We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.
We support the following browsers: Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox. Mac: Safari.
Free Newsletter

Interested in Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa and St. John's?

We'll send you updates with the latest deals, reviews and articles for Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa and St. John's each week.

  • Save Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa
  • E-mail this page
BOOK NOW!

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa: Traveler Reviews


Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa
P O BOX 147 | Dickenson Bay, St. John's, Antigua
Check Rates and Availability
mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy
Check Rates
Find Cheap Flights to Antigua

Traveler Reviews

73% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 1,147 reviews
Excellent
Very good
Average
Poor
Terrible
By trip type
All (1,147)
[ Date ] [ Rating ]
Amazing NEW resort with a few flaws

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
Travelguy1972 20 contributions
Los Angeles
Oct 16, 2007 | Trip type: Business, Couples
20/22 found this review helpful

I just returned from a week at the NEW Mediterraean Village portion of the Sandals Antigua, and was quite impressed by the huge 5-star hotel that was just putting on the finishing touches. I was lucky enough to go during media week, which ensured a free (comped) room with celebrity events, and top-notch food/parties. So the week I was there, I'm sure everything was at its highest caliber, considering that Butch Stewart, owner of Sandals, was also there. My girlfriend and I stayed in the new portion, and the room was very nice with a huge bathroom that had everything we could want in a bathroom, from hairdryers to jacuzzi tub, to mosaic tile to double sinks and all the shower products. We also liked the rain shower, separted from the jacuzzi tub. The room had a nice four-post bed with a comfortable mattress and quality sheets and tons of pillows. All the rooms had new 42-inch Panasonic plasma TVs with lots of premium movie channels, CNN, etc. The fridge was stocked with beer, soda, wine, juices, etc. and they replaced them daily. The food at the restaurants was in one word- amazing, and we were very impressed by the quality at all the restaurants, especially Mario's (the buffet breakfasts were fabulous, and they even have a smoothie bar). Since we stayed at the new part (Med. Village), we didn't venture over to the older (and in much need of renovation) Caribbean Village very much, except to go to the spa (new), and eat at the beachside grill once (again, great food). The bar there had better drinks than at the main pool bar at the Med. Village. We did hear complaints from people staying at the Caribbean Village side (the older side) that the rooms were deteriorating (rust stains, etc.). The newer side (Med.) had expansive grounds (alot of it has new plants, trees, etc., so it will take some time to become more dense). The pathways had a strange layout and we found ourselves zigzagging the property, just to go the cafeteria. The hallways were a bit narrow, so it was hard to navigate around the cleaning carts. Also the key card was right up against the wall, so it was awkward to try and key into the room. The main lobby was fine, but not as grand as some of the other 'mega' resorts in the Caribbean. The main pool was huge with a great swim-up bar (although once we waited more than 20 minutes to get a drink- the bartender was not a happy person, and one lady just washed dishes right in front of us while there were about 10 people waiting to order drinks- it's true, when you don't tip at the bar, service can be very slow! The jacuzzi hot tub at the main pool was the biggest in the Caribbean (so we were told)- and it was huge- about 25 feet in diameter. We found that we could go in the pool and jacuzzi even after midnight, which was great! The beach was very nice and clean with powder sand (but very narrow), and small lapping waves. However, there was NO outdoor rinsing shower from the beach to the pool area, so you tracked sand everywhere from the beach. Also, there were barely any beach chairs (and no umbrellas) on the sand, and we found that disappointing because we have been to many resorts on a beach, and all the other ones had plenty of them. One important comment I want to emphasize (and maybe it was a bad part of the year or something), was that we had major mosquito problems. We were biten everywhere, especially at dusk and beyond. There were mosquitoes in some of the restaurants, lobby, hospitality center, grounds, and even the room had some (probably when the maid entered, etc.). We asked to have the room sprayed, but that didn't seem to matter much. We wish that there was some kind of warning about this problem, as we would have come prepared with mosquito spray (and we also noticed many other guests who had bad bites all over their bodies). Also, right in front of our outside hotel door, there was a bright flourescent light that attracted many insects, and they would find a way into the room when the door was opened. Finally, one other thing was that there was a jellyfish infestation while we were there, not only on shore, but about a mile out (where we had a snorkeling tour). We saw many people with marks from the stings. Again, we wish there was some kind of notification, as we would have avoided the water.

