what you were getting for the money, got told several times that doesn't come with your room when requesting services. Went during a Bahamian holiday so there was great entertainment on and off property. Off property real good.
Nice 5 Star Hotel. Would stay again. Our room came with a heated swim up pool and excellent Butler Service. Kyra and Chrisnell took great care of us exceeding our expectations. They are an asset to the Sandals Resort. Also the food was fabulous.
This place is amazing! Everyone is so friendly and they try to fulfill every request you have in a timely manner. We had a butler Balmoral suite on the fifth floor facing the ocean. The view was spectacular! Our three butlers were Ailyn, Leon, and Shakera. They were the BEST! We loved them. Very special people! They made our stay so memorable and happy! There was never a lack of things to do. Going out to the island was so fun! It never felt crowded and the swimming/snorkling was wonderful. Every night you could go to a different restaurant and enjoy great food! The lobster out on the island was my favorite! Sandals really knows how to take care of you and provide a wonderful vacation experience! October 15 - 22, 2017
This was our second visit to Sandals Royal Bahamian. We had a great time.
Our butlers Denver, Sean & Zhaly helped make our stay relaxing and stress free.
We went there last week for our honeymoon and I couldn t have been happier. I was weary about food maybe not being great, but I was wrong, every restarting we went to was excellent. Everything is very well kept and maintained. And, last but not least, I have never been more impressed by staff anywhere. Every encounter with I had with an employee was great. Really, every local person I interacted with was great. I will definitely be going back!
The advertising of this hotel, for which we pay more than it is worth, is misleading.
All your photos are enhanced in order to fascinate the likely guest.
The cleanliness in the rooms leaves much to be desired and when you are looking for a person in charge, none appears.
The shade on the beach is not abundant and to get an umbrella you have to get up at 6:00 am to reserve it, leaving your towel and / or some book.
There is only one bathroom for pool users, so I venture to say that not all use it.
Food is so-so.
I have little experience in "all inclusive" hotels, but I know that this is the one that tried the least to make me spend a relaxing vacation.
Live your own experience although I do not recommend it.
Happy Holidays!
Awful experience, food was terrible, drinks were terrible. Not a place you hope to visit for your honeymoon. All I wanted was cold drinks out of a pineapple or coconut and all you can get is something out of a hot plastic cup. They advertise all this different food with different restaurants, but it's all from the same kitchens and not at all good. We went across the street for Subway and Burger King. The staff was friendly and the rooms were semi clean. They have staff picking up bags of seaweed everyday off the shore. I would never go back! We booked 5 days and paid $200 to go home a day early :(
Lovely place with excellent service and fantastic food options.
Its a very nice resort. The service is a little slow but we're in Bahamas so it's kind of expected. Overall food could have been better but they have all the top shelf booze so there's that.
Such a great place for couples! My wife and I really enjoyed the resort, employees, entertainment, food, service, excursions, beach, island, and the atmosphere. We would definitely return to this resort!
Beautiful place but if something goes wrong you will not be compensated...
Our 5 day vacation turned into a 3 day vacation because they couldn't get us in our room that we paid for on the beach side. Bounced from room to room for 2 days. Pack and unpack. Offered us 250.00 hotel credit on a 6000.00 trip. What a joke
Editing my previously positive review. The food is good. The room is clean. The beach is okay. If there is a breeze blowing the Sandals island closes. There are no jet skis. If it's windy water activities are not available. There are not enough seats to accommodate everyone without Sandals island being open.... But the that will make your vacation disappointing is that almost EVERY time you ask for anything (a drink, from a bartender... ketchup, from a server...what time the gift shop opens, from a concierge...etc) you will feel as though you've horribly inconvenienced and disrupted that person's day.
The room was great as is the ocean. The service could be better and the food is so-so.
Loved it, the Butler service is over rated. They were very nice. The extra expense to save a few chairs or make on property dinner reservations didn't make sense. Maybe we didn't know what to do with them. They didn't offer to do anything else either so the value was not their for us. In their defense our reservation was last minute. Been eyeing Sandals for a long time. I think a better experience is possible
Service was very good!! Lacation too .. and the island . I havent words for the island.. i love it.. i will come again..
Sandals Royal Bahamian:
I want to start by saying this is our second trip to a Sandals resort and it seems it may be our last. Our first trip was to Sandals Emerald Bay and it was 5 star all the way, but that has not been the case here at Sandals Royal Bahamian.
