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Roslyn >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Jul, 2010 | Wedding | With Group
Wouldn't stay there again even if it was the last resort! Definitely not a good hotel to take family and friends if it's their first trip to the country because it will be a bad 1st impression for them.
Arrival
They totally screwed up all of the reservations made for the entire wedding party and despite the fact there was so much business brought to them during a slow period from this one occasion, they neglected to do anything to add to our comfort.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
located next to a beautiful beach.
Other Comments
No manager was ever on site to air my views to and staff was not pleasant, always had an attitude and could not resolve any issue, and didn't even try for that matter.
Restaurants and Bars
On the up side, food wasn't bad
Rooms
Stayed at this hotel for a wedding and the rooms were disgusting. There were ants all over my stuff in the morning, the rooms were overall very cheap looking and poorly maintained. Linens looked like they had been there since decades ago.
The wedding photographer could have at least been dressed a little nicer
Hotel Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa
User Rating:
Ken08 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Nov, 2008 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
This place does not measure up to the expectations created on the website.
The food was excellent however. The physical facilities of the Antigua Grande are tired and old. Hot water was warm at best. The rooms were Holiday Inn quality in size and not much better in appointments. My daughter took the wedding package and with a few exceptions, that went off okay.
The wedding photographer could have at least been dressed a little nicer. The wedding reception bartender could at least have brought a corkscrew and bottle opener with him instead of prying open fruit juice cans and beer bottles with the engraved sterling silver, engraved wedding cake knife and spatula set.
The help I'd rate at 50-50. For every person who was friendly and would knock themselves out for you, there was one who would be dorking off or simply clueless as to what his job was.
The general manager will not listen to complaints. Instead he sends out the 'guest services manager' who is simply a string puppet who bobs his head and says he's sorry. Then he sends a plate of cheese to your room (as if you didn't get enough to eat already).
I'm told the Medeteranian side is luxurious. The Grande side must be like East Berlin compared to West Berlin.
Do not spend a dime staying on the Grande side of this resort. It should be completely gutted and seriously upgraded or else simply razed and the grounds turned into a park.
The ocean was beautiful, small waves and refreshing.
Hotel Grand Pineapple Beach by Occidental
User Rating:
KimMike04 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Jun, 2004 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
I thought I would send in a review as this website helped me out alot with deciding where my now husband & I would be married. After alot of choices and reading up on all the resorts we decided to go to the Grand Pineapple Beach.
A total of 15 people ranging from 22 to 63 (family & friends) went there for a week of relaxation and to watch us get married. We could not have picked a better place.
Upon arrival to Antigua we were in and out of the airport quite quickly. No problems, We hopped onto a bus to be taken to our hotel.
Bars
Slow service at first but once they get to know you they get faster! No one in our group of 15 complained about drinks being made properly. Everyone was there to have fun and party it up. If they did not like the drink the simply got another one.
Beach Towels & Chairs
Make sure to get towels early in the morning. A few times we went to get new ones and they did not have any. As for beach chairs, you never had to fight for one! plenty to go around.
Entertainment
Not as great as some of the other resorts that I have been to. The best night was Mr Moves (Fire eating limbo dancer) AMAZING!! They had a great band the night we got married and they made sure we got our own special song from them to us. They had name that tune which was fun & some Antiguan dancers another night. During the day was pretty quite, not alot of activities which suited me just fine. They had water aerobics a few times and they were also playing some games on the lawn.
Excursions
Kokomo Cat Cruise around the island - Was great! A bit rocky on the water at times so make sure to take gravol if you get sea sick!
Shopping - Good, most vendor's have the same stuff, shopping for about 2 hours should be more then enough.
Swim with the Stingrays - Most people in our group when and said it was amazing. (I was too chicken)
Jeep Tour - Very interesting - alot of history about the island.
Lobby & Rooms
When we arrived at the resort the gardens were lush and beautiful! The lobby was very HOT!!! no air conditioning but we managed to cool ourselves off with our welcome rum punch! Check in was slow but we were on island time and in no hurry. Our room was to quite ready so we just changed in my parents room and went to the beach. About 1 hour later we went to our room 221(Beach front). It was very large, clean & simple. The only issues were 1.No hot water once during the week and 2. Our toilet would to flush a few times.
Pool & Beach
Kept very clean! The water in the pool was very nice, not too cold. The ocean was beautiful, small waves and refreshing. Alot of people in our group went snorkeling a few times and said it was great. Just be careful as a few of them came back with cuts from the coral on there bodies
Restaurants
My husband and I are avid travels. We vacation to all exclusive's 1-2 times per year. We ate at all the restaurants.
