Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa

First trip to Antigua, first stay at Sandals. Once through immigration it was easy to find the Sandals desk and we were on our way via a small bus with 3 other couples. Journey time about 15 mins, all couples were staying in the Mediterranean side. After filling in everything we needed to we were guided to our rooms. Unfortunately we were met with a pool of water from the air conditioning unit, but the maintenance staff came quickly and that was sorted. We had a walk out room, it was spacious but it was very dated, and feel it needs a good overhaul. I have stayed in better. We had a coffee machine and a kettle and replenished daily, also well stocked fridge with wine soft drinks, also bottles of spirits. Room cleaning was good, towels always replaced. They do a turn down service but no chocolates or flowers or towel art! Stunning location, white sands, not overly a beach girl so we spent our days at the main pool. No issues whatsoever to get sunbeds and they were frequently hosed down. Plenty of beach towels too. Food fabulous, I personally feel a buffet restaurant in the evening would be a bonus, didn’t experience any issue with booking. But some restaurants are closed on certain days, which is fine but Bayside and Ok Corral was the same day!! Lunch was also good Bayside offering different themed buffet, barefoot on the beach and courtyard bistro offering burgers, sandwiches etc. Pizza really good. Drinks great, branded if you asked. My husband is a diver so he took advantage of that, which he loved. We also did a trip of discover Antigua which was also good, and we got to see the island, booked at the desk in the hotel. So overall our experience of Sandals was a little underwhelming, our expectations were higher because we thought Sandals was going to be the bees knees, and unfortunately it fell short on some areas. Firstly, our provided hairdryer worked BUT not in the bathroom socket well the mirrors are, and there was no other mirror to use with a close enough plug. We complained 4 times and was either told the plug in the bathroom isn’t meant to work ( which wasn’t true) or they would provide an alternative mirror. Eventually a vanity mirror was provided but it’s not a great resolve. Then one day we tried the plug again and it was fixed, but it shouldn’t have taken 4 complaints. First day we also experienced a staff member who wasn’t the most welcoming, but I have to say this was in the minority as nearly all staff when they passed you would always say hello. We did however witness a member of staff who wouldn’t serve food in the courtyard bistro because it was raining!!! There was no drink service around the pool which again we think is unusual for this type of resort. Decoration in some of the restaurants should also be addressed, missing tiles in Eleanor’s, Drunken duck smells a bit damp and wallpaper needs to be repaired. All that being said we did have a fantastic time, but we feel Sandals could do better, as it was the most we have spent on a holiday. Although we didn’t rate it very high at the beginning of our holiday, by the end of our 2 week stay, it won us around and we would consider another sandals in the future.

