Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island

Nassau, Bahamas

The hotel

As if this hotel wasn't luxurious enough already, the recent renovations have taken Sandals Royal Bahamian to another level - and they're ready to welcome you back to experience everything new they have to offer. The swim-up suites are the standout room type at this property, allowing you to step right from the comfort of your room straight into a gently flowing river pool with views of the ocean ahead. The Island Village offers privacy and romance and; as with all Sandals properties; the butler service will leave you not having to lift a finger. The real highlight of this Sandals hotel is the private offshore island - just jump on a Love runner and you'll be there in 5 minutes. It's basically a resort in itself, complete with beach club, pool, swim-up bar and spa experiences. Paradise: found and included. When you are feeling a bit more adventurous, there are a host of activities included in your stay so you can work up an appetite. You'll be spoilt for choice when you do get hungry though, with 10 gourmet restaurants and 2 food trucks - you'll have to make sure you stay long enough to ensure you try them all!

Amenities

  • Hobie Cats
  • Kayaking
  • Scuba Diving
  • Snorkelling
  • Tennis
  • Windsurfing
  • Honeymoon
  • Wedding
  • Bar
  • Evening Entertainment
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Restaurant

Where is it

On Cable Beach, Nassau. Transfer time from airport: 15 min.

Hotel information

All rooms feature air-conditioning, flat-screen TV with cable channels, complimentary WiFi access, tea/coffee-making facilities, mini-bar with soft drinks, wines and local beers, safe, iron and board, amenity kits, hairdryer and 1 king-size bed. All rooms sleep maximum 2 adults and include round trip airport transfers. 

East Bay Premium rooms are located on floors 1-6 of the East Bay building with views of the French courtyard. 

Club rooms include: Access to club lounge which offers a host of amenities including private check-in/check-out, all day snacks, alcoholic beverages and signature cocktails, coffee machine, selection of board games and dedicated concierge. Club rooms also include all day room service, bar stocked with a variety of spirits and Robert Mondavi Twin Oaks® wine, and bath robes.

Butler rooms include: personal butler service for all your needs during your stay with a cell phone to reach them when needed. Guests also receive plush robes with slippers, fully stocked bar complete with premium spirits and 24 hour room service. Some also include Rolls Royce airport transfers. 

Sandals resorts are Luxury Included®; from luxury accommodation, 5-Star Global Gourmet™, unlimited premium-brand drinks, transfers, tips and taxes, to a huge range of sports facilities and entertainment — it’s all included!

East Bay Zen Garden Rooms are located on floors 2-4 of the East Bay building, with views of the resorts gardens, featuring a rainfall shower.

Island Village Honeymoon Luxury Villa Rooms are situated on the 2nd floor surrounded by the lush gardens of the Island Village.

East Bay Honeymoon Zen Garden Rooms are located on floors 2-3 of the East Bay building, with views of the resorts gardens from a private balcony.

East Bay Luxury Rooms are located on floors 1-6 of the East Bay building, with views of the courtyard and an additional cosy seating area.

East Bay Zen Garden Walkout Club Level rooms are on the ground floor of the East Bay building featuring an oversized patio that leads to the beautifully landscaped gardens.

East Bay Oceanview Premium rooms are situated on floors 5-6 of the East Bay building with large bay windows overlooking the sea. 

East Bay Oceanview Grande Luxe rooms are located on the upper floors of the East Bay building, featuring a private balcony with stunning ocean views as well as an additional indoor sitting area.

West Bay Grande Luxe Walkout Oversized Club Level Junior Suites are on the ground floor with a private patio featuring views of the tropical gardens and pool.

East Bay Honeymoon Oceanview Club Level rooms are located in the Balmoral Oceanfront Village on floors 2-6, with a private balcony overlooking the ocean.

Island Village Club Level Junior Villa Suites feature an outdoor tranquillity soaking tub on the patio or balcony, overlooking the gardens. These are situated on the ground or first floor.

