Hello Trip Advisor Community!!! This is our first review, and hopefully not the last! =)

Well, for our first stay at a Sandals resort, we came away very happy with the experience. The trip wasn't exactly perfect, but we have been in places much worse off! LOL

Let’s begin with the A-list item for this visit. Hands down, the entertainment staff made this trip very memorable for us. The "Playmakers," as Sandals refers to them, went out of their way to make sure us, and other guests, were having a good time. This small group of folks went above and beyond on several occasions to make the smiles we had even bigger. I could go on for ages on the little things and big things that they did for us...trust me, they were fantastic! A very social, friendly, and down to earth team!

Our room was very nice! We and the other couple with us were assigned a two room bungalow in a prime location...right next to the main pool and swim up pool bar!!! Our location on the resort was great, but just beyond our rooms (#409 and 410), the guests were exposed to noise from the new area of the resort that is currently under construction. The room was well decorated, and quite spacious with plenty of storage, plenty of hot water, a nicely comfortable bed, working (thankfully!) air conditioner and ceiling fan, and a well stocked fridge with plenty of frosty beverages. The staff did a fantastic job of cleaning the rooms daily as well!

The only drawback to the rooms....***ROACHES*** AAAAHHHHH!!! Normally, bugs are expected in a tropical place, but when they are the size of your thumb, and hiss and click when you try to squish them, it's a tad bit unpleasant!!! =) We ended up having to sleep with a set of lights on just to keep the roaches from showing themselves!!! We knew they were there, but "out of sight, out of mind" rang very true for us. One word of advice, before you try to squish one...work out a plan, they move very very fast!!!

Next up...the food and drink!!! We were beyond happy with the drinks. Being an all inclusive, it was an open bar for the entire visit! LOL Most definitely partake in the Rum Punch, which seemed to be the signature drink at the resort, if not the entire island! The Planters Punch and Banana Sip Sop were among other favorites. Word of warning, the "Punch" drinks are quite strong...but make for a great time!

The food was average with other resorts that we've stayed at. Nothing special, and surprisingly, no local dishes!!! Isn't part of the experience of traveling tasting local cuisine??? The food was catered mainly to American and British tastes. Many of the steak and pork dishes weren't the greatest cuts of meat, (lots of fat and gristle) so stick to the chicken if you can! Breakfast and lunch were good, but nothing spectacular. For dinner, our favorites were Kimonos (Japanese cuisine) and IL PALIO (Italian cuisine). The OK Corral offers Tex Mex (fantastic chili, but stay away from the steak!!!) and the Bayside Bistro was full of the folks that didn't get reservations for the night at the other three onsite restaurants. =) There was also a snack bar open from 11am to 5pm and 11pm to 7am. The food at the snack bar was great to satisfy any munchies craving. However, beware some of the staff. The first night we had stopped by for munchies after leaving the resorts nightclub, Betty Joes, at around 2am. The gentleman working at the snack bar was in a rather foul mood and quite impatient with us not knowing what we wanted to eat the second we walked through the door! He was mumbling and grumbling the entire time, but he did make the burgers and sandwiches we ordered with care. There were other staff members working at the snack bar throughout our stay, and thankfully, none were as rude as the first guy, and some even went out of their way to make sure we could eat just about anything we wanted to at the odd hours of the night.

Now, on to the activities at the resort. Sandals has two 24-hour tennis courts and a full gym, but since we were on vacation, we really didn't feel like working out! There is also a very nice spa located on the resort. My wife had a facial there and was very happy with the treatment. However, she did mention that the relaxing mood was wrecked by the banging and noise from the nearby construction at the resort. The Playmakers also had tons of activities scheduled through the day. These ranged from Crazy Pool Games and Volleyball during the day, to Trivia, Fashion Shows (which yours truly starred in!), and their own version of The Newlywed Game in the main courtyard for the evenings entertainment. Get into as many activities as you can! Sandals awards points to each room for the activities and games they participate in and these points can be redeemed at the end of your stay for great souvenirs like the classic Sandals Necklace, T-shirts, and even bottles of the local rum!

