Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle All Inclusive Resort

Lovely new all inclusive hotel, friendly staff, entertainment, catered for food allergies, food and drinks plentiful!

A new resort that has possibilities to become a 4 star resort,. But for now they definitely have some work to do. Check in was a breeze no problem here, arrived at 3:00 pm on a Thursday, room was ready upon arrival. Staff was very friendly, courtesy, no problems here. Food was good by resort standards. I was able to enjoy each meal and did not starve. Day 2, ran into issues with house keeping, we did not receive wash rags and was told they ran out they were waiting on laundry. Day 3, still no wash rags, I had to speak with a manager and was told she would speak with housekeeping . This to me was a big red flag given the hotel was only at maybe 10% capacity what’s going to happen when operating at full capacity. This hotel did not offer any premium alcohol, again I had to track down a manager, just to get the bar stocked with Tito’s. I did discover another bar located within the Castle restaurant that offers premium alcohol at cost . “ Side eye , eye rolling “ 🙄 because the amount of money spent they really need to have a better selection at “ALL BARS” This resort only has three restaurants despite what the website says. The resort does not have a beach for swimming and is not located on the side with beautiful beaches and lacks in entertainment and activities. The resort is located on the far side of the island so be prepared to spend $100 + in taxi rides if you want to go off the resort. The resort did offer a free shuttle to the beach but only one day of the week (Wed)would be great if services were offered at least 2/3 times per week . I agree with some of the other comments regarding staff in need of training Especially during the alarm situation. Early in the morning the alarm went off with an announcement stating we needed to evacuate the building. No one seems to have a clue of what was going on and we received no communication or information from the hotel staff. . It is clear that some may have not worked in the hospitality industry before. One more very important detail, although the rooms are clean and spacious there is a very weird clear glass panel between the bathroom and bedroom, which makes it awkward if you are traveling with family or friends because you can see the person while they are showering. This is great for couples but not ideal for families and others. This design was definitely not thought through. Mgt may consider putting a frosted glass to eliminate this problem. Overall the resort has potential if management reads reviews and try to make necessary changes.

The property is in a beautiful setting but access to the beach is limited ( hotel sits up on a hill) and swimming is discouraged at the beach. Ziepher suite is spacious with good views. Service was below average but relatively friendly. Checkin took 40 minutes and although we reserved airport transfer and paid in advance, they “forgot “ to pick us up. Housekeeping arrives VERY early in the morning. At the Grill restaurant the server also “forgot” to bring drinks until after the meal. Not the vacation I expected.

Property was beautiful. Dining was limited to say the best and service of employees was very hit and miss. They were either very nice and helpful, or rude and put out.

To be fair, I stayed at the property 1 night so my overall experience was limited - however, know that the property seems to operate on a 7a-930p schedule. With the exception of a single bar, everything closes at 9:30. Room service is available, but when looking at the menu (via the QR link - note no menu in the room), it also says there is a $25 additional fee. Whether that is charged or not, I do not know. I didn't inquire, choosing to go to bed. The property does offer a Grab n Go where they advertise it's 24 hour access to snacks sandwiches some drinks and coffee. I woke at 530 and hoped to enjoy the morning sitting outside and enjoying the breeze. I went to grab n go and asked the nice attendant for a coffee (6:30 am) and was told coffee is offered at 7 and I should come back. A basic coffee machine where guests can do self service would be better than what is offered today. It's the little things that can establish a view. The property is beautiful. The rooms are nice. For an an all-inclusive property, I didn't sense is was very inclusive. Breakfast buffet was typical buffet breakfast. Morning staff was nice, but I never sensed the welcoming attitude I would have thought a resort property would / should offer guests. As I said, I only stayed one night, but do not have an intention of staying here again on my next visit to Barbados.

Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle Our trip to the property started off badly, when 6 weeks before our trip, we were asked if we could rebook for alternate dates, as there was a hotel buyout for our stay. With flights and other arrangements locked in, we said we couldn’t accommodate a change. We were then informed that our stay would be interrupted after the first 2 nights and the last 7 nights would be spent at the O2 Hotel & Spa. Won’t go into the trial and tribulations of this but let me say – having a reservation made in Nov 2023 basically cancelled is not a great play for a hotel that aspires to 4/5 Star status. So the following is our impressions during the two night stay: The Good Unlike some guest comments, our check-in was reasonable and timely. Enjoyed dinner both nights at the Castleview. Staff, food and drinks were all excellent. Their attention to detail made the evenings thoroughly enjoyable. Shout out to the following Julisa was exceptional and Christopher the mixologist made creative drinks for us to enjoy. Breakfast buffet was enjoyable and covered the main food groups. Coffee was great. The ladies at the grill rocked. We booked the Ember Suite and found it well appointed and comfortable in a contemporary setting. The two balconies were great and the oceanfront was awesome. There are a couple of detractions (see below) Lunches both days at the Sam Lord’s Grill was enjoyable. The Bad Water on any main area of the resort made for very slippery conditions – hallways on the floors exposed to the elements, approaches to pool come to mind Signage around the hotel is lacking and given the size of the property much needed. Found ourselves reorienting more often than not. With a couple of exceptions, staff seemed indifferent in their interactions with guests. More than enough staff for the number of guests but no initiative, e.g. going to guests for drink or food orders. More training required. Main pool was pretty much closed for the two days we were there. The pool by Castleview was great BUT no food/beverage service and no indication of a restroom there. The other pool was cloudy for the two days, so a no-go zone. The ambiance of the interior of the Castleview (their flagship) was a bit lacking and if you wanted to eat al fresco, you would be staring at Sam Lord’s relic of building – not the best. . Furniture on the balconies was identical and not suitable for a high end resort. Neither balcony had lounge chairs and the café style table and chairs was not conducive to comfortably sitting and enjoying the view.

So overall I rate this resort a 2/5. Let’s start with the good. This resort was beautiful, inside and out. The ocean view room option was breathtaking. The staff was friendly and polite. What I did not like about this resort is that the food was awful. I know resort food isn’t always going to be top notch but the food at this place is gross. Another one of my concerns is that this resort had no gym or spa service available. Prior to booking my stay I called and asked the receptionist if everything was fully functional. She lied and said yes but this was not the case. Last but not least this hotel is really far away from everything( beaches, excursions, night life, etc.) if you are not renting a car be prepared to spend anywhere from $20-$100 one way for taxi service. I would not recommend this resort. Overpriced.

Excellent service and clean