The Sands Barbados

Barbados, Caribbean

Virgin rating

Supersaver Room
Supersaver Room
Supersaver Room bathroom
On The Water
Signature Room
Signature Room
Signature Room bathroom
Signatue Room patio
Signature Room
1 Bed Suite living area
1 Bed Suite bedroom
1 Bed Suite patio
2 Bed Duplex
2 Bed Duplex
2 Bed Duplex master
2 Bed Duplex master
2 Bed Duplex second bedroom
2 Bed Duplex
Penthouse Suite view
3 Bed Suite
Penthouse Suite living area
Penthouse Suite
Penthouse Suite master
Penthouse Suite bathroom
View from Penthouse Suite
Spa
Supersaver Room
Supersaver Room
Supersaver Room bathroom
On The Water
Signature Room
Signature Room
Signature Room bathroom
Signatue Room patio
Signature Room
1 Bed Suite living area
1 Bed Suite bedroom
1 Bed Suite patio
2 Bed Duplex
2 Bed Duplex
2 Bed Duplex master
2 Bed Duplex master
2 Bed Duplex second bedroom
2 Bed Duplex
Penthouse Suite view
3 Bed Suite
Penthouse Suite living area
Penthouse Suite
Penthouse Suite master
Penthouse Suite bathroom
View from Penthouse Suite
Spa

The hotel

Occupying one of the most sought-after beachfront settings in Barbados, the All Inclusive Sands offers not just sun, sea, and sand by the bucketful, but very comfortable accommodation too. Choose from a variety of room options, including a garden studio with gorgeous tropical views or an oceanfront family suite, all with plenty of amenities, including complimentary WiFi, to make you feel right at home. Not that you’ll be in your room too long, there’s too much else on-site to tempt you, with a swimming pool, spa, and fitness centre to keep you occupied. St Lawrence Gap, the entertainment capital of Barbados, is just a few minutes away, featuring some of the best restaurants, bars and nightclubs on the island. Want to stay closer to home? No problem. The Sands boasts two restaurants of its own as well as two bars in which to linger over drinks and eats.

Amenities

  • Kayaking
  • Snorkelling
  • Babysitting service
  • Honeymoon
  • Wedding
  • Bar
  • Evening Entertainment
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Free Parking
  • Internet Access
  • Laundry Service
  • No Smoking

Where is it

On Worthing Beach, within easy walking distance of St. Lawrence Gap. Oistins Bay Garden market is a short taxi ride away. Transfer time from airport: 15 minutes.

Hotel information

151 rooms within 87 suites. All with air-conditioning, flat-screen cable TV, complimentary WiFi, fridge, tea/coffee-making facilities, safe, bathrobes, hairdryer, and iron and ironing board. All rooms have bathrooms with showers. 

Virgin Supersaver rooms are cosy and open to internal corridors, they have small frosted windows but do not have balconies/patios or a mini-fridge (all other room categories will include this). Rooms have 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

All Inclusive of: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. All beverages, except champagne and speciality wine. Weekly Manager’s cocktail reception. Complimentary water sports include kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling, and body boards. 

Please note: guests must be 18 years and over to be served alcohol. All activities featured in the All Inclusive programme are subject to availability, demand and weather conditions.

The Sands Signature Rooms have either a patio or balcony with garden views and 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request), sleeping maximum 2 adults.

One-Bedroom Garden/Pool Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. These suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge and flat-screen television with cable channels. The bedroom has 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request) and a sofa in the living area, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

One-Bedroom Ocean View Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. These suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge and flat screen television with cable channels. The bedroom has 1 queen-size bed (twin beds on request) and a sofa in the living area, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child.

Two-Bedroom Garden/Pool View Duplex Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The duplex suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, a sofa and flat-screen television with cable channels. Bedrooms are located upstairs and have 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

Two-Bedroom Garden/Pool Family Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The family suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 4 adults and 2 children (under 16 years).

