Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa Review

Room service and housekeeping was awesome. All of our waitresses had nasty attitudes and was NOT shy about displaying them. The security guards on the beach refuse to ask any questions but had NO problem with displaying their ignorance, nasty attitudes and profiling as we it three times. Our tour guide was lazy (Safari). He wasn't hands on as far as staying with us once we got out of the SUV to explore the history of Antigua. To my understanding the resort has a new manager Matthew. Well, Matthew you have a lot of work to do at Sandals and I wish you the best!! We will never vacation in Antigua again. Barbados was so much better in all categories.

We stayed at the Sandals Grande Antigua and loved it! Gorgeous all-inclusive resort with a beautiful beach and calm surf. Great variety of food and friendly staff. We can't wait to go back!

Everything was great. Reccomend the butler service.

The place is superb, the rooms are beautiful. The food is good, but there are specific times for meals. The beach is beautiful, but there are many people in the pool. The only negative is some employees who are not friendly.

It was like heaven on earth here. Great service and a place you forget all your problems.

Can't say enough good things about this place. Lush and beautiful. Amazing views. Incredible beach and turquoise ocean. The food is great at all the restaurants. Staff is friendly and accommodating.

Loved this anniversary trip the staff and food are great and the views are even better.

Wonderful location. Service is a little "wonky" for a Sandals, but it's manageable.

Without a doubt, the nicest hotel I've ever been to. We can't wait to go back to have the same kind of fun we had before. Whenever I tell somebody about Sandals Grand Antiqua all I can tell them is assuming you are going to heaven when you die.......this is what it's going to look like. The check-in process was the only sore spot in the entire vacation. I thought it took way to long considering we had already checked in on line. The room in the main tower was great. The staff was always eager to serve and help. The food was excellent and all the guests were there to have fun, so we made lots of new friends from all over the world. The huge pool in front of the tower was my favorite daily activity. the water temperature in both the pool and the hot tub was just perfect.

Darcy Ray
St. Thomas, Ontario
Canada.

P.S. I never heard one complaint from any of the guest.....and no wonder.

They met or exceeded almost every expectation we had. The food was incredible & we could have a side of lobster tail with every meal if we wanted! The snorkeling wasn't as clear as some places but we enjoyed every activity we tried. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Was very disappointed with this resort. We stayed here a week ago for our honeymoon. The few things they did to make our stay special and what is promised on their site was done after multiple times of us calling them and reminding them. I have also been to many resorts in the Caribbean where everyone is really friendly. I found that the staff here wasn t that friendly they were all kind of serious.

I think It is over priced considering the food was mediocre and the actual resort can use a refresh.
I never really write reviews but felt the need to here.

Best vacation I have had yet. We had a beach side bungalow and, had the most wonderful butlers! All of the staff were amazing, very attentive. Truly a vacation to remember. I am planning on going back next year. Mario's was our favorite restaurant. The swim up bar is the place to be in the afternoon after lounging at the beach enjoying the beautiful emerald water. The beach and grounds are cleaned of seaweed and leaves every morning before guests wake, coffee is delivered fresh to the room every morning, security guards at the beach around the clock making you feel safe there. They are very generous on the alcohol in your drinks too so if you are a lite drinker, ask for your drink to have less alcohol.
We did a land tour with a local resident (Kenny), I highly recommend venturing outside of the resort and experiencing all of Antigua. We explored the entire island from the Devils Bridge to the volcanic and pink sandy beaches. We had lunch locally at a food stand that was incredible. Kenny took us to the tropical forest and we had Antigua Mango and Pineapple.

Beautiful resort. They really take good care of the gardens. The food was amazing. I got married here as well and the wedding planning team exceeded my expectations. All the staff at the resort are so welcoming and kind. I cannot wait to go back! The water is just amazing.

My hubby and I had a blast!! Beautiful water and such good times

Easily the best all inclusive I've ever been to...

The customer service was second to no other resort that I've stayed at. We did the butler suite and you get what you pay for. An amazing experience. Services like reserving your chairs and a cooler or beer and water on the beach. Kudos to Kevin, Karen, and Geneva.

Food was on point. Nothing less that perfection. All restaurants and even the air down breakfast was amazing. Food was fresh and at no point was I nervous about the freshness of the food.

