My husband and I a got married there in early October. It was amazing. The wedding staff did a great job. My flowers were just wonderful. The ceremony was wonderful and the day was perfect. I could not have asked for anything more. I highly recommend the photos and the DVD you can get of your wedding. They were a little expensive but well worth.
We stayed in the Antherium and the rooms were great. Clean, well kept and very comfortable. We had a well stocked bar. The beer was terrible but we are Coors Light drinkers and they do not carry domestic beer from the states. They make the best tropical drinks. Quite yummy!! I highly recommend the BBC's. Go to the swim up bar and have Latoya mix you something up, she makes the best drinks at the resort. HANDS DOWN!
The food was very good however if you stay more than 7 days you kind of get sick of the same ole food. I do wish they would have switched it up a little.
The entertainment staff was wonderful. We participated in a lot of the daily events. The Newleywed Game, Volleyball, Horseshoe etc..... The night time entertainment left a little to be desired. It seemed like the same stuff everynight. They needed a little more variety.
The Staff is so nice and helpful. We heard people complaining that it was a little disappointing but we thought it was great. I actually miss some of the staff and friends we made while there. They became out family away from home. DO not let the negative comments steer you away. I would be more than happy to answer any questions directly at this resort. I can be reached at michele@mineralsprings.com.
The weather is perfect the beaches are so clean and the pools are so relaxing. I highly recomment a night time swim while there. We did it every night. Look up Kareem while you are there. He will never let you get bored.

We traveled to Sandals Antigua Sept 23rd-30th with our parents and two friends to get married. Like many others have mentioned, I was nervous about the trip because of the negative reviews on this website but I was pleasantly surprised and once we arrived I realized I was worried for nothing.

Sorry for the long review, but I would have liked more details about the wedding in advance so here it is. We chose this location for our wedding because of the location and because it was easier to get married in Antigua than in some of the other countries in the Carribean (no translation needed, no blood tests). Overall we were very pleased with the wedding, but I will say that if you are extremely picky then a Sandals wedding might not be for you. I booked most things over the phone with a Unique Vacations representative prior to arriving (bought a photo package, video, flowers, scheduled hair and manicures) and she was very helpful, even emailed me pictures of other weddings at the resort. When we arrived we had a folder of wedding options to look through in our room as well as an appointment with an onsite wedding coordinator for the next day. At the appointment we chose our location, flowers (choosing from a few pictures of bouquets), and other details of the ceremony such as music and other options. The selection of songs is somewhat limited so if you want anything special then bring it with you on a cd. The day before our wedding we were driven into St. John's with nine other couples to sign papers for our marriage license. This was a bit disorganized as we had to wait about 45 minutes just to sign some papers but other than taking away from our beach time it was no big deal. On the day of the ceremony, we all got our nails done and I had my hair done at the salon by Michelle. She did an amazing job! I took in a picutre of how I wanted it and it looked so much better than I ever expected. The ceremony itself was very nice. We chose the gazebo beside the ocean and it was beautiful. The only things I didn't like were that there were a few people that we didn't know (I assume other guests) watching and taking pictures of us but they weren't intrusive so not a big deal, just strange. Also we didn't know what the ceremony was going to be like beforehand. I kept expecting to meet the marriage officer before the ceremony but it didn't happen. She met with my husband right before to make sure she pronounced our names correctly. She was little difficult for us to understand because of her accent and the ceremony was not what I expected. I thought it would be the traditional vows but it was completely different. The ceremony was beautiful but because we couldn't understand her well, we messed up a few of the words! So, if you aren't writing your own vows then you might want to at least ask to read through them before the ceremony! The flowers were beautiful and the photos came out great. The video was very good too (glad we got it, cause I wouldn't have been able to tell you what my vows were if we hadn't!) The reception afterwards was very nice as well, with hors d'oeurves, champagne, and cake. There was another wedding right after ours at the same location but we didn't really feel rushed.

We did get an automatic upgrade to a junior suite on arrival. Our room was very nice and clean as were the lower class rooms that our family and friends booked. No problems with bugs in the room (except for a few stray mosquitos) and the air conditioner worked great. The bathrooms were very clean as well. We also had a fully stocked mini bar that was refilled every day and if you ask for a special liquor for the minibar they will bring it to your room.

The beach was beautiful but it is a public beach so there are vendors around. We didn't have trouble finding beach chairs, even later in the day. I didn't go snorkeling but my husband and friends did and there were lots of jelly fish. They got stung so we didn't even try to go again. The hobie cat was fun but it was sometimes hard to get the equipment.

