Sandals Club Level vs Butler Elite – A Helpful Comparison

So you’ve started planning your Sandals honeymoon, but you are stuck on one big question: should I get a Sandals Club Level room or a Butler Level suite?

While both room categories are luxurious and comfortable, they come with distinct amenities, benefits, and services.

We’ve created this guide to help you choose the right room category for you and your new spouse.

Overview: What’s the Difference Between Butler Elite, Club Level, and Sandals Luxury?

When you book a stay at a Sandals resort, you can choose between 3 room categories: Butler Elite, Club Level, and Sandals Luxury.

While Sandals Luxury rooms can be considered “entry-level” accommodations with few extras, Club Level rooms are the mid-range option, and Butler Elite level rooms offer the highest standard of personalized service, best views, and high-end room features.

Butler Elite Level

Butler Elite at Sandals Royal Bahamian

These rooms and suites are objectively the best in any Sandals resort and the most pricey. They are the overwater bungalows with glass floors, beachfront private pool villas, penthouse suites with whirlpool tubs, SkyPool suites, and hilltop villas with 360-degree views of the ocean.

Butler Elite rooms come with the services of a private butler trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers. The butler will not enter your room before knocking and will call first unless you’ve already requested their assistance. You can reach your butler 24/7 by personal cell phone.

Guests can also enjoy 24/7 complimentary room service, which is a perk exclusively available in this room category.

Before you arrive, you can fill out a butler preferences questionnaire that allows the butler to better anticipate your needs during your stay. Some questions include “what type of snacks do you prefer: healthy, cheese, fruits or sweet?” “how do you prefer breakfast served” and “what are your in-room bar preferences?”

Beachfront Skypool Butler Suite With Balcony (Top-Tier, Love Nest)

Butler guests can enjoy an in-room bar stocked with complimentary premium liquors, juices, local beers, sodas, and wines.

Some Sandals resorts – Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Royal Barbados – provide private airport transfers by Rolls Royce or Mercedes for Butler Level guests.

Note: the most private, romance-worthy Butler Elite rooms are referred to as “Love Nests” on the Sandals website. These rooms usually come with soaking tubs and feel more self-contained than other rooms.

Club Level

Crystal Lagoon Hideaway Swim-up Club Level Jr. Suite w/Patio Tranquility Soaking Tub

This is a great choice for couples who want to increase the luxury of their honeymoon without going all out for Butler-level service.

Club Level rooms are spread throughout the Sandals resort, offering a variety of features such as ocean views, outdoor soaking tubs, swim-up pool access from the patio, direct beach access, or large living areas.

Guests can enjoy a complimentary in-room bar stocked with liquor (for example – rum, gin, vodka, or whiskey), juices, sodas, wine, and local beer.

Club Level Rooms in Caribbean Beachfront Village

Like Butler Elite, Club Level rooms also have room service, but only between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm.

Club Level guests have access to the Club Sandals Lounge from 8 am to 10 pm. This is a good place to spend your time if it is rainy and it includes a large, high-definition TV, board games, and spaces to relax.

Although Club Level guests do not have access to a private butler, they can use the Club Sandals Concierge to book dinner reservations, excursions, spa services, and more.

Sandals Luxury Level

Caribbean Grand Luxe Rooms

This is the most basic room category at any Sandals resort and also the best choice for couples on a budget. These rooms usually have garden views and tend to be smaller.

If you plan on spending most of your time using the resort facilities and don’t need the best table in a restaurant, Sandals Luxury level will suit your needs.

These rooms include an in-room bar stocked with local beers, wines, juices, and sodas. They do not include room service.

Crystal Lagoon Hideaway Jr. Suite w/Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub

Some guests report having difficulty getting their minibars restocked, getting drinks in a timely fashion at a bar, or making restaurant reservations with this room category.

What Is Included in All Sandals Resort Room Categories?

All Sandals resort rooms include a complimentary, stocked in-room bar (what is included inside depends on your room category), WIFI in the room and all common areas, roundtrip airport transfers, roundtrip transfers to nearby Sandals resorts, a king-size bed, a flat-screen TV and toiletries.

