Sandals Royal Barbados - Another Perfect Honeymoon Destination
After spending eight amazing nights at Sandals Grenada for the first part of our honeymoon, we took InterCarribean Airline to Sandals Royal Barbados where we spent an additional five nights. Flight and resort bookings were handled by Shoreline Destinations.
Flight to Barbados from Grenada
We thought arriving three hours early at the airport for a flight to Barbados from Grenada was a bit too much. However, are we glad we did! Check in was slow - very very slow. In addition to weighing bags, each passenger has to be weighed because the plane has weight restrictions for passengers. The bags cannot be over the allowed weight limit. Unfortunately, we had to do a bit of rearranging of our luggage since our luggage was a bit over the limit.
The airport in Grenada is extremely small and not many dining options. I think someone said there’s a cafe on the second floor but we didn’t venture upstairs. The stores on the first floor have typical souvenirs, snacks, and bottle sodas/water. The flight itself was on time (quick 45 minutes!) and smooth. The plane, on the other hand, seated maybe 20 passengers in very uncomfortable tight seats. No snack or water service, so grab something from one of the airport stores if you like to munch and drink while on a flight.
Fast Track Service and Private Transfer in Barbados
We worked with Shoreline Destinations to register for the Fast Track Service and private transfer from the airport to the resort. Upon arriving at Immigrations, a representative was waiting for us to escort us through immigrations and customs. BIMSafe app was not working for several days so we were unable to complete the customs forms prior to arrival. Completing the BIMSafe app makes it quicker to go through customs because all you would have to do is scan the QR code you’re sent. However, we were able to use one of the kiosks to complete the required forms and move through customs and immigration in less than five minutes. We did need to present proof of COVID vaccinations cards (different requirement from Grenada). Please note - our travel was at the beginning of July 2022 and requirements may be different during your travel time.
Once we collected our luggage, the fast track representative walked us outside to meet our driver for the private transfer to Sandals. A private transfer is not a must - there is a free Sandals shuttle that goes to the resort, or you can grab a taxi.
Sandals Royal Barbados
The drive from the airport to the resort was about 20 minutes. The driver was extremely friendly and gave us tons of pointers on what to do if we want to go into town. Sandals in Barbados has two sides - Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados. They’re both connected as one big resort. Guests have access to amenities on both sides regardless of which side they are staying. Rooms on the Royal side are a bit more renovated. Our room (7217) was on the Royal side so the room review will be focused on that.
Check-in was different from Sandals Grenada. Our butler team was not waiting for us upon arrival, and no cold towel! Perhaps Sandals Grenada had spoiled us. Once checked in, we were walked to the Butler Lounge where we were offered a welcome drink and introduced to part of our Butler team. Our room was not yet ready so we grabbed lunch at the Jerk Shack and went to the pool. Couple of hours later, our room was ready! Our butler walked us to the room where we had a bottle of champagne and a welcome snack from the Chef waiting. We were issued a butler phone in order to communicate with our butler during their working hours, which I believe are 6am-10pm daily. The butler phone is a cell phone meant to be taken with you everywhere so you and your butler can remain in touch for food/drinks or anything else that’s needed throughout the day.
We had room 7217 facing the “party pool” and in the same building as the rooftop bar (which made it convenient for pre and post dinner drinks). The room had a king bed, and a separate living room. The balcony was cozy with a soaking tub and a lounge bed. Sitting out there listening to the calmness at 7am, sipping my coffee was extremely relaxing!!
Sandals Barbados Butler Lounge
Between Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados, guests have access to over 20 restaurants. We didn’t get to try all of them but some of the ones we did have an opportunity to visit:
Dino’s: on the beach, pizza, lunch spot
The Jerk Shack: quick lunch spot on the Barbados side by the pool. A bit spicy but delicious.
Try their fish in foil and classic jerk chicken
Chi: Asian fusion, reservations required, dinner only. We dined there twice because it was just that good. Ask for their cocktail of the day - it changes daily
Try their Shrimp shumai, Fragrant Thai soup, Wonton soup, green papaya salad, chicken satay, firecracker shrimp, Thai red seafood & fish curry, kung pao chicken, wok fried tofu
Cafe Paris: open all day! Crepes, pastries, coffee. Perfect for that late night sweet tooth or that double espresso before the nightly entertainment
American Tavern - we dined here for their breakfast buffet. They have the same buffet as Spices. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Mariner - on the beach, quick lunch spot. We had the Greek salad with shrimp, and a chicken quesadilla
Schooners - Barbados side, dinner, reservations required. Gorgeous pool view at night
Try their mussels, lobster bisque, ceviche, lobster tail, mixed grill, and their signature pepper shrimp
Bombay: Dinner only, reservations required. Being Indian, I tend to be tough on Indian food when dining out at an Indian restaurant. Their appetizers were great, but the entrees were disappointing.
