Sandals Royal Bahama Mama Mia!
Written: Oct 14 '00 (Updated Oct 16 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Honeymoon Getaway
Cons: Not really for established Married Couples
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| bwyckoff1's Full Review: Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort and Spa |
This world traveler just got off the plane and rushed to my laptop to give you a hot off the press review. Save the applause till the end ladies and gents.
Sandals Resorts located on Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas is an exclusive resort catering to lovers only. This is the resort for that romantic honeymoon. There are many positives and negatives to this resort. First, the positives.
The hotel itself is an all inclusive resort. You don't have to carry cash. Everything is there to enjoy. All the drinks, activities, entertainment, three meals a day, all at your disposal. The hotel even offers weddings at a start up cost of 1,500 dollars. In fact, there you are ,mulling about the pool in your bikini and can watch several brides and grooms go by. If you want to have a wedding on a sandy beach ,this is the resort for you.
There is a series of eight themed restaurants on the property. You can choose gourmet French food, Japanese grill style cooking, international buffets, or dinner out on a private out island. The service is absolutely wonderful. The people make you feel quite at home. From the bellboys to the maids and security people, there is always a smile and a greeting. It is run by very professional people.
The activities range from snorkeling trips, beach kayaks, catamaran sailing, resort scuba course, or windsurfing. All with instruction and all included in the price. There is also a social director on board who tries to keep things hopping with daily step classes, water aerobics, dance classes, water games, beach volleyball .
There is also a spa on the premises that offers hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, pedicures, manicures, massages etc. It is rated the top spa in the carribean. There is an extra charge for this. The prices are steep. For a 25 minute massage and facial it ran 150 dollars. Was it worth it? The massage brought tears to my eyes. The facial was there to soothe. Wonderful addition to a much needed vacation.
Now the downside. The hotel separates you from your luggage the moment you arrive. Being a rather distrustful New Yorker, I did not approve. They informed us the luggage would be sent to our room later. As I had felt , two of our bags did not arrive with the others. It was a very stressful way to start a vacation. The same scenario happened at the conclusion of our trip. This is something that needs to be addressed by this hotel.
The beach onsite is very small indeed. The entire width is about 20 feet. Barely enough for the huge hotel. With the jet skis and boats zooming into the small area ,it can be nerve wracking.
The entertainment in the evening is awful. The club has terrible acoustics. Either the band plays and you are holding your ears or the comedian comes on and you can't understand a word. The club is tiny and you can't see from anything beyond the front row of the club. Very poorly designed. The second night was comedy night. After the first guy came on , most people got up and left. The second guy was introduced as the opener for Jerry Seinfeld. They forgot to tell you he probably opened for him at his bar mitzvah and hasn't preformed since. He was that bad.
The other nights were local people doing hip hop dance routines. OK if you are pushing 18 years old. If you are paying 1,000 per couple per night , it is not.
The public areas are a little rundown. In the french restaurant , seats were split open. I also noticed the waiting room in the spa looked a bit shabby. Couches once sparkling clean looked like they had ground in dirt.
I find the trouble with an all inclusive is also that people tend to overindulge. When cocktails are free you are going to see a few too many people doing the drunk thing. There was a few guys in the nightclub trying to be their own entertainment. The menus did not change from night to night in the restaurants so staying there beyond six nights or so would be too much.
All things considered it is a nice vacation. I would add a plus if you are going on your honeymoon. There will be plenty of others there as well. For all others, I think your money could be better spent at a different resort .
Recommended:
Yes
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bwyckoff1
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Member: Barb wyckoff
Location: New York
Reviews written: 337
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