Overall, this is our first and last trip to a Sandals resort. Fill me in on all the tips and tricks for the resort! A small commission amount will be sent to me from Sandals at no cost to you. BUT, not too early. photographer | traveler | coffee addict | paleo junkie | New England fan. The beach was beautiful and peaceful. Thanks for stopping by to let me know about your travel plans. Since we have visited Sandals Grande Antigua twice, we have had the chance to stay in both the Caribbean Beachfront Village and the Mediterranean Oceanview Village. It was a lovely day and evening.Because I heard people complaining while we were there and I've read reviews here, I want to re-iterate the importance of simply stating what you would like the butlers to provide you with. No, but I think it's unfair to expect that and we try to mitigate the damage as much as possible. So far we have leaned towards staying at the Royal Antiguan. We have in past 5 yrs vlbeen to Sandals Ochi & St Lucia. The beach on the crowded side was kinda slimy. Sandals LaSource Grenada opened at the end of 2013. The resort needs to get this under control. So kind. Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort has a gift shop with souvenirs, perfume, tobacco and sundries. We had mentioned our food allergies before booking; however, no care was taken for our gluten free dining needs. I personally would be worried about diseases, fleas, etc. Take the time to sit out there and enjoy it, you won't regret it.Some say that the Med side feels like a hotel. One of activities we used was their snorkeling tour, something I had never done before. Often, there were multiple events happening across the resort at the same time. We had fabulous weather each time. I would definitely come here again, especially guided by what I know now. We would definitely return and hope to one day. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. Would return To Sandals!! Caribbean Islands - Antigua-Royal Antiguan--pros and cons - We are planning a trip to Antigua in March 1998. There is a feature called "The Loop" that's accessible when on property. With 27 acres of lush, landscaped terrain, everywhere you look is “Instagram-worthy”. This was the downfall for other couples though. After my first run I looked up to see I was about 50 yards from the boat and just then got hit by a... Let's get the cons out of the way first. Every morning from at least 5.30a.m. I see that you’ve also been to South Coast (Whitehouse)…wondered how you thought they compared? This was our 6th Sandals resort and first time to Antigua. Quotes from TripAdvisor and around the web: "South Seas rooms are furthest from the beach." We found the rest to be unoccupied most of the time. Nice pools and beach view. After dinner that night, we arrived in our room to flour petals on the bed, a bottle of champagne and a piece of chocolate cake. Thank you! We check-in online before we leave home and when we arrive at the couples resort, our information isn’t filled in on the electronic forms. I panicked a little and it was a real struggle for me to get back to the boat. We enjoyed our room there much more than the Caribbean room (which was dark, damp and dated). This was our first experience with butler service and we didn't anticipate having to utilize their services very much at all. Ask MDx2-2008 about Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Ask Amy C about Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Hotels near Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Rooms, St. John's All Inclusive Honeymoon Resorts, Hotels near Yellow Trails Horseback Riding Antigua, Hotels near Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Hotels near American University of Antigua, We compared the lowest prices from 11 websites, We compared the lowest prices from 9 websites, Jumby Bay Island - an Oetker Collection Hotel. The Jeep tour included two couples and brought us to Blockhouse ruins, Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley’s Heights and Devil’s Bridge. She truly helped us relax and enjoy our vacation to the fullest extent possible. We went to Sandals Grande Antigua this January for my husband’s birthday and what an unforgettable trip it was! Tip: If you are trying to decide between Grande Antigua and LaSource Grenada, check out my pros and cons of Sandals Resort Antigua. Plus, you are close to Bayside Restaurant. We even rented a cabana for one day and really enjoyed the service and the shade! (also see cons…) The private beaches are for Sandals guests only. This place is beautiful and has one of the most beautiful beaches in Antigua. very well, so we had to keep adjusting our plugs in them to get things to work. We had a wonderful time here and stayed for 10 nights! All you have to do is request it. The butlers are up early saving the cabanas and shaded pool chairs for their guests. they were on the beach reserving all the sun beds!!! Vacations are expensive, do as much research as possible prior to booking to avoid disappointment. If you like water sports, this romantic, all-inclusive Sandals Resort location is great! One day I entered Marios Restaurant for breakfast with a kimono covering my bathing suit. The resort needs to get this under control. Diagnosed with Celiac Disease nine years ago, I’ve been on a