Topaz - (Buffet & Preset menu)
The food there was great. Dinner was very relaxing, not rushed and the proportions were nice. If you wanted more all you had to do was ask. Most of the time we were there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. There are two sitting, the 6pm & 7pm. Oh as a note all men must were collared shirts for dinner, mandatory. Breakfast was also served here. Pretty much the same thing each morning, bacon, sausage, french toast, pancakes, waffles, eggs, potatoes, omelet's, fresh fruit, cheese, bread, danishes, cereal, yogurt, etc. It was good, we never went hungry.
Pineapple Grill (Caribbean Food)
- Only air conditioned restaurant
The food there was good. Again off a menu but tasty! The entertainment at the restaurant was super funny! They had two guys with a guitar and maracas singing. People were laughing as they were making up each virus table by table. We video taped them and still laugh everytime were hear them.
Chef Piero (Italian)
All 15 of us ate there for dinner after our wedding. The food was fantastic! The service was great! Lots of selection on the menu. This restaurant is very close to the Topaz with a nice breeze coming off the ocean
Snack Bar by the Pool
Good snacks! Tuna sandwiches were really yummy! Nachos, Hamburgers. Good for during the day. This is where we mostly had lunch. The Topaz did have lunch just never went.
Disco - (Pineapple Grill at night)
Non existent. No one goes! BORING! We went there once but left after 30 mins.
Outhouse
Not as bad of a walk that everyone says. Good food, tender chicken and ribs, salads ,COLD beer & pop. Make sure you get a piece of wood and a marker so you can make a sign! There must be hundreds up there! Lots of interesting stuff , especially to see where everyone is from.
Resumé
So to wrap things up this is one of the better resorts I have been to. If you are looking for night life and alot of activities this is not the resort for you!
I would return to this resort but not right away. I would like to visit other islands first .
Another resorts we have been to: Superclubs Punterana - CUBA , Paradise Bach Club & Casino x 2 - PUERTO PLATA, Bacelo Maya Beach Club - MAYIAN RIVERA , Allegro Cozumel - COZUMEL
Enjoy your travels around the world!
Wedding
FANTASTIC!!! I would recommend it to anyone! Novella Bryan did a great job! It was so stress free and everyone had a great time. The hotel photographer did a beautiful job everyone compliment on our pictures. We also got a video done which was also top notch! >From the flowers to the decorated gazebo our day could have not been more perfect.
We were married at Blue Waters
Hotel Blue Waters
User Rating:
Casey02 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
May, 2004 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
Just returned from our wedding and honeymoon at Blue Waters (May 1-May12). We were married at Blue Waters on Sunday May 5. From the moment you arrive at Blue Waters a calm sense of euphoria overtakes you and the entire time you have a feeling of what heaven must be like. We were especially overjoyed with the layout and beautiful setting of the hotel and the lush garden grounds. Every morning when you walk to breakfast you will pass probably 5 staff members; all taking care of the hotel grounds.
Final
If there is anything that I have missed or further questions don't hesitate to e-mail me directly or post a reply. I have tried to cover everything, as I had a million questions going into this and found much info on this website and from the hotel staff directly. For a wedding, honeymoon, or romantic getaway BW has something for everyone and leaves no one disappointed. This resort is highly recommended in all aspects.