East Bay Poolside Walkout Club rooms are on the ground floor, featuring a private patio that's just steps from the pool.

West Bay Honeymoon Oceanview Club Level Suites are located on floors 3-5, offering stunning views of the ocean, gardens or pool from the private balcony.

West Bay Oceanview Penthouse Club Level Suites are on the top floor of the building, with views of the ocean, gardens and pool from the private balcony.

East Bay Beachfront Club Level rooms are situated on floor 2-4 and include an oversized balcony overlooking the beach, ocean and the resort's offshore island.

West Bay One Bedroom Butler Suites are on floors 2-3 and include a separate master bedroom and living room with a dining area. The private balcony offers garden views.

Island Village One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite are on the second floor of this picturesque village, with a tranquillity soaking tub for 2 on the balcony. These suites have separate master bedroom and living room with dining area and fully stocked bar.

West Bay Honeymoon Hideaway Oceanview One Bedroom Butler Suites are located on floors 2-5, with a spacious living/dining room with fully stocked bar. The luxurious suite offers ocean views from the private balcony.

West Bay Oceanview One Bedroom Butler Suites feature a loveseat in the bedroom, as well as separate living room with a private balcony overlooking the ocean, located on floors 2-5.

East Bay Honeymoon Beachfront Butler Suites are located on the top floor, with a fully furnished balcony overlooking the ocean, beach and the resort's offshore island. The master bedroom features a fully stocked bar and cosy seating area.

West Bay Honeymoon Oceanview One Bedroom Butler Suites are spacious suites located near the pool and restaurants, on floors 2-5. They feature a separate master bedroom and living room with fully stocked bar.

West Bay Oceanfront Penthouse One Bedroom Butler Suites are located on the top floor with stunning sea views from the private balcony. There is a spacious open-plan living/dining room, as well as separate master bedroom.

West Bay Honeymoon Hideaway Swim-up Crystal Lagoon Zen Butler Suites are located on the ground floor, with zero entry access to the garden river pool.

Island Village Walkout Butler Hideaway Villa Suites are romantic retreats situated on the ground floor with views of the tropical gardens and a private plunge pool on the patio, as well as a tranquillity soaking tub and bistro set. The expansive bedroom includes a seating area and fully stocked bar.

West Bay Swim-up Oversized Club Level Junior Suites are located on the ground floor with a private walkout patio complete with lounge chairs. The spacious bedroom features a loveseat and fully stocked bar.

Island Village One Bedroom Walkout Butler Villa Suites feature an enclosed private patio complete with plunge pool and tranquillity soaking tub for two. The suite consists of a separate living room and master bedroom.

West Bay Honeymoon Hideaway Swim-up Crystal Lagoon Zen One Bedroom Butler Suites are on the ground floor, featuring zero access to the garden river pool from the private patio. The suite is made up of a separate master bedroom and living room with dining area and fully stocked bar.

Island Village One Bedroom Butler Villa Suites are secluded ground floor suites featuring a private patio complete with plunge pool and tranquillity soaking tub for two. The master bedroom seamlessly transitions into an open concept sitting area.

East Bay Beachfront Swim-up Butler Suites are located on the ground floor, just steps away from the white sandy beach. The patio features lounge chairs and a bistro set, and offers zero entry access to the infinity pool.

West Bay One Bedroom Swim-up Butler Suites offer views of the pools, gardens and a glimpse of the ocean from the ground floor patio; with direct access to the zero entry swim-up pool as well as a tranquillity soaking tub. The suite has a separate living room, with the master bedroom featuring love seat and fully stocked bar.

West Bay One Bedroom Oceanview Swim-up Butler Suite offer full ocean views from the walkout patio, that has direct access to the zero entry swim-up pool as well as a tranquillity soaking tub. The suite is spacious, with a separate living room complete with fully stocked bar.