journey discovering what it means to be truly healthy. We visited all except the French one and they were great with the Italian one ("Mario's") being are favorite. Caribbean Islands - sandals antigua ... My husband and I honeymooned at Sandals Antigua in January of this year. We found all your info really helpful in making our choice. There will be others doing the same thing. I loved the long beach and extensive water activities at South Coast. We are planning a last minute April trip to either Antigua or Barbados. Every time I visit a Sandals Resort I’m extremely self-conscious of my beach coverups. Thank you! Thanks, Tanja. No sales pressure, just being a great person. The lobby of the Med building is open-air, allowing you to enjoy the breeze and views. I enjoyed your review. The beach is really large at Sandals Antigua and the … Super personable, great mixologist, and just lovely to be around. Pros and Cons of Sandals Resorts in Carribean - Need Opinions on the following: •Sandals Grand Antigua •Sandals Royal Barbados or Sandals Barbados •Sandals Gren There was no "Do Not Disturb" sign in our room, so I wrote those words down on the back of a sign hanging by the shower about the resort's eco friendly practices. We're pretty easy going people, but it's also important to mention when spending this much money that you do expect certain standards to be met. We stayed for 10 nights on this side of the couples only resort for our honeymoon in 2011. Cats everywhere. Obviously, they each have their own personalities and sometimes that will mesh well with yours and sometimes not. We’re in the UK and have just booked our first Sandals holiday to Antigua (we’ve booked way ahead for the end of 2021 but really need something to look forward to in these COVID times!). We have found some of the best food served at Sandals LaSource Grenada. Beers are limited to local flavors and Bud Light. We’re almost there! The bars serve top notch spirits and the wine selections were very good as well. Our favorite spot to have breakfast right on the beach! We decided to stay on the Mediterranean side because it was newer and I prefer crisp fresh hotel rooms. Nick gifted me th, Merry Christmas from the Adams family! Diagnosed with Celiac Disease nine years ago, I've been on a journey discovering what it means to be truly healthy. We stayed 5 nights at Sandals Grande Antigua in December 2020. From the fiery island dishes of Eleanor's and the stir-fry drama of Kimonos, to the heart-warming Italian cuisine of Mario's, Sandals Grande Antigua has a your food mood-of-the-moment covered. Definitely do the glass bottom snorkel and look back at the resort; you can distinctly see where they had the old resort, and then added on with the new side and pool. Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Features. Experience the perfect Jamaica, Antigua, Bahamas or Saint Lucia all inclusive vacation, luxury weddings, or honeymoons. Beers are limited to local flavors and Bud Light. Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa can also provide special equipment. The resort itself is starting to look tired. Other input is appreciated. The Room : The view from this room was absolutely incredible. While the building was set quite far back from the ocean, it did have a view. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. On day 1, you can even tell them that you would like snacks and champagne delivered every evening. GRANDE ANTIGUA. ha ha! We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary at Sandals Antigua. Out of all the Sandals Resorts we have visited, the beach at Sandals Grande Antigua was our favorite. Thankfully, there are Sandals guards at each entrance from the beach onto the all inclusive resort. For example, there is a gentleman that goes by "Wood Daddy" who does carvings. It’s open-air seating, which means you do have the occasional bird or two that wants to drink your coffee. The boat took us fairly far out in very choppy water. Hopefully this review will provide you with some helpful facts and tips. I wish I'd known they had snorkeling lessons available before I went out for this and was surprised afterwards that no one was asked if they'd snorkeled before. ha ha! Thank you for supporting my blog! However, when it came to planning my birthday, hubs knew that he'd rather work with the two ladies and that they would have better insight as to what I might like since we had hit it off so well. The Mediterranean Oceanview Village is the newer side of the resort. Based on real customer reviews. I will tell you my pros and cons: PROs •The grounds and beach are beautiful Another awesome individual. Thankfully, we made a few phone calls and finally found out it wasn’t gluten free. Sandals' all inclusive Caribbean vacation packages and resorts in Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua & the Bahamas feature gorgeous tropical settings for couples in love. There are so many room types to choose from. It’s really difficult to sort your way through all the different room types they have – there’s so many! Cafe Paris is one of our favorite spots on each Sandals Resort. Thankfully, there are Sandals guards at each entrance from the beach onto the all inclusive resort. After my first run I looked up to see I was about 50 yards from the boat and just then