Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa

This was our 9th different Sandals resort, and we arrived at Sandals Antigua with low expectations. Reviews online focused on the age of the property and people on the beach hassling guests, so we were prepared to be underwhelmed. We’re happy to report those concerns were largely overstated.

Yes, the resort is a bit dated compared to the newer Sandals 2.0 properties, but it is very clean and they are clearly working hard on upgrades. Many rooms have already been updated. Ours was not one of the renovated rooms, but it was still very nice and the location could not have been better.

The food was excellent at every restaurant we tried. The biggest highlight, though, was the staff. The employees here have some of the warmest smiles and best personalities we’ve experienced at any Sandals.

Special shout-outs to: • Joven at Soy Sushi Bar – amazing creations and a friendly smile • Courtney from In-Room Dining – answered the phone and personally delivered our food when they were busy • Anderson at the Drunken Duck – one of the hardest workers we saw; he never slowed down • Kamiah at Barefoot – a native of St. Vincent with the best smile and personality • Sydonna & Oliver at the main pool bar – never slowed down and always made drinks with a smile and warm greeting • Sha Diamond at the beach bar – best drinks on the beach, always with a smile • Tasheika at Mario’s omelet station – somehow makes hundreds of omelets a day with a smile and great conversation • Serina & Sylvia at Café de Paris – two of the funniest, most genuine people we’ve met at any Sandals • Chelsea, our housekeeper – kept our Club Level room so clean, stocked, and turned down (multiple times a day while we were out) that it felt like butler service

The beach is beautiful — crystal-clear light blue water, soft white sand, and very little wave action, perfect for floating. The main pool is huge with a great swim-up bar, music, and activities during the day. The quieter pool also has a swim-up bar and daily pool volleyball. The gym was very clean with plenty of new equipment. There are also 2 tennis courts and 2 makeshift pickleball courts.

The locals selling goods on the beach were not invasive at all. Most simply said hello and politely walked away when we said “No thank you.”

Returning Sandals guests will find themselves right at home — this is solid Sandals brand with authentic Antigua flair.

First-time Sandals guests will get a classic Sandals experience that will most likely have them booking their next Sandals trip before they even leave the property.

We will absolutely be back, largely because of the enjoyment the team at Sandals Antigua brought us. Even though it’s older than the newer Sandals resorts, it delivered on cleanliness, service, food, and fun.

The absolute most beautiful, colorful water we have experienced! The staff was so kind and helpful. Gorgeous resort, fabulous coffee and food. Fun, free activities and excursions. Definitely recommend! So much better than the pictures show!

I always break reviews down into categories so hopefully people find this useful.

Arrival. Swiftly through the airport without any delay, ensure you do the visa form before arriving to speed up the process. Some didn’t and had to stand around completing it. The sandals desk is outside the exit of the airport clearly signed. The transfer was 15 mins of bumpy roads but no problem. On check in we were taken to a small building rather than at the main reception which I felt was strange compared to other places I have visited and this did take a little longer than I had hoped after a 12 hour flight!

Room. We had a refurbished sunset bluff room which was perfect. Be warned if you have mobility issues it would be very difficult due to it being the furthest away from the beach and other areas and up many steps. Fully equipped with good storage, iron, robes, slippers, hairdryer, toiletries (vegan/animal friendly), plenty towels, coffee machine, ice bucket etc. huge comfy bed and stocked fridge with beer, water, soft drinks etc. Housekeeping was daily but bedding wasn’t changed in the 10 days we were there. There is a small lovely pool just outside the rooms too and a spacious balcony. The view is lovely but can’t really see the sea. Had a mix of British plug sockets, USB and Caribbean sockets. Hair straighteners heated up no problem which I know can sometimes be an issue in Caribbean. Water pressure and temperature also fine. Safe also secure.

