Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort

My husband and I just got back from 8 days at this resort where we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. It was our first experience with Sandals or any all-inclusive resort, and I can promise you, we will be back! The resort was beautifully appointed, safe, spacious and amazing clean. There were 9 different restaurants to choose from – definitely make reservations for the Crystal Room and Baccarat when you arrive – and the food was amazing! The alcohol was free flowing, and despite other reviews I’ve read, my husband and I (admittedly not heavy drinkers) felt the pouring was quite generous. The staff was engaging and genuinely dedicated to making sure we were having a good time with even the landscaping crew stopping to participate in a pool basketball shoot-out. The playmakers (think cruise directors for those who are new to Sandals) were a riot and we especially loved Iliya, Fabia, Nevada, Keith, Samantha, and Theo. Chefs “Tiny” and “Charlie” (short for Charlotte, if I remember correctly) in Kimonos were entertaining as well as great chefs! Fo lunch, we definitely recommend the pizza by the Manor Pool - delicious! Goes great with beach volleyball, which was scheduled twice a day, but we were able to also play pick-up games for several hours a day. The playmakers jump right in and play with you. I was worried that there would not be enough places to be alone outside our suite, but I shouldn’t have been; it was the perfect mix of group activities (beach volleyball, bocce and poolside trivia amongst our favorites) when we wanted to be social and private places when we wanted it to be just the two of us. Our room even had wireless internet so we could webcam with our kids at home each night. The snorkeling was not as nice as where we’ve been before (St. Johns) – the colors of the coral not as vibrant, smaller fish – but still enjoyable. Loved being able to take out a small catamaran and sail to the private island. A few hints for future guests: bring plenty of sunscreen ($17/bottle in the gift shop!) or walk across the street from the resort to the drugstore (somewhat cheaper); also bring bug spray as the mosquitoes were pretty bad for me (my husband was spared), even inside the lounge one night. Pack fewer clothes and more bathing suits - we basically lived in ours, only getting dressed for dinner each night and only 2 of the restaurants did you really need a sundress/collared shirt. Aloe is provided in your room in addition to the standard shampoo and lotion and the in-room bar is stocked with more alcohol, sodas and bottles of water. Food is available 24-7 (overnight is in the Cricketer's Pub) and at least the Grill, the Pub, the pizza place and Spices are willing to wrap up a plate for you to take and eat elsewhere. I had a great manicure and pedicure in the spa on day 2 and the manicurist was kind enough to send me home with a small bottle of sparkly nail polish for my 3-yr-old daughter.

Long story short, we had an amazing time and met some great people. Beats cruising any day! I’m hoping to make it an anniversary tradition from here on out!

Sandals certainly captures the essence of the Bahamas. They've went beyond the standard All-Inclusive and incorporated FUN!

Much more information along with dozens of pictures can be found at http://www.traveltheories.com
Our favorite things about this resort where the romantic atmosphere, great food and unquestionably the Bacardi tour (No longer available due to the plant closing).

Conversely, our least favorite things involved the group activities. Some of them were a bit too time consuming and even involved getting called up on stage during a comedy show.

Recommendations: Check the forecast carefully before scheduling. We got great prices by going during hurricane season, but Sandals no longer offers the guarantee of a new vacation if a hurricane hits as it did when we were there. Fortunately, we only ran into a few hours of rain that happened to coincide with the first Saturday of the football season, so we were able to watch our game and then get back outside.

If possible, avoid scheduling your flight with US Airways. It felt like a second class flight the entire time, and there is nothing quite like watching your belongings spill out all over the baggage claim carousel because the baggage handlers decided to tear apart your bags (yes, those are footprints on the bags in the pictures).

This Sandals location is great! There is absolutely nothing I can say bad about this location and we plan to go again.

This all-inclusive resort has many highlights so I have named just a few.
*Crystal Room and Baccarat both have great food. You will need to get your reservations in as soon as possible and make sure you bring something nice to wear.
*Red Lane Spa is expensive but worth it! Check out the daily activities page for daily specials. I recommend the massage with body scrub.
*Hanging out at the Piano Bar was by far our funnest night!
*The daily activities pool side are a blast. They really get everybody involved.
*The Sandals Offshore Island Cay is beautiful. Enjoy it during the day to avoid the need for bug-spray. Make sure to bring your own bug spray just in case because it is $8.00 in the gift shop.
*The employees aka "playmakers" of this resort are wonderful and were calling us by our first names the 2nd day. They are a blast and I wanted to bring all of them back home with me!
*The fitness center overlooks the ocean and makes working out enjoyable. Some of the machines are old but they work.
*There are 2 huge pools that both have swim-up bars.
The rooms and bathrooms are clean and nice. We booked a lower level room because we are only in there to sleep and shower. A view is not important to me because I can get that by simply going outside:-) So if you want a good view I would advise that you talk to a representative and make your request very specific.