We stayed at the Grand Pineapple in mid June, 2008. The weather was perfect and the location absolutely beautiful. The beach is lovely, with white sand, and the water is the perfect blue you imagine when you think of the Caribbean.

We had a decent holiday, but I have mixed feelings about the Grand Pineapple resort overall. I think Sandals, who recently purchased it, have a their work cut out for them in order to bring it up to their standards. I understand that the Grand Pineapple is considered to be a budget all-inclusive, and I've made allowances to that effect, but there are some things that absolutely need to be solved in order for this resort to merit a good review.

There are many problems, and the largest one concerns the quality and availability of food. Quite simply, the food is just not that good, and I'm not some kind of epicurean - I have a great tolerance for mediocre food - but still on several occasions I left the dining area hungry because my throat kept closing. Lunches in particular are quite disappointing, and besides being exactly the same from day to day, also prominently feature less desirable leftovers from the dinner the night before. Most foods are also swimming in a strange-tasting oil. Mary's Outhouse (ribs and chicken) is wonderful for many reasons, but most of all, it is because it is the only alternative to the food being served in the restaurant during the lunch time.

The other problem is the fact that food is not always available. There are gaps in time during the day when it is not possible to get any food at all: before 7:30 in the morning (really bad for early risers), and between 10:30 and 12:00 in the morning. Between 2:30 and 6:30 in the afternoon, the only food available is from the (only) snack bar, which serves only American-style junk food (hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and ice cream). For parents of a 2 year old who goes to bed at 7:00 PM, this meant that we had to feed our son junk food for dinner every night. Also, it meant that we had to stockpile food from breakfast and keep it in our room for the afternoon and the following morning, so that we wouldn't have a hungry, screaming child on our hands. Doing this meant that we risked inviting insects into our room, but we had no choice.

Another problem was the cold drink dispenser at the snack bar - it ran out of ice at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon every day, and was not refilled, even when the staff were told about it. This meant you had to drink warm water or pop in the afternoon. Also, the coffee machine was broken for 3 days, and when it was fixed, the coffee tasted like TCP for a day afterward.

Another problem is that the resort's buildings and infrastructure were very "tired". We were in a Waterfront room, which is in a very nice location, but was in great need of work. In our room the A/C didn't work, the bathroom smelled strongly of drains, the shower was moldy and sprayed water in every direction but down, the louvre blinds were broken on the doors, there was no toilet paper holder, the mosquito screens were hanging off the doors and windows, the paint was peeling everywhere, inside and outside, everything made of metal was rusty, and the A/C units on the balconies above sent a perpetual cascade of rusty water onto our terrace. I understand that the Oceanview rooms, which are new, are actually quite nice, but they are actually cheaper rooms compared to what we paid, so I don't understand how they can do this? In our case, a downgrade would have been an upgrade.

Yet another problem was the staff. I don't know why, but they don't exactly give off a friendly vibe. In fact, the vibe is more like a "just go away" thing. Many of them were downright rude. They rarely made eye contact with anyone. I witnessed many instances where guests were trying to make friendly conversation with staff members, and were rebuffed or completely snubbed by them. I think this can come as quite a shock to visitors who expect an easygoing, friendly atmosphere in the Caribbean.

After reading this you may think that we had a terrible holiday. We didn't - we had a nice holiday. You may also think that we spent the whole time complaining and feeling disappoointed. We didn't. We never said a word to anyone about our problems, and were always are smiles and sunshine. However, I hope that people from Sandals reads these reviews and takes note of the problems we experienced. The Grand Pineapple had the potential to be a wonderful place, it just needs some attention.

Just back from the Pineapple Beach Club.

We spent a week starting June 14 in room 209, a standard room that could use some improvements. There was a musty smell in the room, but it was kept quite clean. The bed was comfortable and the pillows were great. The furnishings were very tired and dated. They really need to spend some money on the rooms. I know you don't come to the islands to spend time in your room, but the room was very disappointing.

The door did not close well, and we came back to our room two days in a row to find our door open. Housekeeping had been in and did not see to it that the door was properly closed. We brought this to the attention of the ladies in reception who were not particularly interested.

Other than those two people, we found the staff very friendly and accommodating. The bar staff and restaurant staff were very impressive, best treatment we've had in recent travels. We never had to ask twice for anything and there was never a wait.

We had mixed feelings about the food. The a la carte food was quite good, but we found the buffets very lacking. Not nearly the number of choices or varieties of food that we are used to.

The food at the snack bar was better than most. Great burgers and fries, chicken, pizza, ice cream.

The swimming was great. The pools were nice, clean and warm. The beach was fantastic. Soft, cool white sand. No burnt feet. Calm, clean water with a nice sandy bottom, no rocks.

The grounds were very attractive and well looked after. The nice thing about being at a small resort is that everything was near at hand. If you sat by the pool, the bar, the snack bar, restaurant, washrooms and the ocean were all a stone's throw away.

This place has enormous potential. I can see why Sandals took it over and will watch with great interest to see what they do with it. The location is great, and the staff could teach the Sandals people a thing or two about service.

