The Sands Barbados All Inclusive

Stayed here at sands from Sunday 18th may until tuesday 27th as first timers and absolutely loved it the apartment was massive loads of space and everything you need and was cleaned every day every single staff member was friendly chatty and went above and beyond for you there was a selected few that came over to us and spent a few minutes every day genral chit chat which I found lovely Every guest that was there was super friendly even the Americans hehe jokes 🤪 There was a couple slight hiccups on food times after we booked time slots etc but was rectified swiftly The food was good I'm abit fussy but always had something I liked abit repetitive a couple of times but what hotel isn't that doesn't bother me The hotel itself is within good distance of most things but we always walked 20 yards and got a regea regea bus The entertainment was very very good with lots of different singers etc I would go back there year and year again and would highly recommend To newbies and regulars who visit the island and it is totally kid friendly If I have to leave any negatives all I would say is 2 people serving cocktails instead of 1 but tbh I don't miid waiting a few minutes every now n then I loved it and will 100% visit the sands hotel as that's my new paradise now Thankyou

I’m currently staying at The Sands Barbados with my mom and my toddler son to celebrate my mom’s birthday, a trip I planned as a single mom, with a lot of love, careful coordination, and financial stretch. I wanted this to be something meaningful for her and memorable for my little one. Instead, I’ve found myself feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and heartbroken. To be fair, the resort itself is visually charming, small, cute, and quaint — just what I expected. The food has been good, and the staff have been genuinely kind and welcoming. I truly appreciate their warmth. But the accommodations have fallen painfully short, especially considering our situation — traveling with a toddler and an elderly parent. We booked an oceanview suite, and I made the (admittedly silly) assumption that it would include either a king bed or at least two queens. That’s on me for not researching the room options more thoroughly. The reality is, the only choices are one queen or two doubles, which doesn’t work well for a bed-sharing toddler. We were told a two-floor suite wasn’t available because we had a toddler with us — which felt limiting, especially when families with young children often need more flexibility. The staff kindly offered to bring an extra bed for the living room, which we welcomed — but it never arrived. Adding to that, the living room has no air conditioning, only the bedroom does. That means the only available space for my mom — who is a senior — would have been too hot for her to sleep in safely. We were told a fan would be delivered, but that also never came. And unfortunately, the problems didn’t stop there. The towel rack in the bathroom fell off the wall during our first shower. The TV volume doesn’t work at all, which has made winding down myself while my toddler sleeps challenging. I understand that some of this could be chalked up to my own assumptions. But the lack of follow-through, missing amenities, and mismatched accommodations for families is what’s truly upsetting. As a single mom doing everything I can to give my son and my mother a joyful experience, I feel like I’m managing stress instead of making memories. This trip was already a stretch to make happen. I hoped it would be beautiful — and instead, I feel like crying. The staff are kind, but the experience as a whole has been incredibly disappointing. I share this not to be unkind, but to help other families — especially those with toddlers or aging parents — understand what to expect, and to hopefully encourage management to address the real gaps in the guest experience. The potential is here — but right now, it’s not being realized.

On arrival we were allocated room 84 which was located with a garden/pool view. The room was 2 storeys with a living room and kitchen area on the ground floor and the bedroom and bathroom upstairs.The balcony was a good size with a great view of the pool and the ocean. Bed was comfortable with plenty of extras and the air con in the room was fab with adequate wardrobe space, TV ,iron and board and hair drier all spot on. We were all inclusive so all our food and drinks were included. All meals were served in the On the Water restaurant which was open air right next to the beach with great views. Breakfast was a buffet and had all you wanted, full english or continental all lovely especially the bacon. The lunch and dinner varied between a la carte which gave you a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts or a couple of nights was a help yourself buffet. There was always something good to eat. Also there were several days when we skipped lunch as they did a barbecue with burgers etc which were delicious. The bar area was fine and you didn't have to wait long to be served. Absolute vodka was available and Heineken on draft. The pool area was lovely and the sun beds were very comfortable with thick cushions on and towels were supplied fresh whenever you needed them. The beach area had the traditional sun beds on and were put out at about 7.30 each morning. We booked a couple of trips/shows through the hotel with Chad who looked after us the whole stay and was a lovely lad. We went on the Tiami catamaran cruise which was brilliant, Carlisle Bay which was another beach further up the coast and was beautiful and Harbour Lights evening dinner show which was very enjoyable. All reasonably priced and I would recommend them 100%. The hotel evening entertainment was mainly singers/groups singing varied music and was pleasant enough if you wanted a chilled evening We ventured out a couple of nights with The St Lawrence Gap being a 10 minute walk away with a lovely vibe and plenty of bars, and restaurants, a really nice nite out as lively or quite as you chose. All in all we had a fabulous holiday in Barbados and for us the Sands was the perfect place to stay. All the staff were so polite and welcoming and the hotel was just lovely. I would fully recommend this hotel and will definitely be back