Alcohol was definitely top shelf. Don Julio, Tangueray, and Stella Artois.

The events and celebrations throughout the resort were so much fun!

That atmosphere was friendly and appreciative. No tipping at all, just for the Butler's though. Smile at the workers as they do to you and you'll create a perfect rapport with them that they won't forget.

Snorkeling was part of our plan. We also spent $15 each for a 3 hour stress free trip to the local town.

Not sure what others experience was like but ours was the best.

We went to Sandals Antigua for our anniversary and really loved it. The campus is lushly gorgeous, the staff is extremely friendly and the food was very good. We stayed in one of the Frangipani suites which look directly into the beach. I really liked this end of the facility as it is quiet and centralities several of the restaurants.

Restaurant rundown according to me:
Eleanor's: best breakfast and best reservation restaurant. The food is really good. My only suggestion for this restaurant is to slow down. We don't need our entrees rushed to us the minute we put our forks down from the appetizer.

Bayside: Breakfast buffet which is a good all around buffet...reminds me of a cruise buffet. Dinner there is good, especially the lamb shank.

Barefoot: good burgers, fish, feet in the sand place near the dive shop. Great for lunch.

Mario's: good Italian, great service and an antipasta bar to beat all. Also has a breakfast Buffett. Did not try it but heard it was very similar to Bayside.

Kimono's: good tepanyaki restaurant. I liked the atmosphere of the bar a good bit. The food was standard tepanyaki.

Those are the ones we went to. The pizza place seemed to be very popular, but we never tried it.

Beautiful island, white sandy beaches, excellent service, excellent food.

This is my second time in Sandals Antigua. The staff are very friendly and professional. They are even helping you when its not their duty area. I really don't understand what some of the reviewers are talking about.

Could not recommend this place more, excellent service throughout.

We travelled to the Grande Antigua for a new years get away and had the most wonderful and relaxing 10 days. Within a few days of arriving we felt totally chilled.
The staff were all so friendly and helpful and our Butlers David and Dillon couldn't do enough for us.
The gardens are so beautifully kept and the beach is a great place to spend a leisurely day.
My husband scuba dived a few times and was very impressed by the safety standards of the dive team.
The island itself is wonderful and well worth exploring and feels very safe and friendly. Catherine's Cafe on the beach at English Harbour is well worth a visit.
Reading some of the other reviews, it is hard to believe it was the same resort they are writing about but we always find if you say please and thank you and interact with the staff you find it goes a long way.
A big thank you to everyone at Sandals for making our holiday so special. We cannot wait to return

2 Sandals experience. This time we spent our honeymoon in Antigua. Spent 7 nights in one of the Mediterranean private plunge pool villas with butler service. Shout out to June, Laricia and Hunter. What an amazing experience! Grounds were gorgeous. Water is the clearest we've seen since Maui. Beach isn't private, but after you say no the vendors don't push too hard. We did but from them though, after all these islands have lost a lot of money due to Covid. Every restaurant was delish in its own capacity. Sushi was perfect! Already booked up for St. Lucia for our next trip. Thank you Sandals!!

We are currently staying at Sandals Antigua for our honeymoon. We have previously stayed at 3 other Sandals and this one does not live up to standard. When we stayed at the other Sandals we would have towels folded into hearts or doves, flowers and bottle of champagne in our room, we didn't get any extra even though we are on our honeymoon and we are returners. We had mentioned this to the loyalty team 7 days ago and still we haven't had anything to make us feel special. We didn't get a map when we arrived. The daily schedule guide was often unavailable. Our room is very dated. The coffee machine broke twice in cafe de Paris since we have been here. I am not a big drinker and was unable to get the basics like the tea and coffee at all the restaurants. I definitely won't come back to this Sandals. Also with this experience, I am not sure whether I really want to try other Sandals anymore. So if you want to go to a 5 star resort to feel special for your honeymoon, do not choose this one.

This was our fourth time to Sandals Grand Antigua. We love it here, Latoya at the pool bar is the best bartender and all around nicest person. Also Gerda from housekeeping is one of the nicest people we know, and both take their jobs seriously. So if you asked us what makes this Sandals special it is the people. They are not just employees they are friends, we love them both. Sincerely Bill and Cheryl Minor

Very disappointed in the service. We hardly ever saw our Butlers. Rooms need to be updated.