10 dining options: La Plume (French cuisine), Butch's Island Chophouse (Steak and Seafood), Tesoro (Italian), Kanoo (Pan-Caribbean cuisine), Kimonos (entertaining Teppanyaki, reservations required), Aralia House (located on Barefoot cay, serving fresh seafood and grilled specialities), Calico (cafe), The Queen's Peal (serving traditional pub food), Gordon's Pier Restaurant (Seafood), and Soy (Sushi). 2 food trucks: Coco Queen (Bahamian fare), and Sweets 'N' Tings (sweet treats and coffee). 8 bars including 2 swim-up pool bars. Weekly late night chocolate buffets and sparkling wine breakfasts.

Nightly entertainment with live performances, cocktail parties and theme nights.

4 Swimming pools. Sandals Barefoot Cay private offshore island featuring two secluded beaches, beach club with pool, whirlpool, and swim-up bar, Red Lane® Spa experience and restaurant. Scuba-diving (FREE for PADI-certified divers, fee applies to others), snorkelling, windsurfing, kayaks, paddle boards, water trikes, sailboats and Hobie Cats. Tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, lawn chess, croquet, board games, shuffleboard, pool tables and darts. Fitness centre with aerobic and aqua-fit classes. Red Lane® Spa (treatments*).

Laundry/dry-cleaning service*. Complimentary WiFi access in all room categories and public areas. Shop* and SnapShots Photo shop*. Round trip airport transfers included with all room types, Butler room types include Rolls Royce transfers (arrival and departure).

* Denotes local charge.

Two people in love over 18 years only.

Dress code: evening dress code for gentlemen states that smart trousers or jeans, long or short sleeve dress shirts (with or without collar) and dress shoes or sandals must be worn. Shorts, t-shirts, trainers, flip-flops, hats and caps are not permitted in the evening. 

Please note: please ensure you have adequate insurance to take part in adventurous activities.

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 (7066)
  • Very good (2973)
  • Average (1561)
  • Poor (929)
  • Terrible (730)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Good, not Great

Nov 20, 2024 mollyptravels Saint Louis, Missouri

We just returned from our 5 night stay at Sandals Royal Bahamian and our general consensus is we don’t expect to return without confirmation that major improvements are made to this resort experience. Our #1 complaint is their pools aren’t heated, which seems inconceivable for a resort boasting year-round luxury. During our stay the high was 78-80… Read more
We just returned from our 5 night stay at Sandals Royal Bahamian and our general consensus is we don’t expect to return without confirmation that major improvements are made to this resort experience. Our #1 complaint is their pools aren’t heated, which seems inconceivable for a resort boasting year-round luxury. During our stay the high was 78-80 and several days were cloudy. Given the extremely cold pool temperature virtually no guests even got in the pools some days when the sun wasn’t out. This seems like an easy and necessary fix to meet guests’ minimum expectations when traveling to a high quality resort! Next, the food at the resort was good, but definitely not 5 stars. Very average, mainly “American” themed, basic dishes. The 3 reservation only restaurants were good, although reservation times/options weren’t great, definitely not in line with our expectations. The staff were generally friendly and helpful, although they weren’t always very knowledgeable about resort protocols, and we had a direct experience with some small increment cash being stolen from our bags during a room change. The private island was the shining star of the stay, especially since the beach on the main resort was fairly disappointing with construction in process on one of the 2 docks and lots of seaweed in huge piles. Generally speaking, there were only a few locations to even take a good beach picture on the main resort beach without something ruining the view/scene. Overall, we were extremely surprised to learn this resort was recently renovated in 2022, given the lack of heated pools, current level of cleanliness/upkeep of the rooms, and constant issues with lack of water pressure and heated water for showers. This resort has a long climb ahead to get to 4 much less 5 stars. I hope changes can be made because this resort could be so much better! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great week