We went to celebrate our 50 years and my early 70th. Our stay was lovely.The food was gorgeous.We never had to wait long.Specail menti On to Margaret and staff in the restaurant and staff on reception. The speciality restaurant was lovely too. The room was clean and we were upgraded to a two bed duplex. The entertainment was great too. We never had any problem with the sunbeds as we expected,and we loved that it was right on the beach.Ive been wanting to come to Barbados for years and it di not disappoint.I am a retired travel agent and have recommended two sets of people to come.

Travelled April 24 – May 1, 2025 Loved Barbados! Hotel is in a great location to so many things. We travelled by city bus everywhere with ease. We were Grateful we were able to visit the sister hotels for eats and drinks and really had the best of all worlds because of this. Weather was perfect for 7 days, however sargassum was at The Sands with a vengeance the week we came. Beach was stacked Feet high with seaweed and resort did not clean up, stating they are waiting for gov’t to step in and clean up, very disappointing and The Sands should definitely rectify this when bombarded with seaweed. Beach is small, no long walks on this beach. Fresh Towels available no-issue daily. No complaints with food, ate at Noir 2x during our stay, nice change to the one and only restaurant on beach. Beautiful views, but the smell from the seaweed was enough to knock you over some days. For lunch there was options with a grill happening most days, burgers, fries, chicken, pita pizza etc and/or buffet / a la carte options alternating daily. If you’re a late night snacker, there is nothing here to eat at the resort all-inclusive after supper, so ensure you go and buy snacks at the grocery store next door or visit Little Ceasars Pizza across the road Or there are other restaurants in the area. Alcohol – There is only one bar on site. Bartenders in my opinion were run ragged. Its time to hire a dishwasher. As other reviews stated, cups stacked up along bar constantly and bar tender cannot keep up with serving and washing, nor should they. Drink options were good and tasty. NO champagne /cava available at the resort for mimosa’s )-; Heineken and Banks beer in bottles; and Banks on draft. Both white and red wine was Chilean and decent. Often but not always, there was drink beach/pool service. Rooms are odd – if you book a signature room you have 2 levels. Guest speculated this building was once condo units, hence the 2 floor levels. 1st floor is un air-conditioned kitchen/livingroom, and second floor is air conditioned bedroom/bathroom. No TV in bedroom. Only in livingroom which is too hot to sit in. We came for our 40th anniversary and Jackie in guest services was amazing! She is in the dictionary under “excellent customer service” Our room was surprisingly decorated, the dining room and sister resorts all seemed to know we were celebrating. Jackie you are a star!! All staff were wonderful, But Danny the bartender deserves special recognition as well. – That guy was relentless making excellent tasting drinks with no rest and a smile on his face! We also visited Champers on our anniversary, and it was a fabulous afternoon dining experience. If celebrating and wanting a special surrounding - highly recommend. Tips for Guests: • Bring a Yeti cup, particularly if visiting Island Inn hotel (sister hotel) as resort is across from Pebbles beach with no provisions included (no beach chairs, umbrellas or drinks), but you can fill up by walking back to Island Inn. Do go see the Race Horses bathe in the ocean early in the mornings at Pebble Beach and take advantage of having breakfast at Island Inn. (reservations with guest services needed) • Visit the Friday night Oistins Fish Fry Party. – We saw Tyson Fury (boxer) there the night we went! • Visit St. Lawrence Gap, what a great street of restaurants/bars – very cool ! You can watch any sporting event there. Its an 8 minute walk from The Sands. • Don’t be shy to ride the bus system, so easy to use and always someone to help you catch and get off where you want to go. Tips for Management - Put TV’s in Bedrooms in the two story units. Hire workers to clean up the seaweed, we realize its futile somedays, but clean it up as best you can as the smell is horrible to your paying guests if you want us to have a positive experience. Hire some dishwashers, stop making the bartenders wash glasses as they are trying to serve drinks. Brighten up the drab entryway with some colourful pictures of the island (I don’t want to call it a lobby, as it really isn’t a proper lobby. Again more of a condo lobby), and please replace the worn plastic couches! First impressions can mean a lot to guests (as I heard many complaining about the drab lobby). Thank you Sands for a great first time experience in Barbados. Your Country is Beautiful!!!!!!!!