UCIANTEATER@prodigy.net
Overall comments:
I agree with Daniel's earlier posting (BW Trip Report 5/12/02) regarding the age groups and demographics present. The setting is so large and secluded that some days we mingled and talked with other couples (HI lori-great to meet you and your husband-Congrats on your anniversary) and others we took off on our own and just relaxed in privacy. Everyone had a blast down there and we spoke with many who all agreed that there were happier beyond their expectations, and that the hotel undersells itself. We did not see bugs (spiders) of any sort. Although I was bit by probably a mosquito on night on my legs. There are lots of small lizards running around and at night there is an exotic sound that we found out were crickets-nothing we've ever heard like that in California! There seems to be a resident cat that had just had kittens before our stay, but we saw lots of stray animals in town and even inside the airport in Antigua. When departing Antigua they do not have X-ray machines for the items you check so they open them on a table in front of everyone and pull out all your things-a little embarassing but good in terms of safety. In town we found the souvenirs to be not as cheap as we expected, proabably due to much of the goods being flown in. Taxis to town or the Airport were $10 each way with a great availability of drivers. When landing in Antigua you depart the plane by a ladder ramp which is somewhat steep and there are redhat servicemen who will carry your bags through customs to your taxi/transfer for $1 a bag which was helpful after a long flight. Make sure and bring lots of sunblock, after sun lotion and film as it is quite expensive in the gift shop. The steps leading up from the beach each had a shower to clean off all the salt with. There were a few men that approached us on the beach and asked us if we would like to buy horseback riding tickets-if you politely say no they will leave you alone. A couple we met (Phil & Kristin-honeymooners) put a $10 deposit on a cruise and said the boat never showed up and neither did the salesguy. Also another couple said that their friends purchased a Wadadli Cruise from a beach vendor for $75 US while the same cruise we paid $60 US for on the internet. These vendors do not seem reliable and I would recommend having the hotel book your excursions, they can even charge them to your room if you like. Everywhere we went Travelers checks and US money was happily accepted, and we never saw an ATM. International phone calls are extremely expensive, and we were charged for a phone call that we made from our room using a phone card-BEWARE. Another point of advice is that frequently the phone lines were busy and we inquired about this with the front desk, and they said that this is normal during peak times and that there is no way to get through. Due to this we were unable to confirm our hotel transfer that was included in our American Airlines vacation package, so we had to pay for a cab to the hotel-no big deal. The game room and gym were small but full of equipment-besides who travels to the caribbean and wants to sit inside and play pool or table tennis? I would not recommend this hotel to families with kids, as there is not much for them to do, and they are restricted to use the far pool and cannot eat in Vivyiens. During our stay we saw only 3 kids, which were all quiet and well-behaved. There is plenty of room for everyone at BW, so you don't have to go to one of those OTHER HOTELS that advertises couples only-but does not advertise that they have almost 300 guests staying there on one beach. The hotel has a computer with internet access, but I was told that there was a $10 charge to use it for up to 30 minutes. We found th laundry service to be very reasonable at BW-they charged $6 US to press my wedding dress. Something we found funny was at Bird Airport there is a sign in the grass next to the walkway that says " Do not walk on grass-PENALTY $200."
THE POOL BAR
The pool bar is next to the main pool and is the hub of conversations and greetings during the day. Dexter and Caroyln were extremely friendly and were very open about island life and were helpful with any questions you had. The drinks are so strong that we usually had to tell them to tone it down a little. This is when the all-inclusive plan came in very handy, because the staff was always asking you if you would like a drink and they are great. Bottled water is not included in the all-inclusive plan and can be purchased, but we drank plenty of tap water and found it very refreshing
THE POOLS AND BEACHES
There are two pools; the main pool is next to the pool bar and allows children-this is where most people spent their days, and another pool at the beginning of the walkway to the wedding gazebo that does not allow children. Both pools are a bit small and there is no jacuzzi, but neither was ever crowded and there is never a problem to get a lounge chair. Tip to those who are going, while the main pool is convenient to the pool bar we found the bottom of the pool to be quite rough and preferred the other pool with a smooth tile bottom. There are 3 beaches at the resort with the main beach being the largest, and 2 small beaches flanking each side of the jetty that the wedding gazebo was located on. The sand is a beautiful white powder and the water an amazing turquoise blue. During our stay we preferred the small middle beach that was inbetween the sun deck and the jetty; there was hardly any seaweed and it was almost always deserted. Being our first trip to the carribean, we were amazed at the number of people that spend money to fly down the carribean ocean only to lay by the main pool and down cocktails. Everyday we swam in the ocean and would recommend travelers to bring some eye drops, as we were not used to the saltiness of the ocean. Loungechairs or umbrellas were never a problem on the beach either, there were stacks of lawn chairs along the back row of the beach if need be. A comment to something we read on wheretostay.com from a previous traveler... they complained that the beach was very deep and we do not agree. As you first step in there is a small shelflike drop that brings the water to your calves, but you can touch the bottom almost all the way to the floating raft they have out near the buoys for sunbathers. We too (like Daniels previous posting) took a peddleboat over to the secluded beach on the other side of the rock cottage. There is no one around and we had brought our camera, so it was the perfect spot for beach photos with that "deserted island look." While we enjoyed the beaches at BW tremendously, we must say that we absolutely fell in love with TURNERS BEACH during both of our 2 Wadadli Cat Cruises. Turners is more south of BW and has a hotel on it that is closed down because it is for sale (Rex Blue Heron). Turners Beach is the most beautiful beach we have ever been to. This beach has tons of shells and is absolutely crystal clear. While in 5 feet of water I could see my toes, and we even spotted quite a few fish. This beach is so amazing and it is so strange because both times we stopped there on the catamaran there was no one there but us. We took 2 cruises; the Cades Reef cruise and the Circumnavigation cruise and really enjoyed the snorkeling. Wadadli Cats was excellent, well worth the money-the food was great and the staff was so friendly-they always kept offering drinks and pointed out the points of interest. A tip to anyone interested-book a tour online before you go and you get a nice souvenir T-shirt free when you get on the boat. Also to make the cruise even more memorable, we purchased a video of us on the cruise that was nicely edited and has been fun to show friends and family-they offered it for $40 US and taped the passengers from the time you stepped on until the time they dropped you off with all the scenery inbetween. We were happy that we chose that company as we heard the Treasure Island Cruise catamaran go by and the music was so loud you could hear them before you saw the boat. We were also extremely happy that we chose BW, because we saw all the other hotels, and were suprised at how the hotels allowed vendors to take over their beaches. A few hotels had vendor shacks all over the beach with many vendors hangning their goods between the trees and such. We went into town for our shopping and was glad that BW does not allow local vendors to do such things on their beaches.
