r/SandalsResorts

Been such a rough year, we really need this one! Pirate Jeep Tour scheduled, and hoping to do another day of Adastra Gardens and the Atlantis Aquarium.

Hi all,

My wife and I were supposed to travel with another couple to Sandals Royal Barbados in 2 weeks but the wife of the other couple found out her husband is having an affair and they're no longer coming.

We want to bring my wife's parents as our friend has offered us their room and we'd pay her back later. However, she booked through a travel agent who is saying no changes can be made but we feel like that's just ridiculous.

Is this something that our friend can change by reaching out to Sandals directly? I know Sandals can make these changes and I'm confused as to why the travel agent is denying this option.

Any advice or insight would be helpful.

We will be going to Ochi, and we’re wondering if it’s necessary to buy an international plan to use our AT&T phones? Or can we connect to the WiFi to browse the web? Also could we send text messages or FaceTime just using the WiFi? I have no idea how that works in Jamaica, so any help is appreciated!

Does anyone there currently know if Kishanne is still there or has she left for St. Lucia? Thanks

After visiting 5 different Sandals locations, am I crazy to think that they pump that pleasant bug noise through hidden speakers, in the evenings, to create that consistent tropical ambiance from location to location?

Has anyone else ever thought this?

Hi all, we’re looking for suggestions for sandals resorts for our honeymoon.
We want somewhere that feels a bit of luxury, excellent food and drinks, nice pools and beach. Snorkelling/ scuba diving and other activities/ things to do in the area.
Not big on nightlife, but would like some decent entertainment. We don’t want somewhere that’s mega busy and noise keeping us up all hours. Also don’t want to be fighting for sun beds (if that’s at all possible 😅)
Open to ideas for any area.
Tell me where you’ve been and what you’ve loved/hated about it.

For the snorkeling excursion you can book through the resort - do they provide life vests for snorkeling? I haven’t been snorkeling before and would be much more comfortable with one of the inflatable life vests or pool noodle/float

Help! We have been to St. Vincent (most recently) and Negril. We have Royal Barbados booked for our December babymoon but I am worried about 1. Sargassum 2. Rough waters 3. No snorkeling off the sand 4. Walkability. We are not big pool people to the point where an “unusable” beach is a deal breaker. Second most important is the food, not so much variety but more quality. We do a basic room, don’t care much about that.

Going back to South Coast in December. Historically used the Sandals transport from airport. This time going Private Transfer. A while ago I saw a recommendation for
http://www.joecooltaxiandtoursjamaica.com/
(Open to other recommendations as well)

Anyway, my question is, how far in advance recommended to book the transfer?

Also will they stop at dispenceries?

Hi everyone!

My wife and I will be staying in Curaçao from September 12th to 18th for our honeymoon, at the Renaissance Wind Creek Curaçao Resort.

It will be our first time on the island, so I’d love to hear any recommendations for things we really shouldn’t miss — beaches, restaurants, bars, sunset spots, snorkeling, boat trips or anything else you think is worth doing.

I also have a slightly different question 😅

What’s the situation in Curaçao regarding “magic cigarettes”? Anyone can help with some tips or indications?

Any tips from locals or people who have visited recently would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

I have heard that some countries outside of the US have significantly cheaper deals— and am curious whether anyone has actually tried this!

Hello! We will be heading to our very first Sandals Resort for our honeymoon in November! We are trying to decide on which add-ons to do while we are there. We don't have unlimited money to book these unfortunately but want to do a couple of them at least.

We definitely were excited about the Lovers Rock Sunset Cruise as we figured catching one sunset from the water would be an amazing experience!

Now, our dilemma is with some of these should we book them on the website now before we go or wait until we get there to book them? I am not sure which way is better.

We are leaning towards the Barbados Historical Rum Tour, E-Bike Tour, and Harrison's Cave Tram and Nature Walk. Another question we had about these, is how easy is it to venture off the resort and do any of this stuff on our own without booking it? Like can we make our way to the rum distilleries ourselves? Or go rent an E-bike and cruise around? How much exploring out of the resort can we do safely without booking something?

Are these even good things to try or is there something else we should be eyeing up?

Thanks so much!

Sandals/Jamaica people, I need some actual human opinions.

Planning a milestone anniversary trip to Jamaica and I’ve managed to get myself completely torn between Sandals Ochi and Sandals Royal Plantation. I tried the travel-advisor route. Filled out the questionnaire, had about a 30-second phone call, explained what we liked, what we didn’t, what mattered to us, etc.

What I got back was fed back to me through Claude with no alternatives, no recommendations aside from 1s & 0s. You said you want quiet and romantic, therefore you should consider somewhere quiet and romantic.

We’re looking at roughly a week, likely Butler-level. It’ll be our silver anniversary, so the objective is pretty simple: relax, reconnect, eat well, have some drinks, get spoiled and occasionally remember that we don’t actually have to be anywhere. We’re not looking for a party resort, but we’re also not dead yet. We want enough restaurants, entertainment and things to do that we’re not four days in wondering what the hell we’re going to do for the rest of the week.

Royal Plantation seems to nail the smaller, quieter, more intimate experience. Oceanfront, Butler service, less crowded, personalized service, old-school Caribbean feel, plus exchange privileges with Ochi. I still think of it as the old “stay at one, play at seven” concept from the last time we did Sandals. Ochi gives us WAY more variety right out of the gate. More restaurants, pools, bars, entertainment and places to explore. We’ll do an excursion or two, a spa day and some golf, but this trip isn’t about doing shit. Our last trip to Orlando we spent most of the time chillin’ poolside enjoying drinks and people watching.

Focusing on more about going back, slowing down and enjoying where life landed us.

For those who’ve actually stayed at Royal Plantation, Ochi, or ideally BOTH:
• Did RP ever feel too small/quiet after several days?
• RP folks, how often did you actually go over to Ochi?
• Ochi folks, did the size/transportation around the property get annoying?
• How did the Butler experience compare?
• Food? Beach? Pools? Rooms?

I’m not really interested in which resort is objectively “better.” I’m trying to figure out which experience we’d enjoy more for a full week. Looking for the stuff the brochures and AI-generated comparison reports don’t tell me.

And Cubans. I want some good Cuban cigars while I’m enjoying a whiskey on the beach, a few on the golf course, and a few more to sneak into my travel humidifier to come home with me.

We submitted our forms about two weeks ago and they were accepted. I'm not sure how to interpret this latest email from Sandals about customs forms - This form can be completed up to 7 days prior to arrival. Were we too early?

Hello all!

We are going to Grenada today and I forgot my ring at home. I’d love to get a cheap replacement to wear during my trip, rather than the super expensive airport jewelry stores in the US.

Does the airport in Grenada / Sandals Grenada have any places I could get a men’s ring?

Thanks so much!

Me and my wife are trying to decide which couples massage is worth the money. We’ve looked into the scents of love one and champagne celebration. Anyone have any info on either of these are maybe or maybe guide us in the right direction of what’s actually worth it? I want to give my wife the best experience!

Has anyone here ever taken the class to get scuba certified at any of the resorts? I've been throwing the idea around for a while. Headed to Curacao tomorrow morning so any insight is appreciated

Has been a wonderful day in Jamaica!