Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle

We travelled as two families (4 adults and 3 children) and stayed for a week. Overall, I’d probably rate our experience 3/5. There were some truly wonderful people working here who made our trip memorable, but there were also some significant issues that future travellers should know about.

The Cat Colony(My Biggest Concern): This deserves its own section because it’s honestly what has stayed with me the most.

The resort has a small colony of friendly local cats. They are sweet, social, clearly accustomed to guests, and honestly added to the experience for many of us. They also serve a purpose. There are rat traps all over the property, so it’s obvious rodents are an issue. A managed cat colony can naturally help keep those numbers in check.

During our stay, we witnessed cats being trapped and removed from the property. (Some cats were trapped and left for hours awaiting the company to retrieve)

Wanting to make sure they were being cared for, I asked numerous staff members where they were being taken. I was repeatedly brushed off and nobody could tell me.

I contacted RSPCA Barbados, Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary, and Safe Cats of Barbados. Safe Cats actually operates a Hospitality Cat Program that helps hotels humanely manage resident cat colonies through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), veterinary care and ongoing monitoring. None of the organizations I contacted were able to confirm that these cats were entering their programs.

Eventually I ran into one of the the trapping company employees with a crest on their shirt for Pet Transportation Inc. He couldn’t answer where the cats were going but encouraged me to call the office. I called them directly and I was told the cats are taken to various veterinarians for free veterinary care before being adopted out.

When I politely asked which veterinarians, where the cats were being taken, or how I could verify they were receiving care, the person became extremely rude, told me it was none of my business, and hung up on me.

I later spoke with Cerwin (one of the hotel operations managers), who advised me he had spoken with Safe Cats in the past but felt using Pet Transportation Inc. was the better option.

Personally, I disagree.

Sometimes the easiest option isn’t the best one.

I genuinely hope Wyndham reconsiders and partners with Safe Cats of Barbados or another transparent Trap-Neuter-Return program. It would allow the cats to receive veterinary care, gradually reduce the population humanely, and maintain a healthy colony rather than simply removing cats and creating space for new unsterilized cats to move in.

The complete lack of transparency surrounding where these cats are taken left me feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Room Issues

Before arriving, our two families requested rooms near one another.

Originally we had been assigned ground-floor rooms only two doors apart, which would have been perfect.

However, at check-in, our friends were moved two floors above us.

Our room itself was beautiful… except for a few significant issues.

• Air conditioning wasn’t functioning (26°C and extremely humid).
• The room smelled musty - probably due to no AC.
• Our door had no security latch - it looked as though one had previously existed but had been removed.

Engineering came and advised the A/C simply needed flushing and would be fixed within about twenty minutes.

It wasn’t.

Two hours later our room was still 26°C and we still had no security latch.

When we initially requested to move rooms (especially since our friends had been placed two floors up), the front desk was hesitant, stated they couldn’t view available rooms and suggested it wasn’t likely possible unless something drastic was occurring otherwise we would need to wait u til the next day for the “room coordinator” to be present.

Thankfully another manager became involved later and was fantastic. She immediately helped relocate us to a room much closer to our friends, with properly functioning air conditioning.

That experience really summed up the resort for me.

Some staff were absolutely incredible.

Others weren’t.

The Staff:

This was probably the biggest inconsistency throughout our stay.

About 30% of the staff were exceptional.

They were engaging, genuinely friendly and made us feel welcome.

Special thank you to:

• Jalisa at the Steakhouse
• Jennica (who seemed to carry almost all of the entertainment)
• Several wonderful buffet servers
• The incredible manager at the Indian restaurant who went above and beyond to help our kids find food they’d enjoy.

Unfortunately the remaining majority of staff often seemed indifferent or inconvenienced by guests.

Simple requests frequently felt like interruptions rather than hospitality.

Dining:

This was probably my second biggest frustration.

When we arrived, occupancy was maybe around 35%.

By midweek it felt closer to 20%.

Despite that, the resort closed the main Mediterranean buffet for THREE consecutive dinners.

There was little to no communication.

Guests simply wandered over expecting dinner only to discover the restaurant was closed.

The Grab & Go was even closed one of those nights, and the Grill wasn’t operating either.

Luckily our family already had reservations for two evenings.

On the third night we arrived to find the buffet closed and couldn’t get Steakhouse reservations until 8:30 p.m.

The Indian restaurant initially couldn’t accommodate us because the men weren’t wearing collared shirts and closed-toe shoes.

After explaining that we’d had no notice the buffet would be closed (and had actually been given the previous week’s schedule at check-in), they graciously seated us on the buffet side of the divider and looked after us.

I can’t thank that manager enough.

We also met another family with four hungry children who had no reservations and ended up begging for fries because they had nowhere else to eat.

This resort is extremely secluded.

You can’t simply walk somewhere else for dinner.

I don’t think it’s reasonable for an all-inclusive resort to close its primary dining venue without clearly communicating that to guests.

Beach

If you’re coming here for the beach…

SIGNIFICANTLY Manage your expectations.

The resort beach isn’t swimmable.

Massive amounts of sargassum seaweed make it almost impossible to reach the water, and even once you do, the surf is incredibly rough making it dangerous.

Children can’t really safely play at the shoreline and there was quite a bit of debris washing ashore.

I understand it’s a public beach and the resort can’t control nature.

However, prospective guests should know what to expect.

DO NOT miss the complimentary shuttle to Carlisle Bay.

It was one of the highlights of our vacation.

Book the turtle and shipwreck snorkelling excursion.

Absolutely worth every minute.

What We Loved:

Despite the challenges, we genuinely made wonderful memories.

• The Bluff Pool was our favourite.
• Karaoke night was a hit with the kids.
• The Japanese and Indian restaurants were excellent..
• The Steakhouse was probably everyone’s favourite.
• The buffet, when open, offered excellent variety and lots of vegetarian choices.
• The grounds are beautiful.
• The rooms themselves are spacious and attractive.

Overall Maintenance:

The resort is simply too large for the staffing levels.

Throughout our stay there were blue disposable gloves lying around the property for days.

Blood stains remained in one elevator for our entire stay.

Small things individually…

…but together they created the impression that maintenance and housekeeping simply couldn’t keep up.

Would I return?

Probably not.

Not because we didn’t make wonderful memories - we absolutely did.

It’s because the resort has tremendous potential but feels understaffed, inconsistently managed and lacking communication.

Most importantly, I sincerely hope Wyndham reconsiders how it manages its resident cat colony..

There are humane, transparent Trap-Neuter-Return programs in Barbados specifically designed to help hotels maintain healthy cat colonies while gradually reducing their numbers over time.

As someone who genuinely enjoyed many aspects of this resort, I hope that’s a change they choose to make

The food was amazing! Our server Shanna made the experience even better! She was attentive and knowledgeable in the menu.