My wife and I looked forward to our first vacation without children in almost 20 years, and were looking for a resort that would satisfy our desire to “indulge ourselves”. It has taken a fair bit of time and hard work to save sufficient funds to afford a vacation of this type, and we had high hopes and expectations for the almost $6,000 we spent on our Sandals vacation. We envisioned a luxurious room, overlooking the ocean, and service to match.
Upon our arrival at the airport, we were promptly shown to our limousine (an extra I paid for) and everything appeared good. Upon our arrival at the Sandals resort, we were escorted into the “registration” office and told someone would greet us shortly. After several minutes (approx.), we were told we were in the room area, and then escorted to the concierge office. Again we sat for approx. 10 more minute while another couple attempted to resolve a wedding issue. When we finally asked how we could be helped, we again told we were in the wrong area, and taken to another area in the manor house. Bear in mind, we did not pick these rooms – we were taken there by your staff, none of whom seemed to know what the process was. Once we arrived at the manor house desk, we sat again….finally being spoken to by a staff member. I was given a form to complete – I’m guessing subsequent to my online registration (meant to speed up the process??) – only to find several errors in information. We then sat further while this staff member left to check on something. A few minutes later a new staff member asked how they could help us. We indicated that another staff member was looking into it, but were told this new staff member would deal with the matter. We were confused, but went along with this new staff member. Shortly after, the first staff member returned, now with conflicting information. Clearly, the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing here. Overall, the booking in procedure was very disorganized, confusing, and took far longer than it should have. Not a good first impression!
We were then escorted to our room and shown in by the staff member. This room is on the west side of the building, and our view was that of a condominium complex and their parking lot. If I leaned far enough over the balcony (without falling) I could see a sliver of the ocean. I immediately called the concierge desk to indicate that this room was not acceptable, as we had specifically booked an ocean view room. I was told that we were, in fact, in the correct class room, but we could be moved to the east (pool) side the following day. The next day, we returned our room key as directed, and were given a new room. This room was on the same (west) side, although the concierge did acknowledge that the request for a pool side room was properly made by the previous staff member. The concierge member did indicate that she could move us into a pool side room the following day and we could use the new room for that night. Upon arrival in the room however, the carpet was soaked with water, with a dehumidifier was operating in the centre of the room. There was a musty smell and this room was not fit for habitation. I immediately called the concierge desk, and we were moved back into our original room for the night. Ironically enough, a couple we were speaking to while they were checking in, and we were resolving the room issue, were then given the very same room I just had just advised your staff was uninhabitable. This room should have been taken out of service until the carpet and odours were resolved.
By this point we had now lost valuable “vacation” time resolving room issues, and were forced to live out of our suitcases for two nights. Both nights we spent in the west side room were disrupted by loud music and shouting from the adjacent parking lot, making sleep almost impossible. At a supposed 5+ star resort, this is simply unacceptable!
The following day we were moved into an east side room, which presented a more acceptable ocean view. From a marketing perspective, it is very misleading to state that the west side rooms are equal in value (i.e., ocean view) to the east side rooms. These rooms should be marketed as a “partial” ocean view, and at a lower cost than the east side rooms – they are clearly not the same level of room and to assign the same price point is, quite simply, wrong. In addition, we found the beds very uncomfortable; the mattress (no box spring) was sagging in the centre, so we rolled into the centre throughout the night; also, the pillow have seen better days.
I found it highly unusual that access to wireless internet was an additional cost (rather expensive at that). The cheapest “mom and pop” motels include internet service as a matter of course, as do all major hotel chains, and failure to do so at Sandals further erodes the “all-inclusive, excellence of service” branding.