got hit by a pretty hard wave. I’m hoping to hear news of renovations! There is a wood floor in the restaurant, but sand underneath. All opinions are my own. Check prices, photos and reviews. Unfortunately, even when we found lounge chairs behind the resort fence, vendors would lean on the fence and still try to get our attention. In the event of a sale, I will be awarded a small commission (at no extra cost for you). Lobster and steak at Barefoot, esgarot at Bayside, seafood pasta at Marios , spciy tuna roll at Soy , lambchop at Eleanors and delicious crepes at Cafe Paris! It’s a gorgeous location and one of our top picks when visiting Sandals Resorts. Still researching Barbados, seeing additional resort next door, but also read very high winds, limiting water sports is common almost daily. Without further ado, here are my candid thoughts on the 10 pros and cons of Sandals Antigua. That cake looked soooo good! Grounds and customer service staff were friendly and helpful. No big deal. While you are walking the beach or lounging on the beach, you … Please let me know your experience at Sandals Grande Antigua and your first Sandals vacation! The Mediterranean Village contains the large party pool where you can indulge yourself at the swim up bar, take part in the daily games or play a game of table tennis or croquet with your spouse. It works wonders for your selfies too! This beach had breathtaking sunsets almost every night. Thanks so much. Amazingly, they knocked on the door again to tell us they'd hung the right sign on our door, waking us again! The Caribbean side of the property is quiet, romantic and you feel tucked away from it all. The sand is so soft and white. On our honeymoon, there were times we wanted to be social and others we wanted to be alone. The balcony provides you with the ability to thoroughly enjoy the surroundings while also giving you the sense of having it all to yourselves. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Here is a great portable tripod with remote for your smart phone. Pros of Sandals Grande Antigua: The service and staff are exception. Hello Hoppers! While you are walking the beach or lounging on the beach, you will get harassed by local vendors selling their wares. I don't think it would have been the same without her.Celia - bartender extraordinaire. This helps if you are an early to bed kind of couple. I checked out your room type and it looks beautiful! Sandals Grande Antigua is home to the most beautiful and longest white–sand beach in Antigua – Dickenson Bay. Every other meal we had at the other restaurants was wonderful. Let me know if you have any additional questions about Sandals Grande Antigua. There is a gift shop and jewelry store in the resort as well. This is a common complaint at every Sandals Resort, saving of the pool chairs! I can attest to this as my husband and I spent our honeymoon at this couples resort location. Same goes with paintings and jewelry from other vendors.There were a few outstanding staff members that I would recommend you find while on property or request to have assist you:Shaunte - one of our butlers. Both times we traveled to Sandals Grande Antigua were in March and April. Enjoy your free trip. Experience the perfect Jamaica, Antigua, Bahamas or Saint Lucia all inclusive vacation, luxury weddings, or honeymoons. I truly feel like I made a new friend when I met her. Perfection? After my first run I looked up to see I was about 50 yards from the boat and just then got hit by a pretty hard wave. Our room was beautiful with a nice balcony overlooking the pool and hot tub just outside. 1 - Upon meeting your first butler at check in, ask about who you will have (and when) so you know what to expect.Tip No. There were many vendors on the beach, but we met an amazing photographer named Danroy! If you want a shaded chair, be sure to get up early and save it. Unfortunately, this seems to be a problem at every Sandals Resort we’ve been to. Highly recommend him!We loved that all the activities were included here! Sandals Grande Antigua, St. John’s, is suggested as the best Sandals Resort for Honeymooners, by TripSavvy. You do share it with other resorts, but it’s not overcrowded. The beach is not private to Sandals Resort guests. Must try! There are 11 eateries for guests to choose from, ranging from a coffee shop to fine dining. We visited all except the French one and they were great with the Italian one ("Mario's") being are favorite. I would definitely come here again, especially guided by what I know now.More. Sandals is an all inclusive couples only resort chain in the Caribbean that has become one of our favorite resort chains! Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. :) So, Tip No. A wonderful touch!! In both our trips to Sandals Antigua, the water has never been rough or dirtied by seaweed. more. I highly recommend him!! The food here is amazing; even the Pub has great fish and chips!! We wanted to be right by the ocean so have booked a Caribbean Honeymoon Beachfront Grande Luxe Club Level Room (HGB) – hopefully we’ve made a good choice. Enjoy your vacation/holiday. There are seven restaurants in the resort that include Texas barbeque, casual American, French, Italian, formal American and Japanese cuisines besides the beachside one. The Come Back Soon Event was the most formal event at this Caribbean beach resort. Today I show you around Sandals Grande Resort and Spa in Antigua. This page might contain affiliate links. We actually made a few friends this way. Thomson operates seasonal flights to Barbado… Easy peasy. Nick, my husband, and I are quite loyal customers of Sandals Resorts. Sandals Grande Antigua is considered to be one of the most romantic resorts in the Sandals chain. We loved the beach on the Bayside restaurant. While taking a nap before heading out to dinner one night, maid staff knocked on our door anyway and when I called for them to read the sign, their reply was "I'll get you the right one." It's not a big deal, they just need to know what you want.Also, our three butlers were awesome, but in their own way. very well, so we had to keep adjusting our plugs in them to get things to work. Let's get the cons out of the way first. Considered the premier beach of the island's 365 stretches of shoreline, Dickenson Bay features cooling trade winds and the calmest waters perfect for every type of water sport. Even worse, we were a club level room and weren’t treated as such. If you go to the "Barefoot Restaurant" on the beach, be aware the seagulls are very aggressive and when I stepped away from our table to take a picture of the beach, one of them knocked my plate of food off the table and then the flock devoured it. They were so wonderful and helped give him ideas. My toe swelled up for several days, which made walking difficult. Why do I bring this up? The food is fantastic as are the staff. I panicked a little and it was a real struggle for me to get back to the boat. This didn't make Daren a bad butler, just not the right man for that particular task. While I don’t mind them taking care of other pest issues on the island, I prefer them to stay at a safe distance from me. She's super patient and will answer all your questions/address any concerns.Jamal - lifeguard and instructor at the Aqua Center. This man is one the best teachers I've ever encountered in my life. Final tip - download the Sandals app. As I mentioned, Sandals Antigua is about 27 years old and it shows. A simple "No thank you" worked fine and they would leave you alone. Rated number 11 of 13 hotels in Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda by … I’m concerned on a few thoughts on Sandals Antigua.. regarding the beaches being public, I understand some solicitors, are they in great force? Sandals Grande Antigua is an All-Inclusive Vacation Resort. For lunch, we were taken to an unknown area at someone’s house where we served local cuisine. We spent most of our time at the party pool and felt like our room was quite convenient. We have been to sandals 9 times. Make sure to spray your feet with insect repellent. They are both completely different but each adds its unique design to the tropical, Caribbean landscape of the resort. The new building is big and has very nice rooms. Marios Restaurant for second breakfast, Bella Napoli for gluten free pizza at lunchtime and Cafe de Paris for an afternoon coffee. If you found my information helpful, please click the “Book Online Now” link. Both were good though.Beach Vendors: Not a big deal. (They are not in any particular order nor are they weighted. Many guests feed them and pet them. It helps me keep my website running! I was just looking for your opinion on the beach at Antigua. Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa: Pros & Cons of Sandals Antigua - See 8,748 traveler reviews, 10,770 candid photos, and great deals for Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa at Tripadvisor. While taking a nap before heading out to dinner one night, maid staff knocked on our door anyway and when I called for them to read the sign, their reply was "I'll get you the right one." I would have categorized it as a garden view room with access to a pool, but you wouldn’t know that unless you were at the resort. This review of the Sandals Grande Antigua resort is not a sponsored article. The water is spectacular. You’ll be able to have your fill and then some more at Sandals Grande Antigua, with 11 restaurants to choose from. Response time will vary depending upon the situation or topic.Looks through pictures and ask questions if you are unsure about a room prior to booking. To say we were hungry and carsick at the end of the day would be an understatement. They expected the exact same thing from each butler and that's not quite practical. We could freshen up whenever we wanted to. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Our personalities were very similar and Shaunte's sense of humor is one I can appreciate. The resort is very quiet at night other than some very subpar entertainment in the main area of the resort. The 9 Best All-Inclusive Antigua Resorts of 2021 Book Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, St. John's on Tripadvisor: See 8,761 traveller reviews, 11,414 candid photos, and great deals for Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, ranked #5 of 17 hotels in St. John's and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Since that time, we’ve had 5 Sandals all inclusive vacations and are planning a 6th for the fall of 2019. We were lucky enough to be early risers so managed to "bag" our bed with no worries.