Also be sure to bring bug spray! They do fumigate every evening around 5:00 PM which is a little annoying but I'm guessing the bugs would have been worse without it. I saw lots of people with a ton of bites.
I
n my opinion the food was good, not great., about what you'd expect at an all inclusive. There was a lot of variety between all the restaurants. Be sure to make your reservations early! The drinks were good too. Lots of top shelf to choose from.

We bought the Shirley Heights Tour from the hotel and I was disappointed. It is a 30 minute drive from Sandals as it is on the south side of the island so you get to see a lot on the way there. The view was fantastic but it was very cloudy that day and we couldn't even see the sunset. They have a steel drum band and a cookout there which was nice but there isn't much to do and we were ready to leave about 30 minutes after arriving but our tour had us scheduled to stay for 2 hours. It might be worth going if it is a very clear day and if you're really really into steel drum bands! Also the price of the food is outrageous...$10 US for a cheeseburger! My dad went on the deep-sea fishing trip and enjoyed it.

Overall we had a great time. The wedding was beautiful and exactly what we wanted. The resort itself is older but the rooms were very nice and the grounds were beautiful. The staff is not overly friendly but they are nice to you if you are nice to them. A few people went out of their way for us which was much appreciated. I would definitely recommend this resort for a honeymoon, wedding or other special occasion but I think it is a little overpriced if you just want an all inclusive beach vacation.

If your going on your honeymoon, please take my advise - DON'T DO IT.

We weren't on our honeymoon and we NEVER complain about holidays but this was the most disappointing holiday we have ever been on. We met a couple from Boston who were mean't to get married there and the place was so bad they cancelled their wedding.
Price - This place was well advertised and as one of the top honeymoon resorts so we felt it was going to be worth spending a bit extra. We went for the Honeymoon Beach Front rondeville with Butler Service and the overall holiday cost us £7800 (Sterling). I was nearly sick when i seen the place as we could have went anywhere in the world for this.

Construction - We were guaranteed by Virgin holidays not to be near any of the this yet all the top rooms are beside the construction which begins at 7am every morning and very loud.

Food - The food was absolutely discusting in the Bayside with Bugs everywhere. The japenese restaurant was ok and the snack bar is poor. If you want good food, go to the coconut cove restaurant which is a walk up the beach.

Room - Our room was actually very nice with the mini bar regularily stocked up, yet our friends were in one of the other honeymoon suites and their mini bar didn't even have alcohol in it and they paid £4600 for their holiday and their room was very poor!

Entertainment - Really boring and very repetitive

Butler Service - This was the only good part of this holiday as Cessle, Desmond and Vanessa (The butlers) were absolutley brilliant and would do anything for you...

Weddings - This place has about 6 weddings per day all in the same place so it wouldn't exactly feel like your special day, and had it been my wedding, i would of been absolutely furious!. We met a couple who got married at the Pineapple beach resort at the other end of the Island who then decided to up their hotel by coming to Sandals (How wrong were they). When they arrived they immediately complained to the manager and got transferered back to Pineapple Beach.

Honestly, if your thinking of booking a holiday to Sandals Antigua, please think again as we were not the only couple who were extremely disappointed....

We are going on are Honeymoon next year and we have learn't from this experience that "The most expensive holiday doesn't mean the best holiday" and quite the opposite in this case!

My wife and I returned to Sandals Antigua for the second time the week of Sep. 16 thru the 23rd. This was our third trip to Sandals and as always it was perfect. The only problem was it was not long enough.
Our first visit to Sandals Antigua was four years ago for our honeymoon. This year we renewed our vows. The concierge staff was excellent planning and setting up for the renewal. All the staff was were great to work with. If you treat the staff with the respect they disserve they do the same to you. This even goes for the vendors on the beach. If you kindly say no thank you, they will leave you alone. Maybe I am laid back enough or have worked in retail long enough to know that everyone can have a bad day, even in the Caribbean.
Our room was excellent, we did not have any problems with bugs. We stayed in the 800 block close to the construction. People that were right next to the construction did have complaints about the noise. Work did not start until 8 in the morning. A little less sleep for some is well worth the great addition that is coming.
My wife and I absolutly love Sandals and Sandals Anitgua the most. We are already wishing we were back. We did say the only thing we are going to change the next time we go is to stay longer than one week. We just can't fit everything we want to do in one week. So believe the good reviews Sandals Antigua is a wonderful, wonderful place to vacation.