Beautiful place
Good food and nice places
All with pleasure
Excellent attention from the staff in general
Fine sand beach and crystal clear waters
Good accommodation is on the beach and pools
Varied entertainment
Resort for couples, ideally

Beautiful beach, lovely resort with plenty of food options and cocktails.

First rate in every respect. Weather, food, drinks, etc. and Sandals employees are very helpful and always polite.

This is remarkable place with welcoming landscape, courteous staff, exquisite eatery, and so much more. Ths beach is clean and full of activities.

It s one of Antigua s finest and most gorgeous piece of architectural design, in the line of hotels and guest houses. To top that off it s located on the famous Dickenson Bay where most heads of government in the region usually stayed in the early days.
The Caribbean Beach Club (CBC) hotel was the only one and most popular on that corner
of the island.

Staff, Staff, and Staff. Its true that the island was beautiful. But the Staff outshined it. THE RESORT WAS AWESOME. Spotless, well kept, and I will definitely return to this resort in rhe near future. Felt sincerely welcomed at this property. Awesome vacation.

My husband and I had our Vacation, Wedding-Moon here from September, 2nd thru September 9th, 2016.

We loved it and we credit to all the staff that we had great experiences with. We appreciate all of there hard work and kind assistance. The place was immaculately beautiful!!!

The only couple of bad experiences that we had encountered was:

1.) Our day of arrival we were dropped off at the Caribbean Beachfront Village Main Lobby. We were welcomed by one of the front desk team with wine and a cold towelet and all was good. I had our Sandals Travel Voucher booklet in hand and asked if they needed it because we weren't checked in yet, and had waited for them to take us. They had said no worries, they got it. When they took us to our room; immediately, I said this is not the room we had payed for. Luckily I had in my hand my voucher book and my Sandals Grande Antigua e-confirmation check-in itinerary papers.

They had booked us a room while we were waiting in the lobby, and put us into the Oleander Building which was two level with no view only tree covered view on the second level room #518. We went back to the lobby and showed them our confirmation of our booking itinerary. The front desk gal asked Mr. G the manager for help.

Mr G. kept my itinerary and corrected the in-correct booking to match our itinerary confirmation request. The room should have been the cottage bungalows (Caribbean Honeymoon Premium) in the first place. While waiting; they informed us to eat at the Courtyard Bistro for hamburgers for free. 1/2 hour later we were finally booked into the Caribbean Honeymoon Premium bungalow #401(which we loved).

Mr. G had commented to me after the correction he had done, that we were given an upgrade of the room. I was upset by the comment but didn't care to respond to that comment he made.

Clearly it wasn't an upgrade, since we had confirmation for the Caribbean Honeymoon Premium that we had chosen to pay for. The room #518 was clearly not an upgrade. I did not understand what he was talking about. There was no apology nor there was no ownership acceptance to the errors made.

Needless to say---my husband literally had bumped into him later and he didn't acknowledged us or even say hi. He would ignore and avoid us through out our time there.

2.) The OK Corral Restaurant---we had waited to place our name and become acknowledged for help. Terrible, the guy didn't placed us on the waiting list, we were passed by so many people until we realized that it was ridiculously to long of a wait (1 hour). All an all food and service was great!

We definitely did love the company of Steve or Steven, one of the other supervisor/manager. He was very nice and attentive to us. He offered any assistance if needed and had congratulated us on our wedding day.

I wished that l could remember all the names of those that helped us and gave us a wonderful experience of a lifetime.

Thank you so much to:

Manager:
Steve or Steven

Wedding Team:
Irose, Lydia T., Lucy T., and Ineta M.

Red Lane Spa Hairstylist:
Michelle M.

SnapShots Team:
Last name: Jeffrey-Photographer

Bayside Restaurant &
OK Corral Restaurant:
Shannon-Waitor was a real sweetheart

Bayside Restaurant:
Winston-Waitor

Caribbean Honeymoon Premium Bungalow room#401---Maids:
That week of September 2nd-9th

We absolutely enjoyed our week! So many great memories had. So many new friends made. Honestly, the best part was the staff! I particularly loved their Padi Dive crew. Much love to all of you especially my little Fern

I have wonderful time everyone was friendly and the food was good

One of the best top all inclusive resorts at Antigua . The beach is amazing , with gorgeous views. Highly would recommend, especially if this vocation planning for honeymoon.

