Sandals Grande Antigua

We were very satisfied with the accommodations as we stay in a beachfront rondovals. Upon arriving we were met by our butler, Shante she was fantastic both her and Charmaine were outstanding on ensuring all our expectations were met. They should be recognized as they are an asset to Sandals. Sheena, one of the bartenders in the Sundowner Bar also did an excellent job. She is a pleasant lady who is a great bartender. The food could be a little better. I would recommend the staff serve the food in the buffets as I witnessed guests touching food with their fingers and putting it back in the serving trays. (not good) Great beach and grounds all very clean. Pretty much a perfect stay so much we reserved the same room for next year. – via

This is our second time to Grand Antigua and it was as enjoyable as last year. We like this resort and are going back in March of 2025. The food is excellent and I find it hard not to eat too much, especially at dinner. We stay at the Butler Rondovals, which we find enjoyable. They are located in the older part of the resort and are in need of some updating. However we are scheduled to return to the same accommodations next. We have been returning to Sandals and Beaches resorts for ten years and will continue to return in the future. – via

Sandalsdoes it great! – via

First time at a Sandals resort. Whilst it was an ok experience I won’t be returning to a Sandals again. It’s outdated and designed for anyone above 50+ in age rather than a younger demographic looking for luxury and relaxation.

Rooms: incredibly dated and tattered furniture. The sofa in our room was ripped which is unacceptable. The decor felt like something from the 70s or early 80s with a lot of brown and magnolia. Hairdryer was on its last leg and the bathroom was really odd. Your sink is no where located in the right place and the bathtub whilst big is really hard to use. It has a shower curtain and you have to step in. There is also only a waterfall shower which is difficult if you don’t want to get your hair wet. The room felt dirty even when cleaned due to the dated furniture.

Food/ drink: the food is really hit and miss. My far, Mario was the best for breakfast and dinner. The Barfoot restaurant is decent for lunch and we loved the fresh pizza on the beach. We found it odd they resort did not have an ice cream parlour or something like that. The drinks were great and main bar was amazing. You have to book the Corral restaurant (tex and Mex) and Kimonos Japanese restaurant both of which were not great. I am vegetarian and the options for mains was incredibly limited. I survived the week on appetiser (salads, potatoe salad etc)

Service: the staff in the restaurants were lovely and always helpful. They have a lot of photographers around the resort who stand ready to take your picture which I guess is a Sandals thing. The photographers Davindra and Delmore were amazing and really personable. The check-in was odd as not much was explained but you can join a daily resort orientation which doesn’t scream luxury.

Housekeeping: The staff for the rooms were atrocious. Firstly they did not clean our room and we had to complain. Generally anything you asked for they made you feel like they were put out. On a few mornings they actually knocked on our door and walked in when we were sleeping which was shocking and an invasion of privacy. They did not clean the rooms well at all. I would strongly recommend to the management to review this with urgency. Your housekeeping is unacceptable both the service and attitude of staff. We were in room 510 which is the closest room located to the staff quarters. All night and day (including 1,2.3 and 5 am) staff having casual discussions, shouting and laughing with one another. Absolutely no regard for customers on their holidays trying to relax/ sleep.

Grounds: beautiful grounds that are well kept. The resort is very secure with security at key points ensuring those entering the property are Sandals customers. My only suggestion is that the gardeners using their bushwhacking equipment should avoid doing so at certain points in the day. I appreciate they want to maintain the grounds but these are located close to the beach area and interrupts the relaxation when all you can hear is the bushwhacked or lawnmower when you are laid out on your beach bed. Doesn’t scream luxury.

Entertainment: mmmm look it was plentiful but it felt cheesy and something designed for people in their 50s. Everyday there is a themed night but I don’t know. It felt a bit like magaluf or something on the trashy side. It’s all really odd like the resort has a pub called the drunken duck which when you step inside feels like a London boozer. You wouldn’t even think you are in the Caribbean. Maybe it’s a Sandals thing but it doesn’t feel authentic to the country you are in (beautiful Antigua) and feel like luxury

Pool: pool was massive, but difficult to get a bed. Very outdated and crowded. They have like the shooting dolphin statues which feels old and outdated.

Beach: is the crown jewel of this resort. It’s absolutely stunning and makes you want to just about tolerate everything else. The resort is in a great location and to make up for the bad room we spent all our time on the beach. There are vendors walking up and down but they are polite. You have to get up at 6-7am to get a beach bed – via

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

First time to a Sandals and it was very enjoyable, the service and staff were good , the food met our expectations but could have been a bit better. There is very limited night time entertainment and the resort was a ghost town but 930pm. The beach is lovely and the water calm and clean. The resort itself could use some updates , better lighting in the bathroom and more bottled water in the rooms. I would probably try another Sandals before I go back here. All in all decent vacation. – via

The good:
The beach and view are astounding. Compared to previous Sandals this is on the better end of the beach cleanliness however it is a public beach

The bad:
The food ! It was worse than 7/11 food. My burgers were rubbery and very underwhelming compared to past trips

Service. The staff was flat out rude constantly. “Are you gonna order today?” … walking away while I was mid-order , just flat out rude.

