Sandals Resorts Omdömen 299

We stayed in the Bungalows Oct, 16-19 for my wifes 60th birthday The music and screaming from the beaches right by us was horrible.It was so loud it and annoying. We had to take the boat in daily to the mainland, then take the bus to Montego Bay eveyday just to get some peace and quiet. We have videos to to support our complaint 100%. Sandals ignores our requests, videos and complaints

We wrote to sandals with a long list of complaints after staying with them for our honeymoon. The service and standard of this hotel is shocking. I urge anyone looking to book with Sandals to reconsider.
This was our honeymoon which we saved extremely hard for and we have left with bad and upsetting memories.
I will list due to the limit on words,

- Dangerous Activities / Boat trips.
- Rooms not cleaned or replenished
- Rooms tied and dated / shower flooded the room
- Staff incredibly rude and unhelpful
- Stolen property from our room
- Recent shark attack. Made aware by another guest
- No paddleboarding or snorkeling as advertised
- Private island not private as advertised
- No gas in beer / Drinks not offered at meals
- Staff more interested in talking to each other / Refused to serve us at bars
- Pools freezing cold and unable to use
- Beach covered in seaweed (They cleaned the first day and didn't bother the rest of the week
- Drugs offered to us by staff
- Dive team didn't answer basic safety questions and just shrugged off answer. High?
- No hot water in rooms
- Trips cancelled last minute. Money held onto and then told it would be a month before we got a refund
- Not 5 star
- A la carte restaurants waiting around for hours before being seated. Food overcooked
The list goes on...

The response we received was the offer of 20,000 worth of sandals points which equates to $200 and a non disclosure agreement... says it all.

Sandals Negril
We first visited Sandals at Royal Plantation Jamaica in 2022 we had such a fantastic experience that we returned in Jan 2023 and again thoroughly enjoyed it.
As a result of these two experiences, we decided to return again to Sandals. This time we picked Sandals Negril as it was recommended by our travel agent. We looked at the website and were impressed by what we saw so we booked our holiday.
I wrongly assumed that we would have butler service at the hotel but this is something that we didn’t check so it was our fault that we didn’t have it.
When we arrived at the resort, we had a very brief meeting with a Concierge and then we went to the room. The room was very nice and the view excellent. There was a letter in our room stating that there would be a meeting with our Concierge at 11am the following day to find out everything about the resort. The first thing that we noticed was the sink in the bathroom was cracked right down the centre – not something that you would expect at this level. Going down for our evening meal some of the lights on the stairs were out and as the steps were dark which we felt was dangerous. I reported this to reception, but nothing happened.
The following day we went for our meeting with the Concierge but they were ‘surprised’ to see us. There was no-one else there and when we were asked what we had seen so far we told them that we had walked from one end of the resort to the other, they said they didn’t need to show us anything else then. During the following days we saw quite a few people being shown round the resort – a luxury we weren’t offered.
The resort itself was very well kept and most of our dining experiences were good. The Brava restaurant was excellent and the Sundowner, Kimonos and Barefoot restaurants were very good as well. Perla was good for lunch or an afternoon snack and Bella Napoli was excellent for Pizzas. The main restaurant, Bayside, was hit and miss at breakfast as sometimes the food containers were empty and there was a queue for eggs due to there being only one person serving. There wasn’t a huge selection of lunchtime food and again sometimes the containers were empty. Evening meal was good.
One issue that we thought was very bad was the sunbeds. There were a lot of beds on the beach but the majority of the sheltered beds were covered in towels from early morning until late afternoon. People were putting the towels on and not using them for most of the day, some were not used at all. The small pool by the piano bar was almost impossible to get a sunbed as they had towels on all day. The shaded sunbeds around the main pool were accessible most of the time but being in our seventies the music was far too loud for us.
To finish, I have to say, that the majority of the staff were extremely helpful and pleasant and I hope that you accept our views on the good and bad points of the resort. As I have said we are both in our seventies but that did not stop us enjoying the Royal Plantation and Ochi Rios resorts – we just felt that Sandals Negril did not live up to the Sandals reputation and did not give us good value for the money that we paid.