Absolutely beautiful resort. The gardens were very well kept and everything was so clean. We stayed on the Caribbean Grove side and it was so cozy. Whole resort is easy to navigate. Employees were wonderful!

Spent our Honeymoon there in 96' wa the best time ever. Looking to return 20 years later.

What's not to Love? Entertainment could be a little better, but it's fantastic overall!

Amazing place, kind courteous staff and very helpful. Beautiful setting and lots to see and do. Honeymooners paradise.

My husband and I had an absolutely amazing time at Sandals Antigua! The resort is well kept and beautiful with welcoming staff. The beach is absolutely stunning. We enjoyed all of the included watersports all week such as diving, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and using the hobie cat. The food was great and the activities on property were so fun. We loved every minute and cannot wait to go back!

The amazing staff that helped make our week great included the following:
Vanessa, Sean, and Nicer: THE BEST!! You made our week so special :)
The staff at Soy: Nix, Ashante, Jessica, and Joven - Thank you for the delicious food and fun time!
Loyalty: Latisha- Thank you for being so patient and sweet and answering all of our questions. Also, thank you to Charlika and Nasha for your service at the Sandals Select Dinner!
Watersports staff: Vince, Vance, Jamal, and Aquino- We had an absolute blast with y'all! Thank you for all of your help throughout the week!!
Jahilda: Thank you for always being so attentive at the pool and on the beach! You work so hard all day long and we really appreciate all that you do!
Kemar, Shannon, Titania, and Ronel: Thank you for your great service all week throughout the resort! You are so kind and helpful.

Sandals is always an amazing vacation and this was no exception! Thank you again for such a great week!

Just returned from a 7 night stay at the Grande Antigua and I must say the Sandals brand lives up to their name! This was our second time staying at a Sandals so we had an idea what to expect. Obviously certain things, like buffets for example, were not happening because of Covid however the staff truly made up for it. I felt extremely safe the entire visit and it is obvious sandals is going above and beyond to ensure cleanliness and safety of all guests and staff. The beach is beautiful and vendors aren t as bad as some reviews I ve read - a simple no thank you and they leave you alone. Latisha in the travel and loyalty office was amazing. Remembered us the entire week and really wanted to make sure we were having a good time. The staff at the aqua center were great. So helpful with paddle boards and snorkeling. Overall, we do love the sandals brand and had a great getaway. Antigua is beautiful and the beach is a must visit.

Only one negative things to note -
The staff at Kiminos was extremely rude and unprofessional. We arrived for a 6:30pm reservation, got sat at a 6pm table where their show started already. When we questioned the timing the host began telling us we were late and that they don t wait for couples....it was a bit odd considering the place was empty and she told us from the start she was sitting us at a 6 o clock table (?) ultimately we walked out in disbelief someone at sandals was treating us this way. Other couples we talked to during our stay had bad things to say about Kiminos staff as well - Wouldn t recommend this restaurant

We spent a week here on our anniversary and overall had a great time. Beverages and activities were great, but hospitality and customer service are lacking. Eric is outstanding and there are a few star employees, but almost everyone here needs to go through training again. Maybe it's a cultural difference, but we felt like we were bothering the staff anytime we asked for something. Basic etiquette seemed lacking with many guest-facing positions.

Our friends were also celebrating their anniversary, but did not get any sort of special treatment or upgrade. They are returning Sandals customers, so this was a big miss on management's part.

Bars closing earlier than the posted hours is a problem. The only bar open late is an indoor bar that smells like mold. Most people don't come to the Caribbean to spend more time indoors. Bar games like bags are also put away as early as 5pm.

Another fault is anytime you re-enter the resort area from the beach area, a security guard stops you to make sure you're actually a guest here while they look up your name and room number in a binder. This is a fairly unwelcoming and time consuming experience that could be easily solved (as Disney has) with an RFID band or personalized key card.

