Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort

Bahamas

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*Five-star prices for a two-star resort.* Visited: December 2007
Posted by jp_canadian
	This resort was way over priced. THE GOOD - The weather, beach, and suite were all nice. I enjoyed the free alcohol, but the wine wasn't great. THE BAD - Our VIP pick up at the airport was half an hour late. I thought "VIP" meant that they were waiting for you - not the other way around. Our return to airport was also late, and in a Town Car (not a Rolls or Mercedes). The butler service was inconsistent (ie. never managed to get breakfast to us on time or with our order; always put towels at the pool, even though we asked for the beach; took them three days to get us a fruit plate). The gym was small, cramped and had no cleaning supplies for equipment. Overall, the property looked tired and needed paint. In addition, we ordered tea at the tea room, but it never arrived. Even pick up of our luggage was 45 minutes late from the agreed upon time of departure. THE UGLY - For what we paid (over $1000/day), we expected gourmet food. It was virtually inedible. The Italian restauarant reminded us of a cafeteria, "romantic" Gordon's on the Pier had five-day-old fish (even the fish was not fresh), and steak at the Pub was shoe leather. Coffee tasted like dirty dish water, but there was a good Starbucks down the beach. I only wish that I had read reviews before booking! We would have gone elsewhere.
14 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
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*It took a day for us to get our room - what a hassle!* Visited: December 2007
Posted by jkshipp@yahoo_com
	Okay, I'll admit I had a great time - that is after we finally got our room! We arrived on Tuesday - Christmas day. We were taken into the little lobby where they tell you how wonderful it is to have you as guest. Then, they gave us drinks, and blah, blah, blah. We wandered around the place until three, and then they informed us that our rooms were not ready, so they upgraded us into a butler's suite for that night. The next day, we had to leave that room, and for the next four hours we had no room. We also had no idea where our luggage was. My wife and I finally turned into a couple of jerks and demanded a room. I hated to do it, but it was getting ridicuous. We lost almost the whole day of our vacation because of the room ordeal. We then met other people who were also mad because they had the same thing happen to them. Sandals is a great deal, and we always have a good time, but this overbooking has to be addressed. That is not a small issue, it is a large one. I had a great time, and we will go back, but I will always be a little wary from here on. By the way, my wife and I are the kind of people who never complain, but this time we had to. I actually felt bad about it, but after a day of roaming around with no room something had to be done.
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*I had an excellent experience at Sandals.* Visited: October 2007
Posted by gemini134
	This was a first time visit a "resort" style hotel. This was a great experience! Don't be too picky, and you will have a wonderful time! The grounds are gorgeous (five stars), the food is good (three stars), the service is excellent (four stars - the grumpy ones really stand out here because overall the service is excellent). The room, a basic "deluxe" - was clean, large and comfortable (three stars - mildew on grout in tub and dirty corners in the bathroom, bed was very comfortable). It really is all-inclusive, you will not need to touch your wallet. We went scuba diving with the resort, and it was a good experience It's also included in the price if you are certified! This is a wonderfully romantic experience, and I would certainly recommend it. A little piece of advice - make your reservations immediately, bug spray for the Cay is essential, and the beach in the evening is overrun with folks selling their "wares".
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*We encountered watered down beer and dirty glasses here.* Visited: May 2007
Posted by cm
	The beer served here was Kalik in a can. It tasted like watered down Bud Light. Also, they didn't wash their glasses - they just dipped them in ice water! I suggest you ask for plastic cup!
10 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful.