Just to say i was a big fan of Sandals and have been going for over 30yrs . But Royal sandals Barbados is far short of luxury and carefree holiday. Be careful on what type of room you book, Sandals sells sea view rooms with out the sea view as i have just found out, after complaining they moved us after 4 days later . Most of the Guests are complaining about the very bad smell of damp in there rooms, and some guests had to be moved. Both our rooms we had smelt of a very bad damp smell, and the bedroom floors are very slippery due to the bad design of the Air con, so be very careful. The management knows about this major problem but but are doing nothing and still selling these rooms. The other major problem Guest are complaining is you have to get up at 6am to guarantee your sun bed you require. The main problem there is so many Butlers who takes most of the beds at 6am and by 7am there is NO beds on the beach or by the pools. Fact. Premium alcohol is not in your room and only served if you specify your choice when ordering then most of the time you do not get what you have ordered. Booking meals in Restaurants is another problem unless you have a butler service. Time the butlers services has booked for there own guests as they get preferential treatment over the other guest and the other guests have late or very early dinning times.
The whole consent with this resort is for Butler service. I will definitely not be using Sandals any more, they have lost there 5 star rating and pricing there self's out the market and now only thinking of there self's on catch up from the covid times . Lets see if i get a reply from Sandals ?

Sandals resort Royal Barbados very poor, overcrowded, no sunbeds by the pool or beach available. Booking for restuarants fully booked upon arrival, staff very unhelpful. Over priced!!!

We have recently returned from sandals. Barbados really disappointing experience builled as a five star resort, but definitely does not have many five star qualities. room we stayed in ( a more expensive swim up room) was tired and damp smelling. Amenities basic for a 5 star resort, not even a shower cap! Restaurants were mainly okay, very formulaic, I was told when requested a cup of coffee that a fine dining restaurant doesn’t serve coffee!
The cafe du France coffee shop was awful unless you ordered black filtered coffee. Major training issues staff had obviously had no/very little barista training. Didn’t have a clue how to make specialty coffees.
Resort Advertised as free “premium alcohol” most alcohol was cheap spirits definitely in bedrooms. Champagne advertised and served was actually sparkling wine (trades description??)
I could go on but you get the picture. This is a resort changing high end prices for a low end service. You can do a lot better for the money changed.

Very disappointed in management and staff.We were there many years ago and pomisef a credit as we had 4 rooms only to then finally give resort another chance and told the credit is not what was promised.I tried speaking to management and deaf ears.Many problems with the rooms air conditioning,toilet and water leak and of course nothing is noted almost like it didn’t happen.Be aware.I gave the resort a chance to make it right and they didn’t.Will go somewhere else.

Went to Sandals Royal Barbados to get married , 18 months in the planning and what a disaster .
The resort is full of rude staff who really do not want to work there so they treat the guest poorly , if you not American and leave big tips forget it ( even though you pay an extortionate price to stay here and all gratuities are included in the price and your not meant to tip believe me Americans get there way by tipping, queue jumping In restaurants, bar service it’s absolutely shocking and makes you feel like 2nd class citizens).
Our wedding day was due to be on September 13th but due to some paperwork errors it was postponed to sort the paperwork out , we eventually got married on 19th September so that part was good .
We were due to have our Candlelit dinner on the beach that evening to celebrate our wedding day but someone forgot to book this , you can’t imagine the disappointment this caused and instead we had to find alternative eating arrangements which proved difficult and we ended up waiting 3 hours in the Indian restaurant ( absolutely not the romantic candlelit beach meal we were expecting ).
So the next morning we were due to have our romantic honeymoon mimosa breakfast !!!!! It arrived over 1 hour later than booked, it was freezing cold and looked absolutely disgusting , it had been sitting around for hours somewhere and no mimosas either complete disgrace , we had to then wait until lunchtime and go to a restaurant.
Onto the honeymoon evening meal in the Parisian restaurant, we were brought food we did not order ( the wedding planners argued with us about this and said we ordered these items) I don’t eat seafood so why would I order seafood as a starter , I don’t eat steak so why would I order steak ? The wedding planners messed this up and just argued with us it was absolutely terrible and a complete shambles , we complained to Patricia about this and about a member of staff but this was all swept under the carpet and she gave us a hug thinking this would make things better sadly this was not the case .
The whole resort is only interested in how much more money they can get from you .
The photographer/ photo department are the worst ever , the extortionate prices they charged us where unbelievable, we came home with 11 photos and the rest on a stick for us to print off ourselves $799 for 11 photos , they were meant to edit 5 photos for us as this was part of the deal but because we did not buy anymore photos their whole attitude changed , money money money that’s all they want disgusting .
We had to pay for a beach structure for the wedding as an extra because the initial wedding planner said a structure we liked would not be in bloom as it was September but the structure which was a free structure was in bloom , we mentioned this to the wedding planner and they refused to refund the structure so this was falsely sold to us which is another disgraceful act .
Sandals have got a lot to answer for but refuse to see any wrong, our wedding went ahead of which we are grateful, but it was ruined and not a good experience, our wedding was ruined and not the memorable event we were hoping for and especially as it took 18 months to plan .
I would tell people not to book this resort and certainly do not have a wedding at Sandals to avoid the disasters we endured.