Nov 19, 2024 radgal2 Greensburg, Kansas

We just returned from our week at Royal Bahamian. This was our fifth sandals and we had a great time. It’s a smaller resort with plenty to do and eat. The food was good. A little slow in service a couple times but we are on vacation so worries. Beach is pretty. The water was rough so we didn’t get to do much in the ocean but they were still… Read more
We just returned from our week at Royal Bahamian. This was our fifth sandals and we had a great time. It’s a smaller resort with plenty to do and eat. The food was good. A little slow in service a couple times but we are on vacation so worries. Beach is pretty. The water was rough so we didn’t get to do much in the ocean but they were still cleaning and clearing seaweed. The pools are nice have a quiet side or more lovely side so everyone is happy. Staff were all kind and accommodating. Room was clean and nice bright. We will absolutely return. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Sandals Royal Bahamian

Nov 17, 2024 Samanthablake1026 Austin, Texas

Easily the best trip we’ve ever been on! From the moment we got there, to the moment we left we were taken care of. All the staff was exceptional, and accommodations were great! Would definitely recommend, and we can’t wait to go back!
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Not up to sandals standards

Nov 17, 2024 debmercer1962 Grand Rapids, Michigan

We have stayed at Sandals more than 100 nights and have visited almost all of their properties. This location is definitely not up to par. First of all the food is mediocre at best. The breakfast buffet is quite small compared to other locations. The bacon was raw and the food was cold. Lunch options were really bad. Dinner was better. There was… Read more
We have stayed at Sandals more than 100 nights and have visited almost all of their properties. This location is definitely not up to par. First of all the food is mediocre at best. The breakfast buffet is quite small compared to other locations. The bacon was raw and the food was cold. Lunch options were really bad. Dinner was better. There was no consistency with the drinks. The exact same drink would be good one time and bad the next time. If you’re a beach person forget it. The beach is separated by a pier. On one side the waves crash so hard that it ripped out 2 cabanas. You can use the beach on the other side of the pier but there was so much seaweed that washing ashore it wasn’t a pleasant view. They have a private island but the surf was so rough they canceled the ferry every day and we never made it to it. I would like to commend Susan at the sweets n things truck. We went over in the morning to get cookies for our trip home. Was told the cookies wouldn’t be available 11 but Susan took it upon herself to walk over to the bakery and got us cookies. Much appreciated. Also Odane and the loyalty desk went above and beyond. Always smiling and always accommodating. This was definitely our least favorite property. Had lunch with the general manager, Kevin. He seems to be very hands on so hopefully he can bring this property up to speed. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Poor Experience…

Nov 16, 2024 942judithw Blackwood, United Kingdom

Got off to a bad start when the private transfer to the hotel didn’t materialise. We had paid for butler level and ended up on a tatty shuttle bus, even though we had provided flight details. Anyway, staff were apologetic but it got us off to a rough start. Butlers were mostly attentive and definitely worth paying the extra for. Food was good and… Read more
Got off to a bad start when the private transfer to the hotel didn’t materialise. We had paid for butler level and ended up on a tatty shuttle bus, even though we had provided flight details. Anyway, staff were apologetic but it got us off to a rough start. Butlers were mostly attentive and definitely worth paying the extra for. Food was good and drinks plentiful. Room in East bay was nice with a good view and nice balcony- building work on the chapel was continuous though. West bay pool was loud and raucous- definitely not what we’d expected. The quiet pool was a nice find at the back of the resort. Managed a trip to the island although it was closed mainly due to high winds/ getting off the boat was definitely a bit ropey on the return journey! Great manicure in the spa - very good! Would have been nice to have had a spa treatment thrown in to compensate for the lack of transfer that we had paid for and not received. When I mentioned this, we were offered points on a return Sandals booking. On checkout they asked us to sign an NDA before we could claim the points which we refused to do. Disappointed overall with the Sandals experience and could get a higher end experience with genuine customer satisfaction elsewhere. Won’t return in a hurry. Read less