Our last vacation was at Sandals, Regency St. Lucia. We often asked for things two or three times and ended up not getting our request. Most of their staff had an "I'll get it when I feel like it attitude". We got none of that attitude at the Pineapple.

The facilities certainly do not compare to a Sandals, but then neither does the price. We felt that we got good value for our money, but we went on a sell-off at about half the usual book value. I think we would probably have felt a little cheated had we paid full price. A little money spent on upgrades could make this place a first-rate resort.

Although we saw room for improvement with both the rooms and the food, we still had a good time. The location and the staff made the difference. We would probably want to hear that there had been some renovations before we went back, however.

My wife and I just returned from a week's stay at the Grand Pineapple. We had a fantastic time and the resort met and mostly exceeded our expectations. We read quite a lot of reviews before booking the vacation, so not much came as a surprise; I would advise that others do the same. If you're expecting to stay at a Hilton type hotel, then book at a Hilton!!! Some people don't seem to do this set themselves up to disappointment.

The grounds of the hotel are well maintained and clean. You can expect to climb some hills if you want to enjoy all parts of the resort, but nothing that is too much for the average person. The beach has a lot to offer; Great snorkeling, nice swimming (though some patches of sea grass), really nice sand, a string of shopping huts, hobie-cats, kayaks, volleyball, soccer, cricket, empty beach chairs, a bit skimpy on the palapas but shade wasn't too hard to find. Over all I was impressed by the beach....all that was missing was a beach-waitress, but that's being a bit picky.

The rooms were nice. We were in a ocean view room (which took a bit of hill climbing to get to), and it was what we were expecting.
No problems with the air conditioning. the bed was hard but did the job, lots of tv channels, no fridge, no iron, nice view, decent shower/facilities but NO ALARM CLOCKS (so bring your own). We did have one early morning scheduled because of an excursion and we ordered a wake-up call.....They didn't call !!! So we awoke in a bit of a panic but still made the taxi on time. No biggie !!

The restaurants served great food. Breakfast was a nice buffet with decent selections. Lots of choice for lunch.....Mary's was my favorite, mostly because of the atmosphere.

Dinner's are mostly a-la-carte with one or two buffets throughout the week. The food quality was quite good. Though if you are vegetarian you may have a difficult time finding something; Luckily I'm a meat lover.

Drink choices were plentiful, though they don't keep much fresh fruit behind the bars if you enjoy the likes of banana daquiries and such. You definitely don't get the impression that they water down the drinks, they are strong. Wine is available for dinner by the glass, but they charge you if you want a bottle from the wine list. Their house wine is fair.

The entertainment was enjoyable but nothing like what you see see at some big resorts. It's mostly local bands and one night there was an amazing limbo dancer/ fire eater. There is some good talent in Antigua and it seems very authentic.

The excursions offered were of a good selection, whether you're a land-lover or sea person. We did a trip to Cades' reef with Treasure Island tours. We met some great people and had an awesome time with the people from our resort. The snorkeling was not as good as off the beach at the Grand Pineapple, but in fairness we did spend 50% of the time in the water staring a shark under a rock, (the nurse shark was was the highlight), this meant that we didn't get to complete the actual tour around Cades' reef, as to keep on schedule. Afterwards we stopped at a fantastic beach for BBQ, Steel drum band, more rum and Cricket; It was all very enjoyable.

Antigua itself was a great island. The people are friendly and encourage you to experience the island heritage. In the past we've visited places from Maui to the Dominican Rep., Antigua rates somewhere in the middle. There is a great history to the island if you make the effort to explore and learn about it.

St. Johns is a pretty happening place. Lots of shops ranging from elegant high-end merchants, to chaotic bartering vendors trying to get you to buy anything. Cruise ships come to port here and it makes a big difference if there is one docked or not. 2000 extra people makes a difference in atmosphere and prices go up when a ship is in.

Overall we really enjoyed our vacation. The highlight for us was meeting a great group of people at the resort, which really made the evenings a party and the daytimes fun.

I would recommend this resort to people looking for a relaxing time with no pressures. You really could do as much or as little as you like. Don't expect to be blown away by amazing food spreads or staff waiting on you hand and foot. But we certainly didn't feel disappointed about anything. Everything here sort of happens in Carribean time and it's a nice break away from the everyday.

We stayed at the GPB From 7.5.08 to 22.5.08. Had an amazing time. Was a bit concerned about the hotel after reading all the negative reports. This was unfounded. The hotel was a bit tired and in need of some work, but this just added to it's character . We were upgraded on our arrival to an ocean view room. The only sounds that could be heard were the lapping of the waves. The room was spotlessly clean. The beach was amazing, soft white sands and clear blue sea. Always plenty of sunbeds available all day, both on the beach and by the pools. The staff were very friendly and polite, always willing to help. The diningroom was set overlooking the beach. We had no problems with the food. Most of the meals, both lunch time and evening were a' la carte. Mary's outhouse is a must. A warm welcome from Mary and Maxine along with wonderful chicken, ribs,cold beer and beautful views of the ocean. We found our corner of paradise. Meet some lovely people during our stay. Must take a visit to Shirley Heights and a trip to swim with the Stingrays. Would love to return at some time in the furture.