Their website is atrocious! I couldn’t work out to get a quote so gave up and booked somewhere else

I would rather stay at at a mental institution. Not worth your time or money.

Title: Terrible Experience and Lack of Consideration at Sandals Bahamas

Review:

I had the unfortunate experience of staying at Sandals Bahamas, and it was an absolute nightmare from start to finish. My holiday was completely ruined due to an accident caused by a loose parasol that took off in the wind and landed heavily on my inner thigh. This incident resulted in the loss of seven out of the ten days of my holiday, including the day before my 70th birthday.

To add insult to injury, when I reported the incident, I was offered just five days free of charge at any resort. I was also persuaded to sign a disclaimer, which I now realize was a huge mistake. When it came time to pay the balance for a seven-day stay, I noticed that I was being charged for two days, almost as much as the value of the five-day voucher. When I complained and asked for an explanation, nobody could provide a satisfactory answer.

I refused to pay this exorbitant amount and was informed that they were not prepared to credit me any further. I was given an ultimatum: either pay or cancel. In light of the circumstances, I chose to cancel. It is absolutely appalling that despite being on crutches for most of my holiday and in excruciating pain, having to go to the hospital for scans, and being incapacitated for six weeks after returning home, Sandals Bahamas showed no compassion or consideration.

I strongly advise against trusting this company and urge others to never sign anything if they are involved in an accident on their premises. Once you sign, they will completely ignore you and disregard your well-being. Sandals Bahamas has shown a complete lack of empathy and customer care, and I will never consider staying at any of their resorts again.

I strongly advise against choosing Sandals Royal Caribbean Montego Bay Jamaica if you're accustomed to resorts that prioritize genuine hospitality. This resort is severely mismanaged, and the absence of a genuine commitment to guest satisfaction is glaringly apparent, with only a few isolated staff members showing any true dedication to their roles.

This is especially perplexing given my experiences at multiple resorts in Jamaica, which I love and travel to almost every year, where the locals are known for their friendliness and eagerness to assist. The staff at Royal Caribbean appear, at best, inadequately trained, and at worst, disinterested in their jobs. It's not uncommon to witness a significant number of employees busy playing on their phones, texting, socializing in groups of 4-5 people, paying little or no attention to guests. I even observed at least couple of client facing workers visibly drunk or stoned by day's end.

Even the simplest requests, like asking for a glass of soda or a cup of tea, take an unreasonable amount of time to fulfill—sometimes as long as 20-30 minutes, despite the short distance between the bar and the beach.

My disappointment extended to the housekeeping service. Despite booking a Club room, with list price over $10,000 for 3 days, our room was never cleaned until a late 4:30 PM. However, when we sought a mere extension of our stay by couple of short hours, we were flatly denied, with the reason given that the room needed cleaning for the next guest. Strangely, the next guest was scheduled to arrive only the following day. The management was conspicuously absent, leaving only lower-level staff to operate without supervision. Asking to see higher managers, lower personnel said that the managers don't even have an office and only can be reached on the phone.