To start off our first day on our honeymoon by coming into our Windsor Oceanview Penthouse Club Level Jr. Suite . Please don t be fooled by this eloquently written description of the room. We were on the top floor and we could see the ocean but we were not directly facing the ocean and the majority of the view was of an alley that neighbors the resort with constant traffic and locals yelling at each other. On the other side of the alley is a dilapidated pink building that you wouldn t expect to be part of your Oceanview penthouse Jr. Suite .
The service has been the most disappointing part of the experience so far. To start, we ordered room service because we were waiting on our bags. They told us 40 min or less, after an hour I called and they said there was some sort of delay and brought up our food- COLD!!!! Then each time we went to check out a bar and get a drink, the bartenders weren t very welcoming, 2 different bars were out of mint, one ran out of red wine, and when we went to have a late night snack at the Royal Theater, no one would acknowledge us. I had to get up to ask a waitress how I could order and she started yelling for another waitress. While we sat for 45 min waiting for our food, we saw so many others with the same issue. We saw them bring someone s food out and set it at the end of the bar and sat for about 20 min. When we asked if our food was up yet they said oh here s yours and slid the food that was sitting toward me. I was livid to think that was ok!! For a resort that just had a viral outbreak in AUG., they seem pretty careless with food.
The Grounds are far less clean than our previous sandals experience. Sandals Royal Bahamian is a very tightly packed resort with restaurant on top of restaurant on top of pool. There is very little usable beach area outside the island off the main resort and we couldn t make it but 5 on to the beach without being solicited by local vendors. There s construction going on, a restaurant that is closed down and neither were listed on their site or sent in an email.
We went to this resort for Easter week 2015. Within a couple of days I had a severe case of food poisoning. I was so violently sick I missed most of the reunion week activities due to being stuck in the bedroom. I had such severe stomach cramps I was in so much pain. The nurse was horribly rude and the management had to intervene numerous times. The nurse at one point called me and told me to go to the hospital to give a stool sample to "prove" I had food poisoning......never in my life have I heard of that being necessary, and certainly I was not keen on leaving the room as I was not able to be more than two feet from the bathroom. My husband also experienced a more minor case of the food poisoning and was sick for an entire night.
Our butler service was sub par and they were never around to help. They do not even bother with the bare minimum. It is not worth the money or time to visit this outdated and poorly kept resort. The food (when not giving you violent illness) is just ok. It is nothing to write home about and certainly not any better than a regular everyday restaurant.
The pools have slipper tile around the sides and my husband slipped and fell on one of the tiles. We called over and over again on our butler phone for ice and to find out options for medical care as it was our last night there and we were leaving in the morning. However, NO ONE answered our butler phone the entire day and night. We later learned no one was assigned to us that day. Horrible service and horrible planning on their part. The nurse did not answer. That was not shocking at all. My husband decided he could handle the pain and we would wait till he got home as he was disgusted at this point by the horrific vacation and care of the staff. We got home and I immediately took him to urgent care where we learned his ankle was broken. He met with a surgeon a couple of days later who confirmed it was not only broken, but, it was also fractured in another location and a piece of cartilage was broken off. He may require surgery and is in an air cast. We have endured numerous bills due to this and he can't drive due to it being his right leg. Sandals asked for all medical documents, pictures, etc. and just informed us that they won't do anything since it was not reported to them. Funny thing is if they looked at the butler phone log they would see we called probably 20 or 30 times that day- I had to seek out a housekeeper to locate ice for his extremely swollen ankle. There were numerous witnesses to his fall at the pool (including those who we have contact info) and including the rude staff members who worked the DJ music who laughed when my husband fell and did NOT offer any assistance. To say I am disgusted by the response of Sandals is an understatement.
If this is how you treat butler level guests I would hate to see the treatment of those in lesser rooms. The lack of compassion your staff has to a person who slips and falls to the nurse who was down right disgusting with her rude phone calls to me makes me wonder how you stay in business.
We were offered a minor amount of money towards another vacation with them IF we took down our reviews....no thanks....a couple of free nights at your resort isn't worth it to us.....rather have the public know exactly what it is like at your resorts.....
Lovely resort. Has everything you can need! Rooms are very great and lots of restaurants choices!