Beach chairs are also lacking unless you get up at 7am to reserve one. There is no system in place to prevent someone from "reserving" a chair all day, even while they're doing other things for hours at a time.

When you can get a beach spot, vendors from outside the resort will come by every 5-10 minutes to try to sell you something. Some solicitation is expected, but this area is rather aggressive and it didn't seem like there were any restrictions. On more than one occasion I retreated to the pool so as not to be bothered.

Overall this a good resort, but it could be truly excellent with a few small improvements.

Overall a pretty decent all inclusive resort. Took off one star because the staff is not very friendly and the service at the restaurants was poor. Very rarely came back to the table to refill water glasses and take drink orders. Took off another star because many of the activities on their daily news letter were cancelled. Not just once or twice, but it was each day we were they they had events cancelled without notice.

Amazon place. Great amenities, atmosphere and staff!!!

Staff aren t friendly and act like they don t want to wait on you. Food is a 3 star and the rooms are a 3 star also. I don t think that this resort should be called Sandals cause it doesn t feel like one. The grounds I would give a 5 because its beautiful. I just wish the staff would have been more friendly. You could not get any service anywhere without feeling like it was a bother. Management are really the same way. I was in contact with my travel agent and made her aware and she gave us a spa treatment to help. Would never go back to this resort again and would never recommend it!!!1

This is the four resort I've been to in the Caribbean and by far the best. Came here on my honeymoon and everything has been perfect. Went snorkelling, did a 360 degree catamaran tour of the island. The food here is amazing as well and the staff are all helpful - they go the extra step to make sure you get what you need.

This place is amazing. So much to do or just relax if you want to. Beautiful beach, great bars and restaurant and the butler service is world class. Romane and Dionne are awesome!

So disappointed, considering the cost of the holiday. Most of the beach sun beds are reserved for guests with butler service, so if you don t have that, you have next to no chance of getting a sun bed.

There are cats everywhere, which given the restaurants are open, means they are around you even whilst eating.

There is no waiter service at your sun beds., which to be honest is one of the main things you expect on holiday.

With it being a public beach, you have vendors constantly coming approaching you. There are boat trips every 30 mins or so, therefore hoards of people getting on / off right in front of you, which doesn t make swimming along the shore easy.

The entertainment is so loud and placed next to the restaurants so you can t have a conversation. Even the staff apologise for not being able to hear you to take your order.

The sad thing is the staff are fantastic. They don t deserve the poor rating, unfortunately it s everything else that does.

Came back monday 20th Jan, I would give it 4.75 out of 5. Our room in Mediterranean side was very good, hotel is nice and clean and landscaped very well. Staff is Amazing and very helpful. We had lovely time. If you are a meat eater food is very good. 5 STAR for all this.

though if you are a vegetarian or vegan, then there is a little problem, there is not much choice and in every restaurant there is only one option for vegetarians and No VEGAN options at all. (There is No meals choice/option for VEGANS).

I had the worst meal in Eleanor's restaurant. I can cook better than that. Other restaurants are OK for Vegetarians. I preferred to eat in Buffet (Bay side), as there are few choices, though food is not very clearly labelled if suitable for vegetarian or not. I wish they put labels against the dishes if they are vegetarian or not. None of the Deserts in any restaurants Marked as Vegetarian. Though chef in Bayside (Buffet) made me poached pear, which was exceptional.

One woman started shouting at Staff, which was very rude. Staff is very friendly and exceptionally helpful.

Beach is Amazing, 5 STAR

Terrible experience when the elevators did not work and having to walk up seven fights of stairs

Our second Sandals. There's always multiple things that go wrong -- stress us out and make us eventually hate the stay. At the first one they made it right, but this one has a particularly unprofessional staff. They over-charged us at the end and never apologized. We got married in Jamaica, with them, so we thought we'd try it again, but rest assured we'll never be back.

You can do better for far far far less money. And those resorts, will actually treat you like they appreciate your business.

There is also something to complain about here, but it is for sure the best house in Antigua. Pizza unfortunately not really a pizza and the hot dogs of the car tasteless. Otherwise, the system can already compete with others and will likely remain as a winner.

Top notch campus. Immaculate grounds, great food, great swim up bars, stunning beach, outstanding staff.