In terms of dining, the food quality was consistently poor across all restaurants except for the Jamaican shack on the island, which stood out for its excellence. The French restaurant provided decent fare, but every other dining establishment left much to be desired, to put it nicely.

If you've saved up for a special trip to an upscale destination and are seeking a true hospitality experience, Sandals Royal Caribbean will undoubtedly leave you feeling deceived. While it might appeal to those who have never experienced a high-quality resort and believe it to be a mark of distinction, those accustomed to superior standards of service and genuine hospitality will find themselves thoroughly dissatisfied at least or even defrauded.

Beautiful resort the management and staff let it down, Hardly any staff around resort, nobody takes any notice of the guests.
People are left to reserve relaxers for hours on end even when nobody is using them when clearly a policy is in place of 2 hours but no one to enforce it.
5 Star resort definitely is not but can easily be with the right staff and or management guidance i.e. new manager, I think maybe it was a lady manager when I was there but all she did was on phone when she was out and walked pass problems and staff talking doing nothing.
What a shame, spoke to some people loyal Sandals guests who even said standards had gone down so much since the founder has sadly passed away.
Sorry forgot to add this was the Barbados branch.

During our stay, we experienced a hurricane warning, which the resort had to respond to for the safety of the staff and guests. The warning started a day or two after we arrived, causing our entire stay to be interrupted. We were confined to our rooms for the most part because the restaurants, beach, entertainment, and executions were shut down. Our room went without service for the rest of our stay and we were forced to sleep on soiled sheets the entire stay and we were there 6 days. I was being bitten in bed by something all throughout the nights. I called several times, asking for a set of sheets, and stated that I would change them myself, however, they never brought the sheets to my room. Due to the storm conditions, I could tell that they were operating on a reduced staff. We were served a boxed breakfast consisting of fruit and stale pastries, in which we did not receive the first day because they ran out. They promised to bring us breakfast but never did. We were also served burgers and hotdogs for lunch, the buns of which were stale. Any reservations for the on-site restaurants and excursions we had planned were canceled, and we do understand the reason. However, we asked for some type of concessions, credits, or accommodations due to our entire vacation being ruined. We were looking forward to staying at a Sandals resort! It was our first time, and we had always wanted to experience that level of vacationing. I was advised by one of their customer services representatives that they would accommodate us with some accommodations due to the unforeseen interruptions but all they keep saying is basically, we did what we had to do. They won't even address the fact that I am asking them for credits towards another stay. We paid $835/night for no amenities, no entertainment, no comfort or accommodations, etc. Also, the room was dated and had a mildewy smell. Never again! You can stay anywhere else for a more reasonable price and a better experience. Secrets has them beat! Hands down!

Cancellation policy is very bad and inhumane
Review of Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort and Private Island
Pending review
I booked my trip for next year and recently got diagnosed with a life threatening sickness- Cancer. I tried to call them to provide a refund and they just gave a scripted answer saying" your ticket is fully non refundable and we can help it". I am very disappointed that they do not have any consideration to a person's situation. Our family is already going through so much stress with this diagnosis and we are trying to figure out the financial aspect. The trip was not a small amount and thought we could get that refund.

Worst experience ever. Owner could care less. Would never and have never stayed with them again. Total SCUM BAGS

Was charged for an excursion we could not attend due to flights being canceled for 48 hours to the location. Refuse to refund. Also, charged us EXTRA when moved to new location..we did not know about AND it was smaller/not what we were expecting as far as entertainment (did not show up/didnt have any) 1/2 of the time.

Booked a trip of a lifetime for December 2023. The representative pushed the Trip Protection Plan and made it sound like you could cancel for any reason. Unfortunately, I had to cancel due to work-related issues that were out of my control. After canceling the trip on July 17, 2023, I received a determination letter from Trip Mate that the reason for the cancelation was not covered. The representatives are making false claims. SHAME ON SANDALS AND BEWARE when booking a Sandals vacation. It's not worth losing thousands of dollars...

People always ask us which is the best Sandals. We answer every one we have visited has something special about them. They are all the best.