I ll be back here at Sandals for the amazing diving y all provide! I could not be more satisfied with the crew and atmosphere they provided while scuba diving! They are well organized and have a great work ethic. I will miss my boys! Damien with those beautiful curls, cool shades Ramon, sweet smiling Sam, Friendly Sonny that s so caring, and Nelson the bubble master! y all guys stay safe and we will see y all again soon!
So We arrived at sandals, Early June 30th at 8.A.M. We get told we can roam around the resort Freely, Have Breakfast/Lunch with out any issues.
I called once a week to ask for early check in, Due to our flight landing so early. No luck, Not the end of the world.
We eat a nice breakfast, and wonder around the resort. We walk on one of the beaches, and the security Guard stops us. He asks for our room key to prove we are guests there. I explained to him we do not have our room key, but here is my itinerary. It is not enough for the guy he demands we walk around the resort, to the front desk.
I got extremely upset, But listen to my girlfriend. We walk around the resort, through a extremely sketchy all. Almost being hit by a car, only to be hassled by the front desk. Finally we are allowed back on the premises, and check into our room at 2. We go to sleep, enjoy the next day. Food is great just small portions, With a Decent waiting time.
The entertainment team is hands down amazing, and the water is gorgeous.
The 3rd day we wake up to a new water feature in our room, the pipes busted. ( I am attempting to upload a video) I walked down to the front desk, and tell them I need a new room. I explain the situation, so they ask me to go back to my room. So I do that and wait. Eventually we get Two "engineers " to come look at the ceiling. Then a manager, The manager tells us. We will get you a new room, just start packing up your things. We do just that, Then the two "engineers" come back and start working on the room before we checked out. Cutting the ceiling, arguing back and fourth. I finally had enough and grabs our luggage and started walking to the front desk.
The manager we have been dealing with, Catches us right before we leave the building. He said if we would have waited in our room, They would have brought our bags to the new room for us. Which would have been fine if the two guys were not in their working on the restroom.
We get our new room and its even further from the water then the first room, I asked why can't we just have the same distance as the first one. This is all they had left. We then get a call to go down to the main office and talk to the Main Manager on staff. She offered to comp us 150$ for the trouble, 150$ for clothing have water poured on it, For a entire morning ruined.
Overall the issues out-weighted the good, We have a horrible taste in our mouth with sandals. I wouldn't go back to one. The building was extremely dated, the staff is friendly. Long wait times at some restaurants, Small portions. Strong drinks, Extremely small beach on the main island.
I will say the entertainment team is absolutely great, Ian, Que, Zoey, and Peter are amazing at there jobs.
The live shows nightly are great. I really wanted to like sandals since it is all inclusive.
We had an 8 day stay. The resort is beautiful and the room for our club level walk out was nice. Not fancy but nice. We enjoyed plenty of good food and drinks. They offer activities on the resort but there is not a lot to see off the resort. The staff might have been the best part!
Stayed 6 nights for our son's wedding. Very poor service, unfriendly staff, and just did not live up to the Sandals reputation. I could go on and on, but will just state that Sandals is extremely high priced and does not deliver the friendly service that we have experienced at much cheaper resorts. Other resorts that we have stayed in, the staff is genuinely happy to serve you, and go out of their way to assist. Perhaps it is due to the Sandals staff not permitted to accept tips, that the service is so poor??? Not positive, but had a great time anyway, despite the disappointing sub-par "5 star" resort.
09/03/2020
Sandals-
In addition to a formal in-person complaint, while at the resort, this is the third time I am contacting customer service. During our stay in October 2019, we experienced terrible service. Prior to our departure, we spoke with the management team at the regarding this issue. We were was told that we would hear back regarding compensation, after an investigation was completed, but we have not heard one thing regarding the status. After an extended period of time, I submitted an electronic query regarding the matter and was told the investigation was still ongoing.
Overall, we have not been shown the courtesy, nor respect we deserve. During our stay we experienced the worst service; our Sandals experience was subpar to say the least! I brought brought down eight (8) other people (group code SG19135914), which brought your resort nearly 15,000 dollars. Now, adding insult to injury, I (we) are have not been shown the courtesy of closure.