Two-Bedroom Ocean View Duplex Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. The duplex suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, a sofa and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Bedrooms are located upstairs, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

Please note: children under 6 years are not allowed in the duplex Suites

Two-Bedroom Ocean View Family Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. These suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedroom only. The family suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 4 adults and 2 children (under 16 years).

Three-Bedroom Garden/Pool Suites have either a patio or balcony and are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. These suites feature a separate living/dining area with tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-fridge, sofa and a flat-screen television with cable channels. Suites sleep maximum 6 adults or 2 adults and 4 children.

Two-Bedroom Penthouse Suites are air-conditioned in the bedrooms only. Penthouse suites feature a separate fan-cooled living/dining area with a sofa, flat-screen television with cable channels. The oceanfront Penthouse Suites are on the highest floor and is well appointed with magnificent oceanfront view, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Please note: children under 13 years are not allowed to stay in the Penthouse Suites.

On The Water (beachfront restaurant serving Caribbean/International cuisine - open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Noir* (à la carte rooftop restaurant, open 5 nights a week for dinner only - guests 12 years and over only). 2 bars (the main bar is open from 10:00am-11:00pm and the second bar is open when Noir is). Afternoon tea. Snack menu available daily from 10:00am - 4:00pm. Room service*.

Please note: guests may dine at Noir once per stay. Subsequent visits will be subject to availability and additional supplement.

Please note: reservations are required for lunch and dinner at both restaurants.

Nightly live music in the main restaurant from 8.30pm-10.00pm. A selection of complimentary seasonal activities and programmes are available to kids and teens during Christmas, Easter and the Summer school holidays. Subject to change and rotation, and will run based on minimum numbers.

Saltwater swimming pool. Reflections Spa*. Fitness centre. Non-motorised water sports including kayaking, paddle boards and body boards. Snorkelling equipment.

 Complimentary WiFi access. Guests Lounge with computer (with Internet access). 24-hour reception. Complimentary parking. Laundry service*. Babysitting service* (on request).

A Tourism Fee will be charged per bedroom, per night and will be collected at check out. The rate is subject to change by the Government, and varies by hotel room. Fees currently range from 8.75 Barbadian dollar (approximately £3.90) to 35 Barbadian dollar​ (approximately £16.00) per bedroom, per night. 

3 nights between 1 Apr-22 Dec.

5 nights between 6 Jan-31 Mar.

7 nights between 23 Dec-5 Jan.

* Denotes local charge.

Dress code

On The Water: the evening dress code is smart casual. Gentlemen may wear smart dress shorts and short sleeved shirts (polo shirts are allowed). Ladies tops/blouses must be full cover. Please note that no sports replica shirts or club branded merchandise are allowed at dinner. Smart jeans are allowed. No flip flops or trainers are allowed in the evening in the restaurant.

Cover-ups are required in the restaurant for breakfast and lunch and footwear is required in the restaurant at all times.

Noir Restaurant (à la carte): elegantly casual. Full-length trousers for gentleman and shirts with sleeves (either short or long sleeve), smart casual footwear. Stylish jeans and polo shirts are allowed. No T-shirts, sports replica shirts or club branded merchandise. No distressed jeans, three quarter pants, cargos or shorts (shorts applies to ladies also). No running shoes, flip-flops or caps are allowed in the restaurant. Children under 12 years are not allowed in Noir Restaurant. 

Please note: all rooms are non-smoking (including on balconies). Smoking is permitted in limited areas around the hotel.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (275)
  • Very good (103)
  • Average (58)
  • Poor (31)
  • Terrible (28)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Beautiful beach and amazing staff

