Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort - Bahamas

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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. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? 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. Did you find this helpful? 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. 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? 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! 3 users found this review helpful. 5 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Sandals Royal Rip Off Visited: February 2003 Posted by mshethr I have a huge write-up of this resort; but, it's much larger than the 2,700 characters I'm limited to. E-mail me at mshethr@hotmail.com if you'd like to read it. We didn't have a BAD time; but, we expected much more since the literature was so grand. We will never return to any Sandals resort anywhere. We were also married at Sandals Royal Bahamian and stayed in the Regency Category. Don't waste your money here. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We loved it! Visited: February 2003 Posted by aweides My husband and I felt this Sandals Resort exceeded our expectations. We will go back to Sandals again and again. When you read the bad reviews of this resort - don't believe all they have to say. They must be very hard to please. 0 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a great vacation experience! Visited: February 2003 Posted by mc_carlson This was a great vacation. From the time we got on the bus to go to the resort until the time we boarded to leave, we felt appreciated and pampered by the staff. The food was great and the drinks were strong and plentiful. 1 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a great time. Visited: September 2002 Posted by bonnie1 I was disappointed with the transfer from the airport to the hotel, it was over an hour before anyone came to pick us up. When we arrived, we were served champagne during registering. We arrived at 10:30 am, and the room was finally ready at 1:45 pm. We wondered all over the resort, mostly sampling the drinks. We attended the managers party for returning guests, this was wonderful. We spent a lot of time on the island, we both thought it was great. The pool was clean, but the drinks were better. I was a little disappointed with all the coral, but at the resort, the beach was great. We had dinner at the island one night.The food was very good. I would warn you about one thing if you are going there for dinner, watch out for the jumping tree toads, they are a "scream" . No one warned us that they jump on your table or at you, or I probably wouldn't have gone. The staff was great, so helpful. I wish they would have had more seafood, other than conch, though. After a week that got boring. I would recommend this resort, and I would definitely go back again. 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Had to pay own way back to airport. Visited: July 2002 Posted by udtker Most of the experience was just fine, it would have been nice if the hotel room thermostat was not stuck on 60 degrees, and if the promised transportation to the airport had been available and we did not have to hire a cab to get to the airport. All in all, the vacation, though a short one, was good and outside of the few problems, I did enjoy the overall trip. Sandals personnel were polite and helpful to our group as far as I know. Would I go back again. Probably, if assured the problems were fixed. 0 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We were very happy with our stay. Visited: March 2002 Posted by reneek We just returned from Sandals Bahamian and were very happy with our stay. This was our fourth Sandals vacation and we keep coming back for a reason! The food and service was exceptional. I think those who say it wasn't, must be people whose glasses are always half empty! The only place we ran into a little less-than-exceptional service was in the water-sports area. The beach grill food got a little old, but the convenience couldn't be beat if for a quick snack and some decent choices. Room service was very prompt, but choices were limited. The rooms and grounds were very clean and well kept. We were able to do dinner reservations because of being return guests in a high level suite. I have to admit this was probably much nicer than not being able to make reservations. This was the only Sandals that didn't allow everyone to make reservations. They said it was because there were so many rooms and suites compared to the other Sandals resorts. We went to Sandals Cay for the day and thought it was great. It was very intimate. We didn't do dinner there and heard mixed reviews. Some said the bugs were awful, some said it was no worse than spending a summer evening outside in the mid-west. Everyone said the food was very good. The pools were not heated, but was hot out, so why should they be? Only one of the three jucuzzis was heated. I think that was intentional. The Spa was the best experience I've ever had! I recommend a few tips. When booking your room or suite, get them to describe your view very specifically. Descriptions in the brochure were a bit decieving. Also, bring your own hair dryer. If you're a return guest, attend the managers dinner that is held especially for you. It will be the best meal of your visit, and you will meet lots of fun people, including the managment staff. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was fantastic - we can't wait to go back! Visited: February 2002 Posted by tony_amanda We went out to the Bahamas with our familes to get married at Sandals and had a fantastic time. The wedding organization was excellent - dven though we only met the coordinator for arrangements the day before! Everything exceeded our expectations. The setting and photos were beautiful. We ordered 48 and brought double that! The resort itself was a wonderful all-inclusive hotel. We stayed in the Windsor building in a honeymoon suite which was regularly stocked and cleaned. One day we even ordered a bottle of Malibu for the room which arrived 10 minutes later. The Hotel was fully booked when we stayed there and the majority of guests were American. The restaurants were of top standard, although we were surprised to find the best wine cost extra. The food was wonderful - especially in Baccarrat and the Crystal Room. Breakfast was more than you could imagine with a fantastic buffet with omelettes, pancakes and other items cooked to order. Staying in February was the only thing we wouldn't repeat. It was a bit windy and the pools were not heated. In the evening it could be a bit cold, especially if they still had the air conditioning on full blast! Having said that, we can't wait to return. We'll just visit during the summer months next time! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? What a wonderful trip. Visited: February 2002 Posted by Sswan77377 We just returned from our trip and it was great. I would highly recommend the Royal Bahamian. There were a few things I wish could have been better - a heated pool and the jaccuzzis were not all hot and operating. We stayed in the Windsor Block, room 1634 and it was very nice. There was a stocked bar, turn down service, morning paper, room service for breakfast, daily activity sheet, coffee maker and robes. What more did I need from a room? Yes, there were some things I could pick at about the room, but it was a tropical island. Yes, you could find mildew and a little mold, but it's nothing you wouldn't find in your bathroom at home. The food was good, and there was plenty of it. The drinks were plentiful. The service was great. No restaurants were closed and the house band, The VIP, was good. The beach party and the Saturday night international buffet were wonderful. The staff was friendly (some more so than others). If you go, ask for Moses at the beach grill - he was great. I didn't care for the island. Bugs kept biting and that was annoying to my friend. The pool was small, but what a great view! The shuttle to go to town is $1.00 and if you wanted, you could take a ferry to Paradise Island for $ 3.00. My biggest let-down was the weather. It was cloudy, cloudy and more clouds! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Very pleased, but has areas of improvement Visited: February 2002 Posted by erunnion We were there for foru days and three nights and had a wonderful time. But I felt there were areas needing improvement. The employees were very friendly and helpful. They seemed to be very happy performing their job. The food was very good and high quality- especially the main courses. The lunch buffets were good, but it seemed the buffet menu did not change much from day to day. The desserts needed improvement - box bought and not very tasteful. The pool should be heated. I never had a chance to use the pools since they were ice cold. The English Pub was not authentic at all - there was no English beer. They needed a larger assortment of beer to choose from of higher quality. Jetsking should be included in watersports without an additional cost. The island at the resort was very small including the pool area. If you wanted a place to relax and not have a lot of people around - it would be a great place to go. We are planning to be returning guests and highly recommend the resort. But my next visit would be in late March or April because of the pools. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the perfect honeymoon spot! Visited: January 2002 Posted by Bumruggles We had a late December wedding and had a week-long cruise before we went to Sandals. The cruise was our first. It was fun, but the weather was horrendous. By the time we flew into the Bahamas all we wanted was some sunshine and relaxation. Upon checking in, we were upgraded to a room viewing the ocean. The menus were fantastic in every restaurant (the beer selection was a little light). The pools were to cold to go in, but that didn't stop us! The private island was pretty cool, too. The night life was a little limited, but we really weren't looking to meet anyone on our honeymoon. It was a great place and, if all the Sandals are like this one, we will be loyal customers for years to come. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Truly paradise! Visited: January 2002 Posted by suzycuen What a fabulous resort in which to relax and be pampered! Everything was better than I expected. I could have stayed much longer. The only disappointment we experienced was in the view from our room, on the first floor of the Windsor building. (It was a parking lot enclosed by a fence.) But after contemplating asking for another room we decided to stay where we were, which would cause us to spend more time outside the room enjoying whatever view we liked. The room itself was fabulous. The food was incredible, and beautifully presented. We were not disappointed with anything we ordered. We ate at several of the restaurants - Kimonos was fun; Spices had the best breakfast buffet; and we loved eating at the Royal Grill because it was right on the beach, and you did not have to miss out on anything while you ate. The playmakers were wonderful, as was the rest of the staff. Everyone was friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the nighttime entertainment and the music very much. We spent about 4 hours on Sandals Cay. There were only about 20 people there, making it easy to forget that anyone else was around. The beaches on the island were beautiful, and it was so relaxing just to lie back and enjoy watching the sailboats and the parasailers on the gorgeous blue water. We may never get back to this resort because there are so many other places we want to visit, but this is certainly a trip I will never forget. I do not think anything else will ever measure up. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A mixed bag. Visited: January 2002 Posted by steve This was our second Sandals experience. There are a lot of great things about the Royal Bahamian, but our vacation was unfortunately hampered with a few details that simply missed the mark. Disappointments: Perhaps other patrons are well aware of this, but we were surprised to find out that although the resort boasts eight dining choices, you rarely have more than perhaps 2 or three available at a time. This may sound like plenty, but with the number of guests, these places can get a little crowded. Every night, there are different restaurants open for dinner, and lunch and breakfast offers you only 2 choices. The quality of service really needs some work. Apart from the concierge and bartenders, the rest of the staff really had a poor attitude, resulting in forgotten orders, long waits and needless hassles. The rooms. I’m halfway on this one. When we first arrived, ourselves and another couple were herded like cattle off to the Villas. We walked through beautiful gardens, multiple swimming pools all the way to the very edge of the resort. Our “room,” a modest guestroom that overlooked the garbage dump, had a direct line of sight to the Domino’s Pizza across the street, and was burdened by the noise of traffic along Cable Beach. We then discovered our room did not have a safe – it clearly did at one point, but had been completely ripped off the wall. We tried to use our telephone, but it had no instructions, even though the resort booklet said to use the instructions located on the phone. Our room had no towels and no hot water. Numerous calls to the “concierge” resulted in absolutely nothing. I was reassured that someone would be by to fix the problems, but nothing ever happened. The following day, I explained the problems again to a different concierge and they generously upgraded our room to a semi-honeymoon suite in the Windsor block at no extra charge. From that point in, everything was beautiful. Good Stuff: Sandals Cay, the offshore island is a must. We only visited it on our second-to-last day there and wished we could have enjoyed it more during our stay. The offshore island really gives you a chance to get away and enjoy some more peaceful time together. Compared to our previous Sandals vacation (The Royal Caribbean in Jamaica) we agreed that the Royal Bahamian was no more and no less what we expected, for different reasons. The Royal Caribbean is much more intimate and has a charm associated with it. The Royal Bahamian is much more elaborate, and at times, a little too much. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't need to leave the property. Visited: January 2002 Posted by jdavis We were at Sandals the 2nd week of January. Overall, our experience was great. We stayed in the Manor block through a package deal. Our grade of room was nicer than originally booked. Manor is older, but the rooms were large, the bed was comfortable and the room bar was stocked daily. The water was shut off twice for some reason, but only a short time. We were on the side overlooking a neighborhood and an okay view of the ocean, but heard barking dogs every morning. We thought the food was very good, nice presentation in the fancier restaurants. We were disappointed there was not much seafood offered except grouper and conch. Anything Pasta said shrimp or lobster, but had only small bits in it. The International buffet at Spices was really good. Drinks were top shelf and strong. Beer selection could be better. The staff and service was great, everyone was friendly and helpful. No one was looking for or seemed to be receiving tips. There are plenty of activities, and the offshore island is nice and peaceful. We made some new friends and really only left the property twice—and I always want to go exploring and really was content at the Sandals to stay put. Even though we had paid tranfers from the airport, we took a cab because the line was really long. The overall check-in procedure was pretty smooth. If you go in the winter, beware of the pools; they are clean but ice cold. One hot tub was perfect, but the others were way too hot. If you get a good package deal, this property is well worth the money. I am used to staying at Marriott hotels and resorts and this was comparable to many of them. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A Mixed Bag. Visited: September 2001 Posted by staci_perez I just returned from a five-night stay. I traveled the Monday after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The resort was quite empty, as was the rest of the island. I would give this vacation a mixed review. I think the property, as a whole, needs much refreshing. We stayed in the Windsor block, which is the newer of the two. Our room smelled musty and there was mildew on the drapes and the canopy on the bed. The carpet was all pulled out by the sliding door. The air conditioner could not keep up and one day actually began to leak every 5 minutes, leaving a huge puddle on the carpet. Our mini-bar was not stocked when we arrived. Also, we were interrupted from sleep 3 times due to a fire alarm. This was the most upsetting part of the trip. Not one time was there a representative from the resort to tell us where to go, what to do, or how they were correcting the problem. A fire alarm at 6 am is not a great way to start the day, especially when you are on vacation. The service was good when they were around. If we walked into a restaurant and were greeted immediately, we didn't have a problem. If not, we often stood around for 5 - 10 minutes waiting to be seated. No complaints on the food, it was good. We also experienced the "we're out of things" on the menus. One disappointment was that not every restaurant was open every night. We dressed for a casual dinner at Kimono's only to have it closed and have to return to our room for dressier attire. Sandal's Cay was closed the entire week we were there. Luckily, we went there the first day we arrived. We loved the island's peacefulness and larger beach. It felt more remote and "islandy." Most people were completely disgusted with this closing. Sandals said it was due to a diesel shortage from the States. Whatever the reason, the price we paid included this island and it was unavailable. The entertainment was awful. After dinner, there wasn't anything to do. You can only watch so many newlyweds answer trivia questions before you're bored out of your mind. We actually watched a movie in our room one night because we were so bored. When we go on vacation we are looking for more of a dance atmosphere in the evening and it was non-existent. Overall, the comments from other guests were similar. This resort is not cheap and for the money is quite disappointing. I read all of the reviews on this property before we went and I thought, "People are just too picky and quick to complain." After visiting, I have a newfound respect for bulletin comments both positive and negative. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Horrible honeymoon Visited: August 2001 Posted by Lbenson The Sandals brochure is nothing at all like the resort. We stayed in the manor house. It smelled very musty and our room smelled of cigarette smoke. Here is a run down of the problems we encountered during our one-week stay: The hot tubs were cold or dirty or empty. One night we lost water. One night we lost electricity. There were no storms. Service was always slow and sometimes we never even received what we ordered. Some of the bartenders were extremely rude. We spoke to one and he said they were understaffed and underpaid. They were also constantly running out of stuff--bananas, pina colada mix, milk, romaine lettuce, etc. Only three types of beer served - all canned- Bud, Coors Lite, and Kalik - a local beer that the locals won't even drink. What kind of a pub is this? They woke us up one afternoon, told us to leave our room and go to dinner because they had a surprise for newlyweds. There was never anything. The desk later told us when we inquired that they had the wrong room. Nightly entertainment consisted of couples answering trivial pursuit questions on the stage. Most nights the resort was dead by ten. The piano bar was always an option, but how many nights in a row can you listen to the same songs sung over and over again off key? The island (Sandals Cay) was small and absolutely disgusting. The pool there was small and filthy. The Jacuzzi was dirty and cold and the beach was littered with broken glass and actual garbage that had washed to shore. The concierge never came up with anything we requested. Our bar wasn't stocked so I requested some soft drinks and juice. By the end of the day they still hadn't arrived so I went to the desk. She handed me a box and said here take it, we couldn't remember your room number. We had to tell them three times what day we were leaving and they still had it wrong. I left a note requesting clean glasses and every other day they rinsed out the dirty ones and put them back. There was orange juice pulp still stuck to the glasses. The southwestern restaurant was closed, so there was nowhere to get steak and there was no shellfish other then Conch. There were only three hammocks on the whole resort and they are on the island. The whole resort was very dirty and unkempt. I was totally disappointed. I thought when I read the reviews that people were just overreacting- not at all. Every couple I talked to at the resort said they expected much more. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Good quality but some surprises. Visited: July 2001 Posted by Marknanc My husband and I just returned from the Royal Bahamian where we had a good vacation. We somewhat knew what to expect because we have been to their St. Lucia and their Turks and Caicos properties. We had a great trip but we do not know why this is considered to be the best Sandals property. First, the problems. I was surprised by some disparities with their catalogue. First, the island is not private; more than half of it is used by a cruise ship company. Another thing that was promised did not materialize—the included glass bottom boat rides I was told ran every evening at sunset. It was only one of the expensive excursions. There was not a lot of shellfish available (no main courses). Otherwise the restaurants were quite good, but not excellent. The hot tubs were rarely hot. There were no kayaks and they would not let you take the snorkeling equipment out on your own. Room service for breakfast is for two identical orders only. The TV reception was poor. There was no Guinness at the British pub or other UK ales. I found the grounds were not kept clean. There were always used cups and other garbage on tables, in corners, etc., and this was not the case at the two other ones we have visited. My husband was left a business message marked urgent and it was never delivered to us. Some of the disappointments, I was prepared for. The beach is small, but lovely and the water is heavenly. The property is much smaller than the two we have been to. There were considerably fewer gardens and specifically flowers than the other two. Other things were great—the staff at the resort was very helpful and friendly. The evening music was quite enjoyable, both the bands and the piano bar rocked. The swim-up bars were very relaxing and well serviced. The island makes the resort. It has a large and beautiful beach and there are few people on it. The bar and restaurant here were convenient and laid back. Generally speaking, the bar service was great although it was a bit shocking to have to pay extra for excellent wine with dinner. (Didn't I choose Sandals so I would not have to do so?) The food at Bacarrat (breakfast and dinner), the Crystal Room and the Japanese restaurant was quite good and so was the service. The snorkeling was amazing, but you have to book it for the week ASAP. The spa was beautiful. I paid triple my regular price for a massage, but it was excellent. Do not miss the view from the workout room. This resort is still worth the money. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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