Edward Bryant
We went on our honeymoon one year ago to Sandals in Grenada. It was top notch food and service. We loved it so much that for our one year anniversary last week we went to this Sandals expecting the same level of service and were nothing but disappointed. One day the maid took all the dirty towels and didn t leave clean ones. Called the desk in our building five or six times and no one would answer. Had to walk downstairs to speak to someone in person to ask for towels. One hour later still no towels. Called downstairs and still no one would answer. Walked back down....explained it again. Waited an hour....still no towels. Finally I went to the main front desk very upset and got towels delivered to our room in fifteen minutes. There were other examples of when we d call downstairs and no one would answer the phone! The private island was our favorite part but besides that...this Sandals is FAR FROM 5 stars!!!!!! Also wish there were bar chairs at each pool bar on the dry side of the bar.....just like in Grenada. We definitely won t be back to this Sandals and based off of listening to other couples complain all weekend, I know a lot of people feel the same way we did!
Property should be renamed to Indulge because that's what we did. This all inclusive vacation was amazing and honestly we can't wait to go back. The food isn't anything to write home about but certainly satisfactory. The staff are so friendly and made everyone feel like a VIP. The private island was superb. We went almost every day to snorkel with the sea turtles. We also partook in the couple massage and was completely dreamy. When are trip was coming to an end and we were boarding our shuttle to take us to the airport, i felt like i was doing the walk of shame because i didn't want to leave.
absolutely a beautiful resort....food was superb...room and grounds kept clean....drinks were fantastic however bartender staff are very slow ..however we did get drinks on the beach and around the pool as some peeps said were lacking...we had no issues with service...always friendly and smiling
Italian restaurant was amazing ...antipasto bar the best I've seen...Gordons on the pier was another fav...tenderloin was melt in your mouth delicious....pizza bar was fantastic
only thing about this Sandals is no coffee / desert bar ...in comparison to other 5* that have this...too bad really missed this...
really enjoyed this resort and more so the private island...pool ...restaurant and the beach is amazing...worth going to this resort for this alone...
well the scuba diving too...the best dive staff and really appreciated all safety procedures.
Shout out to Nelsen...knows his stuff ...really enjoyed the dives particularly the shark dive...very impressive...cant thank you enough brother
I would definitely come back here again...
People are nice service is terrible. 10-15 minute wait every time for a drink from the bar. It is a management problem. Sorely understaffed.
This Sandals resort was AMAZING! My Husband and I went for our Honeymoon back in October and had an amazing time. The privet island is pretty cool. You can take snorkeling lessons on the privet island but we just bought our own mask and snorkel from the gift shop and saw a bunch of colorful fish on our own. You'll need to go a little further out then the on the shore. We went to the rope - that tells you not to go out any further and we saw sea turtles and beautiful fish. The best part about this place is the food. it has about 7 different restaurants on the island and I will have to say Spices Restaurant was MY FAVORITE. We ate there almost every day. I gave this post a 4 star for a few reasons. First, when we arrived they said our room was not ready, which was fine but when they promised us a room for us to change in they never came through to get us to change. We had to walk around in our airport clothes (looking totally out of place) and it was hot. Considering we came from D.C. Where it was cold we were in long selves and pants. We were able to go get our bathing suits from our bags and change in the bathroom and go to lunch. We were able to check in 3 hours later, but after that we were fine. The pool bar at the Privet Island took a while to get the bartenders attention to get a drink, we were sitting there on a bar stool for a good 5-7 minutes be fore we had to wave to get someones attention, the water sports where a little pricey, 1 restaurant was closed while we where there and I felt some drinks at the bar were more juice and ice then alcohol but Everything else was amazing. THE SERVICE WAS GREAT!!!!!! Everyone had such a wonderful attitude who worked on the resort but then again who wouldn't if you live next to clear water and sunny beaches. Also its really close to down town and that was really fun to go shopping at and check out all the local shops but it closes pretty early so make sure you go down town in the early afternoon or morning. I will definitely be back.
