The Sands Barbados

The hotel surpassed all my expectations! The staff was welcoming and accommodating right from the moment we checked in. The room was clean, and the ocean view was splendid. The hotel’s location was amazing – only a few minutes walk from St Lawrence Gap. Beautiful beach which is also a great spot to watch the sunset. The food options were also quite tasty. I will certainly return during my next visit! Read less

On arrival at the hotel, we had to wait 3-4 hours for our room to be made ready. This definitely wasn't a good start. The hotel had already booked us all in the restaurant for lunch, which eased some of the tension from the arriving guests. Around 16:00, Ricardo came for us to take us to our room. When he opened the door and we walked into the room, our hearts sank, and our demeanour changed from excitement to disbelief. We walked into what seemed like a cupboard. There was no natural light coming into the room. The bed was on the right. The dresser, chair, and fridge were on the left. They were all within touching distance of each other without having to move. And the bathroom was just at the rear. There was no room for us to move around and nowhere to sit apart from sitting on the bed. The room and bathroom were clean and tidy, but not where we wanted to spend the next 10 days of our second honeymoon. This was one of Virgin super saver rooms, which we had on our first honeymoon, which was a lot better as it still had a veranda with plenty of natural light. The room on this holiday had a window with privacy glass that faced an outside wall, so even during the day, you would have had to keep a light on in the room. When we went for dinner that evening, I put a complaint in with the reception which happened to be Emerson, and asked if we could be moved to another room. Nothing else was available that evening, so we had no choice but to sleep in that room. We were so upset to think that we would have to spend our entire second honeymoon in that room, and if that was the case, we thought about forgoing our honeymoon and going home. Luckily, the next day Emerson told us a different room would be coming available, but it would cost us nearly an extra £700. This was the only option, we had no choice but to pay it even though this took a lot of our holiday money that we had budgeted for. When we went to see the new room, we were absolutely astounded. The room wasn't just a room, it was more like an apartment. It was so spacious, bright, airy and modern. We loved it and knew we would enjoy staying there. There were certain members of staff that couldn't do enough for you to make sure our stay was as enjoyable as possible. These staff included Emerson and assistant manager Rebecca, who were wonderful. Mark and Ricardo could never do enough for us. Mark was part of the hospitality team. He always greeted you with smile and making sure all was OK. Ricardo (a very handsome young man according to my wife) would also check in with us daily to make sure we were happy with everything. On the day of our anniversary Emerson arranged for some flowers to be delivered via an outside floris. And the hotel gave us a bottle of champagne. All setup nicely in the living room with flower petals. My wife could not hold her emotions. Brilliant absolutely fantastic anniversary. The food in the restaurant was ok nothing special and not much to choose from lunch or dinner. You have a decent choices of breakfast. The only problem is that you might have to wait awhile for omelette or scrabble eggs. Time could be saved if the mixture already prepared in a bowl an extra in the fridge just in case you run out. That would save plenty of time. There is a burger man that comes some days which isn't too bad. The catering team are always welcoming. The bar staff will mix whatever drinks or cocktails you want. I can't comment on the beer as I'm not a beer drinker. The hotel is kept clean and tidy throughout the day. There's plenty to drink. Some the excursion can be expensive. The mini van buses are cheep enough if you want to travel. There is a supermarket just outside the hotel which is not too expensive. Just a few negatives that we have. 1. Some of the front of house staff could be more approachable and more helpful with your needs. 2. More activities through the day. 3. Try cleaning the seaweed on the beach especially on a calm day. That being said we would definitely consider going back to The Sands if wanted another holiday in Barbados. Read less

Visited Barbados last week on business. Changed my hotel plans from Hilton to the Sands. I recall many moons ago staying there when it was the sandy beach hotel. The place is well maintained. A little challenging arriving before check in time ( 4Pm ). I paid an early check in fee . The all inclusive experience was average. One restaurant and one bar. The staff was was way above average and went far to make my trip enjoyable. Shout out to olivia from the dining area.The room was comfortable and well kept. The entertainment was great. Amazing artists on friday and saturday night. Very different artist but both very talented. The star of the resort is the white sandy beach and calm bathing. Incredible location. In my view, and I have stayed in many places, the best beach in barbados. I will certainly be back. Read less