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*This Sandals was not quite all-inclusive.* Visited: May 2007
Posted by cm
	We stayed at this resort for our anniversary. This was the fourth Sandals resort we have stayed at. We have stayed at the Grande St. Lucian (loved it, and would go again); Montego Bay (absolutely hated it, transfered); and Negril (was okay, but wouldn't go again). We picked the Bahamian because it had shortest flight and drive time. We bought the butler service. Our car was not there when we landed, and we had to wait. The Roles Royce was very old and dirty. My personal vehicle is nicer, and a US taxi would probably be nicer. The rooms were old (we expect when you pay that much money for a room, to have separate tub and shower at least). The resort, in general, needs to be upgraded/refurbished. I also found it personally insulting that, upon arrival, I was given a letter encouraging us to tip our butlers. The main reason we booked all-inclusive was so that we did not have to worry about tipping. It took away some of the enjoyment of having a butler because we had to wonder if they were expecting a tip for every little thing they did. I did like having the butler service, though. I just was not expecting - nor did I want - to be asked to tip them. In my opinion, the price of purchasing butler service was pricy enough to include tips! I also found it very annoying to be presented with a wine list at every meal that was available for purchase. Again, we purchased all-inclusive! I don't want to pay more money for wine. It would be fine to have an upgraded wine list, but leave it as something that could be requested, not something pushed on you at every meal. At that point it just seemed like Sandals was trying to squeeze every penny they could out of us. We had already paid approximately $6,000. After that much money, I didn't want to pay more for tips or wine. We did really like the off-shore island. It was beautiful, and the water at the resort was the prettiest I have seen at any of the resorts. The food and setting at Gordon's restaurant was very nice - as was the food at the French restaurant (the sea bass was great!). However, the bar service was absolutely terrible. Bartenders ignored us, and made us wait for no apparent reason. The drinks were terrible, too. For the price, I would expect frozen drinks to be made from fresh fruit. However, they were made with mixes. Plus, I asked a bartender for a Mojito, and he just told me "this is not the states" and walked off! Again - for the price we paid, I would expect the resort to serve drinks such a Mojito - which is very common drink. Your choices of frozen drinks were basically strawberry daiquiri, pina colada or a mudslide (and not very good ones at that!). Be prepared to wait a long time to get a drink, and expect very rude bartenders. Enjoy the beautiful water if you go, though. It was quite breathtaking.
15 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful.
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*awful* Visited: August 2005
Posted by jimandamy97
	Rooms where not kept up, cracked tile, no caulking, chipped furniture, no hot water, water pressure low, food was low end, drinks watered down, hotel was dirty. Broken hanging lights down the hallway. We could go on, and on. For the money we paid we got ripped off.Never will go back, and will tell everyone not to waste their money.When we complained to the manager he rolled his eyes and said he'd look into it, and never got back to us. Like it was a bather to him.He also said he would give us a $70 credit on our bill.What a joke that is after spending $6000.00 and they did not give us what they advertise.
9 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful.
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*This is one of our favorite getaways!* Visited: August 2005
Posted by uni52
	We have been to Sandals Royal Bahamian seven times over the past few years and have enjoyed it every time. True, they occasionally have had a problem or two, but it has always been corrected as soon as possible. I would rate the food as good, but it is not gourmet. I personally have found the bottled water to be less tasty than water (tap?) served at the various restaurants. The entire staff, from general manager down, have been extremely pleasant and concerned with our total happiness. As far as the Royal Cafe goes, the menu is somewhat limited, but it does go beyond a hamburger. There are other options available for lunch (Casanova's, Spices and Cafe Goombay) which are normally a buffet at any resort. For those of you who did not like your Sandals experience, I am sorry. For those who did, join their free Signature Guest Club which offers small discounts on future visits and gives you a free week's stay after 70 paid nights at any of the Sandals or Beaches resorts.
10 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
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*5 Star Price 2 Star Quality...* Visited: June 2005
Posted by sheri1
	We had to wait 4 hours for our room in the lobby which reeked of vomit & another 4 in our room for our luggage. The room smelled like mold, we couldn't open the screen door because the screen was torn & the mosquitoes were terrible!The furniture was ripped & stained, carpet torn, thermostat was broken,the shower water would randomly switch from hot to cold & you had to force the door shut. We had to switch rooms & both rooms were in the same condition. The food in every restaurant tasted as if it was from a frozen dinner. The English pub only served 4 types of beer but had ads for 15. The alcohol in the "fully stocked bars" in the rooms were watered down. The freshly squeezed oj came from cans. The resort staff was rude & unapologetic for any issues. The snorkeling was a joke. They take you out in the ocean about 100 yards away for 15 minutes & tell you its too rough. I tried three times & they used the same lines exactly. Trying to eat lunch or dinner at the "private" Cay Island is a joke too unless YOU want to be the main course for the mosquitoes. It doesn't matter what time of day you go they are terrible little needles sticking you. The resort will sell you a 7 ounce bottle of repellant for $40 from their gift shop. They do not have any netting or protection from the bugs so you get all the extra protein you need included with your food. There were things that were "included" in the "all-inclusive" resort that were additional deposit fees required which you did not receive back. This place is a complete rip off!
