Sandals invested 55 million dollars in the Sandals Royal Bahamian to give this iconic resort, which was not only the stomping ground of Edward VIII but also a crash pad for the Beatles. Truly a dream reimagined when all you need is love.
Over a decade ago, before we considered becoming travel writers, we got married at Sandals Royal Bahamian. Returning to the resort after extensive world travel, we saw our old friend in a new light.
How does she stand the test of time and travel? Read on to find out.
Resort Location
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Sandals Royal Bahamian is located on Cable Beach, only a 15-minute drive from the Lynden Pindling International Airport. With airport transportation included, you’ll be through customs and sipping cocktails by the pool in no time.
The Sandals all-inclusive package includes water sports like diving for certified scuba divers and snorkeling and access to Barefoot Cay (aka Sandals Island). There are also ten dining options, two food trucks, and nightly entertainment, so you don’t have to leave the resort.
If you choose to go off property, you can book an excursion from in-house tour company Island Routes, try the Island Inclusive Dining offerings, take one of the resorts Mini-Coopers for a spin (if you are in a qualifying room level), or head a mile down the road to Baha Mar, home of the largest casino in the Caribbean. Getting over to Atlantis and Paradise Island can be more challenging with downtown traffic, the toll bridge and expensive day passes for Atlantis.
Adult-Only Property
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
All Sandals are adult-only properties, including Nassau. Being entirely kid-free sets Sandals apart from other Nassau properties like Baha Mar, Atlantis, and Margaritaville.
Adult-only at Sandals Royal Bahamian doesn’t involve anything risque. Still, it means the afternoon pool has a great soundtrack and blender drinks, and the beaches at Barefoot Cay are a restful oasis rather than a playground.
All Inclusive
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We love that Sandals is all-inclusive, including drinks and activities. It helps you relax and not worry about being nickeled and dimed throughout your vacation, including diving and gear rental.
Nassau is one of the closest Caribbean destinations to the US, with great flights and notoriously expensive food. Eating out tends to be 20-25% more expensive in the Bahamas than in the US, and even more at upscale resorts. Sandals all-inclusive prices let you have the best of both worlds!
Room Categories
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At Sandals Royal Bahamian, there are 404 rooms across 33 room categories, ranging from one-bedroom swim-up butler suites to garden-view rooms divided into three room categories. Note that all pricing is per person / per night and based on Summer 2024 rates.
Sandals Luxury: 8 rooms ranging from $311 – $444 PP/PN
Club Sandals: 10 rooms ranging from $333 – $530 PP/PN
Butler Elite: 15 rooms ranging from $425 – $910 PP/PN
We’ll discuss the differences between Club Sandals and Butler Elite next, but here are some perks you will receive as you move into higher room levels, along with the lowest-price room with those amenities.
Airport transfer and in-room beer and wine: All Rooms
Concierge service and in-room dining: West Bay Honeymoon Ocean View Club Level starting at $339 PP/PN
Junior suite: West Bay Honeymoon Club Level Oversized Junior Suite starting from $333 PP/PN
Ocean views: East Bay Oceanview Luxury Suite starting at $339 PP/PN
Personal butler service, in-room bar w/ premium liquors, and VIP airport transfers: Island Village One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub
starting from $448 PP/PN
Tranquility Soaking tub:Island Village One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub starting at $448
Swim-up Crystal Lagoon: West Bay Swim-up Oversized Club Level Junior Suite starting at $530
Private pool: Island Village Walkout Butler Hideaway Villa Suite w/ Private Pool starting at $734
Convertible MINI Cooper: Island Village One Bedroom Walkout Butler Villa Suite w/ Private Pool $751 PP/PN
Club Sandals vs. Butler Elite at Sandals Royal Bahamian
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
In general, the higher service levels correspond to more elegant rooms, which complicates the comparison between Club Sandals and Butler Elite. Ignoring the West Bay Swim-up Oversized Club Level Junior Suite, which is a bit of an outlier, the most expensive Club Sandals room is the East Bay Beachfront Club Level Room, starting from $521 PP/PN. The least expensive Butler Elite room is the Island Village One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub ($448 PP/PN), but the most similar room is the East Bay Honeymoon Beachfront Butler Suite ($643PP/PN).
