Amanda PhillipsSun, Sea and a Sandals Holiday
Our Digital Marketing Executive Jenni Goulden and her partner have just returned from a week’s holiday at Sandals Barbados. Here’s what they have to say!
What are your first thoughts of Barbados? Blue skies, crystal clear beaches and luxury hotels? I’m happy to say that Sandals Barbados ticks all those boxes.
Upon arrival at the new resort, which opened in January this year, we received the warmest of welcomes. Staff gathered as we came off our private transfer bus to sing their ‘Welcome to Sandals’ song. This was a great start to our holiday, as it made us feel at home, which ties in nicely to the Sandals motto – ‘a home away from home’.
We were then taken to the Club Sandals lounge, where we were greeted with a glass of champagne and met the concierge team, who showed us around the resort and to our room.
Sandals Barbados has 280 rooms which range from beachfront suites serviced by butlers to new-to-the-brand swim-up suites spaced along a river pool. We were lucky enough to have an ocean view which was stunning. The room included a mahogany four-poster beds, a private bar which was re-stocked every day, and deep soaking tubs both inside bathrooms and outdoors on terraces.
In the resort, there are 11 restaurants, among them a steakhouse, Japanese grill, French brasserie and Sandals’ first Indian restaurant. The variety of restaurants in the resort meant that there was something for everyone.
Schooners, which offered local, fresh fish, is situated looking over the beach, making it a great location for a romantic meal. The lobster tail is highly recommended! The following evening we booked to try Kimonos, the teppanyaki restaurant. This was my first teppanyaki experience and it was incredible! The chef was seriously well-trained and highly entertaining.
After much hype regarding Sandals’ first ever Indian restaurant, this was a must-try and we were not disappointed. The variety of dishes on the menu was great, staff were happy to help with any questions regarding the meal and the decor was beautiful. Very traditional. The rogan josh curry is recommended for anyone who enjoys a little spice in their curry.
Butch’s Chophouse was the next restaurant we ate in. Named after Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the chairman of Sandals, it is the pinnacle of the already high standard of food at the resort. It serves incredible salads, crab cakes with jalapeño tartare sauce and baked oysters followed by a wide variety of the greatest steaks around, especially the Wagyu. You can take a choice of four sauces to accompany the steaks, ranging from a cabernet reduction to 5 peppercorn sauce. Or have them all, as this is Sandals! After all this food, we even attempted dessert, which was no let down on the rest of the meal. We were so impressed with Butch’s that we went back for the second time for our last night!
The Bayside restaurant offered French cuisine. Situated looking over the beach and the beautifully lit pool, we were offered a wide selection of French food ranging from snails and pate to chateaubriand. Again, all this food was incredible and the staff were always so friendly. The Bayside restaurant was also home to the buffet breakfast and buffet lunch. The buffet breakfast was not like any other hotel I have been to – choices included fresh fruit, an egg station where you can get omelettes, a pancake station ( a favourite of mine!) and other delicious culinary delights. The buffet lunch was also amazing. Fresh salads, fish, assorted meats which were cooked to your liking and a Panini station. If you didn’t want a buffet breakfast, Portofino’s offered table service. Here you could have eggs benedict, steak and eggs and fresh fruit. The Mariner Seaside Bar and Grill and Dino’s pizzeria were also great options for lunch!
Along with the great restaurant choices, there was also a good range of pools. The European themed pool, which was our main sunbathing area, featured cabanas with chandeliers and sofas. This was the quietest of the three pools. The main pool was located at the front of the hotel, overlooking the beach. This was where a lot of the entertainment happened: beach volleyball, games, quizzes and music. There was also a pool bar, which was ideal when you wanted to cool off! The third pool was the lagoon, the largest lagoon pool in the Barbados.
Unlike other luxury hotels, Sandals is a true all-inclusive. We were served top-notch liquor, had access to 11 restaurants and water sports were included. We wanted to try out the water sports, so we went on the complimentary snorkelling trip. This was just off Carlisle Bay where we snorkelled in crystal clear water, saw brightly coloured fish and visited two shipwrecks. Flippers, mask and snorkel were all provided by Sandals. This was an amazing experience and was only a short drive from the hotel. We also went paddle boarding and kayaking which were great fun. The water was so calm in the morning, which made paddle boarding a lot easier! Kayaking was wonderful and you could go out and explore along the coastline.
The resort is stunning, but I would also encourage you to explore the island. The Sandals concierge team helped us book a private taxi to take us to Harrison Caves and The Mount Gay rum distillery. Harrison Caves was hugely impressive with lots of history and nature. We were taken down to the subterranean environment on a tramway, where we saw a mile of impressive caves, stalagmites and stalactites. At the Mount Gay rum distillery, be prepared for copious amounts of rum! We learnt how rum is made, bottled and the history of the oldest rum distillery in the world.
Our stay at Sandals Barbados was one of the best holidays we have been on and I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for first class luxury to visit this hotel. I will definitely be back!