We chose Sandals Royal Bahamian for our honeymoon. This being my husbands first time out of the country and first all inclusive, we had our hopes up high for a great stay! Upon arriving on a Monday, we get settled in our room, after waiting almost an hour in the lobby for someone to show us to our room, and head down to the pool. My husband then goes to the bar, waiting in line for almost 15 minutes to get to the bar and ask for a beer, they state they are all out of beer. So he asks for a mixed drink instead. Then goes back to the bar after no one coming up to us sitting around the pool, has to wait in line again and asks for the same mixed drink, this time they are now out of that kind of liquor. The bartenders never seemed happy to serve us, never having a smile on their face. This is how our first couple days went! We were ready to leave and ready for a refund, but we gave it another day. Thank goodness for the great entertainment staff! Our final day before we departed, we made it out to the private island which was a great experience! The bar staff was entertaining and friendly! Always making sure you had a drink in hand and we re having a great time!
We would not go back to this Sandals.
Schooners restaurant has an awful restaurant manager by the name of Yvonne. She spoke rudely to us and when we told her that we were unhappy about the way she spoke to us she argued and then walked away from our table. While she the manager was rude....her line staff waitress Garrenique was humbly apologetic for the experience we had. Truly, I would recommend the restaurant but this manager needs to be transferred to the back kitchen or fired for terrible customer service.
This is a must visit while in the Bahamas. Very beautiful beach.
This place is simply amazing, if you write a bad review you're simply a douche. Great food, drinks, an awesome atmosphere. It's an island so expect shoreline and water, lots of water. Be careful of taxi drivers trying to get you a trip anywhere, it's a set up. 20 bucks now and later ya get ya money back, nope . Don't do it lol. If ya want to have a good time, come here. You'll never have it so good. Only thing I wouldn't do, candle lot dinner on the beach. Wind , sand , food not a good combination. Great experience already booked out next trip,
AVERAGE. We are at Sandals Royal Bahamian now and are finding what is supposed to be a 5 star resort, just average. We arrived on a Wednesday only to find that the A La Carte restaurants are all booked up and can t book until Saturday at 8 am when the reservations reset for the week. If you don t book a butler suite you re on your own for reservations. The food quality is average. The menu items are very limited and the buffets are boring. Same old stuff. Some of the staff are very friendly while others are going thru the motions on service. We had to call 3 times in one night to get a bottle of wine and wine glasses delivered and we have bar service in our room. The room is tired and worn down. Definitely don t think we ll return to any Sandals property anytime soon.
Of the Sandals resorts we have been to, this one was not our favorite. Food was fantastic, and our room was very nice, but it is in the middle of hustle and bustle of Nassau so you don't feel as private as other locations. We also didn't always experience the usual level of service we expect from Sandals, like impatient/uncaring bartenders, lax housekeeping services, and unhelpful Club Sandals concierge. We enjoyed ourselves but will probably not return to this particular resort.
Our very first Sandals experience. 39 year old couple from Texas. Stayed 4 days in mid July.
Con s:
No convenience
No quick food/snacks available. Everything is a restaurant that you have to wait to be seated in, have certain attire on for and the service takes forever.
If you want the pizza by the beach, order it an hour before you want it.
No descent food options after 10
Coffee is either never available or always being brewed, not sure which is true but either way you ll be lucky to find some.
No snacks available anywhere. Nowhere to just go grab a bag of chips to whatever. The club level lounge was just a couple cookies (that they were usually out of) and a thing of hot water to make tea.
Mini bar is supposed to be restocked every day but that only happened once for us.
Very structured and limited on what you can eat and when.
Everything takes forever, 2hr wait for room service. Nobody on the staff is in hurry to service you. But they all apologize for the wait.
Always out of stuff or things are broken so they can t make something. And this was a very slow few days we were there.
Facilities are older and dated
1 out of 5 employees were friendly, the rest really didn t seem too care much for the patrons.
If you re someone who enjoys night time activities, go somewhere else. Everything shuts down early other than the Pub and it s lame.
Very old crowd/clientele. We are both 39 and saw only 1 or 2 other couples that may have been younger than us.
Spa is ridiculously overpriced and then they try to sell you on a bunch of products at the end.
Club level is a joke. They never answered when we called and closed at like 9 every night.
Check-in process was infuriating. We d been traveling for 8.5 hours and just wanted to get food and get to the beach. When we got to the resort they had us group our bags together and told us the bellman would bring them to our rooms while we went through the check-in process. So we go sit on these couches with some severely watered down drinks and go through some 30min spiel. We finally get all signed in, get to our room and there is no luggage. Now we can t change to get on with our day, we don t know how long it will be before it gets here so do we stay and wait? Order room service? Go to a restaurant and waste time that could be spent on the beach? 30 min, and several calls, later still no luggage. We go back down stairs and ours is still sitting by the curb, just ours, waiting to brought to us. So we grab it and take it upstairs to get changed.