We recently went to Sandals on a 3-centre holiday in September 2023. Returning to our favourite Jamaica where everybody is so friendly. First to Sandals South Coast, then Sandals Dunn's River and followed by Sandals Ochi enjoying one of our best holidays ever.

Sandals South Coast 7-14 Sept 2023
We were warmly welcomed by the team. Then driven to our room a wonderful swim-up Rondoval room on a lazy river. To be looked after by 2 lovely Butlers Alicia and Tiffany.

Waking up and going to breakfast reminded us of just how beautiful South Coast is with the beautiful grounds and lovely beach our second time here. The Rondoval was great, large self-contained and modern with mood lighting.

Butler Alicia surprised us on our 21ST Wedding anniversary by decorating our room and serving us a private lunch on the day. Butler Tiffany would always anticipate our needs and bring us drinks and snacks. They both worked great as a team. The café and patisserie there were a special delight. All the restaurants served delicious food.

Sandals Dunn’s River 14-21 Sept 2023
We arrived here and were greeted with cold towels (as all the sites do) and a welcoming song.
The just-opened Dunn’s River. Has a new and modern feel, a great location and a lovely beach. The café with barrister-made coffees and a selection of cakes and the rum bar serving 30 different rums are excellent. We also enjoyed the fantastic Spa, especially the pool, treatments, and all the restaurants.

We had a Tufa swim-up, a large, well-equipped modern room, located within easy reach of the pools and the beach.

Our Butlers were Romeo and Vivien, both fun and attentive. They were brilliant and friendly, anticipating our needs and always finding us and bringing drinks and treats with them.

Dunn’s River is an amazing property offering everything the others do and more. This one is going to be a great success.

Sandals Ochi Beach 21-28 Sept 2023
We have fond memories of Ochi our forth time here. We did a lot of our 100+ scuba dives at Ochi with the fantastic dive crews and beautiful dive areas. Ochi was our first experience with Butlers as it was more affordable for us at the time than other locations.
We love the atmosphere here the most.

When we arrived, we were welcomed by both our Butlers Moria and Natalie. They drove us to our room, a Romeo and Juliet Suite. Self-contained walled suite with 2 separate buildings dining room bedroom and a bathroom with a pool and jacuzzi in between and very private.

Moria and Natalie, both helped us settle in. Again these 2 Butlers were lovely and fun. They could not do enough for us, especially driving us around the large site.

Ochi has the most restaurants on-site out of all on the island. As we always stay for a minimum of 2 weeks, we had plenty to choose from.

The special thing for us about Ochi is not just the people, the food and the restaurants. It’s CHOCOLATE night. Out of all the properties we have visited this is the only place that seems to do it the best. Great entertainment and table after table of lovely chocolates.

All our Butlers over the years have been great. At first, as many find we didn’t know what to do with Butlers. Over time we made friends with many. The amazing things they did for us like running us about (especially at Ochi being so large) and doing surprise special breakfasts, lunches and dinners on our anniversaries. Decorating our room, with lights, flowers everywhere, and drawing baths with rose petals. Making sure we had in the rooms our favourite drinks, tea kettles (Brits of course), snacks and plenty of chilled fizz. Booking and escorting us to restaurants, setting the table and getting our drinks and much more.

Sandals to us meant luxury in the Caribbean and truly all-inclusive. We have stayed in other places such as Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican. Although all were good, they never compared to Sandals for value, service and quality. Sandals through their charity the Foundation does a lot for all islands. We also appreciate the way they treat all employees with support and respect. We have witnessed this through all levels in Sandals. If Sandals had not existed, we do not know what the last 21 years would have brought us. They did well to survive through the pandemic.

We wish Sandals every success for the future.
Terry & Jackie

Just spent two fabulous weeks in Ochi Rios sandals resort in jamaica 🇯🇲
I booked this honeymoon 18 months ago and was so looking forward to it and boy was I NOT disappointed
From the moment I arrived at resort til we left it was magical
The resort is beautiful
The food is superb
The staff couldn’t do enough for you
And our two butlers Dennis and Denrick you two are the best you are a credit to sandals we are definitely going back and asking for you two again!!!!!