Jul 10, 2024 bumbelena Norwich, United Kingdom

reading reviews before this trip I actually asked virgin if I could change hotels....we decided to keep to our first choice, this hotel is quite small but beautiful, we had an amazing room, the staff cannot do enough for you and are amazing! big shout out to Cyreline in the restaurant who is such an amazing, friendly lady who has time for… Read more
reading reviews before this trip I actually asked virgin if I could change hotels....we decided to keep to our first choice, this hotel is quite small but beautiful, we had an amazing room, the staff cannot do enough for you and are amazing! big shout out to Cyreline in the restaurant who is such an amazing, friendly lady who has time for everyone, Raquel, janine and crystal beautiful waitresses who always had a smile and a laugh, I cannot mention them all(sorry can't remember all names) but everyone is just as nice. Khaleel is the most friendliest man always asking if everyone is ok and can he get you anything...Shamar wonderful, smiley and kind..I think the manager of this hotel should thank everyone of the staff here as they were all polite, kind and couldn't help enough! beach boys are so helpful and will get beds and an umbrella no problem, The beach is amazing, the sea can get a little choppy at times but on the whole ok, a turtle came up to lay her eggs one evening and was a truly once in a lifetime experience... live singers some nights so not not much entertainment, if it rains there is nowhere to go apart from your room so somewhere to sit inside would be good, we had the hurricane whist there and although not nice the staff had it all covered so the customers felt safe at all times, holidaymakers all helped with the clean up which was a lovely thing to see! very safe to go out the hotel even at night we never felt unsafe. The only thing we had a complaint about is the birds...at breakfast they are all over the tables, chairs and eating off plates, it was awful we never ate lunch there we ate off the pool/bar menu so could eat it by the pool or beach, even at dinner the bird mess would be all over the chairs so not nice an inside restaurant would of stopped all this. the breakfast was buffet, didn't have lunch there but evening times were menu and not much choice but they did make me something else one night. We would return to Barbados but not this hotel as I think the food and birds put us off but the staff there are incredible, so would give them 5* but the hotel unfortunately not. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Very good holiday, brilliant staff, food and cocktails

Jul 5, 2024 nmG3039MZ

We stayed at The Sands for a week and had a brilliant time. I would really recommend booking this hotel and are looking at coming back ourselves. Pros: The majority of staff are excellent, very friendly, nothing is too much and they were always very chatty. Especially the bar and pool staff. The rooms are amazing, brilliant views, spacious and… Read more
We stayed at The Sands for a week and had a brilliant time. I would really recommend booking this hotel and are looking at coming back ourselves. Pros: The majority of staff are excellent, very friendly, nothing is too much and they were always very chatty. Especially the bar and pool staff. The rooms are amazing, brilliant views, spacious and comfy beds. The staff will make you any cocktail/drink you want, with no extra costs The pool snacks were lovely, decent variety The food was amazing also, many reviews on here have moaned about the portion sizes, we didn't feel they were bad and the staff were more than happy to give us more veg, chips etc. You definitely won't go hungry. Mainly for the Brits, who were up early with the time difference, the staff set up a tea/coffee station by about 5:45am every morning so you could sit by the pool before breakfast which we loved and was a lovely touch Can change beach towels as often as you like, always in high supply We also had a turn-down service every night, fresh towels, bed made up again if you'd been sat on it etc We each got bitten three times, felt the hotel was very clean and they had precautions of keeping the mozzies out. At the Island in there were loads and that was actually where my partner got bitten all 3 times. Just bring some Jungle Formula and you'll be fine Cons: Some stains on the duvet, and in the bathroom but I asked for the duvet to be taken as we only needed a sheet anyway (both were supplied) and they did that for us. The beach is quite choppy, we were unable to use the watersports facilities throughout our whole stay, although of course this was not the hotel's fault. We didn't particularly have an issue with sunbeds but we were always up by 6:30am, but if you get up later than 8am you would struggle to find a subbed by the pool - there are always some on the beach. On arrival we were given a sheet about their sunbed policy, but many people left their sunbeds for hours and the towels were not removed. By the pool was a fridge for Banks cans and bottled water, we loved this but did find they ran out of supplies quickly and at times took hours to refresh. You could always get bottled Banks at the bar though. We stayed during the hurricane, which has been a really tricky time for the Caribbean and I felt the hotel felt extremely well and reassured the guests well. We had breakfast delivered to the room, and as soon as the all-clear was given a bar and lunch buffet was set up in reception. The effects of the hurricane were felt by the hotel, no pool/restaurant etc, but we ate in Noir instead of the main restaurant which was nice, but to have paper plates over 48 hours after the hurricane we felt was disappointing, especially since we were in a restaurant. We visited both sister hotels which the hotel accommodated. We loved Mango Bay, very similar set-up to The Sands and a lovely beach. However, the Island Inn was tiny, it was pretty dirty and the staff weren't helpful nor give the hospitality reception the other two hotels did. It was however nice to see the horses on Carisle Bay and then go to the Island Inn for breakfast, but we are glad we chose The Sands over the Island Inn. We paid $31 for a taxi to and from the airport, without tips. It was $40 to Mango Bay and $20 to Island inn but we chose to get the buses as they were only 3.50 Barbados and the drivers are brilliant at helping you when to get off. We really loved this hotel, it just had a few issues that we would like to see improved but it wouldn't stop us coming back! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Virgin Holidays’ say ‘See the World Differently’…..