Pool. The main pool is busy and can get quite noisy. We found the service at the swim up bar to be slow possibly due to being understaffed. Sunbeds you could get most parts of the day however many get up early to reserve then don’t use them which is annoying. We spent most of the time at the smaller quieter pool as the service was better. Plenty pool towels available throughout our stay except the last day. Some selfish people we saw took a stack of 8 towels for themselves for some reason?

Food/drinks. We ate at most of the restaurants and managed to get into the ones that require reservations. Overall the food was good, some dishes outstanding some just ok. My husband had steak at two places and the quality of those was poor. The steak at the OK coral restaurant was significantly better. Branded drinks available just ask or you will be served local spirits. We found that some days they ran out of draught beer and bottles of Stella in the pub temporarily which was inconvenient. Service overall was excellent. Elenors does state that men should wear trousers but my husband was allowed in wearing smart shorts and a polo top. I believe this can be who is on the welcome desk at the time so do take trousers. Breakfast always a small but good selection. There is certainly something for everyone. The fresh pizzas are great and the coffee shop with the cakes and ice cream is great too. The pub was pretty close to a British pub with the style and good fish and chips and terrible pool tables but they were free to play.

Entertainment. The staff work very hard and the entertainment is very good also different areas around the hotel to sit if you want a quiet drink. Seems the entertainment cycle is the same each week so if there for 2 weeks could get samey. The Friday evening show in the pool was excellent.

Resort. The resort itself is stunning and the beach is gorgeous. Vendors don’t really bother you if you politely say no thanks. There are lots of cats around but they will only come near if you have food and they are super friendly and sweet. They are well looked after with guests feeding them and there’s also a cat cafe on site which is good to see. Once a week local vendors are there too with stalls.

Watersports. We did the snorkelling, canoing and hobicat. These were all free and a great perk of the resort. Didn’t see much snorkelling, lots of harmless jellyfish but a lovely well organised safe trip, took an hour in total.

Issues. Some minor problems which should really be resolved. Ran out of various drinks. Only had Skyy vodka for the first couple days, Stella in the bar was short supply and we heard many folk comment on other drinks being unavailable. WIFI was terrible. When we arrived after a long day it took a few hours to get it working to message home which was frustrating. Sometimes it was down for 12 hours. Air con decided to stop working 6 times and had to be reported (couple of times due to door not being slammed shut) tv didn’t work for a day granted you don’t go away to watch tv but we like it on when getting changed. One day we pre ordered breakfast for room service as part of our honeymoon package. It arrived earlier than requested so had to jump out of bed and then they also forgot the cutlery which I called 60 seconds after it had been delivered. It arrived 40 minutes later therefore the hot food was cold and inedible and wasted. Day 4 my husband went to the desk to raise these complaints and was told to return in an hour to speak with the general manager. He did and the manager wasn’t there? However the following day Nico (manager) called our room to resolve our complaints and did call frequently to check all was ok, followed by a letter which was appreciated and also gave us a late check out on our last day.

Overall a great honeymoon and we will try a different Sandals, we like the brand. The no tipping, free watersports and the “couples” atmosphere make it a relaxing place. The staff throughout were so friendly…… Seems there is a culture of returning, loyal sandals guests which is good to hear and we will try another resort. We did ask for a price to book Barbados while we were there and it wasn’t any cheaper that I could see than booking through a UK travel agent. Seemed to throw in a free room upgrade maybe. Very much a lot of (comically) people comparing how many resorts they have visited as a status but also says a lot about the other places which we hope to visit.

Anderson in the pub was great and also Morika (hopefully correct) at the pool bar both hardworking and always friendly.

Tips. Take mosquito repellent!!! Buy a data package if you rely on internet. Photo shop extremely pricey …. 250 pics for $1600 to me is extremely expensive. $20 for one. Taxi to St John’s was $42 return and there is not much there at all we had finished in 30 minutes. It’s significantly cheaper for duty free though than the airport. Must take passport and boarding card to purchase (pic of these is fine)

Happy to answer any questions.