There is also a nightclub called Betty Joes, with a fantastic DJ, and the most entertaining bartender we've had the pleasure of drinking with in ages! And yes, I did say "drinking with!" He was more than happy to make a round of shots, and then enjoy with you as well as step out onto the dance floor to help the DJ get things rocking! If you want something a little more laid back after dinner, then the piano bar is the place to be. Both the nightclub and piano bar were open quite late...1:20-2am for Betty Joes, and around 2-2:30am for the piano bar. One drawback at the piano bar was that the bartender was MIA more often than not...but our solution to that was to step behind the bar and help ourselves and any other guests that trusted our drink making skills! =) One of the piano players would also try his best to leave 30 minutes, if not an hour, before closing.

The resort also has a full service scuba diving center with well trained and knowledgeable staff as well as quite a few non-motorized water sports. The water sports staff were very happy to teach newcomers how to sail the catamarans and use the other water craft. Being a diver myself, I was more concerned with the scuba staff. The staff was great!!! The dive boats were large and spacious. They did their due diligence to make sure the boat wasn't crowded with divers and gear and kept the groups fairly small. Dive conditions early in our stay were not very good, but went from bad to pristine on the last day of diving. There wasn't much to see down there in way of "big fish" but we did catch a few nice memories and the dives near the end of the week were very relaxing! In fact, our final dive during our stay was logged at 57 minutes!!! It doesn't get much better than that!

We also did a snorkeling trip with the water sports staff. Probably due to bad luck, the water was infested with Blue Moon jellyfish!!! It made everyone uncomfortable to be in the water and several folks on the boat didn't even jump in at all. The boat crew did their best to calm everyone’s fears and went to the extent of actually pulling one of the jellies out of the water with the bare hands to show that they were harmless. After that fine show of fearlessness, a few of us braved the water and jumped in...only to have the weird fear of being surround by the jellies and touching something "soft and slimy" with every wave of the hand or kick of the feet. We all made it back to the boat within a few minutes of getting in as dodging the jellies was just too much work! I did receive a few stings across my chest and left arm while trying to pull a panicked swimmer back to the boat, but the stings were very mild and itched for about 15-20 minutes before completely subsiding. The boats are well stocked with vinegar, which neutralizes the jelly stings pretty quickly. I could make a suggestion to Sandals regarding the snorkeling site...have more than one just incase conditions are unfavorable, like jellies floating around everywhere! =)

One must do item on the "off resort" activities list...spend Sunday night at Shirley Heights!!! It is one of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen!!! You can watch the sun go down over the ocean, mountainscape, and Nelsons Dockyard far below. And once the natural beauty has set the local Steel Bands and Reggae Bands kick the party into high gear! Locals and tourists mix here and it's a very safe environment! Word of advice...book a private taxi so you can get there early and come back as late as you like. The resorts shuttle will get you there in time for the sunset, but it leaves around 7:30, which is just after the fantastic bands get the party going. We arrived well before sunset and several couples that came with the resort shuttle and we ended up staying until around 10:30 at night. We absolutely love steel band and reggae music, so this night was a royal treat for us! The staff at the excursions desk will be more than happy to help arrange for a private taxi for you and the cost is very comparable to the resorts shuttle. NOTE: Eat before you go to Shirley Heights!!! Although the drinks are just US$3-$4, the food is beyond expensive! US$20 for a burger is about average!

We also spent a day on the Circumnavigation Cruise around the island, which we would highly recommend. The crew on the ginormous catamaran was very friendly, made great drinks, and served us a very delicious barbecue lunch on a very small secluded beach. They also let everyone snorkel around during the afternoon stop. Another must do is the shopping trip to St. Johns. The resort has a daily shuttle that drops you off for about 2 hours of shopping and bargaining at the St. Johns market place and shopping area. There is also Kings Casino there for anyone not much into shopping. =) We snagged some great deals on T-shirts, jewelry, photo albums and other items.

Well, I think that should give you a good idea of our stay at the Sandals Grande Antigua. The resort is quite nice, and will be even better once the new construction has been completed. The staff was quite friendly and had a genuine interest in making our stay memorable. We met several couples that became quick friends, so don't be shy when you stay here! The island itself is a beautiful place and my wife and I do hope we can pay a return visit soon!

ENJOY YOUR VACATION! =)