We have now stayed in three rooms at Sandals Royal Bahamian, and the beachfront suites were our favorite. We would happily choose the balcony, sweeping views, easy gym access, and relative seclusion in the East Bay over the larger suites in West Bay, which are close to the main pool which attracts the most guests. The difference between the Club Sandals beachfront room and the Butler Elite beachfront room is which floor you’re on. The other $121 PP/PN price difference is for the Butler Elite service.
Sandals Royal Bahamian is a compact resort compared to the brand’s other properties. We loved the expedited check-in, in-room dining, preferred reservations, and access to more snorkeling trips; those services are available from your private butler or the Club Sandals concierge service. The resort was more compact than, say, Sandals Curacao, so we didn’t need our butler to save beach chairs for us or set up a beach cooler. Also, we loved (loved, loved) spending the day on Barefoot Cay, which is beyond the “Butler Service Zone.”
Butler Elite service is nice, but the Sandals Club concierge service will get you most of the way there. Unless there’s a room feature you’re craving for your vacay, like a soaking tub or swim-up suite, I would roll with a club-level room and put that extra room money (and butler tip) towards an Island Routes adventure or scuba certification with the talented DM’s at Sandals.
Pools
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Sandals Royal Bahamian has seven pools with three pool areas: West Bay Pool (the party pool), East Bay Pool (the quiet pool), and Sandals Barefoot Cay Pool. Each pool has associated hot tubs and swim-up bars.
West Bay Pool hops all day long with music, dancing, and games. The East Bay Pool has a chill, relaxed vibe that is great for reading a book or conversing. If you’re looking for the utmost tranquility, take the hourly ferry to the Barefoot Cay Pool. All the pool areas have ample shade on the deck, and there is always a shady spot at the swim-up bar.
Beaches
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Sandals has two beaches on the mainland and another two beaches on Barefoot Cay. All the beaches have swim areas and some combination of daybed gazebos, palapas, and beach chairs. The mainland beaches have more seating and shade but more guests, too.
One thing to note is that the beach on the far side of Barefoot Cay is the largest, with the least shade and largest swim area. It’s also the only place with designated beach snorkeling. You can only use the dive shop’s snorkels on the boat excursions, but there’s a snorkeling hut on the island that will loan you everything you’ll need to snorkel around the far beach.
Restaurants
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Sandals Royal Bahamian has ten restaurants and two food trucks, so you can stay for four days and never repeat a meal. If you stay for a week, you can return for your favorite or try a night of Island Inclusive Dining with a qualifying room stay. There is even a centrally located Culinary Concierge Desk to help you meet your dietary needs and restrictions.
The Sandals Royal Bahamian restaurants are:
La Plume (Resort Evening Attire. Reservation required): La Plume’s fabulous French Cuisine makes it a coveted dinner destination, so make your reservations as early as possible (only applicable with dinner).
Butch’s Island Chop House (Resort Evening Attire. reservation required): Butch’s is Sandals signature restaurant that’s worth making an early reservation for.
Tesoro (Resort Casual, no reservation required) – Nothing beats a Neopolitan pizza by the pool, except maybe their expansive salad and antipasto bar with classic Italian pasta.
Kanoo (breakfast/lunch) – A celebration of all things Caribbean in a casual atmosphere.
Calico (lunch) – A casual poolside cooked-to-order restaurant with fast, friendly service
Aralia House (lunch) – The best (and only) place for lunch on Barefoot Cay, which also happens to be our favorite lunch spot.
Kimonos (Resort Casual, reservation required, dinner only) – Come for the Teppanyaki show, stay for the food, and leave with a table full of new friends.
Soy (Resort Casual, no reservation required, dinner only) – Enjoy sushi and more in a traditionally themed space
The Queen’s Pearl (Resort Casual, no reservation required, dinner / Late night)- Celebrate the legacy of the Balmoral Club at a traditional British pub.