9 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful.
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*It was amazing, amazing, amazing!* Visited: April 2005
Posted by karyn_ro
	This resort was like paradise. It was beautiful, immaculate, and well-kept. The people were so friendly - everything was "no problem". I can't wait to go back!
7 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful.
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*Yuck! It was not worth it!* Visited: January 2005
Posted by gregdavid
	The Sandals was not elegant and not worth the money. The scenery and architecture looked okay, but entirely contrived. It reminded me of a Busch Gardens ride (“Escape From Pompeii” in Williamsburg, Virginia, to be exact). The resort advertised three high-end restaurants. But watch out -- they didn't let us make reservations before we arrived, and when we got there, no reservations were available for any of our three-night stay. If I had not complained vociferously, we would have been relegated to the buffet or more casual dining experience. I understand this was a busy weekend (New Year's Eve), but it was nonetheless entirely unacceptable. And, one night that I did manage to get a table (after complaining), the manager of the restaurant rudely told me that my Birkenstocks were unacceptable dress. Yes, this was the dress code, but I was not happy about the blunt and ungraceful manner in which I was handled. In general, the staff was friendly and courteous. The problem is that Sandals seems to be trying to cut costs at every turn. Let me give some examples: limited dinner reservations forcing you to eat at the buffet (which saves them manpower and money), cheap liquor (aristocrat brand), threadbare towels, poor water pressure, drinks at the bar served in small plastic cups with no garnish, lots of trash around the pool not promptly cleaned, etc. The Sandals promises high end, but fails to deliver.
5 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
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*This is a fabulous resort.* Visited: March 2004
Posted by jon_yatesy
	We spent a great week at the Sandals Royal Bahamian. The food/restaurants were probably the highlight of the holiday. We ate at a different restaurant for dinner each evening - the quality was very good (superb in a couple of the restaurants). Accommodation-wise, our room was lovely and very spacious with a separate sitting area. The best rooms were in the Windsor block on floor three or above. The weather was fine, although a couple of the days it was fairly cloudy which made the pools seem chilly. If it were not for our wish to visit other islands, we would definitely return in the future.
4 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
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*We had an outrageous time.* Visited: February 2004
Posted by valstiger
	My husband and I came home two weeks ago from Sandals Royal Bahamian we had the best time. We got married February 11th. My husband lost one of the rings an hour before the ceremony and guests turned it in ten minutes ahead of time. My husband was so unglued he read the wrong wedding vows, but that was okay. The love and understanding of everyone at Sandals was extraordinary. We want to thank both Beverly and Gary for standing up for us. And the photographers took just fantastic pictures that we could not get over how good they came out. We had the best time we have ever had in our lives. Everybody at Sandals made us feel like royalty.We had dinner at the Crystal Room on our wedding night and it was okay. But what was extra special was when the waiter put our dessert on a tray, put a sparkler in it and put it on top his head and brought out. Everyone clapped and congratulated us. That put me into tears that they cared so much for people they never met before. We also had dinner at Kimono's. It was the best restaurant there in our opinion. We have never had Chinese cooking like that before - it was great. Also, the party they had on Valentine's Day was also great. The guys and girls were all dressed up and walked around dancing. It was a dream come true for both my husband and me. We hope to be coming back in the near future.
2 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful.
