Stayed at Sandals Grande Antigua for one week begining of April 08 for our honeymoon, first things first this is a lovely place but for us we both felt that it just did not quite hit the spot as a 5 star resort or for value for money.

We stayed in the mediterranean village section on the 5th floor and the room was very good,double shower, seperate sinks, spar bath, large flat screen tv, 4 poster wooden frame bed, great views from the balcony you would need to be very fussy to find fault with this room.
Now a few negatives! the booking system for the resturants was a problem frequently the one you wanted was not available and the whole system was hit and miss, basically their are about 7 resturants of which 4 need to be booked 48 hrs in advance i assume most people would like to try each one as we had hoped to do, we ended up not getting to one as it was always booked and a repeat visit to another as it was all that was left ,surely their must be a better system for a 5 star establishment, the food on an evening was very good however we felt that the lunch was a bit more ' fast food' style unlike other places we have been to where the quality was equally as good on a lunchtime as in the evening.

The Sunbed situation was also irritating basically if you want a poolside good location you need to be down with your towl at 6am this is no joke, we could not believe it on the first morning seeing the stream of people with towels to reserve sunbeds from 6am onwards, trouble is if you don,t join them you have no hope, to be fair their was always enough sunbeds to go around however their was 2 types of sunbed and the best ones went early!

The thing that did not help with the sunbed situation was those guests who had butler service had the butlers out from 5.30am reserving the best seats! as stated in previous reviews somtimes the sunbeds were not used until the afternoon, the situation could be easily resolved by the hotel by them removing towels from unattended/unused sunbeds. EASY!

I complettly agree to all bad experiences other,s right before.We have been several times in the carib,but this was the badest place.
Entertainment every evenning till 11 o,clock,so no way to sleep earlier,because you hear it everywhere !! Bad and unfriendly service,complettly disorganisation for the advance booking of the restorants,if you ask they are mostly booked,but if you are in,60 % is empty !!The rooms in the caribian village,the older section,once have had ,maybe 5 stars,but now they have max 3.beach is fine,but no umbrellas,towls for pool you have to take till 11 o,clock,=later they are out.Bar ,drinks only island brands,Food,breakfast buffett o.k..,Sushi bar is o.k.,the pub is o.k.the rest not worth for booking.So thanks good we stay only for 8 days and than move to grenada,which was wonderfull !!

We just returned from Sandals Antigua. We had a fabulous vacation. This was our sixth time at the resort and the new mediterraen village is beautiful.
The management and staff could not have been more accomadating. there were many different restaurants and options for eating.
The carribean grove was still as beautiful as ever.
We would highly recommend this resorts as we think this is overall the most beautiful sandals.
Charles & Martha Staten Island New York

Let me begin by saying that this was the third Sandals vacation for my wife and I. After returning from a wonderful week at Sandals Antigua from April 12- 18, we needed to add a review of our experiences that differs from some of the frightening reviews that we read prior to our visit.
Beginning with arrival at the airport, we were promptly escorted from the sandals desk to a waiting van and were at the front desk of the resort within 15 minutes. We were greeted with the customary cold washcloth and champagne, which were welcomed following a 4 hour flight and 30 minutes at immigration. The staff immediately offered smiles and a warm hello. We were upgraded to a honeymoon veranda suite on the Carribean grove side of the resort. As a whole, the entire resort is gorgeous. Depending on why you visit the Caribbean, we felt that the older side of the resort simply has more to offer. It just felt more cozy with the perfectly manicured grounds, winding walkways and hammocks along the beach. We spoke with some other couples who agreed that yes the med village is visually beautiful but feels more like a Las Vegas or Orlando sized hotel than a Caribbean getaway. You certainly can appreciate what they tried to do, but it feels a little oversized and impersonal.
The staff at Sandals are to be commended, always quick to offer a greeting and a smile. Alvin and Rosemary at the Courtyard bar would not allow a glass to become empty, Kevin with the Playmakers was always involved, Clement at the Sushi bar and Ken the Kimono's chef made meals special. All of them were wonderful and all added to our terrific experience.
After reading about reservation nightmares, we went directly to the reservation desk and booked dinner for our first three nights without issue. We booked the remainder on the third day and never had a problem. The key to booking is to know where you want to go and be flexible. Eleanor's was by far our favorite, the portions were perfect and well prepared. Bayside and Mario's were comparable for breakfast and equally satisfying. Bayside's dinner service was much better than what we had read and it was great to be seated near the beach around sunset. The Sushi Bar is not to be missed and the chefs are eager to please. Ask Clement to prepare you something special. We never made it to Barefoot by the Sea for dinner, but some other guests said they truly enjoyed the seafood there. The Monday Night Beach Barbecue was especially enjoyable.
We made it to the pool by 9 am most days and never really had trouble finding towels or chairs on the caribbean side. The beach was not crowded, chairs were readily available.
Daily activities and Nightly entertainment added to the experience and a list of activities for the week can be found by the activities office. There was live music or dancing scheduled on both sides of the resort every night. The piano bar is a blast when you have an outgoing crowd.
Overall, Sandals Antigua provided us with an excellent getaway that we were sad to see end. The week left us feeling so good that my wife called it "Our Second Honeymoon." The only disappointment we shared was having to leave. We've already suggested Sandals Antigua to our friends and plan on returning there ourselves.