The Sands Barbados All Inclusive

“A Lovely Week at The Sands”

As we had only booked the holiday a fortnight before, we did not have a long time to get excited about our holiday at The Sands, Barbados. I could see mixed reviews, but I am always happy to do my own assessment. The hotel has a small feel about it. There are only 88 suites of a variety… Mais

As we had only booked the holiday a fortnight before, we did not have a long time to get excited about our holiday at The Sands, Barbados. I could see mixed reviews, but I am always happy to do my own assessment. The hotel has a small feel about it. There are only 88 suites of a variety of sizes. We came off our cruise ship and twenty minutes later we were at the hotel on Worthing beach. The room was not ready, but we were free to use the facilities straightaway. The dining area is under canvas. Thankfully this was fine for us with the weather we had during our week’s stay. The food served is good quality and is sometimes a buffet and sometimes à la carte. There doesn't seem to be any way of knowing which it is going to be from one day to the next. Breakfast is always a buffet. In addition there were several barbecues held. We also did mixology and enjoyed the Manager's Cocktail Party. The macaroni cheese dish served the day we left was easily the best I have ever had. Typically Bajan dishes were regularly on offer and we enjoyed them. The omelettes were delicious. At breakfast and lunch birds are attracted by the food and the staff have a job trying to shoo them away. I believe this is a Caribbean issue. We took a tour the day before departure and didn't think we would be back in time for lunch. It was great that we were assured that there would be food for us no matter what time we returned. There is a choice of two red and two white wines and one rosé. No sparking wine is included in the AI. All were very good and the cocktails were just great. This was my big birthday trip. I really appreciated the bottle of bubbly and the floral towel art left in the room for me. Unfortunately the accompanying card put me at a decade older! We had a good chuckle. The hotel also has a rooftop restaurant, Noir, which provides a fine dining experience. Do not miss this, as it is excellent. I do not want to mention any staff names for fear of forgetting anyone, but we found everyone at the hotel to be pleasant and helpful.  Our first floor room, 33, was fabulous with a large living area and a very generous bedroom and a nice shower. We were extremely comfortable. You can hook up your Amazon fire stick to the television in the lounge. The large balcony has a chaise longue to sit on. As the hotel is All Inclusive, I am not quite sure why there is a kitchenette in the suite.  The hotel has a small supermarket next to it and you can walk to St Lawrence Gap in a quarter of an hour. You could also access Bridgetown on foot in just over an hour, with Carlisle Beach being closer.  Throughout our week we were happy to get up early to get a lounger under the palm trees on the small beach. It is a truly stunning setting. During the morning the tide rose high and most loungers had to be moved off the sand. By the end of the week little beach remained. However, the night before we left there was heavy rain and the following morning revealed much more sand and calmer weather than we had seen in our week.   A large proportion of guests were either Canadian or British.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Sands and wish to thank everyone at the hotel for such a lovely week.

Menos

“If you like good food DO NOT GO.”

This is my honest review of The Sands. The Sands is very clean, and the grounds and gardens are well looked after. Our room was a large duplex apartment, with large kitchenette, lounge and balcony. Upstairs large bedroom, small bathroom and a locked door which we presumed was another bedroom. As… Mais

This is my honest review of The Sands. The Sands is very clean, and the grounds and gardens are well looked after. Our room was a large duplex apartment, with large kitchenette, lounge and balcony. Upstairs large bedroom, small bathroom and a locked door which we presumed was another bedroom. As we are both 79 years of age, we felt that it would have been useful to have a handrail up the stairs, and more than two drawers in which to put a fortnights clothes. The pool area had a number of sunbeds, which were all taken by 6,45am. with no one on them, contrary to hotel rules, but no one bothered to endorse them. The beach is basically non existent, due to erosion by the sea. When the tide had turned, a row of sun beds were put on the sand. It was observed that a group of 9 reserved sunbeds by the pool, and also grabbed 9 on the sand, and kept both sets. On holiday, good food is a must. Here the choices are very limited, very repetitive and poor. Often being dry, overcooked chicken and nameless fish. Out of three choices for dessert, 2 are for cake. One main meal was chicken fajitas, which consisted of a pile of mashed potato with chicken pieces on top. We visited The Noir restaurant. Certainly an improvement, but could have been a lot better. We have visited quite a few hotels in the Caribbean, and this was the worst for food. The drinks were typical all inclusive, some good and some not. Depended who made them. All the staff we came incontact with were friendly and efficient, except one, the receptionist, when we checked out was very rude We will not be returning..

Menos

“Good but could be better”

This could easily be a 5 star review if there would be more activities throughout the day and cater to all ages. A bit more dancing or fitness related stuff would be great. Wished the food would have been actually all inclusive. Most times we had an ala card meal for which the portions where so lit… Mais

This could easily be a 5 star review if there would be more activities throughout the day and cater to all ages. A bit more dancing or fitness related stuff would be great. Wished the food would have been actually all inclusive. Most times we had an ala card meal for which the portions where so little and you weren't allowed to have two plates off the menu. Food was hit or miss. Buffet very small and repetitive. Kemar, Michael and Nikolai made the stay much better. Thanks gentleman!

Menos