Sandals day pass worth it??

[JennArtX]

So my fiancé and I were super excited about spending the day at Sandals. Property and beach look beautiful and we wanted a more "upscale resort" feel. Plus, it's adults only and AI! A huge plus for us since we are foodies and would enjoy a few drinks while kayaking and just enjoying the beautiful beach!

 

BUT, I've recently read (recent 11/2015-3/2016) horrible reviews about horrible customer service, bad food and ugly beach! From Facebook and Google mainly. These were all staying guests and not day pass guests. But to read that service sucks and beach sucks... Now I feel lost on what to pick! BCH is sold out.

 

 

Should I stick with Sandals, is it truly worth it? All the cruise critic reviews are fantastic so I'm confused.

 

Should I do Melia instead??

 

Thought I had my trip planned out and now I need help!! Thanks!! :)

[Yoganut]

I'm curious about this too. I was considering Sandals mostly because it is adults only. the recent trip advisor reviews look pretty good.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Yoganut

[CruisinCrow]

JennArtX, I gave a (very long and wordy) answer on your other post. I hope it helps.

[JennArtX]

JennArtX, I gave a (very long and wordy) answer on your other post. I hope it helps.

Thanks for the reply! I'm wordy myself so I appreciate the detail! :)

Good to hear you're happy with Sandals!!

 

I'm not worried about the bad butler service, or credit card issues or any of those types of things. My new concerns that arose from the bad reviews were the "small, dirty and not swim-able beach" and run down property and hot tubs not working or dirty, etc. I'm ignoring all the room problems and such. They're all from the past few months and part of me thought maybe it's a trolling issue, you know? Especially since most were on Facebook.

 

I was just hoping to hear from someone who has been recently and can say, forget those, it's awesome!! I know Melia just did some renovations and has great feedback as well. But I'd like something a little less crowded and no kids was a plus.

 

Thanks for the tip on the island and snorkeling! Good to know! We will be there from 8-5. I know for a 10am-6pm pass it is $110 pp. although the girl who answered didn't know if I could purchase ahead of time and to find out I needed to call the main 1-800 number. She actually sounded annoyed at anything I asked.

[CruisinCrow]

Well, it is true that the beach is on the small size. But there are two large pools with swim-up bars and the private island, so the main beach is not the only option.

 

I do have to say that we were in Nassau in January (stayed at Breezes) and a lot of it is looking rundown these days. It was like the whole town needed a fresh coat of paint. I think the economy has hit the Bahamas really hard.

 

For some reason, Sandals also tends to attract what I call whiners. I think it's because they advertise so much and give people super-high expectations. Rightly so, because they are expensive, but no place is perfect. Sandals is closer than many other places. :)

 

Don't let the reviews worry you too much. If you think it's worth $110, you should go for it. If not, the other day passes are good too. In April, most kids will probably be back in school.

[CruisinCrow]

Forgot to say thanks for letting me know the current price for the day pass.

 

If your ship leaves at 5:30, you'll want to leave the resort by 3:30.

[JennArtX]

Awesome! Yes, $110 is on the high side and at first I was not even considering it because of the price. I wanted BCH but sold out and then we decided to splurge. It's our 1st cruise, He's never been out of the country, me-just once for my sis wedding at Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman (my 1st trip spoiled me lol) our 18 month old is staying home with grandma, we never have alone time, so we decided to just go for it. Who knows when we'll be on vacay again! Again thank you!! Sticking with Sandals. You've been very helpful!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[CruisinCrow]

You're welcome. Sounds like some hubby-adult time is in order. Enjoy!

 

(I don't know why I said your ship leaves at 5:30. I meant 5, but too late to edit.)

[cruiseapril]

Have a great time and let us know how it was.

[flipflopfun]

I have stayed at that Sandals and it is WONDERFUL !!!

Now, I did stay there 10 years ago, but even back then there were some bad reviews from some whiny people. Reviews are great, but you really need to read a lot of them to find out what the 'real' issues are. Someone is always going to be unhappy about something.

The beach is not huge but it is nice. Does the day pass include the private island? If yes, then definitely go over there!

The pools are HUGE and amazing. There is a quiet pool and a louder party pool . . . not that Sandals ever get too rowdy.

Sandals is always updating and improving their properties so I wouldn't be worried about anything being run down.

People forget, this is the Caribbean!!!! You may see a spot where the paint is chipped or peeled. GET OVER IT !!!

I would go there again in a heartbeat! I tried attaching some phots, so hope they show up!!!

Have fun,

Danette

[JennArtX]

Thanks!!! Yeah I can totally see certain regular-5-star clientele being whiny!! Lol as long as I have a cold one and a beautiful beach, pool... I'm happy!!

[CruisinCrow]

Sandals Whitehouse was the worst with the whiners. We spent the whole week trying to avoid this one couple who complained about EVERYTHING. :) Fortunately, most people are really nice and just want to relax and have fun on their vacation. But it's the whiners that write the reviews.