Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle

We had an AMAZING holiday. We’d done our homework on the island and knew that the beach at Sam lords castle would not be everything we love in a beach. We still went to this hotel. If you are looking for a traditional beach front hotel that’s all about the beach, this hotel is not for you. However, the location is only 20mins from the airport and we were transferred in a private taxi, the driver made the trip very pleasant. As we arrived at the hotel we were greeted very warmly by the hotel staff, our room was allocated after a brief welcome drink and cool towel, and our bags were taken to our room 2206, all very pleasant. Our room was fantastic, 2nd floor sea view and everything we could’ve wished for. It was cleaned, towels renewed and mini fridge replenished as we’d expected. My wife had suggested there could’ve been more wardrobe space but we certainly managed as two adults and an 11 year old. The restaurants are fantastic, the Mediterranean market, which serves as the main buffet offering, is fantastic for breakfast with differing daily options aswell as mainstays of omelette station and fresh fruit and breads/pastrys. I didn’t use the buffet in the evening so will reserve judgement on that. Castle view restaurant is sensational, beef tenderloin and the lamb chops my personal favourites and we were extremely satisfied every single time. Taatva Indian restaurant is also incredible, food is tender and tasty and as curry lovers from England, we were all very surprised at just how good this place is. We did recommend to the chef that the lights maybe turned down a little and some soft furnishings would make this restaurant even more special. Izakaya Japanese, was not my preferred option, purely down to me not liking sushi however my wife and son love sushi so dragged me along! That said I really enjoyed our evenings there and genuinely enjoyed the food. Sam lords grill was also excellent for an evening meal, the ribs were my favourite, and the relaxed poolside location was perfect. You can also eat lunch here and the menu is different. Drinks across the resort are very good, obviously with rum being the main ingredient in most of the local cocktails but other options are available throughout. The local beer, Banks, is served in ice cold cans and is perfect, Deputy, another can, is also very nice and crisp. The pools are great we only really used the main pool and the pool with the kids pool and swim up bar ( there’s another large pool that we didn’t use) the staff are friendly and inclusive and help you with beds, umbrellas and the entertainment. Pool towels are widely available near all pools, you simply take the fresh rolled towels from a stand and return them to the same stand in the section marked used towels. The excursions (included in the price of your stay) /shuttle bus service are brilliant. The reason being that the hotel is perfect in itself but is on the quieter side of the island. So, the shuttle bus to Harbour Lights( Mon, Tues and Thurs) is a god send, you get on a bus and travel to Carlisle Bay, a beautiful beach. Harbour lights is the name of the establishment that is a kind of bar, restaurant and beach club type thing. It’s not at all posh and you walk thorough the building/patio/outdoor stage area to take a position on the beach with beds and an umbrella, you can then order food either back in the venue or on the beach. There’s another option to do a turtle boat trip for an additional cost and it is definitely worth doing. The ship wreck is some of the best snorkelling we did. The bus then picks you up at 3.30pm to take you back to the hotel. Oistins is another shuttle trip on Friday nights, taking you to Oistins fish fry, a world famous event every Friday night outdoor foody type market with live music and stalls. You can wander around, sit down for a bite to eat and get back on the bus at 930pm back to hotel. They also offer a shuttle to Bridgetown on a Saturday. We didn’t do this.

All in all a fantastic holiday for the three of us, we loved the hotel and the staff. Amenities are very good, I didn’t use the gym, there isn’t typically evening entertainment that a lot of resorts have, but there’s the cask rum bar which opens late and has a fairly relaxed vibe.

My main tip would be to make sure you read the welcome pack which includes restaurant timetables which INCLUDES the buffet restaurant. Some nights the buffet is closed so make sure you coordinate your restaurant reservations with nights that the buffet is closed. It takes a bit of work but ladies at the concierge desk can help with this. Book restaurants for the week ahead after restaurants timetables are released. (usually Sundays!).

Check location of hotel as it’s in a quiet secluded area, we knew this in advance and planned on booking a car to tour the west coast. Christopher on the desk duly obliged and booked us a car that we kept for two days and beach hopped from speightstown all the way down the platinum/west coast where the beaches are postcard worthy!!

The two restaurants at Wyndham were very good 8/10, the staff was excellent 9/10. In fact they seemed to reserve their best staff for the two restaurants bc the rest of the staff was lackluster to be kind. At points they were downright rude. Abigale’s lack of customer service when we came to her about the level at which music was being played past midnight was appalling. Her response to us inquiring about when the music would come to an end was “Idk” as she continued to suck on her lollipop. (Also so unprofessional) The staff took lackadaisical to a new level. If you ask for anything from housekeeping, it’s not coming. Period. The entire staff is so young & immature, they’re more interested in getting paid to party than ensuring the property’s guests are looked after. We were an afterthought. That being said there were a select few who made it clear their first priority were their guests & that was Malik, Damien, Josh, Jannica. They were standouts in a hotel where everyone lacked basic hospitality skills such as smiling and being cordial. In an establishment that’s already not competitive due to their lack of beach from the dangerous rocks and undertow, one would think their staff would be going above & beyond to make up for what they can’t provide their guests. We will not be returning which is a shame bc the physical hotel is very pretty & has a lot of potential. But they need to hire mature staff & provide better training otherwise I don’t see this hotel lasting against its competitors

Decent resort. On bad side on the ocean. Unfortunately, the customer service and management response were deeply disappointing.

I booked a group at Wyndham Grand Barbados through my travel company. On June 21 and June 22, I provided the correct room assignments and specifically requested that our group be placed in the same building. I was told the corrections had been made. They had not.

Our guests arrived to reservation and room-assignment problems that should have been resolved beforehand. After the resort attempted to correct the situation, one guest did not receive her room until approximately 7:00 p.m.

Transportation was also prepaid and confirmed by the resort, yet my guests were questioned about payment, causing them to wonder whether my company had actually paid. Completely unacceptable.

Communication was equally frustrating, with numerous WhatsApp messages going unanswered or receiving delayed responses.

What ultimately earned this 1-star review was the response from management. After giving the resort multiple opportunities to address these concerns privately, Resort Manager Tracia Brathewaite provided a response that, in my opinion, does not align with several documented facts contained in the emails, confirmations, and payment records I retained.

Even more disappointing, General Manager Frederick Sengewitz was copied throughout the correspondence and never personally responded or intervened.

Mistakes happen in hospitality. Poor accountability afterward is a choice.

As co-owner of Passport Proud, I have to trust the properties where I place my clients. Based on how this group reservation was handled—and how resort leadership responded afterward—I would be extremely hesitant to place another group at this property.

The resort is beautiful. Unfortunately, the service, communication, accountability, and leadership did not match .