Pro s: beautiful views, pools were great, beach was nice but small. The private island was awesome, however it s only half theirs as the other half belongs to the Hyatt.
Overall:
The feeling we got is that they got us here and got our money, now they want to give us as little as possible and don t really care if we like it or not. What can we do? We ve already paid.
In a million years, and even if it was free, I would never come back here. Ever.
Resort is nice and the private island is better for some peace and non commercial time away. Service is very very slow , disorganized , people seem like they hate their jobs with a few exceptions. Room we booked was to be unobstructed ocean view but we could only see palm trees and the pool. No alcohol in room as promised and when it came only a few items . We booked the Balymore club level honeymoon suite . Also went on a Sandals catamaran ride to green cay and sand cat and witnessed several female guests appear drugged and barely able to stand just after a few drinks . Not worth the money or effort to enjoy the beautify of the island .
I can't say enough wonderful things about Sandals Royal Bahamian. LOVED the food ,atmosphere & the Staff. As a Travel Agent, knowing that I can send my clients here and they'll be taken care of is wonderful peace of mind !
Out of the sandals resorts I've been to this has been my least favorite. Constantly have to ask room service for items like soap and coffee bags. The beach smells like sewer. Great scenery. They have 1/2 a private island, the other half is for cruise guests only. Wear pants if you dine on the island in the evening, you WILL be eaten alive by bugs if your not prepared.
I went to the beach with crystal clear water, drink a very good cocktail at the bar. Highly recommended
Being pregnant and having Celiac disease makes it hard for me to travel, but Sandals Royal Bahamian was a culinary paradise for me. All I had to do was go into the restaurant there, tell them I have Celiac disease, and the waiter or waitress would have the chef come and talk to me. The chef would ask me what I wanted and would bring me whatever I was craving. They would make gluten free cakes for me and send me gluten free snacks to my room. I didn't get sick once. Their private island was super fun and I had a great time snorkeling. The whole experience was relaxing, romantic, and fun. I enjoyed the week there very much.
The only thing we liked about our honeymoon was the private island! Couples massages on the beach on the island were amazing and taking the boat there daily was awesome. Not exactly private since another resort owns 2/3 of it, but it was cool and spacious. The drinks were good and a strong pour in the mixed drinks. Our biggest problem was the food! It was not good. Portions were fine but the quality was not 5 stars! Also not being able to get a dinner reservation till 8 pm or later was a major inconvenience. Because we were eating dinner so late by the late afternoon we were starving and dying for a snack. They had no snacks available! The only food we liked was the breakfast buffet. Not very big into seafood so our options were kind of limited. Staff was nice, but another thing we didn t like was how small the beach was! Two huge pool was overkill because the beach was tiny and crowded! Also the surf was pretty strong with an undertow current. Not the best for swimming, but the island was much more serene than the main resort beach.
This is an update. As Sandals reached out to me sort of. After reading my negative review. It was clearly just for show on Google. Cause that all they did. Never heard back after that. Go elsewhere. Dont waste your time and money here. They don't value customers.
It was great. Service was excellent, rooms were clean and the ocean is amazing. Three restaurants are hard to get into without Butler service, but all the restaurants are excellent
Have been 3 times each time we have been has got better with little improvements every time making all the difference to lovely holiday. We renewed our wedding vows for our 25th on or 2nd visit .it was a lovely day maid by lovely staff .the offshore island is great. The food is 5 star . Will be back on day
Apparently SLOW and EXPENSIVE spells quality?!?! Not in my book.
We like Royal Bahamian resort. Going back in May 2019. Only wish they would hurry up and build a coffee shop like they have in most other Sandals.
