Guest reviews Sandals Emerald Bay Golf, Tennis & Spa Resort, Great Exuma

by Cathyfrommi

If you enjoy holiday inn type hotels then you might think this is great?

First of all we are used to seeking out true 5 star hotels to stay in. We love Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, and high end boutique hotels that run $500-1000/nt If you enjoy the quality and atmosphere of a carnival or other budget cruise, then you might really like sandals! We checked in to our $1250/nt junior butler suite on Jan 25th and checked out the same day to go stay somewhere that is actually closer to a 5 star! When we arrived they took our bags which we didn’t not see again for an unnerving amount of time. Their process makes me wonder if they do that so they can pick through peoples stuff. Would be nicer if the butler would take the bags with you directly to your room. Later in the day as we were waiting for a cab to rescue us, I over heard another guest complain that they had been waiting 4 hours for their luggage and still didn’t get it. The butler was not very eloquent and didnt speak clearly. I would expect that they would hire people that can speak clearly for this position. After the butler showed us a few things he took us to our room and said our bags would arrive shortly. Mind you we are in heavy winter clothing and needed our bags to change. We waited a long time, called the butler, they didn’t answer, called again and finally got through and demanded our bags. While we waited for our bags we noticed that the room was in poor condition, outdated, worn out and dirty. It felt nothing like the pictures that convinced us to spend our vacation here. Our nightly room rate after all discounts was $1250/nt. We expected luxury. It was a dump in comparison. So when a bellman came to deliver our bags we mentioned the condition of the room was not acceptable he said he would let our butler know and we’d get a call. We never got a call. We tried calling the butler numerous times after so that we could get a room switch or at least get a reclean. The butler never answered once. This is within our first 4 hours upon arrival! We were starving and it was 3pm. Most of the restaurants close between 3-dinner. So we had like 2 crappy choices. We went to the pizza place. We sat down and waited 10 min. Never saw any staff. So we thought maybe this place was also closed, as we got up to leave a very slothful woman waitress came out from the back. She moved very slowly as if she just didn’t care. We asked if they were open and she said yes. So we sat back down. Eventually she came to take our order. We ordered 2 personal pizzas and 2 drinks. It took a very long time. We were the only customers! The pizzas tasted like frozen pizza from the grocery store. Here we are like 3-4 hrs into this experience and nothing was good. Not one thing! We were also paying attention in general to all the staff around and it seemed like no one was in a hurry. No one was really doing anything and no one cared. We decided to find somewhere else to go. Thankfully we are in the position to be able to just up and leave and not need to have the refund to be able to afford the next reservation. We finally decide to leave and go to the front desk to complain. They truly did not care. Eventually we requested a manager to come speak with us so that we can get assurance that we will get refunded. The manager didn’t really seem shocked at our experience but he did seem like he cared to a certain degree and he was apologetic. Thankfully the resort next door called Grand Isle did have one villa left. From the moment we set foot on Grand Island we could see and feel the difference. Staff here is so eager to please. The rooms are well kept and feel way more luxury than sandals.

by 25Disappointed Boston, Massachusetts

Vacation started Badly

After traveling since 4:30 AM we checked in and found that the sliders were broken and couldn't close. We contacted the front desk and was told we would here from maintenance/engineering. Waited 1 1/2 hours called back and were told someone would be there immediately. Two gentleman came said they fixed it to close but it needed more repair. They would be back. The A/C doesn't work int he room if the sliders are not closed. Again we waited. No one returned. Called again. this want on into the night. We couldn't leave the room unlocked so we ordered room service since the first day was gone. Finally someone came and admitted they couldn't fix it and it needed a wood board placed ti prevent the door from opening. AFter requesting to speak with the manager, they returned the following morning at 10 to replace the wood. Not a good start to our vacation! Very disappointed with the quality of our room and the service provided. The rest of our vacation was enjoyable too bad our whole first day was what we remember most.

by STLjohnnie O'Fallon, Missouri

The Bahamas in January

Our beachfront walkout was nice. It definitely needs updating (the room looked worn from use) The beach was never groomed or raked at all during our visit. The food was good the restaurants service was hit or miss. We went to the same restaurant twice and had one great experience one not great experience. Just depends on the server. I would recommend getting a butler. Valdez, and Hilton were ours they made the trip much better. It was worth the up charge for this amenity.

by LindseyPyron Cincinnati, Ohio

Is it worth it? It depends.....

Ok....so it's expensive, but is it worth it? We just left after a week and we splurged on a water view Butler room. I have no idea on the service offered I'd you don't purchase a Butler level room, however, now that I have been there once, I am not sure I would splurge on the Butler level room again. If you don't know the restaurants, or it's your first time to Sandals, it might not be a bad idea of you can swing the $. Keep in mind, the cost Sandals gives you includes everything, including tips to staff EXCEPT your Butler which should be $50-80/ day. We had three different butlers during our stay and the level of service did vary dramatically depending upon who was assigned to you that day. Here is my biggest problem with our experience. I love good food and used to cook in various restaurants in my younger days. I know what it takes to make quality food day after day and to be honest, Sandals isn't trying very hard. We had breakfast delivered to our room one day and I ordered eggs Benedict. The eggs were way over cooked even though the meal was 20 min late, there was hardly any Hollandaise bit the kicker is the hash browns they served were little triangle frozen patties....not what you expect from a place that calls itslef 5 star. The "nicest" restaurant is la Parisienne. My steak, I should have taken a picture, was maybe 1/4" thick and looked like Salisbury steak. The Italian restaurant il Cielo is not as good as Olive Garden to be honest. The best meal we had, and we are not big Indian food people was at Bombay. The naan bread was made fresh and the Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Marsala were great. I get that getting certain quality on an isolated island can be difficult. But Sandals has purchasing power across all thier resorts and they are of a large enough size to get routine shipments of higher quality ingredients. It would cost them money I sure, but as great as the service and the beauty of the grounds were, the C grade food will probably keep us from returning.

by Jennifer S

Wonderful vacation, excellent property!

First experience with Sandals and it was wonderful! Property was well maintained and all staff were very friendly and willing to accommodate special requests. Great dining options with perfect portion sizes to be able to try appetizer, main course and desserts. Didn't feel overcrowded at all!