So, my husband and I just returned from Sandals Barbados. Since we have never vacationed at a Sandals property; we were unsure whether we would like this or not.
Whenever you’re traveling, there is always a bunch of things to do before you depart. With us initially planning to vacation in the Azores; we encountered so many disasters. Literally, one after another… Due to maintenance issues, the plane never took off. Luckily, we were able to coordinate a different date with the airlines and hotel; things turned into a comedy of errors. Be sure to check out my Summer Vacation Travel Plans post to read more on places to see.
When our vacation to the Azores fell apart; my husband came up with Barbados as a place to vacation.
Sandals Barbados
Although my Husband and I have only stayed in one all-inclusive resort prior; we were excited to see how Sandals differed from Riu. When we visited Jamaica; we stayed at Riu. Needless to say, neither my husband or I were fans.
With some trepidation, we decided to try Sandals.
Off to Barbados…
When we arrived, we spent much of our time getting acclimated with the property.
Also, prior to our vacation, I booked two excursions. First, we went on a Caves and Critters day trip. Our first stop was a visit to Harrison’s Caves. You learn about the history as well as tour the cave on a tram.
From Harrison’s cave; we headed to a Wildlife reserve to check out the critters such as the Green Monkeys, Turtles, and other critters.
Due to the heat, we didn’t participate in the walking historical tour and decided to take a private tour. Our driver showed us some of the beautiful landscapes, told us about some of the histories of the island; as well as took us to Rihanna’s home where she grew up in.
Sandals Barbados – Pros
Of course, like anything; there are pros and cons. The pros to this property are:
- It’s close to the airport
- Beautiful beach and many swimming pools throughout the property
- Many excursions to choose from
- Free Wi-Fi
- Luscious grounds with beautiful flowers and trees
- In addition, there are a lot of activities taking place throughout the day and night
- Moreover, there is 11 restaurants on the Sandals Barbados side and 7 on the Royal Barbados side. Because the properties are right next to one another; you can easily walk back and forth.
- Spacious grounds to walk, sight-see, and hang out
- Two spas – one on each property. Of course, I was at the Spa regularly. And yes, even my husband enjoyed several spa services
Sandals Barbados – Cons
Some of the cons of Sandals Barbados were:
- Cleanliness – Constantly, I had housekeeping issues in the room
- Hot, Hot, Hot – No sea breeze making it hard to be outside for a long period of time unless you’re in the water.
- Air Conditioning – Sadly, this was another issue we encountered. We had to move rooms; the first time due to a faulty system and the second time, we received a fan; however, the fan took several days to arrive in our room.
- Leaky plumbing flooding the bathroom daily
- Also, if you get a late start in the morning, lounge chairs are hard to come by.
- Though we were offered a 20 minute complimentary photo shoot; surprisingly when we asked about purchasing a few of the photos; we were told they would be sent to our mobile device. To pay $18.00 to receive a photo of our device was simply ludicrous. So, my Husband and I didn’t end up purchasing any photos from our trip, nor did other couples we ran into throughout our vacation.
Conclusion
Although we had a fantastic vacation, we were not a huge fan of Sandals Barbados. However, if you’re considering this property; you may want to think about Royal Barbados. At the Royal property, several rooms have swim-out access from their patio door.
In conclusion, people in Barbados are super friendly and we would definitely consider going to Barbados again; though, we would probably go during their cooler season which runs from December thru April.
As always, I welcome your comments.