We did enjoy the Sandals Cay, on the few days it was open, but the service at the island restaurant was absolutely horrible. One day, for lunch, we sat at our table at 12:45 pm. We did not place a lunch order until 1:10 pm, and only after I chased down a waitress to do so. We patiently waited for our salads, which didn’t arrive until 1:30 pm, and my salad was incorrect (no chicken). In the meantime, I went to the bar to refresh our drinks and no one came to ask us if we would like another drink. Shortly after that, a male waiter, under the impression we were finished eating, stopped by to inquire if we enjoyed our lunch and did we require anything else – to which I replied “Yes, our lunch”. He was somewhat flustered and said he would check on it, but that was the last we saw of him. A few minutes later my wife received her lunch, but mine was nowhere to be found. She attempted to delay eating until mine arrived, but after ten minutes gave in to hunger. At approx. 1:55 pm, a man named Mario came by and asked how everything was – I indicated that my wife and I preferred to eat together but my lunch was “lost” somewhere. Shortly after that, he located my sandwich and we were able to finally eat. Total time from sitting down until both lunches arrived – 75 minutes! Again, totally unacceptable for resort boasting service excellence! It became apparent that wait staff were not assigned to, nor responsible, for particular sections – it was disorganized and ineffective. I can confirm that the restaurant was not overly busy at this time, with numerous empty tables.
One night, we booked a dinner reservation for Baccarats, for 9 pm. We sat down next to 2 couples who had a 7:30 reservation and during casual conversation with them, we learned they had not yet been served the main course – over 1 ½ hrs. since they sat down. We were able to order our dinner and receive our main course at the same time as they did. They were quite upset over the length of time for dinner, which was only further compounded when the waiter advised them (and us) that the desserts, as per the menu, were not available. The waiter indicated he would consult with the chef for options, but did not return for over ½ hr., during which time we had enough waiting, and left.
This was not an isolated case, as every couple we spoke with throughout the week were disappointed with some facet of their vacation. Once couple we spent the afternoon with had previously visited the Sandals Jamaica and indicated that the Sandals Royal Bahamian was not up to the Jamaican standards and they were disappointed.
Throughout the week, little things became apparent. For example, the inconsistency at the pool bars. One drink would receive a garnish, while the second (from the same bartender) did not. At one pool bar, I could get a can of soda pop, while at the other only a small glass. These little issues all speak to attention to detail and level of service – clearly not present at this resort. The evening entertainment is scheduled later in the evenings, with most events not even starting until 9:30 pm or later. We are certainly not “over the hill” but after a full day in the sun, then dinner, we were not prepared to wait until late in the evening to enjoy activities. These activities seemed to cater to a much younger crowd, leaving us sitting on the balcony or watching TV. The lack of variety and inclusiveness was disappointing.
One afternoon, after a long day at the beach, we retired to our room for a cold beer, a shower, and some relaxation before dinner. The room fridge had not been restocked (it was 4:30 pm), so I called housekeeping for service. I was told someone would be right up, but after one hour of waiting, I went downstairs to a bar to pick up a couple cold beers. I also thought I would place a takeout order for food at the Cricketers Pub. Upon entry, I stood at the bar for approx. 10 minutes before a bartender or waiter asked if they could help – although the bartender looked at me several times while I was standing there. When I finally was able to place an order, I was advised that the pub was out of Guinness beer – what kind of a British pub runs out of Guinness beer? I returned to the room, we dressed for dinner, and as we were leaving, the staff arrived to stock our fridge – some three hours after we first called.
On our final day, I called the concierge to confirm our limo ride to the airport and was advised we were scheduled for the bus. I indicated that I had paid $160 extra for limo service, but there was no record of it. Only after several lengthy, frustrating calls with different staff members, was I able to resolve the matter. Essentially, arriving was disorganized and departing was disorganized; our first impression was confirmed by our departing impression.
From a business perspective, Sandals presents an excellent marketing plan. It sells the dream of a luxurious, worry-free, pampered vacation, but falls well short in the execution department. My wife and I typically travel to resorts on sell-off packages; most recently she went to a Mexican (Mayan Riviera) resort for $670, all-inclusive for the week. She indicates that resort was equal, if not better, than the Sandals vacation we had just spent almost $6,000 for.
There is one thing in life that we cannot replace or buy; that is time. Sandals fell far short of our expectations and hopes, and wasted precious vacation time (sorting out room issues and poor service). This vacation did not provide appropriate value for dollar, did not deliver on the service expectations, and took away time that we cannot replace.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
less 
