We recently spent a week at Sandals Royal Curaçao and, overall, had the loveliest experience. The resort itself is stunning and beautifully designed with a fresh, modern feel that sets it apart from other all-inclusives we’ve visited. The lush tropical landscaping is simply gorgeous, and the property feels fresh and new and is exceptionally clean and well-maintained, with plenty of shaded seating throughout. During our stay in late June, we never felt overcrowded or like we were fighting for a lounge chair at the pool, and definitely not at the beach, which was generally quieter.
The food & drinks and both the buffet and table service dining experiences met our expectations and were on par with what we expected from Sandals (based on our previous Sandals stay at the Grande St. Lucian), or, really any all-inclusive around this price point. Our favorites in Curaçao were the fish tacos and swordfish at the Strand beachfront restaurant. Mediterranean-inspired Aolos became our go-to for breakfast, thanks to both the quality of the food and the variety of menu options, not to mention the incredible view from their shaded open air dining area. The food trucks were a fun, unique addition to the slate of dining options and proved great for lunch and snacks, though the food options weren’t our favorite.
One of the biggest highlights that set our trip apart was the staff at Sandals Royal Curaçao, many of whom were not only incredibly welcoming and warm but also extremely talented and dedicated to creating a great guest experience. We especially wanted to write this review to shout out Chris, our snorkeling guide, who was patient, knowledgeable, and a joy to explore the reef with. The entertainment team was a standout — Brittany wowed us with her vocals and her awesome energy and humor, and Jefferson impressed us with his choreography and dancing. Dylan and Marcelo also brought enthusiasm and a great vibe to every event.
My pedicure at the spa was another notable highlight; the service was thoughtful and relaxing, and the space itself was a calming escape. The main pool area was always bustling, and the snorkeling was fantastic (when weather permitted) with great visibility. On a day when our snorkel excursion was canceled due to rough water, the staff graciously offered a boat trip around the Santa Barbara inlet residential area instead, which we really appreciated and enjoyed a lot more than we expected to.
Our Subi club-level garden view walkout room (with tranquility soaking tub) was modern, clean, and comfortable, with a layout and aesthetic that felt extremely current compared to other all-inclusives we’ve stayed at before where rooms felt outdated and lacking in aesthetic charm. This resort is still very new as of 2025, having only been open a few years, and you can tell.
That said, the experience wasn’t without a few minor inconveniences and frustrations. The service at some of the restaurants was slow and inattentive. We also found that the operating hours for some of the restaurants were a bit limiting in terms of scheduling our meals and activities for the day each day. No big deal, really, but we did need to allot more time than we thought for our meals.
The biggest and only real/actual major disappointment of note was our interaction with the Island Routes excursion desk. This was not strictly Sandals’ fault, but worth noting if you’re planning on going on an excursion since they’re the official partner. A last-minute cancellation of one of our planned excursions (the caves & sea turtles excursion, which sounded freaking awesome … ugh) announced unceremoniously via a paper slipped under our door only a few hours after a paper slipped under our door confirming all of the exciting details of the trip we thought we were going on. This threw a major wrench into our itinerary, since we had no other way to travel outside of the resort and explore the island and couldn’t book an alternate experience on such short notice.
The beach situation was also a sliiiiiiiight letdown, though it boasted plenty of birbs and fishies. While the panoramic ocean views from Sandals Royal Curaçao are undeniably
gorgeous, the only designated swimming area is off to the side within a narrow inlet / channel with a view that was unexpectedly blighted by a massive industrial oil rig. Again, no biggie, and, again again, obviously not Sandals’ fault.
The good outweighed the bad, though: the swimming beach was an underratedly great spot for snorkeling with the snorkel we bought from the SCUBA / water sports shop! We saw a mean-mugging barracuda, the biggest hermit crab on earth (probably), and tons of colorful grazing reef fish. The snorkeling trip a short boat ride away with Sandals ended up just being the two of us and was a ton of fun; 100% worth it. We saw SO much! Shoutout again to Chris for helping us spot and identify different species of fish!
One last logistical hiccup specific to Sandals Royal Curaçao that may be worth noting: the “shopping trip” shuttle to Willemstad doesn’t run on Sundays, which impacted our plans and would’ve been helpful to know ahead of time, simply because this is the only day that we would have been able to go. So we went 0 for 2 on excursions overall. Bummer!
Anyway . . . despite those challenges (which I’m really only mentioning in case they’re helpful to any other travelers’ planning process), we truly enjoyed our stay, largely thanks to the resort’s beauty, cleanliness, and the many staff who went above and beyond. We left feeling more relaxed and with a deeper appreciation for the culture of Curaçao, which we loved learning about throughout the week. If you go in with patience, flexibility, and the right expectations (all crucial virtues for ANY vacation, really), Sandals Royal Curaçao offers a tranquil, scenic, and memorable escape with beautiful scenery and wildlife, seamless airport transfers, thoughtful design and landscaping, and a clean, modern, and luxurious vibe.
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