# The Sands Barbados – A Little Slice of Paradise… With a Few Cracks!
We recently stayed at The Sands Barbados and, whilst there are certainly some lovely things about the hotel, there are also quite a few areas that need attention.
Everything mentioned below has already been raised with the staff, so none of it should come as a surprise to management. This is an honest review based on our experience, with a little humour thrown in because, after all, we're supposed to be on holiday!
### Check-in – Bring a packed lunch!
Check-in was painfully slow and rather an awkward process. If you don't have a phone, things get even more complicated. It took us around an hour to get checked in. Not quite the relaxing start to a Caribbean holiday we'd imagined. By the time we got to our room, we'd almost had a full working day!
### Check-out – 12 o'clock means 12 o'clock!
Check-out is at 12 noon. If you fancy a shower before heading to the airport later in the day, you have two options: pay $100 to book a room or try your luck with a courtesy room, if one happens to be available.
A little bit of flexibility here would go a long way, particularly when guests have late flights.
### Rooms – Lovely, but perhaps not if you're above reception!
The rooms themselves are good, and we had no real complaints about the accommodation.
However, if you're unlucky enough to have a room above reception, be prepared for an early start. Staff begin arriving around 5:45am and clearly enjoy a good catch-up. Unfortunately, the sound seems to travel rather well!
We were also woken at around 5:45am by someone in the car park enthusiastically dismantling old wardrobes with a hammer.
Nothing says Caribbean relaxation quite like an impromptu episode of DIY SOS before sunrise!
### The gardeners – Rise and shine!
If you enjoy a lie-in, you might want to reconsider.
The gardeners seem particularly enthusiastic about mowing and strimming from around 7am. Obviously, the grass doesn't cut itself, but perhaps it could occasionally wait until a more civilised hour?
Between the gardeners, early-morning staff conversations and the occasional wardrobe demolition, sleeping in isn't necessarily part of the package.
### Breakfast – Queueing is apparently part of the experience
Three days in a row we had to queue for over 45 minutes just to get a table for breakfast.
The frustrating thing was that there were tables available. The problem seemed to be getting someone to allocate them.
It's breakfast, not a table at Wimbledon. Surely there must be a better way of managing this?
By the time you finally sit down, you could probably do with lunch!
### Lunch and dinner – Book a time, then queue anyway!
You're asked to book a time for both lunch and dinner. Fair enough, you might think. That should make things run smoothly.
Apparently not.
Even after booking a time, you still have to queue when you arrive while the staff sort out your table.
We're not quite sure what the point of booking is if you still have to wait around anyway.
### Food – Choose your battles!
Let's just say that quite a few guests seem happy to eat out, which probably tells its own story.
One piece of advice: make sure you book your one-night allowance at the Noir restaurant. It's definitely worth making the most of that option.
### The beach – One of the real positives
The beach area is lovely. The sea is beautifully clear, although the tide and currents can be quite strong, so do take care.
Bring your own snorkel and goggles if you fancy exploring underwater. The hotel doesn't provide any for guests to use, which is a shame when the water is so inviting.
### Smoking – Designated areas are apparently optional!
There is a designated smoking area, which is fair enough.
Unfortunately, some guests seem to interpret this as more of a friendly suggestion than an actual rule.
We saw people smoking, including vaping, around the restaurant area and next to the bar.
What was more disappointing was that staff didn't appear particularly bothered about enforcing the designated areas.
What's the point of having rules if nobody is going to bother making sure they're followed?
### Rain – Every guest for themselves!
If it rains, don't expect much shelter around the bar area. There are no proper covered areas, so everyone makes a dash for their rooms.
Alternatively, if there are empty restaurant tables, guests sometimes head there for shelter. However, this doesn't seem to go down particularly well with staff because those tables are being kept ready for breakfast.
So, when it rains, it's a case of finding somewhere to hide and hoping you don't get moved on!
### The bar – A little more attention wouldn't hurt
The bar area is far too small for the number of guests.
One of the things you'll regularly notice is glasses piling up, waiting to be washed. And when they are washed, they appear to be rinsed in a sink rather than properly washed.
Not exactly reassuring when you're ordering a drink.
Talking of drinks, the alcoholic selection is disappointing and, in our opinion, of a very low standard.
We're also not convinced that the Absolut vodka and Tanqueray gin being served actually taste like the brands on the bottles. Perhaps it's just us, but neither seemed quite right.
### Sunbeds – Welcome to the 5:45am Olympics!
Now, this is quite something.
The sunbed wars start at around 5:45am. By 7:30am, you're probably going to struggle to find a bed.
And even if you manage to secure one, there's a good chance you'll be missing an umbrella.
There are apparently around 15–20 broken umbrellas stacked down the side of the restaurant, which doesn't exactly suggest that replacements are a priority.
Quite simply, there aren't enough sunbeds for the number of guests staying at the hotel, and there certainly aren't enough usable umbrellas.
Nobody should have to set an alarm for the crack of dawn just to secure somewhere to sit by the pool.
I thought we came to Barbados to relax, not compete in the Caribbean Sunbed Championships!
### Activities – What's happening? Who knows!
There doesn't appear to be a published list of activities, so it's difficult to know what's going on or whether anything is planned.
A simple daily activities board would make a big difference. Guests shouldn't have to go hunting around to find out what's happening.
### Final thoughts
The Sands Barbados has some lovely features. The beach is beautiful, the rooms are good and Barbados itself is a fantastic place to visit.
However, the day-to-day running of the hotel lets the experience down in quite a few areas.
Too much time is spent queueing, waiting, finding somewhere to sit, listening to early-morning noise and trying to work out how things are supposed to work.
A lot of these issues aren't complicated or particularly expensive to fix. Better organisation at breakfast, more efficient check-in, proper glass washing, enforcing smoking areas, replacing broken umbrellas and providing a little more shelter would make a noticeable difference.
We're not expecting five-star perfection, and we certainly don't expect the staff to perform miracles. But when you're paying for a holiday in Barbados, you do expect a reasonable level of organisation, comfort and service.
**Would we return?** Barbados, absolutely. The Sands? We'd have to think about that one. And we did and it’s a resounding NO
After all, a holiday should be about relaxing, not setting your alarm for 5:45am to beat the gardeners to a sunbed! 😂