Gordon’s on the Pier (Resort Evening Attire, no reservation required, dinner only) – The seafood is good, and the view is even better.
Coco Queen – A food truck with Bahamian snacks served all day long
Sweets’ n’ Tings – A food truck with sweets, including ice cream, crepes, and the best cup of coffee at the Royal Bahamian.
Bars
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
It’s easy to find an adult beverage at Sandals. Every major pool has a swim-up bar, and every restaurant has a signature drink. Even every place you get coffee from can give you a little extra spike if you ask. This bar section is more about places with unique ambiance than the availability of drinks.
There are 8 bars on the resort, including Balmoral Club, which predates Sandals. It’s an old-school, sophisticated piano bar with top-notch liquors and nightly sing-alongs. The Queen’s Pearl is a traditional British pub with late-night eats and an immersive ambiance, and Bar Coco is an outdoor bar by the beach that’s open late.
Scuba Diving
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Sandals’ all-inclusive package includes scuba diving for certified divers. For guests who are not certified, they have a full complement of instructors for all lessons, including open-water certification and Discover Scuba, for an added charge.
A standard diving day is a two-tank morning dive leaving from the resort pier and exploring the walls and reefs on the island’s north side. There, the water is clear blue water with excellent visibility and abundant life.
On special occasions, like if a large scuba group stays for an extended period, they can move the dive boat to the southwest side of the island by Stuart Cove’s Dive Center. There’s more variety of dive sites there, but I enjoyed the water quality and reef life less on that side of the island. Plus, the extra bus ride to the boat complicated the morning.
During the summer, there might be an additional silky shark trip to the Blue Hole to see the shark congregation. This will be a one-tank dive with an extra surcharge on the order of $100, which is a real diving bargain. Sandals’ blog states, “Shark diving in The Bahamas offers incredible opportunities to get close to these amazing creatures of the deep,” and offers excellent information on the best times to visit for shark diving as well as other useful information.
Local diver and shop operator, Stuart Cove, was introduced into the Scuba Diving Hall of fame for his pioneering work with shark diving. He lobbied on behalf of sharks in the Bahamas, resulting in the Bahamas becoming a shark sanctuary. It’s estimated that each shark has a tourism value of $250,000, and that shark experiences have contributed more than $800 million to the Bahamian economy. Island Routes offers professional shark diving experiences with a pick-up from the resort, but these dives come at a premium because they’re not part of the Sandals all-inclusive diving.
There are some nuances about Sandals diving that you should know before you go. You want to ensure you have your medical papers secured, complete your check-out dive, and book your diving as soon as you get on the resort. One thing to note is that Sandals requires you to have dove within six months, or you will have to do a “check-out” with an instructor. The DMs will ask you to surface with a lot of air in your tank, which is excellent for newer divers. Sandals still attracts experienced divers who appreciate the resort options for their non-diving partner or to round out their stay.
Snorkeling / SNUBA
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
The ferry runs hourly between the resort and Barefoot Cay and is a five-minute boat ride. In between, there are some snuba and snorkeling trips off the ferry boat to the grass flats around the island. It’s an easy trip and well worth scheduling if you’re not diving.
There are a couple of notes about this trip:
If you’re at the butler or club level, use their services to book a snorkeling trip.
Snuba has the same medical requirements as scuba, so you’ll want to get your paperwork processed early. There is an additional charge for SNUBA.
As we mentioned in the beaches section, the dive shop only has snorkel gear for boat trips, and you’ll have to go to the snorkel shack on the island if you’re interested in snorkeling from shore (unless you bring your own gear).
Water Sports
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
We love the Sandals all-inclusive model that includes water sports, so you don’t have to compromise between relaxation and recreation. Sandals Royal Bahamian offers wakeboarding, kneeboarding, waterskiing, windsurfing, sailboats, and tubing along with kayaks, Hobie Cats, paddle boards, and water trikes to take out off the west beach.
You’re encouraged to stay between the resort and the island and travel up and down the coast. It’s always fun to get out and splash around in the water, but there isn’t too much exploring to be done.
