Sugar Bay Barbados - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2469 reviews

• 

  Fantastic place!!

  Me and my wife visited early December and neither of us have a single bad word to say about it! We are not the type of people to go to the same place twice however this place has potentially changed us. Justin, akeel and Joan (I think) were the best members of staff by far, the latter making the most incredible cocktails. Beach was beautiful and cool floaties in the sea to relax on. Food was small to suit the size of the hotel but honestly it was top class 90% of the time and both of us are relatively fussy. I wouldn’t particularly say it’s a great place for kids as there is only one pool however there were quite a lot there during our stay and they were all loving it. Genuinely, anyone that writes a poor review on this place are to be totally ignored! Yes they’re entitled to their opinion but I’d strongly suggest that they’re the issue, not the hotel

  Dec 29, 2025
• 

  Beautiful setting, friendly staff, a great holiday

  Just back from a 10 day stay over Christmas, ages ranging from 10-74. We stayed in an oceanfront family room. Positives: -the view from our balcony was amazing! -watersport, restaurant, bar staff and cleaning staff really friendly and helpful (special thanks to the crew working at Umi on Christmas Eve for sorting out a special meal for my fussy 10 year old, and at Colin’s for giving us big takeaway cups of ice cream every afternoon) -pool was refreshing for a dip or a drink at the swim up bar, and just the right size for kids to splash about in -cups and rubbish were collected around the beach and pool all day, so no gross leftovers to attract bugs -feels like a small community rather than a hotel -manager is available during his cocktail hour if you want anything addressed -always able to get a spot on the beach and the watersport guys found us umbrellas and tables -sea is beautiful and clear -some of the singers in the evening were really fun and entertaining -Christmas day was great and schedules for the week were given out in advance so you didn’t miss anything (including Santa arriving in a special way from the sea and giving good quality presents to all the kids) -delicious cocktails! The daiquiris and mudslides were my favs -it’s kid-friendly without it being dominated by kids Areas for improvement: -our sofa bed had the saggiest mattress I’ve ever seen! After muddling through a few nights on it, we spoke to reception who sent up 2 single rollaway beds very quickly. These were perfectly comfortable, but did take up most of the lounge area in our room -concierge service let us down badly, took up a lot of time trying to get a single trip organised and took no accountability when it went wrong. The people on duty literally looked at me and said your option is to go or cancel, without so much as an apology for it taking nearly 3 days to book and not actually getting us the trip we had asked for -the beach is covered in debris from the palm trees and coral from the sea. It’s quite painful if you accidentally step on these things and we all got small cuts on our feet. Aqua shoes or sandals definitely recommended. -it’s great that the buffet restaurant has a kids menu, but it was so slow to come that the adults were usually finishing when the kids food arrived. Having a simple pasta and sauce station (plus kid friendly veggies like carrot and cucumber sticks) in the buffet at lunch and dinner for the kids would be really helpful Overall I would have no problem recommending Sugar Bay.

  Dec 29, 2025
• 

  Some positives but sadly more negatives.

  As almost all reviewers say the staff, with the exception of the Spa staff were very friendly & welcoming. The Spa staff gave the impression they were not interested in arranging the massage which was included in the package we booked. The setting of the hotel right on the beach with access to safe bathing & snorkelling is excellent. There was the usual sun lounger reserving in place on the beach & around the pool which is always disappointing to see. However, it didn’t bother us too much as were hired a car for our stay so were not around during the day. We were impressed when we entered our Deluxe Signature room as it was very spacious with a sitting area & balcony with a good view overlooking the outside dining & bar area, then the beach. It was a shame it lacked basic amenities like slippers & a shower cap as expected in 4 star hotels. I noticed when looking at the website on arriving home there should have been a coffee maker in the room, which there wasn’t. There was black mould in the shower & around the hand washbasin which was separate from the shower & toilet. There was a mosaic tile missing from the low step into the shower. We thought the food in The Reef was generally good especially the hot food from the lidded Bain Maries.But we were concerned about the lack of covers on other foods such as salads, fresh fruit, desserts, pastries & cakes as there were many flies around. Also, the lack of hand cleaning facilities on entering the dining areas was a concern. We were surprised about that. Similarly there were no facilities for hand cleaning when exiting the toilets in the public area near the reception. Worse than that, no hand drying facility in the ladies toilets apart from a box of tissues by each hand washbasin. There were pigeons flying around the Reef dining area, landing on tables where people were about to sit. Glasses were knocked off the table & broken as they landed on the ground, pigeon poo was on the white table cloths where afternoon tea was served. Eggs were cooked to order in The Reef and the omelette was very good except on the last day when it was burnt. I wanted a plain bread roll with my omelette so requested this as there were none on display. A kind member of staff said these were normally available at lunch time but she would see what she could do for me. After a wait, which was to be expected she brought me three freshly baked warm bread rolls. That was excellent service but sadly my request the following day was not met with the same response. ‘That’s a special order and you have to request it 24 hours ahead’ was the response I got. Explaining that I got some the day before didn’t help but I was asked if I wanted to order for the following day which I did. Inconsistencies in service like this should not happen. How can a plain bread roll with breakfast be considered a special order? We were entitled to use one speciality restaurant during our stay so chose the steak one. I can’t eat anything with sugar in it so asked if I could have two starters & a main course as there was no sugar free dessert on the menu. This was not possible! So I had a starter & a main course. The food was fine. Most tables had a green leafed plant in a pot, though ours didn’t. I touched one at the next table when it was empty and found it was plastic. I find it hard to understand why some of the beautiful tropical plants in the grounds of the hotel are not used on the tables. The glassware was thick & cheap looking, not what would be expected in a specialty setting. Coffee or tea was not offered after lunch or dinner so we used a machine which had a supply of paper cups next to it. Frequently this machine was not working as it needed replenishing or was in cleaning mode. Was it too much to expect to be served with coffee or tea served in a cup with a saucer following a meal? One time when the machine was not working after dinner I asked a member of staff for assistance & was told to take a paper cup to the bar where it would be filled for me! .On the first evening after dinner we were enjoying the entertainment but had to move as the people on the table behind us were swearing loudly. I know Sugar Bay management cannot be responsible for the behaviour of guests but it was very off putting. Needless to say we won’t be returning to Sugar Bay. It was booked for us by SixStar cruises as a package with a Regent Seven Seas cruise. The two are not compatible! This was our first experience of an all inclusive hotel & will be our last. However, to end on a positive note we enjoyed sightseeing in Barbados very much & plan to return as there are still places we want to visit. We will be looking for self catering accommodation on the West coast.

  Dec 28, 2025
• 

  5 stars!

  Great hotel, highly recommend and would definitely return. The rooms are spacious and clean and the huge king size bed was so comfy. White company products used in the bathrooms are a lovely touch. Location is 10/10 with the hotel being directly on the beach with a gorgeous cove to swim in. Pool is also great and there’s plenty of sun loungers available for everyone at the beach and the pool all day. The food was fantastic at this hotel! Buffet was always different, very high quality and the steak restaurant was exceptional! The staff here though are truly what make the hotel special, they are so happy and helpful a real asset to the hotel which I hope management recognise! We would without a doubt return to this hotel.

  Dec 26, 2025
• 

  Sugar Bay simply the best.

  Simply the best. Trip number 4 and our 5th already booked. Sugar Bay is and absolute gem, made particularly special because of the fabulous staff. Morgan runs a really great hotel. Pedro (GM) always ready to listen if there are any issues, as are all the staff. Food is outstanding too, definitely the best all inclusive I’ve ever stayed at. A team of incredible chefs led by Paul.

  Dec 26, 2025