One star for food and service. Excellent every time. Not worth all the money spent though. Beach is pretty bad, even at offshore island. Went for a my husband s birthday weekend. Booked a beach front room with concierge service. Got some rooftops for a view instead. The reason I got the concierge was to have restaurant reservations booked for us since I read in other reviews it gets so busy. The concierge made the reservation a day in advance. I wanted my husband s birthday dinner to be at the French restaurant. When we get to the place they don t see our name and ask us to wait by the bar for the next available table! Come to find out it was a system error. Fine these things happen. Anybody that works with computers knows. You d think they would try to make up for it by, I don t know, leaving some treats in the room or something. Nothing. Duck shaped towels with petals on the bed. That should have been there when we arrived!!!! Not after a mess up. That bothered me so much. Specially, since I wrote on the website at the time of booking, told the concierge twice (she obviously forgot) that we were celebrating my husbands birthday. Not one special treat. Not even some kind of acknowledgement. Will not be going to any Sandals. Not recommending. Pretty sad for all you pay. Maybe I didn t pay enough for them to make our stay a 5 star experience.
We have stayed with Sandals before and have thoroughly enjoyed it. On day trips we will usually get a day pass. We called ahead to confirm availability and price for a day pass at Royal Bahamian and we're told $50\each. Upon arrival, we we're told the price was $140\each. This was a large difference that what our call ahead price. We left and did not book. Upon calling again just to see if the price changed, we were told $50 once again. I believe this to be a bait and switch scheme at this point. Sandal corperate needs to get involved with this.
We had a good time on our honeymoon with the Butler service,
TIP: Go to eat at Baccarat and ask for Kevin Kemp as your waiter he was the most friendly and hard working waiter I have ever had the pleasure of having.
The villas rooms are a bit small, particularly the tubs, especially for the cost of your stay which isn't exactly cheap, but really how much time will you be spending in your room on vacation.
If you are going to get Butler service remember to tip and tip often! These guys don't exactly go to great lengths to service you unless they see that they are gonna get compensated for it.
Also don't waste your time at the island unless you want to be there all day, the boat only goes one an hour, is always late and scheduling around it is a nightmare. The regular beach is fantastic enough stay there, more to do and see.
Just returned from a fantastic week at Sandals Royal Bahamian. Beautiful Resort, all the staff are super nice and very friendly. We chose a Butler Suite, Our butlers Shamal and Perez were so very attentive and went out of their way to please. We hope to go back soon.
Fantastic!! We went to celebrate our 15 year anniversary and the entire staff made us feel like we were the only people there. Our butlers, (Anastasia, Nicola and Kevin) would bring us drinks before we even asked for them. No one ever told us no. If you can spring for the butler, do it! They were worth every penny. We never had to wait in line at a bar. Dinner was always extra special with white glove service and special decorated tables.
We enjoyed our trip. Service was very friendly, but slow at times. Food was ok, but not great. Avoid the pub unless you are looking for late night food. Breakfast buffet is great. Gordon's on the Pier was our favorite, but be prepared to wait a bit. If it rains they close it. Also recommend the restaurant on the island (Schooners) for lunch (open every day) and dinner (open only certain nights). Kimonos was also good. If you dine in a large group (we had 10) be prepared for slow service. They will only have one person wait on you. Would be better if that person had help. The island is worth visiting for the day, but you can only get there on the boat, not using a kayak or other means as the website leads you to believe. Only so many people fit on the boat, so arrive early and be prepared to wait a bit. Snorkeling on the island was fun. We also took the morning snorkeling trip and highly recommend that. Took the buggy tour (costs extra) and that was great except for the food (don't expect a meal is just a little bit and does not include alcoholic drinks). The room was fine except that we could not seem to get it cool enough in the evenings. They don't automatically restock the mini-bar. You have to ask them to do that. We had club level, but did not see much advantage in the club level. You could probably save a few dollars there.
All in all, it was ok. We'd probably go back.
Faeleisha at the piano bar was the best! I so wish we could have tipped her. Sky juice is the best! And chocolate martini was my go to dessert.
Our first visit to the Bahamas and Sandals did not disappoint! The private island was great, same with the fried conch and pizza. Everyone was very friendly. The beach is small but never had a problem finding a chair in October. The layout was nice and the village in the back was very quiet and private. Will be back soon!
Amazing! The staff is courteous, the views are spectacular, and the food is delicious. This is one of the best places to vacation or honeymoon at. Can't wait to come back!!
Good couples resort,good food , excellent service, excellent staff, great views, lots of activities overall it would take me to long for a longer review this place is awesome
Had a great time on cable beach. Sandals staff treated very nicely!
