My husband and I stayed at Sandals Antigua for 6 nights for our honeymoon. The resort itself is beautiful and huge, but the size seemed to be a bit of an issue.

We rented a car which we shouldn't have done, but my husband and I are adventerous and have done so at every other island we've been to. Little did we know that the roads are terrible and not clearly marked at all! Also, staying at Sandals means you STAY at the resort because there's so much to do and see there, there's no reason to leave the property anyway.

The food was decent, but we mostly ate at Marios, Barefoot and the pizzeria. The endless drinks were great and very strong...I read some reviews saying that the drinks were weak, but I thought they were great!

Like some other travelers, we had an issue with restaurant reservations because they only allow a 3 hour time frame to make reservations. With all the guests staying at the resort, that doesn't leave much option unless you book all your reservations on the first day - which I do suggest. We did do this, but the concierge messed up one of our nights but we were able get a last minute reservation at Eleanors (just "okay" food).

There were a few other issues that are not worth explaining, but the managers were right on top of it. Wesley and Donovan are very thorough and helped to make our stay wonderful! Also, SueAnne and Rachele at Barefoot are amazing...along with the other ladies who work there. Definitely stop by and get some cheesecake for dessert.

Overall, it's a great resort for couples who are looking to get away for a few days and not have to lift a finger. If you're adventerous, I would suggest staying elsewhere though.

I'll try to keep it short but just want to genuinely advise that my husband and I had a truly wonderful time here. We're in our late 30's, relatively well travelled and have stayed in some lovely hotels in the past.

Sandals rates for us as one of the best fun yet relaxing holiday experiences we have ever had. From the moment we arrived the hilarious welcome we got from Ziggy set the tone.

The selection of restaurants was great - Barefoot on the beach deserves a special mention (as does the lovely Althea) and the sushi bar was surprisingly good too, and Marios and Eleanors! We were never disappointed with any of the restaurants except I couldn't really recommend the Pub for food. But certainly I could recommend it for karaoke. A hoot!

The overall ambiance was romantic, fun, relaxing, glamorous and all the guests we met (mainly Americans) were courteous and pleasant at all times. And the effort a lot of people made to glam up for the evening was lovely.

I personally don't understand why people get upset about hawkers on the beach. They're inoffensive and just trying to earn a crust. You can engage in a friendly manner and not buy anything. it's no problem. Anyway it's their country and their beach. If you can't handle the citizens of another country going about their business perhaps you shouldn't leave home!

The staff were wonderful. If you treat them with respect and have a bit of fun and a chat the results are so worthwhile. Antiguan people have their own unique pace of life and approach to customer service. It may not be quite what you get, and expect, in the U.S for example, but that's part of the charm of travel. Special mention has to go to the lovely Ken in Bayside - a truly hilarious and genuine guy! And Winifred and Georgia (pool bar) and Melissa (shop).

The really great thing about Sandals is its size and amount of restaurants and bars means that you can be anonymous. You can be as involved or as not depending on your mood.

We stayed in one of the basic room types in the Caribbean side. I won't pretend it was glamorous, but the four poster bed was comfortable and the drapes were colourful. The bathroom was pretty grim - but it was spotlessly clean and maintained so. But when you have free flowing champagne ALL DAY LONG who cares? And the little pool outside our villa was always deserted. It was like our own private pool. If you wanted some action and fun and music there were two busy pool bars to visit.

The Spa is very luxurious but very expensive.

To conclude, if someone told me that I could never go anywhere else again on holidays, and would have to go to Sandals Antigua every year ....I'D BE DELIGHTED.

Whilst the overall resort is very good future guests who are looking for 5 star may be disappointed.

Food was generally very good and service what you expect in the carribean. However, the resort has a number of restaurants that require a pre-arranged booking and a stipulation that guests meet a particular dress code. This is fine but unfortunately many American visitors fail to comply with the dress code and many turn up in flip flops and shorts. Hardly 5 star and very disappointing that the management of the resort do not enforce their own rules. On a number of occasions we sat nearby to such poorly dressed individuals (mostly men) and it does put you off your dinner.

The resort is aware of the above.

We just returned from 10 fantastic days at the Grande. Because this was our honeymoon, I really researched hotels and islands. I wanted romance, opulent decor, great food, amazing sunsets, and a beach that had powder white sand- My travel agent, Jennifer at VIP Vacations, had a huge task before her because I was very specific. She suggested this resort and I couldn't have been happier. We stayed in the Mediterranean Village in a Monte Carlo suite. Upon arrival we were greated by a friendly staff and shown to our room. I loved the views from our balcony! We stayed on that balcony each day for at least an hour! The room was amazing! Lovely carved wood bed, dresser, and furnishings. We did receive a lovely honeymoon package and also got a note from VIP Vacations and a bottle of wine on our 2nd night there that I thought was a lovely touch. Our top picks--
FOOD--loved the brick oven pizza for lunch, and the Pub for late night munchies. I also really recommend Kimonos for Japanese food.

POOL- we loved the pool in the Med village. We never had to look for chairs and the waiters were always checking to see if we needed anything.

BEACH--each afternoon we walked the beach at Sunset and heard a saxophonist play, romance oozed!

Tours--we did the sunset catamaran party boat, and made lots of friends.

On the night of the managers cocktail party we met the General Manager, Jean Marc Rousseau, who remembered our name when we bumped into him throughout our trip. I thought that was very neat and showed his dedication to his job!
Only negative was that some of the staff seemed a little put off when you asked for things but after joking with them, they seemed to improve. I also didn't enjoy the 'sale's' people on the beach, but that seemed to be not Sandals fault!
Overall we had a wonderful time.
We hope to go back for our anniversary.

Thank you Sandals and VIP Vacations for giving us a honeymoon that was in paradise!