Sandals Royal Bahamian

Easily the best trip we’ve ever been on! From the moment we got there, to the moment we left we were taken care of. All the staff was exceptional, and accommodations were great! Would definitely recommend, and we can’t wait to go back!

We have stayed at Sandals more than 100 nights and have visited almost all of their properties. This location is definitely not up to par. First of all the food is mediocre at best. The breakfast buffet is quite small compared to other locations. The bacon was raw and the food was cold. Lunch options were really bad. Dinner was better. There was no consistency with the drinks. The exact same drink would be good one time and bad the next time. If you’re a beach person forget it. The beach is separated by a pier. On one side the waves crash so hard that it ripped out 2 cabanas. You can use the beach on the other side of the pier but there was so much seaweed that washing ashore it wasn’t a pleasant view. They have a private island but the surf was so rough they canceled the ferry every day and we never made it to it. I would like to commend Susan at the sweets n things truck. We went over in the morning to get cookies for our trip home. Was told the cookies wouldn’t be available 11 but Susan took it upon herself to walk over to the bakery and got us cookies. Much appreciated. Also Odane and the loyalty desk went above and beyond. Always smiling and always accommodating. This was definitely our least favorite property. Had lunch with the general manager, Kevin. He seems to be very hands on so hopefully he can bring this property up to speed.

Got off to a bad start when the private transfer to the hotel didn’t materialise. We had paid for butler level and ended up on a tatty shuttle bus, even though we had provided flight details. Anyway, staff were apologetic but it got us off to a rough start. Butlers were mostly attentive and definitely worth paying the extra for. Food was good and drinks plentiful. Room in East bay was nice with a good view and nice balcony- building work on the chapel was continuous though. West bay pool was loud and raucous- definitely not what we’d expected. The quiet pool was a nice find at the back of the resort. Managed a trip to the island although it was closed mainly due to high winds/ getting off the boat was definitely a bit ropey on the return journey! Great manicure in the spa - very good! Would have been nice to have had a spa treatment thrown in to compensate for the lack of transfer that we had paid for and not received. When I mentioned this, we were offered points on a return Sandals booking. On checkout they asked us to sign an NDA before we could claim the points which we refused to do. Disappointed overall with the Sandals experience and could get a higher end experience with genuine customer satisfaction elsewhere. Won’t return in a hurry.

Sandals Royal Bahamian is a very nice resort and our swim up club level room was no exception. However, club level, gets you very little in the way of extra amenities. The club lounge is little more than a reception area. The in-room bar was stocked with a very small assortment of third-rate liquors plus some water and soft drinks. Room service food was mediocre at best. Their charcuterie and cheese board was a joke, the cheese plate was not much better, and the nachos were pathetic with their cold cheese sauce. The restaurants however all had excellent food and service and were very enjoyable. The one word I would use to describe the resort though is noisy. From loud booming disco music up to 12 hours a day, to marching bands, gas powered pressure washers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other yard equipment, and construction noise it was nearly impossible to find a quiet, peaceful area to sit and relax and enjoy the sun. It did not help that our room, as nice as it was, was near the party pool. The other pool and building were quieter but did not have as nice accommodations. Sandals bills itself as all inclusive including gratuities. They don’t mention the exceptions. A beach cabana can be rented for $150. USD a day for example. Americans don’t seem to get the gratuities included part either and frequently tip extra, leading to some awkward moments. I would probably not return to this particular resort, but we enjoyed our stay enough that we would seriously consider a butler level suite at another Sandals resort in the future, but only after careful consideration of on-line reviews regarding noise, etc.

Shoutout to several special people who made our dream vacation even more spectacular: Our airport drivers Esuardo and Ricky Ricardo who were both so friendly and entertaining .. Chris, our Nassau tour guide who proudly showed off his home city while keeping us entertained and safe.. And our AH-mazing butlers Charmaine, Kimerly and Nicola who spoiled us with special treats, fabulous drinks and treated us with kindness and respect. We loved the resort and would go back in a heartbeat.