Not enough stars to make it known how good this place is. The food is great, service is great, the beaches and swim up bars and pools are even better. Swimming with seaturtles every day we were her was insane fun. The room was nice, people working here are all nice. Thought I'd be bored outta my mind after a few days but wasnt at all. Easy to catch a bus to downtown or a shuttle to bahamar to check out the casino. The pics posted by the resort and others are spot on.
Just got back from a trip here and over all the resort was nice and i had a good time,
a few complaints in which this wasn't a 5 star resort for my experience. the first 3 days i called to get my mini fridge re stocked (5 times) i got the run around and finally it was restocked, It seemed as the first half of my stay they were under staffed
the pool bars only had one bartender and many people waiting for drinks which simply they could not keep up with making frozen drinks ect. they looked miserable also it smelled at the pool bars like the trash needed to be taken out also the main bar had an odor to it, they could not make drinks that tasted good.
before going on a excursion i wanted a bottle of water to take with me and the front desk said they were out...which is truly unacceptable
one bar ran out of beer one night, i went to order jalapeno poppers,they were out, i went to get cheese for nachos, they were out,
beer selection was kalik,heinekan, stella, and new castle brown ale.
wanted a stella one night, they were out.
for breakfast they had a buffet,restaurant and room service
the restaurant both times took a very long time an hour to hour and a half. with open tables 3 couples in line to get seated and 1 server.
towards the end of the trip they had multiple bar tenders and actually workers that walked around and asked you if you needed anything.
the first half of my stay ruined my experience and i could not get over the fact of how expensive this trip was and how poorly they operated in some instances.
the good
the resort was nice, felt safe,room was nice, island was nice, workers were nice, food was great, entertainment was good.
i just feel i did not get what i paid for. i was not going to complain but they called me to ask how my stay was and i talked with a manager who apologized and said he would look into it.
Our favorite vacation destination. Beautiful, fun, romantic and peaceful! Highly recommended for as a couples resort.
Organized and navigated facility ... Swimming pools with attached bars and outdoor squares, beaches, sports facilities, restaurants, diversity of rooms to choose from. A warranty.
We had a great time. Service was very good with plenty of things to do.
I love this Resort! It s Beautiful !
We were here for 12 days for our 19th Anniversary. Food was delicious. It was clean. We had a great time. Water and beach was breathtaking.
Seriously the most overrated resort I have every been to. If the resort didnt have the small island it would be a total disaster and even the beach there is very small. The photos on their website are a farce. You've been warned.
The beach by the hotel is ridiculously small and full of seaweed.
The only positives at this a Sandals are that there are no kids and the people working there are very nice.. The owner writes back a long letter about seaweed but neglects to explain why the photos of the resort are a scam. The beach is maybe 100 yards long and not even close to enough room for the size of the hotel.. Its the smallest beach you can ever imagine . YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
This place is a dump. With all the Money my husband spent on Butler Service was NOT WORTH it. Complaining to the manager Tamon got no resolve just a lot of ATTITUDE from him like it was his Honeymoon being ruined. NEVER AGAIN!!
My wife and I stayed here for our anniversary. We spent our honeymoon at the Sandals Grande St. Lucian (four years ago) and were excited to experience another Sandals. For the most part, we really enjoyed our stay. As with most places, there are pros and cons.
PRO:
- It's a Sandals. They have the formula down and it works.
- The events people were super nice and cheerful.
- The private island is great.
- Super easy drive to and from the airport.
- Check-in folks were fantastic.
- Having room service was a big plus.
- Really enjoyed having multiple options. Having two pools is nice, as well as the private island.
CON:
- Some of the wait staff and hostesses were not as cheerful or friendly as expected. Service was also relatively slow.
- The elevator near our room was out of service, so we had long walks to and from our room to the secondary elevator multiple times per day.
- There were fewer gluten-free dining options than St. Lucia. No gluten-free pizzas. There was also a relative shortage of gluten-free dessert options.
- The relaxed pool (Balmoral) was super cold as it was not heated.
This place was exactly what we expected out of our all inclusive vacation. The Bahama private beaches and island make this place special. The food was all good at all of the restaurants. The service was excellent. The scuba experience was amazing. We cannot wait to go back.
It is beautiful and everyone is so helpful. You can choose calm or party sideof resoert.
Great entertainment staff that works hard to keep everyone engaged, laughing and active. Good food and drinking with higher shelf selection drinks available upon request.