Beachfront One Bedroom Skypool Butler Suite w/ Balcony Tranquility Soaking Tub

Sandals guests also receive unlimited access to dining at all of the restaurants and bars, gym facilities and fitness classes, PADI-certified scuba diving, watersports, land activities (including day and night tennis), beers, wines and other alcoholic drinks made with premium liquors at all restaurants and bars, night and day entertainment and green fees at Sandals resorts with a golf course.

What Can Your Personal Butler do?

Here are a few examples of services your personal butler can provide:

  • Greet you when you first arrive with refreshments and snacks
  • Reserve sought-after tables at popular restaurants and escort you to dinner to ensure everything goes smoothly
  • Pack a cooler with your favorite drinks for the beach and reserve daybeds in a prime location
  • Bring you breakfast in bed or lunch on the beach
  • Work with housekeeping to make sure all of your room preferences are arranged
  • Book tours, excursions, and spa appointments
  • Serve you sparkling wine or a private dinner on your balcony
  • Draw a bubble bath or scatter rose petals on your bed
  • Help you pack and unpack your bags
  • Provide private check-in and resort orientation in the comfort of your room
  • Bring you anything you forgot in your room

Is Butler Elite Really Worth It?

Butler Elite is definitely worth it for your honeymoon, but not for a vacation with friends. It is a way to truly elevate your experience without putting in a ton of extra work and planning on your part.

Your butler will truly make you feel cared for without imposing on your privacy. Left your sunglasses in the room? They’ll get them. Feeling thirsty, but don’t want to wait in line at the bar for a drink? No worries at all.

Sandals Negril Butler Elite

If you are traveling during peak season, Butler Elite is a must because it can be difficult to reserve daybeds or tables at popular restaurants. In some cases, people start putting their things on chairs to reserve them at 8 am and often don’t show up until mid-morning or even after lunch.

Butler Elite level rooms are also truly luxurious and are designed for couples who are seeking a romantic experience. These rooms usually have unobstructed sea views and feel more secluded than others at the resort.

Also, the cheapest Butler Elite level room and the most expensive Club Level room are often similar prices, so do your research and check the prices on your chosen date before you make a decision.

Will It Feel like the Butler Is Intruding on My Privacy?

No, it will not. Sandals butlers are trained to provide the highest degree of service and ensure their guests feel comfortable at all times. One of the ways they ensure your comfort is by being discrete and mindful of your privacy.

Butler Service vs. Sandals Concierge Service

Here’s a way to sum up the difference between Sandals Concierge and Butler service: your Sandals butler provides a personalized experience and can go above and beyond to get what you want, while Sandals Concierge can help you make bookings and plan activities.

For example, if you are staying at Sandals Royal Caribbean and want a dinner reservation with an ocean view at Royal Thai (a stunning restaurant on a private island), your butler can get you a great table, while it might be difficult to get that reservation through Sandals Concierge.

Sandals Royal Caribbean Royal Thai

However, if you only plan on booking day trips, romantic candlelit dinners (extra fee), private beach cabanas (extra fee), or normal dining reservations, Sandals Concierge will meet all of your needs.

Tipping Your Butler

Although Sandals makes it clear that all tips, taxes, and gratuities are included in the all-inclusive cost of your stay, tips to your butler are up to your discretion.

We recommend tipping your butler between $25 and $35 per day. However, feel free to adjust the amount based on what feels right to you. While you can provide your tip at the end of each day, it is easier to give it at the end of your stay.

Swim-Up One Bedroom Butler Suite with Patio Tranquility Soaking Tub

You should also tip your massage therapist at the spa and some non-Butler Elite level couples report getting drinks quicker at the swim-up bars with a small tip.

Making Butler Requests

Make sure to fill out the Sandals Butler Elite questionnaire before you arrive at the resort. You can find and submit the questionnaire via the Sandals website.

However, don’t be afraid to let your butler know if you’d like to make some changes once you get there. The better you are at communicating your needs, the better your butler can provide an amazing experience for you.

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