  • Liked — Great food, nice new resort building
  • Disliked — Mosquitoes that bit us like crazy!!
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay October 2007
  • Visit was for Business
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since March 08, 2005
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for People with disabilities, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine, Spa
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $769 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
great honeymoon....awful experience

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

Save Review
1 of 5 stars
grimmer23 1 contribution
columbus, oh
Oct 1, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
13/29 found this review helpful

resort is exactly what you see in the photos. it is beautiful, especially the new hotel and pools. the beach is beautiful as well and the water sports and activities are fun......now the bad

all inclusive made me realize that when someone is not being tipped, the service is god awful. the italian restaurant food was below avg, the service was so bad that it made the food even worse. the trainer knew as much as her trainee about food and the menu. ordered chicken parm WITH pasta and got chicken with sauce and no pasta because she forgot....
the sushi was grocery store quality and portions tiny (3 pieces per roll) and again service was pi$$ poor. i had to get my own drinks 4 times while at dinner because the waitress forgot our drink order twice.
only good food was our 1st night. breakfast and lunch buffet is the same each day and every day. grill cook had a bad attitude as well when asked to make an omelet....which was her job.
the tex mex restaurant food was tougher than eagles fans after a loss. terrible.
drinks were always flowing, but the afternoon bartenders were slow and unsure of drinks.

lastly, st. johns (the main town where you shop) is a 3rd world nation experience. each place sells the same 10 tee shirts and beads and coffee cups. don't think you're going to walk away with a unique gift.

this is my 8th trip to a different island in the carribean, i'll try another island and won't return. this was the worst food of any vacation i've taken.

  • Liked — good bed and weather
  • Disliked — service was poor at best, food was 4 of 10.
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 1 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay August 2007
  • Visit was for Honeymoon
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since October 01, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Pet owners
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Spa, Skiing / Winter sports
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $769 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Beautiful Resort!

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
mashore3 11 contributions
Ketchikan, Alaska
Sep 29, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
1/7 found this review helpful

I have been writing in the forums so I am not going to say very much here. I just posted pictures of our trip in the photo section of this review. Please enjoy!

We loved this resort and are going back next year. Everyone was friendly and very helpful. Thank you Ajay!!

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 1 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay September 2007
  • Visit was for Honeymoon
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since July 25, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine, Spa
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $769 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Sandals Grande Antigua not so grand

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

Save Review
2 of 5 stars
LakeCroaker 3 contributions
Southern California
Sep 29, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
4/10 found this review helpful

Sandals does great job of promoting their properties but they don't live up to the hype. The resort is billed as 5 star but our room was old and tired, a 3 to 3.5 star at best. The water stains on the wall below the a/c unit was our 1st clue that we may be disappointed with our stay at Sandals. Our Honeymoon Ocean View Suite didn't have an ocean view and Sandals ignored my requests to be moved to another room. I will say that the grounds were beautiful, the pools were clean and the beach was great too! If our room had lived up to the hype I would have enjoyed our stay much more. The expectation that we had of a 5 star resort was not met on the customer service level either. We would have to think long and hard before planning another trip to a Sandals resort.

  • Liked — The grounds were landscaped beautifully
  • Disliked — Our room and the poor customer service
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay September 2007
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since September 24, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Great pool scene
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $769 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
nice beach, bad food

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

Save Review
2 of 5 stars
sept07antiguareview 1 contribution
NY
Sep 28, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
3/11 found this review helpful

Pro: Beach, Pool, Med Village, Spa, pizza alright, drinks good. Cons: Bad food, none of the restaurants have air-conditioning except 1 -Marios and the Japanese place. Food was not good at either place or any of the others. The older section of the resort is dirty,the rooms and bed were uncomfortable- limited choices for food and beer. They don't carry many kinds of beer just Red-Stripe, Caribu, Wadali-yuck and some other nasty beer. The pub is air-conditioned if you ask them to turn it on..but does not open until 6pm. Not sure why the pub is closed all day when people are vacationing... Overall: not a good experience- I have stayed at other Sandals resorts and would not recommend this particular place. If you are considering it, save your money. Go elsewhere. If you already booked it-try to cancel if you can. Bring lots of food-snack and request the med village for your room. Request in advance the type of beer and soda that you like. Be prepared to be hot all of the time with no sign of AC. Power goes out frequently and cable does not work. 3 min phone call to USA is $30.00 so give your family the number to the hotel if they need to reach you.

  • Liked — beach and pool
  • Disliked — food, hotel staff
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 1 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay September 2007
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 25-34
  • Member since September 23, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Great pool scene
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Gambling / Casinos, Great food / Wine, Spa, Skiing / Winter sports
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $769 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Travelers Who Viewed This Property Also Viewed
*Average price
Write Your Own Hotel Review
Been to Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa? Share your experiences!
Write a Review
Add Photos
Add Videos

Do You Own Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa?

TripAdvisor has free and easy resources to help you enhance your listing and promote your property.

  • Start Here - Visit Your Owner's Page
  • Add Photo
  • Add Video

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Also Known As