THE RESTAURANTS
There are two restaurants the Palm which is open-air with an amazing view of the ocean which is where you eat all your breakfasts, lunches, and afternoon tea and cakes. Also there is Vivyiens which is upstairs, small and air conditioned. There is a $2 service charge when you eat at Vivyiens, but we did not notice any difference between the service or food between the two. We enjoyed the Filet Mignon which was offered almost every night. The filet is huge and has a great flavor-the filet is $10 US dollars extra for the all-inclusive plan and well worth it. The meals were all very high quality and with a very fancy presentation. They rotate the menus, so if you really like something you must enjoy it then, because you probably won't see it offered the same way again. Breakfast was great with a make to order Omellete bar. We didn't like the milk in Antigua-someone said that it is not pasteurized and they serve it at room temp, so we did not find it very tasty. Lunch is wonderful with a variety of barbeques and offerings-I recommend the Banana split for desert. All dinners except Monday night (Managers BBQ) are served by the staff which are very friendly and always made sure that everything was to your liking. A note to those who will be traveling...The dress code for dinner is no shorts for either restaurant and at the Pelican Bar after 7:00. Also for breakfast and lunch ladies and men must wear tops, bottoms and shoes. You can wear a swimsuit wrap-as long as it is long to cover your top and bottom. There is patio seating at the Palm so you can eat with a wet swimsuit which is nice. We really enjoyed the BBQ Monday night, food was fantastic with a huge variety and an amazing setting- the filled a kayak with bowels and made a salad bar--Bring your camera! There is entertainment everynight which is nice, but never too loud. We liked the steel band on Mon night-they played some cover songs. The menus cater a bit to the English and dinner is served late. We stopped at a market in town and bought some snacks to put in our minifridge-which came in handy after lots of swimming. Breakfast ends at about 10:30, lunch is from 12:00-2:00, tea and cakes from 4-5 and dinner is from 7-10; approx. We actually had pizza delivered to our room one night to calm our urges for junk food at the advice of the pool bartenders. Big Banana is in Saint Johns and will deliver with very reasonable prices and great quality food.
THE ROOMS
The rooms at Blue waters are very nice with great AC. We were upgraded to a villa #604 (we recommend a ground floor room-after those strong drinks you could break your neck going up the stairs). Our room looked right out onto the wedding gazebo and our balcony was very private with the walkway being behind the building-not in front like many of the other rooms #100-500. The maid staff kept the rooms immaculate and were were impressed at their services. The minifridge is filled with 2 orange juices, 2 bottled Coca-colas, 2 tonic waters, 2 soda waters, and 4 Wadadli Beers. The fridge is restocked daily at your request. Also there is a small bottle of Cavalier Rum, London Dry Gin, and Johnny Walker Red Label Whisky provided that can be restocked daily at your request. I really liked the bathroom which had antique style hardware with a great shower. Our room had a large wall of closets with a small convenient safe. The tv has a remote as so does the ac. Our room was bi-level with a connecting door to the next room if you had family/friends along with you. Don't bother to bring shampoo or conditioner-they had 2 large bottles in our tub along with bath gel-and enjoyed it. Beach towels are provided in your room and replaced daily, even though they dry very fast-the staff brings you fresh ones when the turn down your bedding.