Island Routes Day Tours
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Island Routes has been voted the Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator 12 years in a row. Best of all, it’s seamlessly integrated into the Sandals experience. It’s a great way to get out into town and off to explore the nearby islands.
We went on a sunset harbor cruise to watch the 4th of July fireworks, which was loads of fun. They picked us up from the Sandals beach, and we were off on our adventure. If we had time, we would have loved to go swimming with pigs. There are a couple of different pig swimming beaches with pluses and minus:
Rose Island: very near Nassau, often includes snorkeling on a nearby reef and green turtles. Easy for a 1/2 day trip
Meeks Patch Island: The 100-mile round trip from Nassau makes this a full-day trip, which could include a tour of Spanish Well Harbour (Eulthera) or a pink sand beach.
Big Major Cay: The 150-mile round trip from Nassau makes this a full-day trip, which could include drug planes and endangered iguanas.
Nightly Entertainment
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Every night at Sandals Royal Bahamian, there was some kind of song and dance show. The shows were a nice perk, especially the fire show, but I wouldn’t give up a dinner reservation to catch a show. The best shows we’ve experienced at Sandals were during our visit to Sandals Royal Curaçao (link to Curacao blog).
State-of-the-Art Weight Room
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Sandals Royal Caribbean has an excellent weight room with cardio machines and free weights. It’s situated atop the East Bay building, so the views are spectacular. I was surprised it wasn’t busier for the view alone. I made many visits to rehab a dinged knee from mountain biking in Knoxville and never saw more than two other people. Even with all-inclusive dining guilt, it takes a particular person to work out in Paradise. You know who you are, and Sandals has you covered.
Arrivals and Departures
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One of the best things about Nassau as a destination is the short flights and easy customs. You actually clear US customs in Nassau, which makes everything run smoothly.
The resort is only 15 minutes from the airport, so shuttles are easy and often. The only catch is that your room might not be ready if you come on an early flight. That said, there are worse places to wait for a room than at an all-inclusive resort with a frozen concoction in your hand.
Sandals Select Rewards Program
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Customer loyalty was front and center at Sandals. There was an on-site re-booking office with special discounts if you booked your next trip before leaving. The company has the Sandals Select Reward program, a tiered system that rewards repeat guests.
We found this program underutilized at Royal Bahamian, with many first-time guests unfamiliar with it. Select Rewards isn’t a time-share presentation. There aren’t high-pressure sales; they are just offers to save money on your next trip. If you like your Sandals experience, you should pop into the office and see what they offer.
Handling the Unexpected
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
They said the mark of an organization is how it reacts to the unexpected. We saw two different positive examples of this during our stay. Our most recent visit to the Bahamas coincided with Hurricane Beryl’s passing by Jamaica, where Sandals has seven resorts. The company and staff did an excellent job accommodating travelers whose Jamaica trip plans were disrupted, offering different vacation options including Sandals Royal Bahamian. Watching how well Sandals responded to Beryl gives me the confidence to book with them during hurricane season.
The second instance was a water leak in our room. We woke to standing water in the bathroom. The on-site maintenance staff fixed the leak before dinner, including patching the wall, so we would have never known it had happened. We read several online reviews of this happening to other travelers, so we made a point to talk to management about their long-term mitigation plan. They said the East Bay towers were completely refreshed, and the West Bay, where we were staying, had a staggered refresh underway. They expect a full refresh will be completed by winter 2024. Even though our situation was less than ideal, they responded quickly with an effective long-term mitigation plan.
Wrapping Our Concierge Review of Sandals Royal Bahamian
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
What sets Nassau apart from other destinations is its proximity to America, both spatially and culturally. The Bahamas is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. They speak English and spend dollars. Additionally, they utilize Western outlets (type A and type B). It’s an easy place to visit, and staying at Sandals luxury all-inclusive makes it not only easier but, in many ways, more cost-effective.
Sandals Royal Bahamian is a great choice for an easy, all-inclusive vacation and an excellent choice if you’re a diver. You won’t find far-flung exotic adventures or high-end luxury, like overwater bungalows, but it’s a fabulous choice for resting, relaxing, and recharging.