Let me preface this review by saying my partner and I were very excited to go to this resort. We heard nothing but good things from employees and guests from other resorts and honestly the resort is beautiful. It's huge & the grounds are well kept. The resort is also super clean. If you want to party, there is a huge party pool, but there are so many pools that you can definitely find the vibe you want. Because of how big the resort is, and how many pools and stretches of beach there are, nowhere feels crowded. The water was aqua blue and the sand was super soft. For the most part, the staff is great as well. The staff at the LongBeach pool bar was amazing and really made our days fun. Every Friday there was a Caribbean Beach party with steel pan, fresh coconuts, soursop, and Jamaican dishes that adds a really nice touch and makes you feel immersed in Jamaican & Caribbean culture. Latitudes bar over the ocean, was a very cool feature of this resort and a nice place to get a drink while hearing the waves. The food was fine, we have had better at other Sandals resorts but that's not saying that the food was bad.
The Butler service at this hotel was the worst we've ever had. I will not name my Butlers out of respect, however it was a horrible experience from the moment we arrived at the resort until the moment we left. For context I have stayed at multiple Sandals, and have stayed in multiple Butler level rooms. One of our Butlers was a little more personable however they both really were disappointing. It got to a point where we basically did almost everything on our own, and didn't ask them for anything. This definitely impacted the quality of our stay in a real negative way.
We stayed in the Longbeach Village, more specifically the Longbeach Beachfront One Bedroom Butler Suite w/Tranquility Soaking Tub. The room was beautiful, however none of the two televisions worked, and after talking to other guests I realized that it was a problem for the entire building. The Starlight building also had this issue. This was an even bigger issue due to Hurricane Melissa approaching. We really wanted to be able to see local news and updates.
Speaking of Hurricane Melissa, the way that Sandals handled the hurricane was atrocious. Whilst I am understanding to the fact that the hurricane was catastrophic and way stronger than anyone could have predicted, it was handled terribly. I'm not sure if the hotel was getting policy from Sandals corporate or if policy was dictated by the hotel itself, but every employee we talked to during the week leading up to the storm basically downplayed and brushed off any question or concern we had, and made it seem like we had nothing to worry about. Everything at the resort was normal until last minute. For context, the storm was projected to potentially make landfall on Sunday October 26th. Because of this, both airports would be closed from that day until it was safe to reopen. South Coast didn't acknowledge the storm until Friday October 24th, where they had a meeting basically telling guests that they need to get out by October 25th, or they would be stuck. I even met some guests that arrived on Thursday October 23rd, who said they called Sandals to ask if it would be more prudent to reschedule, and the representatives said it would be fine to travel. Some people took it upon themselves to leave early, but most didn't. This caused most guests to frantically try to find a flight within a day and a half, some of which simply couldn't. For guests who were stuck, Sandals comped the first night, but then charged $500 a night until they were able to leave. Which I felt was completely unfair and that is alot of money to pay, especially for those that have been saving up for years to go on a Sandals vacation. The hotel showed no urgency until the very last minute and it wasn't fair to guests and staff alike. One positive I have to give South Coast credit for is they had hourly shuttle buses going to the airport to get everyone to the airport, however this could have been addressed by having an open line of communication, and being more precautionary, sadly it seemed like the brand was more concerned about money.
All in all the location of this hotel is beautiful. It is a little distance from the airport but it was nice seeing and exploring this part of the island. The resort is grand, and very well laid out with tons of amenities. I'm not sure if I would return.. mainly because the Butler service that I received was horrendous and not what I expected at all. It really left a bad taste in our mouth from the experience we had. Many people swear by South Coast, and I was very excited to experience that and have a great time. Unfortunately that wasn't my experience.
