My wife and I had an amazing time at sandals Antigua. Here's a little rundown of our experience.
CHECK in: very close drive from the airport which is very important to us. On arrival we were made aware that Beach Bum vacations had arraigned a complimentary upgrade to the newer Mediterranean side. Our walkout room on the main building had everything we could ask for.
BEACH: my wife generally prefers the beach area to resort pools so we spent a lot of time by the beach and later in the afternoon we would head to the main pool to check out the action. The beach was fantastic! There is the occasional local that would try to sell you something but were not pushy after a polite no thank you. We used the paddle boards and rented jet ski's which was a lot of fun. Getting chairs on the beach didn't seem to be much of an issue. There were waitresses on the beach as well but we tended to take turns going for a quick walk to the bar just to keep the legs moving throughout the day. We were a little concerned that the beach didn't seem very wide from pictures that we saw on the internet but this was not the case. You could go quite a distance down the beach but we tended to make our walks shorter to keep an eye on our stuff.
POOLS: We spent most of our pool time at the main pool in the Med area. The pool bar was always easy to get a drink and the pool itself was beautiful. Although it was quite busy, we could usually find a chairs and slowly make our way to a more preferred area once guests leave. Many would leave towels/books etc on chairs to save them only to come back a few hours later to gather their things and leave. As with any resort pool bar there is always a few guys drinking for numerous hours in a row without going to the bathroom but what can you do!!! I guess they think no one notices? The floatation mats were popular but if you were patient enough or in the right spot most people would offer one up to you as they were leaving. We did spend an afternoon at the older main pool on the other side it it was nice as well. There was a full on volleyball game there and if I wasn't being lazy I would have joined in.
FOOD: LOVED the sushi bar!!!! Only disappointment was that it wasn't open every night. It didn't require a reservation so we often times went there just for appetizers before our reservations were made. Once you placed your order they would have at least part of your order on your table in 2 minutes which we thought would compromise the quality but it didn't. Beach Bum vacations pre-booked our reservations which we really appreciated. We enjoyed the grill by the beach and the tapanyake restaurant. The pizza place was quite good and breakfasts were great. We really enjoyed the beach night where there was tons of food selection and steel band entertainment all on the beach. I would say this resort had the best food of any of our all inclusive vacations.
BAR/NIGHTLIFE: Crickateers pub was a lot of fun. We would often meet up with a few couples we met over the week and play pool. One night was karaoke which was a blast. There isn't a "Disco" or similar bar but there was quite a bit of action at this pub and there were other options for a late night drinks if couples preferred something more quiet. The piano bar was a lot of fun one night although our English friends we met had a similar voice problem as we did the next day!
DRINKS: the regular wine selection was fairly good. Could always be better but it does beat most all inclusives that we've been to. They were more than happy to make any drink you desired or adjust one of the regular cocktails on the menu. Beer was cold and not flat which is very important to me. I can't remember the Beer being served but it was pretty good.(it was not as good as Budlight or Keiths light but I survived!)
SERVICE: we thought the service was excellent and really have no complaint with the professionalism we saw.
BUGS: they do spray every evening before supper which I think made a difference. The bugs like my wife more than me so she was bitten a couple times per night but I didn't think they were bad.
LANDSCAPE/VEGITATION: This was a beautiful resort that had tons of flowers and tropical plants around the grounds. The property excellent in this regard and you could tell they took a special interest and pride in the landscaping.
OVERALL: WE WILL BE BACK SOMEDAY!
- Also Known As:
- Sandals Grande Antigua Hotel St. John`s
- Sandals Grande Antigua Resort And Spa
- Sandals Antigua
- Sandals Grande Antigua Hotel
- Sandals Grande Antigua
- Hotel Sandals Grande Antigua
- Sandals Grand Antigua
- Antigua Sandals
- Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Saint John Parish
Phone Number:
Region:
Caribbean >
Antigua and Barbuda >
Antigua >
Saint John Parish >
St. John's
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge
Beach
Business Center
Fitness Center
Free Breakfast
Free Parking
Restaurant
Room Service
Shuttle Bus service
Suites
Swimming Pool
Wheelchair access
#1 Romantic Hotels in St. John's
#5 Luxury Hotels in St. John's
#5 On the Beach Hotels in St. John's
#5 Top resorts Hotels in St. John's
#6 Family Hotels in St. John's
Price Range:
$$$$
Hotel Class:5 star (5*)
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
-
•A European Hotel in the Six-Star, all-suite Mediterranean Village •Exotic Rondoval with private plunge pool and butler service •1,400 square foot Mediterranean villa with private plunge pool and butler service•Houses the East Caribbean's largest pool (1 of 6) •Offers 9 dining options and 8 bars including an English pub •Voted "World's Most Romantic Resort" 14 years in a row
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