The Sands Barbados All Inclusive

Have just returned from 2 weeks at thus hotel as a party of 5 adults, one of them elderly and a vegan due to medical issues. We had booked 3 rooms and on arrival we had rooms in each of the blocks which was not ideal. Check-in just stated that nothing else was available and were fairly dismissive, although they did say to go back the following day to see what rooms were available. The rooms were nice, clean, and large but only had AC in the bedroom, which meant it was hard to be anywhere but the bedroom due to the heat and humidity. My room never got cleaned before 3 pm, and one day, they turned up at 7 pm to clean. One day, I was left without toilet paper and had to ask for the room to be swept after they had been in because they didn't seem to do it. The floors seemed to be missed on most days, and if there was a cup that was not in the sink, it was left where it was, and no new clean cup provided. I had to request that sheets were changed after the 1st week. They did provide tea and coffee and biscuits for the room, along with a fridge with a small freezer, hob, and kettle. However, there was no cutlery or crockery apart from 2 cups and 2 glasses. The pool was nice but needed cleaning more often than it was, but it was still usable. Unless you got up early each day, by 6.30 am, there was a limited chance of getting a sun bed by the pool as people came and put their towels down and disappeared for some hours. There are plenty of umbrellas, and staff will move them if required. There are plenty of sun beds on the beach and a very nice bay to swim in but can get a little rough at high tide. Also, there was sea**** on several days, which was eventually removed by the government agency. The food was nice and there was some variety for most of our party, however the vegan person in our party often ate out for dinner due to the lack of options at the hotel. We had several conversations regarding this, but no progress was made. The snack bar menu is available from 10 am until 4 pm each day, which was a problem when returning from a trip and dinner was not available until 7 pm. The food presentation was very good and some portions were a little small. The service was also slow with a 3 course meal taking up to 2.5 hours to get through. There were several drinks unavailable in the first week due to the bar not having the relevant stock, which was disappointing. Bar staff worked hard and did their best with what they had. Some of the managers here are very unprofessional and speak to staff in a derogatory and disrespectful manner, and I was absolutely horrified to learn that is the norm here. One of the managers stated that she was 'over us and no longer cared' when we changed the number of seats required for breakfast. They seemed to forget that we were paying guests, not just someone they had met outside. I'm not surprised that staff struggle to enjoy their jobs when they are treated so badly. Evening entertainment was mediocre at best with

Great hotel great food , the only downside I found was this guy Roger on the beach He claims to be a physiotherapist but is not listed on the Barbados register He claims to be the hotel physio and asks you to step onto the beach for a quick look, he then starts massaging and puts oil on your back and then demands cash of 250 dollars for that session and says he will return for three more He is aggressive and very in your face until you pay him, generally prays on older people

Had a great visit , I have no complaints , food and drinks were good, and the staff were awesome right from the front reception,to the bartenders , restaurant and security. We usually stay with our Bajan friends down the road from here but booked this on a whim and have no regrets. Would definitely come back !

First the positives, the location on the beach front is lovely, there are turtles in the bay and you can just go out and snorkel with them, the breakfast buffet is good and some of the staff went out of their way to be helpful, notably Cet (shorter for a name I cannot pronounce), he was one of the managers and was very friendly and helpful. Raquel in the restaurant was lovely too. Lots of nice staff but sorry can’t remember names. The rooms are kept clean every day. We had booked with Tui and had paid a considerable amount extra (£2000 difference) for a sea view 2 bedroom suite, however when shown to our room it was on the ground floor (labelled as an ocean front room) all we could see was trees not even a grimmer of sea in sight. The first manager I spoke to was very off and she said they were fully booked but come in 2 days and they ‘might’ be able to do something. She was not even apologetic, in fact told us this was an upgrade as sea views are usually only from the side of a balcony! This was not what I paid for but I accepted that this was a communication problem between Tui and the hotel so I spoke with the rep. She said she would talk with the hotel and get back to me. Got a text later that day with same outcome. So I said ok then we want the cost of sea view refunded! However, when Cet was on duty the next day everything changed. I presume pressure was brought to bear by Tui but nevertheless what a different attitude he offered to show me an alternative room and said the staff would move our things if we wanted to move. The new room was exactly what we had paid for a full sea view ( not side sea view or trees! ). So to sum up on this front some staff need to improve their customer service skills and take a leaf out of Cet’s book, especially Junior in the restaurant who looks elsewhere while talking to you and is quite rude! The main negative however is the quality of the food which I have seen mentioned as OTW and fantastic! This was certainly not the case when we were there in March-April 2024. If you don’t like swordfish or chicken then don’t go here. Fish of the day was nearly always swordfish and on the day they said it was kingfish it was almost certainly still swordfish again. On a day they had lamb stew we got excited but it was all huge pieces of bone, fat and gristle. The reason for 4 rating is the positives above and once the room issue was sorted it was only the food that impacted our stay. We had a car so went out to eat several times. Things to do - Animal flower caves at top of island, Oistings and a Silver moon catamaran boat trip for sunset and snorkelling over shipwrecks ( amazing)