We’ve been to 3 sandals this was by far the worst experience. – via

1st time ever stayed at a Sandals property.. can’t wait to go back.. everyone was so helpful and couldn’t do more to make us feel at home.. – via

Wife and I did a retie the knot for our 25th anniversary. Would definitely do it again and again. The wedding staff, Marcia and Masadie (the M&M crew) went above and beyond. From the planning, to even orchestrating moving between venues was flawless. They took care of my wife as if she was one of thier own flesh and blood. We were beyond happy with our experience with the wedding team! Our Butlers, Neil and Karen were amazing and always made us feel like we were the only ones on the island. We were a little apprehensive about having a butler and whether we would use them, but they went out of their way make our stay magical. Definitely recommend Sandals Antigua for a wedding and the Butler Service is a must!! – via

Overall a really good experience but could definitely improve on a few things.
Overall Sandals never disappoints – we went with two other couples and totally enjoyed our vacation. There are a few things that Sandals could improve on; we had to beat the butlers if we wanted first row pool side seats for six people and that meant getting to the pool by 5:45am. Not fun when you are on vacation. The rooms were tired and definitely needed a refresh–we were in the 7000 room building. They still had a bit of the Tuscan feel.
Staff -we met some really nice and hard working members. Food-breakfast and dinner were great but really would have enjoyed a salad buffet at one of the restaurants. We only could secure two reservations and the wait at the other two were 70 minutes and 20 minutes. Put your names in before you want to eat to make sure that the wait is not long.
Biggest complaint-we signed up for the Catamaran ride through the resort and it was wonderful except for the fact that a small group of the resort guest were smoking marijuana in the back of the boat. I don’t care if you smoke, I just don’t want to smell it on a boat where I paid 95$ a ticket. I asked the bartender if this was allowed and he said yes. Others complained also and none of the crew seemed to care. Sandals needs to put a no-smoking policy in place on the catamaran.
We went downtown Antigua -don’t waste your time unless you are looking to buy Cuban Cigars which my husband bought. Otherwise, stay at the resort and enjoy. – via

Me and my wife will only do Sandals resorts, as we have never been disappointed. Sandals Antigua is absolutely beautiful for any occasion. The hospitality and friendliness of all employees is amazing. The island is beautiful. The resort has everything you need to have a great time. If you are on the fence between all inclusive and not all inclusive, go for all inclusive at Sandals. You will get your moneys worth and not be disappointed. Teddy at the Japanese restaurant was funny and great! Prior to this, we did Sandals in St Lucia and that was another amazing time. – via

This was a special holiday from start to finish. The food and drink were amazing. The Poinsetia rooms are in need of refurbishment as looking a bit old fashioned now. However, the bed was so comfortable. Lots of white fluffy towels. They employ about 900 staff across all areas and most are really friendly and keen to please. Our Butlers, Jessica, Geoffrey and Antonio were wonderful. I think they liked us as weren’t very demanding. – via

My wife and I are still here at sandals checking out today. The resort needs updating. We had a beachfront room smells like mildew. The service here is very, very poor. The best service we got was in the Mexican restaurant. We called the front Desk for things like soap, shampoo that they never refilled and it never came. It was our anniversary somebody came to the room and said we will come back and they never came back. I am a sandals, royalty customer I will never stay had another Sandals property. This property ruined it for me. The people are very rude. They don’t really care because they’re not getting tips. I asked for diet sprite. They said they were gonna get it never came. Definitely not premium liquor. The food was average nothing outstanding. I would rate this hotel 2.8 to 3 stars at its best. Alcohol drinks are horrible. Not every person is rude but majority of people don’t care at all. I have friends that are coming in for a week so I’m gonna tell them to cancel and go somewhere else. When it comes to housekeeping, they never mop the floor they never clean the glass doors They never vacuum very poor housekeeping. Very unsatisfied customer. Trust my review, I don’t sugarcoat anything. I travel everywhere and the best I would give it is a 3 star because of the beach. I see reviews of five star here totally false. When I checked out this morning, the guy asked me how is my stay from 1 to 10 I gave it a five just because of the beach and you’re on a nice island really should’ve been a three. Membership with sandals 7742427108947204. Just canceled. I was a member since 2005 no more – via

For a 5 Star Diamond resort, they were not impressive. The location is beautiful but lacking on the hospitality. Don’t pay full price. Not worth it. – via

Nice,Smart and sunny . Will come back.. – via

We have only been here for a few hours but this is the worst sandals experience of all!! There are no towels at the pool, there is NO entertainment whatsoever!!! I actually would prefer to go home at this point. This place gives sandals a bad name!! – via

We anticipated enjoying the Sandals resort in Antiqua for a day during our cruise. We visited the website and it said day passes were offered but did not offer for us to purchase online. I and my party of 3 took a taxi to the resort in anticipation of purchasing these day passes in person. We were met with security asking for our day pass paperwork so we explained that we could not purchase online and were turned away saying there were no day passes for sale. My son in law has purchased days passes on several separate occasions at this resort in the past. I am very disappointed in the reception we received at security as she was very rude to our taxi driver as well as us. We also looked online and the website said day passes could be purchased that day. I feel like there is a huge miscommunication between the resort and the website. – via

Over priced for no reason. Service and staff was excellent but rhe property was kind of old and outdated. There wasn’t enough to do on site as well. No worth the price! – via