Jul 2, 2024 simonmatthews2017 Oxford, United Kingdom

We booked 3 rooms for our family in June 2024. I wasn’t expecting beach front rooms but our rooms were very dark with no natural light, windows or a balcony and reached down a back alley. A massive contrast to those shown on the website. The beach was effectively closed due to large amounts of sargassum seaweed so we had to transfer to a… Read more
We booked 3 rooms for our family in June 2024. I wasn’t expecting beach front rooms but our rooms were very dark with no natural light, windows or a balcony and reached down a back alley. A massive contrast to those shown on the website. The beach was effectively closed due to large amounts of sargassum seaweed so we had to transfer to a sister hotel 40 mins away to use the beach. Not what you expect when you book a beachfront hotel. On a positive note the guys in the restaurant and bar were very good so it is the standard of accommodation that I am marking down not the staff and the fact that virgin holidays and not at all candid about the standard. I got a dismissive reply from Virgin and I suspect this is not their first or indeed last complaint. So when they say ‘ See the world differently’ make sure the rooms have windows or you won’t see anything. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Excellent holiday with 1 major fail

Jul 2, 2024 Martin C Haywards Heath, United Kingdom

Excellent location, excellent food, excellent service. Excellent service at bar, excellent service in the main dining room. Excellent well kept grounds, excellent beach staff, excellent security (Michelle best customer service of the holiday).All in all an excellent holiday. Where I did have to laugh, the NOIR. What a joke. The lady (maybe a… Read more
Excellent location, excellent food, excellent service. Excellent service at bar, excellent service in the main dining room. Excellent well kept grounds, excellent beach staff, excellent security (Michelle best customer service of the holiday).All in all an excellent holiday. Where I did have to laugh, the NOIR. What a joke. The lady (maybe a manager?) greets you as if you have a contagious disease! She looks and sounds like the governess in the Matilda film! I don't like your open toed shoes, she said. But they're Gucci I explained, not flip flops or sandals. £600 pound worth. No, doesn't matter yet the 1 other person in the restaurant had rope sole espadrilles, £6 in middle of LIDL!. A rushed service, she brought the coffee before serving our sweet as they were packing up to go home. Rushed and poor service, If you want proper top class, pop out to Champers up the road, they know how to treat you and offer the highest service. SANDS, stick to what you do best, give up on the feeble attempt with NOIR, that way you will keep getting repeat customers. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great stay

Jun 27, 2024 Jotshna London, United Kingdom

We were unsure of it when we first arrived as reception area is not very inviting and had no ac. But , once we were shown to our rooms we were very happy. The manageress was very helpful. The food was great! Most meals were A la carte. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a great time. The only negative was that there was no bar or… Read more
We were unsure of it when we first arrived as reception area is not very inviting and had no ac. But , once we were shown to our rooms we were very happy. The manageress was very helpful. The food was great! Most meals were A la carte. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a great time. The only negative was that there was no bar or seating area for relaxation which had ac. There was only the beach bar. Read less