average hotel beach with a lot of algae that is not cleaned average service tasty fish If it weren't for the huge amount of algae, the beach would be beautiful it's hard to understand why the beach isn't cleaned In general, I do not recommend the hotel

Choose to book the sands after reading the reviews and was not disappointed at all! Airport is minutes away and was easy to manage through. The staff here were excellent, friendly and accommodating. Our check in was fairly easy, few basic questions after scanning a code while we drank a rum punch. We were then taken to our room by the lovely young lady always singing at her desk. Things were well explained and all questions covered! Managers and front desk staff are so great here! Room and Resort were well kept. Our room had a lovely balcony, living space with Kitchenette (no AC in living room) it was a little warm as our room (21) was tucked off to the side and didn't catch the breeze as well but we didn't use the living space anyways. The bedroom and bath are upstairs in the suite and A/C was great up there, which we were only used the room to sleep and shower anyways! Towels and Loungers, never really had an issue, plenty of towels available, pool loungers in the morning were mostly taken (pool usually had kids then anyways) but the beach had plenty available anytime with shade! Went to the pool later in the day, as chairs open up and kids are done. The Beach is stunning, there is a bit of a tidal pull on windy days, keep kids close in the water. This resort sits in front of a reef that acts as a bowl shaped lagoon. On calm days my husband could touch bottom the whole way across as we snorkeled (before noon is best), the deepest part is where the boats anchor. No need to book an excursion to see turtles, we swam with a few right out front multiple times during the week. The reef had a nice array of fish to see as well! I brought my own gear but they had some available as well as floats. Beach and water is white sand spent the most time on the beach and swimming. The main eating area "On the Water" has a buffet breakfast each morning with a decent selection. Lunch was a mix of buffet and set menu, with a beach snack bar available. You book your lunch and supper times at breakfast, but it's not the hassle it sounds like, you get in a groove and it works out when your on "Island Time". The majority of the serving staff were very well trained for dinner service, I was impressed (I own restaurants at home) and even the staff noted in other reviews as cranky, are helpful and friendly with a simple thank you and kindness. Noir opens Thurs-Sat I think and it has a beautiful view and romantic feel! Food overall was good, portions were more then enough after a day of drinks and sun, and don't stress if your not an adventurous eater, they will give you the snack bar options which is what most of the kids options were anyways. The bar is located steps from the pool and beach, they have great options, fun frozen drinks and a decent selection of spirits. The wine on hand was quite a bit better then most all inclusive resorts. Bar tenders were great! I have to say this was one of the only times I've travelled and felt completely comfo

Stayed here after the cruise and were delighted at our choice. Check in is via the QR code and is pretty straight forward.Our room was not ready but Sean said he would come and find us when it was and he did 15 min later - great customer service. The room was lovely overlooking the pool,had a self catering kitchen,loads of storage and the air con excellent. Bathroom had a good walk in shower. We had absolutely no issues with the food at breakfast , dinner or the snacks which are available. Waiting times to be served can be longer but what's the problem when you have a view sitting next to the sea and beach. Sunbeds were readily available although if you wanted a front row seat then the "professional towel squad" would have bagged theirs. Overall we had a fantastic week here and would recommend without hesitation.

It was our first wedding anniversary and we decided to stay at this lovely hotel. Entering the hotel, we were greeted by the warmest staff, Manager Stephanie and the front desk staff, Emerson, the most welcoming experience ever! The bellman whose last name is also Cumberbatch was extremely helpful and friendly, the restaurant staff just amazing! Khaleel, Shaniqua, the guy with the unique name Cest who brought us a comp wine and postcard just were superb just to name a few! The pool and beach guys, Mr Winston Browne one of the chefs so friendly so impressive and knowledgeable wow! The restaurant manager/supervisor can’t remember her name but she was so accommodating and warm - (worked the 8th April and was there in the next afternoon as well). The Sands my husband and I give you 10/10! Definitely will be back soon! The staff, the ambience, the personal touches, the food & drinks, the activities - exceeded our expectations. Thank you The Sands for the most memorable experience!

Great hotel, nice staff, food was ok, a lot of older people at the hotel