We have just returned from a 2 week break at Sandals Grand Antigua and had an incredible time there. We have never been so relaxed, nor so relaxed so quickly. We stayed in the Mediterranean village side of the resort, with a sea view room on the 4th floor. (7402) On arrival, which was around 3:30pm our room was, sadly, not yet ready but hey we’re English and we’re on holiday, give us a rum punch and we’ll go for an exploration of the resort to get our bearings…. Damn it, it’s raining, so let’s scratch the exploration part and wait in the wonderful reception area. Once the room was ready we were promptly taken there by a member of staff and we found the room to be superb. Our previous Sandals stays were in Barbados, and the room here was similar in size, but a larger bathroom with both a shower and whirlpool bath (which was huge and took an age to fill, not due to water pressure). The view from the balcony was stunning, yes the balcony is small but it’s perfectly formed, and, to be honest, after having a day of sun round the pool or on the stunning beach, you’re actually unlikely to sit on it until after sundown. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and huge. The only real complaint would be that there was a small drip from the air conditioning unit, but nothing that a face cloth on the floor to soak up the tiny puddle that accumulated. Just a final say on the accommodation “block”, the view EVERY time you walk to the lifts/stairs is simply stunning, breath taking… Go to the 7th floor for the real wow factor and for photos of the resort to send to friends and family to make them envious of where you’re staying. The main pool of the resort is all we used, there are other pools but this pool was the closest. You do see some guests out there at 5-6am claiming the beds round the pool, but we’re early risers who would get the same beds for our stay at around 7-7:15am and then go for a walk on the stunning Dickenson Bay beach before heading for breakfast at either Eleanors or Bayside restaurants and then back round pool for a day of sun worshipping. The restaurant choice is good, it’s not as comprehensive as Sandals Barbados which has many more but is a much larger resort, and we never had a bad meal. We found every meal to be delicious, well prepared and served by amazingly friendly staff (we’ll get to this in a bit). My main “gripe” is that on Tuesday, I think, two of the restaurants are closed which makes the remaining choice limited and can lead to having to wait to be seated, it may be because of the returning guests meal that happens the same night, which we appreciate needs to be resourced and is quite a large weekly event. The grounds of this resort are not just maintained, they are preened to within an inch of their lives. Everywhere you look, the plants, grass, trees, walkways… EVERYTHING is maintained to the highest order, it is simply stunning. And whilst it is maintained to this incredible level, there’s never noise that is intrusive or a problem… I don’t know how they do it, but the landscaping crews are superb. The beach was what drew us to come to Antigua, the first day we weren’t as overwhelmed as we thought if I’m brutally honest, we turned left and went towards the “public beach” area with private/small establishments on, it’s nice but we were expecting a vast 1-2 mile long beach…. But the next day, and every day after, turning right you realise the beauty of the beach and clear waters. It’s probably a good 1-1.5 hour leisurely stroll from the very end (to the left) right to the end (Royalton resorts over water bungalows) and back… It’s one thing we will miss every day. The stall sellers on the beach were respectful and didn’t bother us, some of the items they’re selling you’ll find in the shop, or a shop, possibly cheaper, but it’s entirely up to you the level of engagement and purchasing from them, they didn’t hound us as others have said. Word of warning though, the small fish are a bit “snappy”… I kept having my feet nibbled by these fish, and something nipped my wife’s foot so we bought beach shoes in the resort shop and we never got bothered again. The shops and amenities on resort are good, I’d say that the shop closes an hour too early at 9pm but appreciate that staff need their rest and if I have to wait to buy something until the next morning, so what… I’m on holiday and nothing is THAT urgent. We did an island tour with Island Routes and was taken round the island to sights such as Shirley Heights, Nelsons Dockyard, Betty Hope’s Plantation, Long Bay Beach for a swim and would recommend doing this, or a similar tour as it’s good to see the island you’re visiting. I, personally, don’t understand how you can travel to a foreign country/island and stay on resort without venturing outside, you could be anywhere. We felt perfectly safe, and got a taxi in to St John’s the next day and had a walk around there, done a little shopping and grabbed a drink in a bar. Lastly the staff of Sandals, what a credit they are to the company at this resort. Everyone, and that means EVERYONE, whether they’re guest facing staff or “backroom” staff who are there keeping the show running are so welcoming and friendly. I don’t think there was a single time when we passed a member of staff that they did not say hello or acknowledge us. We did hear some people grumbling and have a few complaints about this resort, but we feel that you’re either a Sandals person or not. What, we feel, sets Sandals apart is that it’s their delivery of luxury across the entire resort… a resort is not just a hotel, it’s everything that encompasses it as a whole that includes the grounds, the pool, the facilities, restaurants and STAFF If you want true 5+ star luxury, you go to Dubai… But you will miss out on a wonderfully relaxing, enjoyable holiday in a stunning location that is rich with history and wonderful people, people who are incredibly proud of their country and want to share their love of their country with visitors.

It was wonderful. The resort was excellent... the island was beautiful... and the people so very pleasant. We had fun!

