Sandals Royal Bahamian

This is our fourth Sandals and is the only one we will not return to. It is absolutely not the Sandals standard or experience we have found elsewhere. We had lots of small issues that added up to a terrible experience. 1. We did not receive our loyalty spa credit until we asked 4 times and on day 5 physically went to the loyalty office and stayed until they wrote it out. Their excuse? "We made you one." Not helpful when we didn't get it. 2. No info on returning guest or Club Sandals events. We had to invite ourselves to the returning guest dinner and didn't find out about anything else. No welcome packet in our room like at other Sandals. 3. Safety not a priority on the snorkel cruise. The boat captain and director of guest relations spent the whole trip standing two inches from each other and flirting and paying attention only to each other. No safety briefing, not watching snorkelers in the water. (Not to mention we entered the water over the side because of the gas leak behind the boat. We didn't want gas on our swimwear.) 4. On some occasions, the food was terrible. Don't order the t-bone at Butch's. Shoe leather is more tender (we heard this from others as well). Also the breakfast buffet at Tesoro was cold. Every time. (Kanoo is excellent, as is Kimono's.) 5. Hallways are musty, clearly the carpet needs to go. 6. We paid for an ocean view room. Got a view of the roof of the building next door. Ocean was beyond it, but still not worth the extra cost. 7. Rooms were tiny. (At least at the Club Sandals level we chose.) 8. Pickleball courts booked for a private group most of the week. That's fine, but NO communication about it. Per the schedule, there should have been open play. When we asked about it, no one had any idea what was going on. (The fitness staff said other guests asked as well, they had no idea. They have a digital schedule posted, they should have updated that at the very least.) 9. Staff not overly friendly unless in a direct interaction. At other Sandals, EVERYONE greets you with a sincere hello and a smile. Here? They look the other way. Overall, this resort has a serious communication problem. We tried to give them the chance to make it right and met with the GM. He brought the director of guest relations (See #3 above.) She took lots of notes and her response to the snorkeling issue was "I'm sorry you saw that." Seriously? How about I'm sorry for our behavior?. The GM seemed to only care about the pickleball issue and started trying to make phone calls while we were still talking. They promised they would look into it and get back to us. Here's what happened: 1. We got one more reservation at Kimono's, which we were told was sold out. It wasn't sold out, but that was nice. 2. They promised us credit on future travel. We have no idea how we will get that or how much it will be because they never followed up. 3. They called us every day to make sure we were ok, but didn't actually do anything else. We just started telling them it was fine because they were annoying and we wanted it to stop. We talked to another couple who had an issue and they got the daily phone call as well. Apparently that is the only thing they do, make a daily check in phone call when you complain. We talked to a lot of couples who said it was their first Sandals experience and would not be back. We also will not be back to this Sandals. On the way out, I happened to notice a Sandals Corporate University flag. If this is where they are training new employees, I am concerned about future Sandals trips. We have four Sandals trips booked next year - 40 nights. I sincerely hope none of the other resorts we have chosen are like this one.

This is a first world problems review for sure but its clear that service levels are definitely different if you dont pay the for a butler. The food was good and resort was beautiful. The staff we interacted with were great. The private island was cool as well. Weather was perfect. 2 of 6 days our room didnt get housekeeping after being out of the room for 9 hours. Even after calling when we got back to the room we couldn't get service or towels. When on vacation that's simply not acceptable. Both days we looked across the hall at the upgraded rooms and all rooms were miraculously serviced. Our neighbors had the same issue. When we left called for bell service twice with no response. Carrying our luggage across the resort past two pools was super fun 😆 Forget about a poolside chair unless you have a butler. Waiters at the pool are few and far between. Its a crazy premium to stay here even for a standard room compared to other high end resorts like secrets. We truly believe because you cant tip the service is lacking. We treat people in terms of tips and have always received great service at other resorts. Because of that alone we would not visit another sandals. For the cost of butler service we could do 2 to 3 AIs at other high end resorts with much nicer rooms. Maybe they just had an off week but we did hear similar feedback from others that didnt pay for upgrades.

This is a beautiful resort in every respect. The layout is a perfect size. The grounds are filled with beautiful flowers and plants. Great restaurants, great bars, and great service. The staff, regardless of their role, are all friendly and accommodating. The private island is a paradise in itself. A very special thanks to Tommy, the chef at Kanoos, who created a special meal for my husband due to a dietary restriction. The meal he prepared was fantastic. Tommy's sincere interest in making sure it was healthy and tasty was impressive and much appreciated by us. We look forward to going back to this resort.