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*extra ordinary* Visited: February 2004
Posted by prettygalval
	We both would like to thank you all for all of your sweetness & kindness on our stay with you. We have not stopped talking about the kindness of everyone there since we got home. Our Wedding Day was over & beyond anything that I expected. You took a day that I thought would never happen & made it come true Better then either of us imagined. Then the kimono restaurant was better then anything we have had before .I dont think we could find a restaurant like that home here & the crystal room on our wedding night was great with the guy holding the sparkler on his head in our cake was something else & the way that everyone congratulated us that night was a memory that I will never forget.We both wanted to thank Beverly again &let her know that she made a girls dream come true Thankyou again for calming valarie ann down on our Wedding day .I dont think anyone home would have been so sweet.We also wanted to thank the cassanova restaurant for making the fish that we caught so good. Thank you all again so much for a vacation & wedding day to remember for a lifetime SINCERLY YOURS, MR VALARIE ANN&SANDRA BRAUNSCHWEIGER
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*not at all like stated in brochures and website* Visited: October 2003
Posted by 8doherno
	Visited in Oct 2003. Resort very disapointing and not up to 5 star standard. Rooms and main area had very musty smell and cleanliness of complex not good. Also food not great though staff are very friendly and nice. I would not recommend nor visit again
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*TERRIBLE, OVERPRICED RESORT* Visited: October 2003
Posted by ferraroe
	My wife and I just got back from a 5 night stay at this "resort", and we were ready to leave after day 2. The poor service is matched only by the poor food selection. Only 2 restaurants were available for either breakfast or lunch- one was a cafeteria style place with some decent food and the other had the same menu and music every day. I hope you enjoy Natalie Coles' "Unforgettable"- you'll hear it 500 times during breakfast alone if you make the mistake of staying at this place. We've traveled to many different islands, but this by far was the worst. When we complained about the service we were told to "relax, we're on island time here". My question is- who is on this "island time", the customer or the service industry? In just a few hours at this resort, you will learn the answer- it's the staff. Pretty sad for a place who's #1 economic resource is tourism. Our room was not available until 3 hours after we arrived (at noon). They told us to "relax by the pool" until the room was ready. 90+ degrees with no bathing suit- you get the idea. When we finally got to our room, we were disappointed as it looked like a Days Inn room at best. The floors were all tiled and you can hear every noise from the rooms next door to you. Use your imagination on that one. Most of the water sports advertised were "unavailable", which we learned on check in by a convenient "marker cross out" on the arrival brochure. In addition, there are 3 restaurants which require dinner reservations- we attempted to book them (as soon as we got checked into our room)for any of the 5 nights we were there, and got into 2 of them. Only 2 kinds of beer were available, Coors Light and Kalik, a local piss beer. The other drinks were heavily watered down. Steer clear of the OJ- the funkiest stuff I've ever tasted. The "private island" and cafe Goombay sucked. The lunch menu was "Hamburger, Cheesburger, or Grilled Cheese". $500 a night for this? The highlights were the spa (one of the best massages I've ever gotten), and the fact that the grounds were very well kept (in the main resort area). The bottom line- avoid this place like the plague. Change your plans to go to Aruba- that was our best Island experience. Stay at the Radisson in Aruba- it is 10 times better and less money. Plus there's a lot more to do in Aruba than in the Bahamas and nobody will harass your wife to braid her hair.
3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful.
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*Not as Expected.* Visited: October 2003
Posted by hydster007
	My husband and I just returned from Sandals Royal Bahamian. My husband and I will probably never return to another Sandals resort again. Our room was not ready when we got there at 3pm. Once we got into the room, it was very plain and we could hear our neighbors on both sides. We stayed in the Manor House in their basic room. The Royal Cafe was not so "royal." They had the same menu every day for lunch. How many times can you eat a cheeseburger? The other lunch option was Spices where the service was not so great, but the food was okay. Our breakfast choices were Spices or Baccarat. My husband got a half-cooked omelet at Spices. Baccarat was much better, but the menu was the same every day. We had mixed reviews on dinner. Kimonos was awful! It certainly was no Benihana! My stomach was not feeling so well after dinner. We enjoyed Casanova, Crystal Room, and Baccarat for dinner. The service and food at Crystal Room and Baccarat were excellent. No filet or lobster, though. We were unable to get dinner reservations at Cafe Goombay. We tried booking as soon as we got to Sandals, but it was already full. The pool areas and pool bars at the resort were nice. There were not enough floats for everyone. Sandals Cay had a nice beach. The pool was small and the service at the bar and lunch at Cafe Goombay was slow. The food at Cafe Goombay was bad. The spa was great. We got a great couple's massage. The room service was slow. We waited 45 minutes and 3 phone calls to get extra pillows in our room. Our remote control was broken and it also took 45 minutes for someone to come fix it. The staff was on island time. The bars and restaurants do not serve bottled water. This seemed strange to me. We requested some and were told that they ran out. The beach at the resort was very, very small. Go over to Sandals Cay to enjoy the beach. Nightly entertainment was limited. We could have done much better for the money that we spent going to Sandals.
