Sandals ResortsReviews of sandals.com

My wife and I stayed at Sandals Southcoast in Jamaica from April 13th – April 20th (2024) as part of our second anniversary celebration. We looked forward to our very first stay at a Sandals resort. In general, it was a pleasant vacation, and we enjoyed the accommodations and use of the various amenities. However, there were events that happened (or didn’t happen – as it were) that we started noticing with an increasing frequency. So much so, that I decided to create a list. The below items represent our feedback: General - Our luggage took at least 30 min to get to our room after we checked in. When we asked the luggage person where the ice was, he pointed to where it was instead of offering to go get it. - The beds were very hard (much harder than average hotel beds). - The music was way too loud during the daytime at the main pool. We had difficulty having a conversation with anyone. The DJ should consider suggestions for the type of music the crowd would most likely enjoy (e.g., country or 70s rock). At the smaller pool (closest to us) the DJ did take suggestions but went back to the same music after perhaps an hour. - The service attitude was sometimes not very enthusiastic (especially among some of the women – no smiling, for example). - A gift of chocolate strawberries (that we intended for our new friends) was sent to us instead of our friends. Our concierge said they would pay for the corrected order. Unfortunately, we had to walk down to the concierge and have them correct it. They didn’t immediately correct it and we had to ask again on our last morning (as we were checking out). - We received a courtesy call for feedback on Wed. I asked them to call back because we were in the middle of something and couldn't talk. They never called back that day. - There was a system issue when we were checking out (we had to walk to the front desk, and they also had issues). - We didn’t notice any AED devices on site (in case someone has cardiac issues). Room and Related - The TV was old, and we couldn’t wirelessly cast our laptop computer to it for Netflix or Hulu. - There was frequent TV pixelation, limited channels and no Netflix or Hulu option. We ordered an HDMI cable from the concierge, and they said that they would check on availability, but they never got back to us. - Horrible free Internet service (almost always very slow). - It took 3 tries and over an hour to get a scale sent to our room (useful for weighing ourselves and our luggage). - We ordered diet drinks for our refrigerator and didn't get them until we ordered them again the next day. - The pool directly outside our hotel room was out of commission for half of the week – it opened midweek (Wednesday). - We ordered an in-room meal, and they said it would arrive in 40 min. It came 25 min later (65 min total). I ordered chips and they gave me fries. The bacon was barely cooked. The food was also lukewarm. Not a good experience. - The cleaning service came at 5p (we shouldn't have to ask every day for cleaning before 4p). After we asked, it started coming during the days while we were out by the pool/ocean. Restaurants - The plates in the Bayside restaurant for the morning buffet were often missing. Food was sometimes not updated (e.g., cobbler missing for a considerable amount of time). We hardly got any service at our table the last full day we were there (and had to chase someone down for coffee). There was also no offer of mimosas. - Candles should be placed outside for Eleanor’s Restaurant - it was too dark to see our food. - Why are various restaurants closed on different days? All restaurants should be open daily for normal business hours.

My biggest issue is the company trying to charge $10,000 more after we had to delay a year due to COVID for the same week same resort same room. After arguing on the phone for over an hour they drop the price to around $1800 more. This was more inline to what they should be charging year to year. There customer service from Sandals does not exist. If they think you're going to rebook the next year they kiss your ass. Soon as they know you're not booking they don't give you the time of day. There are so many places to visit and resorts to go to that are just as nice food wise and location wise. Buyer beware of booking Sandals.

I am very disappointed in Sandals reservations. I visited Sandals Dunns River in August of 2023 and had a fantastic time. I had such a great time I booked another reservation for 2024 with the on-site travel agent Lydia, who was terrific. However, I requested to have my new travel agent added to my new reservation and was denied. My agent who booked my trip in 2023 could have been better, and I will not use her again, but I was told that she is the agent I must use. I paid a deposit, which I was told was refundable, but now it is not. I will have to cancel my upcoming trip and lose my deposit to have my new agent involved. I do not understand why the agent is an issue.

Great resort, great service 5* all the way, food was excellent and so were the staff, we loved it so much we booked Jamaica for next year

Recently visited Sandals Barbados. The good things - beautiful tropical gardens, immaculate and full of birds including humming birds and even some monkeys. Lovely beach although the sea can be quite rough at times. Nice room with good service. Some good restaurants and cafes.Nice choice of swimming pools and bars. The not so good - several restaurants inconsistent, some good some poor. eg Bombay Indian restaurant, service terrible. Only go there if you think one hour between each course is acceptable and food average at best. However the main issue is having to book most restaurants in advance.They will typically turn you away even if 90% empty if you haven't booked. We stayed for one week and only on the penultimate day did we find out how to book restaurants at the so called 'Culinary Centre' which turned out to be a woman at a small portable desk in one of the pool bar areas (of which there are many) and she's only there for certain hours.The reception staff were particularly unhelpful in directions on where to find this desk and when it opened. Sandals really need to sort this out. We met one party of Americans who had given up and were regularly having dinner outside the resort and another family who had previously stayed at Sandals but now use a different hotel for this very reason. The swimming pool entertainment was a bit 'Benidorm'. The outdoor stage entertainment seemed to mainly involve the master of ceremonies continually shouting and screaming in a faux American accent, either drowning out the musicians or encouraging Americans couples to talk about their sex lives while the audience of similar nationality whooped and screamed in appreciation. All quite naff and generally best avoided. In summary, nice gardens, generally nice staff, nice beach and warm sea, nice pools but some restaurants iffy and difficult to book. Entertainment poor.

We absolutely love Sandals MoBay. It's like coming home every year. The resort has undergone some renovations over the last few years and there are still more to come where it is looking a little dated. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but we come back for the people. The staff are always friendly and we make more friends there every year. Some of the staff there we have seen since we started visiting there 20 years ago. Our butlers, Carlene and Palmer, are the best and always make our trip as carefree and enjoyable as possible. Always going the extra mile to ensure we are well taken care of. The bar staff at the beach bar are also fantastic. A big shout out this year to Peta-Gay and Bright from the beach bar. They work so hard delivering drinks in, extreme heat, along the beach and constantly made sure we were taken care of and well looked after. Superstars. We're already booking for next year!

Very disappointed! Staff is dismissive and not accommodating. Tried to schedule snorkeling trip for my husband’s birthday and was ignored, tried to get reservations for dinner but of course couldn’t be arranged on his actual birthday. My husband finished his meal before I even got mine more than once. This is not 5 star service.

Food poisoning- we became sick the second day of vacation and bed ridden for the remaining four days. The resort would not acknowledge and requested we submit a stool sample that we would not receive the results. Upon check out we were greeted by the manager who said all the correct corporate responses as reading from a script while we were handed the bill for the medicine we had to buy from the gift shop. We have contacted them several times with no response on a refund for the days we were sick. The only response we receive is on a public platform that everyone can see. THINK twice before you plan your visit to a Sandals resort.