This was our fourth Sandals stay. New resort. Staff was extremely rude and not helpful. We felt more like a burden than we felt welcomed and . They were not offering to help with flight information when it was time to leave. Anytime we ask a question no matter if it was at one of their dining excursions especially at front desk reception. They were short yes and no answers. No smiles no acknowledgment. It was the worst most uncomfortable vacation we’ve ever had. The room was not clean. The rugs in the room were filthy. They did not change our sheets one time. The room was not anything like the picture that that showed online. Very disappointing overall. But most of all it was the staff interaction that was extremely disappointing, a bartender in the piano bar. We saw him poor liquor from a shot. He served somebody back into a bottle. He was also intoxicated on several different occasions and was very rude and talked about us in front of us to another couple. We will never recommend this resort to anyone else and we will never go back.

Date: 28 April 2026 at 14:51:24 BST To: adam.stewart@sri.sandals.com, astewart@grp.sandals.com Subject: URGENT - Formal Complaint and Request for Compassionate Consideration – Booking Cancellation Due to Serious Illness  SAN - 107XXX Dear Sir or Madam, I apologise for writing to you directly, but I feel I have no other option. Despite all efforts, nobody appears willing to help, or to care enough to do so, and this has left me distressed at an already devastating time. My husband and I were due to travel from the UK to the Bahamas on 7 May 2026, where we planned to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday on XX May 2026. Sadly, on 14 April 2026, we were informed that my husband has secondary cancer in his neck. We were advised that we could not travel, as urgent and ongoing tests are required to identify the location of the primary cancer, determine its stage, and assess whether and how it may be treated. With a heavy heart, I contacted Sandals on 15 April 2026 to explain his diagnosis and advise that we could no longer travel. I was told that the holiday could be cancelled, but at 100% loss, with no alternative options offered. I called again the following day to ask if anything at all could be done. On this occasion, I was advised that the holiday could be moved to an alternative date, provided we returned within one year, by 6 May 2027, but that this would incur fees of £700 (£300 ticket reissue fee and £400 hotel administration fee). I subsequently received an email offering a revised holiday in February 2027, and was informed that to proceed I would need to pay an additional £4,564.08. I queried why February had been selected rather than April or May 2027, and asked for clarification on how such a large additional amount had been calculated. I was told that flights for April/May 2027 were unavailable, and that the increase reflected higher costs. The £200 birthday promotion, my SSG points (£555.00), and a price match of £813.64 had all been deducted. After reviewing the figures myself, the cost did not appear correct. Following further correspondence, I received another email stating that the additional cost would instead be £2,990.44. That same day, I independently priced the same holiday—same February dates, same room category, and flight upgrades. The cost was £10,527.59 with Sandals, compared with £9,551.00 with XXX. When deducting the price match, SSG points, and the amount already paid (£8,015.30), this would indicate an additional cost of £980.70, plus the £700 fees. At this stage, I simply do not have the strength to continue challenging calculations or questioning staff competence, nor do I understand why I should have to during such an extremely difficult time. As a result, the original holiday scheduled to commence on 7 May 2026 remains unchanged, despite us being unable to travel. This would not have been our first Sandals holiday—indeed, it would have been our fifth. We were married at Sandals Royal Caribbean in August XXXX, returned to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, and have since visited Antigua and Barbados. We choose Sandals with care, linking our holidays to meaningful milestones in our lives. While we deeply value these experiences, we are not in a privileged financial position, and such holidays are not something we can afford frequently. I understand that cancelling a holiday may cause inconvenience. However, this cancellation is through absolutely no fault of our own. We are devastated by my husband’s diagnosis, and the future ahead of us is deeply uncertain. The stress of trying to cancel this holiday—while also attempting to process such life-altering news—has taken a significant toll on us both. In what has become our darkest hour, it feels as though no one at Sandals has attempted to help us, and this has placed both our trust and longstanding regard for Sandals in serious jeopardy. Sandals states, “Together we make a difference in the lives of thousands.” Until now, Sandals truly did make a difference in ours. Regrettably, I struggle to see where that care or compassion is now. Instead, we have faced barriers to a refund, a complete lack of meaningful support, and errors even when simply requesting to move the holiday. We would not choose to travel in February, and even if we did, it would be unreasonable to expect us to pay more money when we have no idea whether we would even be able to travel then. Additionally, I booked the Exuma Cays Island Hopping and Animal Interaction tour through the Sandals website (Confirmation 963XXX) at a cost of £826.56. I raised this when calling Sandals and was advised to email to request cancellation. I have since sent two emails, neither of which has been acknowledged or responded to. Sandals acknowledges that guests place their trust in you, and I can wholeheartedly say that we did. We had the option to book this holiday directly with XXX, and had we done so, the holiday would have been cancelled and refunded following my initial request. Instead, we are left battling to resolve this matter while also trying to come to terms with my husband’s cancer diagnosis and the profound uncertainty surrounding our future. I ask, sincerely, that you review our situation with compassion and humanity, and reconsider the position taken in relation to refunding our booking and associated excursions. Yours faithfully,