The Sands Barbados All Inclusive

I have to write a review on one staff member in particular and I will admit our holiday is not over yet but Barbie (Cecelia) at The Sands is an expert mixologist and my goodness I would fly across the world just to try her cocktails, they are so good. She has tailored drinks to my liking and hasn't disappointed me once, she is lovely, welcoming and nothing ever seems too much for her. All the staff are fantastic but Barbie is definitely making our time here very special. I live in Central London and love a cocktail bar but her drinks have, by far topped any I have ever had in London and other holiday destinations. I know she will take the world by storm if given the chance within the cocktail world.

We booked The Sands as a last minute trip and got a really good deal, we were using this holiday as a sounding board to see if All Inclusive is worth it or would b&b be a viable option for us in the future. Upon arrival we were a little disappointed, the greeting from reception wasn’t particularly warm and my husband had to complete check in from a QR code with little to no help from the young lady ‘ checking us in ‘ . We arrived at about 12.30 and told we couldn’t get into our room until 4pm but from 1.30 we could get something to eat and drink from the snack menu. Choices of food are limited but what there is available is very tasty. Once we got to our room it was bright, clean and well laid out. Please note that the living room only has a ceiling fan, if you are going to use the sofa for a second sleeping area I would suggest leaving the bedroom door open to let the a/c work its magic! Food - breakfast is always buffet, they do have an egg station as well for omelettes, fried eggs etc. Lunch you can either choose from the snack menu, they have a bbq grill on a few days a weeks which is good for burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings or you can book a time to go sit in the restaurant for lunch. Dinner - you will need to book your slot for dinner when you go in for breakfast. They alternate every few days between buffet and a la carte. Choice is limited for both buffet and a la carte, what they have is all tasty. We found the portion sizes for a la carte quite small so when it was table service we ate out. Drinks - there is no real drinks menu to choose your cocktails from, they have a small menu but each time I asked for something from it they said they didn’t have the ingredients to make those drinks. If you want a cocktail, you’ll need to think of one and they’ll make it for you. The house beer and wine are really good. The hotel is small and facilities are limited however, Barbados is an island that should be discovered and not be cooped up in the hotel for two weeks. There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants within a two minute stroll of the hotel that are reasonably priced. We went knowing we would eat out and were prepared to pay similar costs to what we might pay at home in the UK. We ate across the road from the hotel at the Lucky Horseshoe saloon and for a family of 3, two beers, 2 cocktails, two soft drinks, starters and mains our bill was around £100 a we would definitely pay more than that at home nowadays! Getting around is super easy, use the ZR mini buses, they are easy to spot! White with a maroon stripe down them, usually the driver tooting his horn at you to see if you want to jump on! We went into Bridgetown a few times, didn’t get two minutes down the road from the hotel until one stopped for us and they cast BBD 3.50 per person , that’s about £1.50, much cheaper than a taxi and quite an experience. The staff at the hotel really make this place, massive shout out to Jezreel, Barbie, Danny and Antonio working the bar and Junior and Cyrilene in the restaurant. Always smiling. Staff work long hours, often over 12 hour shifts, be patient with them, they are super understaffed at the moment. Overall, really good holiday, met some lovely people, hotel is definitely not a four star, I say that having worked in the travel industry for 20 years, a good 3 star at best. A few things the hotel could do to improve, but that’s down to owners and management not the staff at the coal face. If you want lots of choice with loads of restaurants this is not the hotel for you, but if you’re looking for a small and friendly family hotel and a budget friendly option in Barbados then book The Sands, you won’t be disappointed.

I travelled to this resort with my 19 and 15 years old children. Our first time ever in Barbados. After my husband’s painful death, we decided to try a different destination as my family always go to Jamaica for our summer holidays but this time we couldn’t without one of us being there and so that was how we decided on the Sands. The staff are always very helpful ( waiters and waitresses). The sea was beautiful and the rooms were spacious which was lovely but unfortunately this hotel is not a luxury hotel as it markets itself. The one time I asked for my room to be cleaned, my sheets were not changed and I had to go to reception to request for this to be done. The food was blunt, if you are looking to have a Caribbean experience in terms of food as they do in other Caribbean countries like Jamaica for instance, it doesn’t happen at this resort. There isn’t a variety of food options to choose from either and you wait for a very long time for everything you order. On our last day, we went down for breakfast but wasn’t great so we didn’t eat. We asked to have 4 burgers to eat on the way to the airport in to the taxi , my kids continued to wait for the burgers for about 20 minutes and then on the way to the taxi, my daughter was stopped by a white woman at reception , not sure what her role is at the Sands. This was on the 23/08/25 telling her she was not allowed to eat the burger outside the premises. My daughter thought she was joking but she wasn’t. We paid over £5000 pounds for this holiday and my children couldn’t be allowed to have a burger on the road considering they didn’t have their breakfast and rarely ate because the food was just not nice. This woman needs to be trained on how to treat guests because she was mean and cruel to my children and I found this racist because a few times i noticed other white guests children eating the same burgers out side the premises and some times with a plate of food , why then did she not feel the need to take the burgers from the guests and never said anything and because of this woman I will not be wasting my money to stay at this hotel including the quality of the food , the long waits for every thing , the long check in which takes as long as 2 hours but maybe I might be able to deal with this but when it comes to racism , SORRY. This hotel has a lot to learn in terms of customer service and customer relations it’s 2025. Also the country is hot there should have an ice cream bar available throughout for children in particular to enjoy but this sort of thing only happened as an activity once during my stay. You would also expect to have some snacks available but nooooooo just some cheap ones at the bar no one wants. It’s the first holiday ever that my children and I were so ready to come back home rather than being sad that the experience was coming to an end. May I suggest that when guests request to have something to eat on the way because they didn’t get to eat , just provide a takeaway bag , what is wrong with that. Guests have spent a lot of money and to be treated like trash over a burger is unacceptable. I must say I am very disappointed and angry.

We had a great time at the Sands, with the ever helpful Michael showing us where to get real bargains and getting around the island and Monica at the reception always threatening to “report me to my wife” each time I walk through the reception alone. The beautiful ladies at the NOIR Clarisse, Roashana, Casandra along with handsome Danny who made our night at the Noir so memorable and very special. The restaurant staff Cyrilene, Junior, Krystal along Agio and Rishon at the bar made coming for our meals special with Junior always on my case when we came back late and missed our meals after going out for the day and Cyrilene pleading the “5th amendment” whenever we come for our meal. All the staff are friendly and welcoming. Location was also great, with the beach right on your door step. Will I recommend The Sands? YES I will.