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*Sandals was an excellent place to get married.* Visited: May 2003
Posted by lamodrusic
	My husband and I just returned from our "weddingmoon" at Sandals Royal Bahamian. We absolutely loved getting married here. Everything was completely stress-free. Our wedding location was beautiful, and the wedding coordinator took care of everything for us. I highly suggest purchasing the video of your wedding. The vidoegrapher did an excellent job. The wedding cake and hors d'oeuvres reception was really nice, too. We had a wonderful time. However, we would not go back. We would rate this hotel a seven out of ten. We were disappointed. For the high price we paid for this trip and for all the "hype" we had heard about Sandals, we expected more. Our main complaints were poor service in the restaurants. Most days, I had to wait 15-20 minutes for my drink, as well as ask several times. Also, cleanliness could be improved. Our room smelled bad, and we found the pool and beach areas to be dirty. There were straws and cups floating in the pool, and the beach was littered with trash and broken glass. The good points included: very friendly staff, excellent snorkeling, and excellent food.
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*High-priced and overrated!* Visited: May 2003
Posted by louise_sortino
	Our vacation at the Sandals was very disappointing. We paid extra for the honeymoon suite, with an ocean view. We were told we would have a sitting area. This was the smallest, I?ve ever seen. If you fell out of bed you would hit your head on the chair. The bed?s box spring was a piece of plywood. We were told by Liberty Travel that this was the most exclusive place. We were supposed to have room service, but learned only for continental breakfast. We asked for a certain brand of liquor, but were refused. We even asked if we could buy it. There was always a shortage of beach towels. The food was limited to their menus. There was no shrimp, lobster or Filet Minon. All they had was pork, conch and lamb. Other resorts we have visited have all of the foods you want. The service and attitude in the French restaurant was horrible. They would turn our bed down at night, sometimes at six and sometimes at ten thirty after I was sleeping. I called for a ?do not disturb? sign, for three days, they told me that they were out. For four days we did not have cable television. Going back to the food, it was fair in the pub. I was bitten up by bugs on their little island. That vacation cost us six thousand dollars and in plain English it was the worst. Sandals you should brag so much about your hotel. We have been to the Caymans, Aruba and Saint Martin. I am sorry we wasted our time and money at Sandals.
3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
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*It was absolute paradise - what a wonderful vacation!* Visited: April 2003
Posted by melissa_keene31
	My husband and I just got back from an absolutely wonderful vacation at the Sandals Royal Bahamian. Our room was upgraded without even asking. The resort was spotless. The staff was very friendly. We spent a day at the private island.. we felt like we were the only ones there! The snorkeling was fantastic and the beach was spotless. We also enjoyed the evening activities, there was a great house band that played. We were here on our two-year wedding anniversary. The trip was worth it. Don't believe all of the bad reviews. My husband had a massage at their spa, he said it was the best he's ever had. At night, we walked on the beach, and listened to the waves crash - it was so romantic. The food was great, and the swim up bars were just as fun! We met so many couples who we're going to keep in touch with. The only complaint we had was that you couldn't get bottled water in the restaurants, outside bars or inside bars. But we would go back, and we would definitely try other Sandals resorts as well.
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*It was fabulous!* Visited: February 2003
Posted by lnaiman
	The staff was excellent, very accommodating and extremely eager to please. We have been on many cruises, but this was more relaxing with the best of everything. Wendall Jackson was awesome entertainment!
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Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort Overview

Sandals Royal Bahamian, winner of the prestigious Five-Star Diamond Award and a Sandals "Signature Collection" resort, stands alone as the premier destination for couples who demand only the very best. From our offshore island, a veritable resort within a resort, to world-class dining in 8 gourmet restaurants; from rooms and...