This was our 5th Sandals holiday & our second visit to Sandals Grande Antigua, we were last at the resort 2 years ago in May 2023. We loved our first stay so much we rebooked on site to return 2 years later in May 2025, only this time we changed our room to a GA which is one of the penthouses in the Mediterranean building, floor 7. These rooms are so spacious & the view is incredible! If you love a sunset & sea view, this is the room for you! I loved having breakfast on the balcony every morning as we prefer to have breakfast in our room. This room category is butler level & we had the wonderful Tanyalee, Corri & Jason as our butler team & I can honestly say they were probably the best butler “team” we’ve ever had! We’ve had outstanding butlers in the past but all three were fantastic! I wouldn’t say we ask too much from our butlers, we like that they reserve our sunloungers for us, book our restaurant reservations at times we request, book any excursions we’d like to do & deal with any issues or complaints we may have, you definitely don’t NEED butlers at this resort, however we always find it makes our holiday that little bit more special & stress free & Tanyalee especially is a diamond for making sure that happens! But all three of our butlers were super! A few of the things we love about this resort, the transfer from the airport is short, only about 20 minutes, the beach is gorgeous, I wasn’t bothered by beach vendors or experienced any problems with them, a kind no thank you if you’re not interested is all you need to say. There are security always keeping an eye out. It’s the perfect size resort for a 10 day stay, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from & there are several different pools, we like the main Mediterranean pool. where most of the daily activities take place, aqua aerobics, games & quizzes. Shout out to Oliver & Kimroy & all the bar staff at the med pool as they’re wonderful! We found every single member of staff to be warm & welcoming & some went above & beyond to make sure our holiday was more than perfect! A big shout out to Juleen, one of the lovely chef’s on resort! Our favourite evening restaurants were Eleanor’s & Bayside & during the day we liked Barefoot for lunch. But we didn’t have one disappointing meal in any of the restaurants, there was an issue getting the lamb shank in Bayside as every time we went they had ran out! (3 visits in 8 days) but thanks to Juleen we got it eventually & it was a truly delightful dish! The absolute best!! That & the seafood curry in Eleanor’s were our favourite two dishes! The evening entertainment was very good, we watched some incredible singers & bands & dancers, everyone performing seemed to be really having a good time! We heard there had been a fair amount of rain / showers before our arrival end of April, early May, we had one day of rain on our first full day on the 6th May & then it was mostly glorious sunshine except for the odd shower here & there, which never lasted long. I used Gina from time to time to communicate during our stay, mostly to compliment members of staff who we felt deserved recognition & always received a quick response back. I went on one of the snorkelling trips which is included (for the first time) and it was really good! Would highly recommend! Snorkel gear & fins are provided on these trips, I chose the 11am slot & was back at the beach by 12:30pm which was plenty of time. The trip had been cancelled the previous two days because of the sea being a bit rough, so I was glad when we finally got to go out but relieved they cancel if they think it may be too rough, it was fine on land, just a little windy. The gardens here are so beautiful! Absolutely stunning! You can tell there is a good team looking after the resort. And we mustn’t forget to mention the gorgeous cats, who all look very healthy & happy here & they don’t bother you at all, unless you try to feed them, they won’t approach you, they’re very good (I hear) at keeping unwanted pests under control! They have a few Cat cafe’s around the resort & I didn’t once see any cat mess anywhere! The gym here is pretty good, I went most mornings sometime between 6:30-8am the lovely Desmond is usually around if you need any assistance. He had to help me out adjusting some of the kit as it’s different to what I use at home & I couldn’t figure it out! We had a wonderful couples massage at the spa, now we’ve reached Emerald level we get $150 spa voucher to use towards a treatment(s) of your choice. So that was a lovely experience on our second day to really relax & unwind! Also I absolutely love the after sun sold in the spa, I wish I’d bought some more! It’s organic & so moisturising & doesn’t leave your skin feeling sticky like some after sun creams can! I’m going to stock up next time we go back to a Sandals resort! We did get bitten a few times on our first few days, we’d bought some jungle mosquito spray & had forgotten to apply, we found after we started using it regularly we stopped getting bitten. We had several photos taken of us around the resort, we didn’t book a photo shoot, just sometimes saw the photographers & they would ask to take a picture & on our second to last day we went to view them & picked the ones we liked. One photo is free, I believe this is the replacement gift from the free T-Shirt, which I’m a little disappointed they stopped giving out! Overall a wonderful stay! Happy to give it 5 Stars! We have Barbados & Grenada booked for 2026 & 2027, but we’d love to return to Antigua at some point as so far, this resort has been our favourite out of La Toc, Ochi & Antigua. There are some renovations happening on site, they’re renovating the whole resort, one section at a time, it didn’t impact our stay at all, the rooms they were working on during our stay were the sunset bluff area & the whole area was completely boarded off & you wouldn’t even have known it was part of the Sandals resort to be honest. So we’re undecided at the moment if we return before renovations are completed or wait till after, but I don’t have any complaints about the condition of the resort as a whole, no it’s not as modern as some, but we were more than happy with the resort in its current state. Thank you Sandals Grande Antigua for another wonderful holiday & we hope to see you soon!

My wife and I had a "Caribbean Honeymoon Butler Rondoval with Private Pool Sanctuary", which was close to both the beach and the bar and restaurants. When we arrived we were greeted by our butler Alex, who managed everything from checkin to getting our luggage to the room. He gave us a "butler phone" through which we could call one of our three butlers (who worked in shifts) at any time if we needed anything. Every day they reserved a spot at the beach for us, with sunbeds, an umbrella and an ice box with water and beer. From time t time they came by to offer us cocktails. There are 12 restaurants in the resort, but we always ate at the "Bayside", because it offers a breakfast and lunch buffet (we love buffet!) with a great variety of excellent food. The lunch buffet has a different theme every day (like French, Italian, Asian, English etc). The beach was exactly as we imagined a Carribean beach: white sand and blue water. It was a wonderful vacation. The only fly in the ointment was the permament humming sound of the plunge pool pump, which was running day and night. They really should install pumps that are more quiet, or allow turning them off during the night.