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We recently returned from a 6-night stay at Sandals Antigua. We had a Rondoval room across the walkway from the beach, which we enjoyed. We especially liked having breakfast out on our porch each morning with the cats. The room was adequate but dated and tired. We were told renovations are coming, which are truly needed. That being said, we liked its central location to everything and the high ceilings. We had a minor issue with the plumbing but it was resolved after 2 service calls. In fact, all our issues and requests were attended to quickly and professionally. The excellent service was definitely the highlight of this trip.
The resort itself was typical of what we expected from our previous Sandals trips. We enjoyed the spa, gym and pool and the beach was absolutely beautiful. The concierge desk assisted us with an island tour. We enjoyed our taxi driver/tour guide as we visited the naval stockyards and harbor. The majority of our vacation was spent either at the beach or pool. The bartenders were fine but the wait times were sometimes excessive. The nightly entertainment band was very good and put on a professional show. However, we had the same band and songs every night. Some variety would have been nice. We visited the Drunken Duck one evening to play pool and darts. The pool table was not level and there were no useable darts…minor issues but what’s the point in having a game room if it’s not maintained? The beach is public and anyone can access it, including vendors and cruise ship passengers. But, security officer were stationed all the beach entrances and did an excellent job of checking to see if persons coming off the beach were guests or not.
We enjoyed eating at Mario’s, Soy and Bella Napoli. But, our dining experiences at The Barefoot and Eleanor’s were not great. We actually left our meal at Eleanor’s to eat at Soy. The food at Courtyard Bistro was also lacking. The sandwiches had a single layer of thinly sliced meat hidden in thick bread. Dining was the most disappointing part of our stay.
On the other hand, our butler team was absolutely awesome! Dionne, Daren and Shawn were by far the best butler team we have experienced on any Sandals vacation. Not only did they promptly attend to every request we had, they went above and beyond on several occasions. For instance, we only discussed our dinner plans for Valentine’s on Feb 13th. With such short notice, we were only hoping for a quiet dinner on our patio. To say our team surprised and impressed us is an understatement! They surprised us with a bottle of one of my favorite rums an hour before dinner. When dinner time came, we were escorted by all three (one came in on his day off) a short distance to our table on the beach, complete with decorations, red candle light and a wonderful steak and lobster dinner. It could not have been more perfect.
Each day, they provided us a cooler filled with drinks and the best chairs at the beach/pool. On our island tour, Shawn made sure we had sandwiches and drinks to go since we left before lunch began. Then, on our trip home, he once again provided us food to go for the long plane ride home. It was their caring thoughtfulness that made us feel special during our visit. We would like to make sure the general manager is aware of how much we appreciated these three professionals.
Overall, Sandals Antigua was a mixed bag. The service was by far the best we’ve experienced at any of the Sandals we have visited and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and beauty of this location. On the other hand, the dining, facilities and entertainment variety were not up to the standards we’ve been accustomed. If we were to come back, it would only be after the planned renovations are finished and we see from reviews that the food and dining have improved. - via 