THE WEDDING
We arrived on Thursday and met with Jolie Watkins (bluewaters@candw.ag) the wedding coordinator on Friday. She goes over every detail of what you want and then accompanies you into St Johns to go to the High Court and apply for a marriage liscense. We also stopped at a bridal shop and rented an exquisite Pierre Cardin Tux for $80 US-we were extremely delighted with the Tux as we were not sure when we went down there as to how the availability/selection would be. BW does not normally do weddings on Sundays, but happily accomodated us-even opening up the salon which is normally closed on Sunday. We got the full spa package for 2, and the pampering got us totally relaxed for the big day. Beverly in the salon did a great job with bridal hairstyle. As for the wedding you cannot script your own ceremony, but the one performed is absolutely beautiful and brings tears to almost all. We were able to pick the type and color of flowers we wanted to decorate the gazebos and for our bouquet and buttonhole. The cake was perfect and so good. They saved the rest of it for us and we had it for dessert after our dinner that evening. We opted for the video and the largest picture package available (Best 50 of 60 pictures all 5x7 with 4-8x10s including the negatives-$280 US) and were happy we did so. The photographer arranges all the photos in a wedding album for you. The photographer takes pictures all during the ceremony, as well as in the garden and on the beach. The video was great and edited with our names and sweet music ($300 US). After our ceremony we proceeded up the jetty to the other decorated gazebo where we cut our wedding cake and signed our marriage certificate. We were surprised that they provided us with 2 bottles of champagne for after the ceremony because it was just the two of us and our two witnesses, that was very nice. We had our wedding dinner in the Palm restaurant because Vivyiens is closed on Sundays and Mondays. A tip-we went barefoot for our ceremony and pictures; the stepping stones that lead down to the gazebo are uneven and when you get down to the beach for pictures you take your shoes off anyways. The next morning the staff comes by and brings a made to order champagne breakfast to your room, which is a wonderful extra that is included in the wedding package. When you receive your video the hotel has free VCRs that they will bring to your room and set up for you to preview your video to ensure that it is to your liking. Jolie is a huge help and is very dependable for all your questions and concerns.
Old Reviews - Getting married in the Caribbean
Sandals
Tiffany
November 2002
For anyone looking to get married at the resort, I highly recommend it. My wedding day couldn't have been more perfect! The resort took care of everything, all we had to do was fill in the blanks! I couldn't have imagined having so much fun getting married! There was no stress what-so-ever. I had my hair done at the salon for $57US and they did a wonderful job. You will have to make a trip to the capital (St. John's) to get a marriage certificate the day before, but it took us only 30 minutes round trip. You will also meet with the wedding coordinator before the wedding to choose your bouquet, music, cake, candlelight dinner and breakfast in bed. This will take as long as you want it to. As far as the dinner, you choose between steak and lobster. The lobster was superb - best dinner we had all week! And the breakfast in bed was unbelievable. We circled everything on the menu and they brought it all!!
Blue Waters
Casey
We arrived on Thursday and met with Jolie Watkins (bluewaters@candw.ag) the wedding coordinator on Friday. She goes over every detail of what you want and then accompanies you into St Johns to go to the High Court and apply for a marriage liscense. We also stopped at a bridal shop and rented an exquisite Pierre Cardin Tux for $80 US-we were extremely delighted with the Tux as we were not sure when we went down there as to how the availability/selection would be. BW does not normally do weddings on Sundays, but happily accomodated us-even opening up the salon which is normally closed on Sunday. We got the full spa package for 2, and the pampering got us totally relaxed for the big day. Beverly in the salon did a great job with bridal hairstyle.
As for the wedding you cannot script your own ceremony, but the one performed is absolutely beautiful and brings tears to almost all. We were able to pick the type and color of flowers we wanted to decorate the gazebos and for our bouquet and buttonhole. The cake was perfect and so good. They saved the rest of it for us and we had it for dessert after our dinner that evening.
We opted for the video and the largest picture package available (Best 50 of 60 pictures all 5x7 with 4-8x10s including the negatives-$280 US) and were happy we did so. The photographer arranges all the photos in a wedding album for you. The photographer takes pictures all during the ceremony, as well as in the garden and on the beach. The video was great and edited with our names and sweet music ($300 US). After our ceremony we proceeded up the jetty to the other decorated gazebo where we cut our wedding cake and signed our marriage certificate. We were surprised that they provided us with 2 bottles of champagne for after the ceremony because it was just the two of us and our two witnesses, that was very nice. We had our wedding dinner in the Palm restaurant because Vivyiens is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
A tip-we went barefoot for our ceremony and pictures; the stepping stones that lead down to the gazebo are uneven and when you get down to the beach for pictures you take your shoes off anyways. The next morning the staff comes by and brings a made to order champagne breakfast to your room, which is a wonderful extra that is included in the wedding package. When you receive your video the hotel has free VCRs that they will bring to your room and set up for you to preview your video to ensure that it is to your liking. Jolie is a huge help and is very dependable for all your questions and concerns.
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