Appetizers we enjoyed were vegetable bullets, samosas, lamb chops
For entrée, we ordered butter chicken, goan shrimp curry, dal, rice and naan - we didn’t care for any of those. But I like my Indian food with actual flavor!
La Parisienne: French, open for breakfast and dinner. We had breakfast on their outside terrace one morning, and a private butler dinner on our last night
For dinner, try their French onion soup, cocktail de crevettes, escargot, coquilles, bouillabaisse, filet de sole a la meuniere
Soy: sushi, dinner only, no reservations required. MUST visit!
Lover’s Lane - for drinks and bowling! Perfect way to break up the day or end the end
Between both sides of the resort, guests have access to five pools (one of which is not shown on the map).
Barbados side has
Main pool with a swim-up bar
Lagoon pool nestled in a quiet part for those needing a break from the daily entertainment
Royal Barbados side has
Oceanfront pool closest to the beach and Neptunes. This pool has daily entertainment and the only pool we visited daily
whirlpool adjacent to the oceanfront pool
Rooftop pool next to the French restaurant (La Parisienne) - not as crowded as the other pool and open for a night swim as well
Nightly entertainment takes place in the courtyard from 9pm-10pm in between both resorts, closest to Lovers Lane. Nightly shows vary depending on the theme of the day. We also had the pleasure of attending a silent disco at Lovers Lane one night, which if you’ve never tried, is extremely fun! Think of it as a battle of the DJs. We were given wireless headphones that had a button to switch between the two DJs. It was fun seeing everyone dancing to different songs. I even removed my headphones a few times to listen to the silence, or groups singing different songs. Absolutely amazing!
Butler Service
Our butler team consisted of Latrell, Princess, and Toria, split into two or three shifts depending on the day of the week. Want a private dinner for two on your balcony? Let your butler know! Want lunch from somewhere on the resort or at the beach? Let your butler know! Breakfast in room? Spa services booked? Taxi booked to town? Tours scheduled? Yes! Let your butler know. As your personal concierge and wait staff, there is virtually nothing the butler team will not do (within reason, of course).
Our butler team brought us breakfast to our room on the mornings we requested, kept the bar stocked, snacks, lunch and drinks at the pool/beach, reserved our requested spots at the pool/beach, evening snack in the room after a relaxing day, walked us to dinner, made dinner reservations before we even arrived at the resort, brought a late night snack to our room. Every morning we had a cooler full of water, and juices waiting for us at our reserved spot on the beach. Perfect to get the day started until bars opened for cocktails at 10am.
Some snacks were really enjoyed were coconut shrimp (order 24 hours in advance), shrimp cocktail, cheese platter, nachos, chicken wings, pizza, and samosas, lamb chops.
Butler teams do accept tips. (Tipping servers and bartenders at restaurants is discouraged.) We tipped each of our butlers daily at some point during their shift for the entire day. USD is accepted, no need to exchange currency. We tipped a bit more if they went above and beyond from the previous day. Average tip per butler can range from $20-50 per day. There is no ATM on the resort, so be sure to take plenty of cash and some extra for the “wow” moments when the butler team does something special.
On our last night at the resort, our butler team organized a private dinner for two under the Sandals sign, with food from La Parisienne. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the honeymoon!
What to pack
Day time is simple - swimsuits and cover-ups. Unless you plan on going into town, which I highly recommend, sundresses and shorts will do.
Ladies:
- Swimsuits for each day
- Cover ups
- Flip flops for the beach/pool
- Feminine products - although the gift shop carries such products, they can be limited or out of stock
- Casual day wear (think sundresses, shorts, rompers - it’s HUMID!)
- Night time outfits (think maxi dresses, jumpsuits, cocktail dresses)
Men:
- Swimwear for each day
- Shorts or something to wear when you want to run to a restaurant or bar for a quick bite
- Flip flops for beach/pool
- Casual day wear (think shorts, t-shirts, polo)
- Night time outfits (shorts, polos, button downs, at least one pair of slacks and closed toe shoes)
Toiletries: Red Lane products are in each room and replaced daily. But be sure to pack tons of sunscreen and aloe vera! Leave your pool/beach towels at home as the resort offers plenty.
Explore the town
If you exit from the gate on the Sandals Barbados side and go left, you will be able to explore the closest bars/restaurant in St. Lawrence Gap. It’s a short 10-15 minute walk to the beginning of the strip with tons of souvenir stores along the way. Bring cash for those stores! Best days to go to St. Lawrence Gap are Thursday, Friday and Saturday after 7pm for night entertainment. We went during the day just to explore and most venues were closed until later in the evening.
If you’ve been considering Sandals Barbados or Sandals Royal Barbados for your honeymoon, destination wedding, anniversary, birthday, or just a trip, I say go for it! You will not be disappointed. The service, ambience, weather - all are amazing. We thought five nights were not enough time to really soak in everything the resorts offer. A return trip will soon be booked! Much love, and happy traveling! - Neha
