| How some reviewers can say these people are not friendly |
| Hotel Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa |
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DonBrendaWinnipegManitobaCanada >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Jan, 2009 | Leisure | With Group
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We and 4 of our closest friends went to Sandals Grande Antigua to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. My wife and I had previously been to Sandals Grande St. Lucia and had convinced our friends to come along with us, but were a little apprehensive due to some of the reviews we had read. In as few words as possible, our trip was as fantastic as we had hoped. We've tried to make the following review realistic and useful without being gushy as that would be too easy. Firstly and primarily, as for the staff at Sandals Grand Antigua and the other Antiguans that we met, in general they are some of the nicest, most pleasant people we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Yes, even the security ladies at the airport tasked with rummaging thru your luggage before departure were pleasant in their own way.
How some reviewers can say these people are not friendly is beyond me?? Maybe they are the unfriendly ones?? |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
St. John's - Jan 31st. On our first Saturday, we were lucky enough to get linked up with a local taxi driver Bill (just ask for him as he is very well known) who took our group of 6 into the St. John's Market. For those who like to mingle with the heart of the area you are visiting, this is an experience not to be missed. Also visited both Redcliffe and Heritage Quays. Heritage is more cruise ship orientated with Duty Free shops while Redcliffe has some nice local shops and galleries; great for buying those little take-home trinkets.
- Super Bowl Sunday. - Feb 1st. The staff at Sandals - Cricketers needs to be commended for the American spread they put out that day. Burgers, dogs, nachos, beer, Steelers and Cardinals cakes it was all there. Great job folks.
- Eco Boat Tour. - Feb 2nd. JayDee and his cruiser/powerboat crew provided a great amount of information about the local water ecosystem and how the reef and mangroves play a part. Interesting non-eco related sidebars about the wildlif on Long Island and some history of Antigua. The Rum Punch made with Bushy's Rum was also the smoothest rum punch I think we've ever had. Excellent views of the northwest coast of Antigua and snorkeling at Devil's Gate with a nice lunch on Bird Island home of the Racer snake which we luckily did not come across.
- Beach Lime Tour - Feb 3rd. A more relaxed adventure on a catamaran down the west and south coast to Cades Reef for snorkeling and then on to Morris Bay for lunch with a steel band and a limbo / fire-eating performance by Mr. Moves. Also managed to get our first taste of playing Cricket with the crew and some local children. The crew members again were all more than willing to share any information about their homeland.
- Wedding Vow Renewal - On Feb 4th my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows. We had pre-booked this event with Sandals to ensure we could get that date. From one simple meeting with the event coordinator, they planned our ceremony in a beachside gazebo just before sunset complete with a local Marriage provider, photographer, champagne, cake and appetizers enough for ourselves and our four dear friends. To make this short, Sandals exceeded our expectations and made this a moment we will always remember.
- Tradewinds Hotel Bayhouse Restaurant - Feb 4th. The 6 of us went to the Bayhouse Restaurant for dinner after our vow renewal. Fantastic views of Dickenson Bay and Sandals resort. The food was superb, the best lobster my wife says she has ever had.
- Island Tour - Feb 7th. Contracted Bill for the day to take us on a tour of the island, where we visited Jolly Harbour, took a drive down Fig Tree Drive over to Nelson's Dockyard, up to Shirley Heights, across to Devil's Bridge and finally to Betty's Hope. Bill was fantastic for sharing knowledge, allowing us to take as much time as we wanted, and just stopping here and there to show us interesting points or local vegetation. Although this tour took nearly 7 hours we could have easily spent 7 more. If you like historical sights there is plenty to see at Nelson's Dockyard. The sights of English Harbour and the Antiguan Atlantic coastline from Shirley Heights are breathtaking.
- Cedar Valley Golf - Feb 10th. Played the front 9 holes on this course. Pleasant but not too difficult layout with smallish greens and plenty of elevation changes as well as some excellent views; which is really why we went, the golf was secondary. Caddies were not mandatory, but I'd advise renting a power cart, which we did. |
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| Arrival |
| From the moment that warm air hits our lungs as we step out of the plane and down the steps to the tarmac, we just allow ourselves to be processed thru the various airport procedures, gather our luggage, with the process having as little affect as possible on our vacation as we are not here to see an airport. To those folks who get cranky at this stage, just relax for crying out loud. The Sandals folks were awaiting all those from our flight and ensured that our baggage and we were whisked away as quickly as possible to the resort; which is maybe 15 minutes away. We were warmly greeted at the resort with glasses of champagne, our room toiletries packages, keys etc... Everything went smooth, quickly and pleasantly. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| Interesting resort with the Mediterranean side which is ultra-modern with very clean lines and exquisite lawns and a huge pool and swim-up bar, contrasted with the Caribbean side which is older and more quant with plenty of seemingly natural vegetation and many smaller private pools. The pool bar on the Caribbean side is the place to go for daily activities, from morning pool aerobics to pool-volleyball and basketball, among others. And don't forget to visit Latoya in the pool bar, her drinks are magical. Antonio may even pop around to bring his sense of comical mayhem to the scene. To those other reviewers who didn't know ALL beaches in Antigua are public, I have to ask; did you not do any reading before going to Antigua. Having been to Mexico a few times, the few retailers on Dickenson Bay were certainly more pleasant and some even entertaining in comparison. The best marketing slogan heard was. You say hello, I say alo! As for the beach itself, the sand is soft with a nice gradual slope into the crystal-blue-green calm waters, great for swimming, or for those of us non-swimmers just relaxing, frolicking and enjoying the sea waters. Good idea to grab a couple of pool towels the night before and keep them in your room for the next day. They are usually plentiful at night while sometimes scarce in the early mornings. And yes it is a good idea to go early to get a specific spot / chairs beach or pool side (say by 8:00 am) but isn't that true of any beach/pool? |
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| Other Comments |
| Generally our experience to both Sandals Grand Antigua and Antigua itself was absolutely wonderful to the point that we did not want to leave. Having been to other Caribbean sites (St. Lucia, Barbados) we would highly recommend both the resort and the country to those wanting a relaxing, enjoyable, memorable Caribbean vacation. Perhaps you to will want to Soon Come Back |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| Visited every restaurant (other than the sushi bar) more than once and never had a poor tasting or inadequately prepared meal. Some reviewers say the portions may be smallish, this may be true, but nothing is stopping you from enjoying an appetizer, soup, salad, entre and dessert at the same meal; this is a great way to sample various menu items that you may normally not try. I'm 6 foot and 215 pounds with a very healthy appetite and never went hungry. As for getting reservations, yes it is a good idea to plan and book your dinners asap, and we found as long as we were flexible we didn't have any problems getting reservations and we were usually making reservations for tables of 6 or 4. Tables for 2 were never a problem. Bartenders were always more than willing to make up any concoction we could think of and never spared the use of the name-brand liquors. Yes, they do have different grades of liquor, but if you have a particular brand and they have it, there was never a problem getting them to use it. And the idea that some reviewers say of the drinks being watered down is just absurd. And so what if they are, just have another one!! |
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| Rooms |
| Our room was in a Cottage (Room 213) within the Caribbean Village. A very nice spacious main-floor suite with a king-sized 4-poster bed, tile floors, clean bathroom, in-room safe, and separate vanity and sitting areas with sliding doors to a patio at the back, where a stand of palm trees and other vegetation was the home to many little birds and a variety of geckos. Great spot for relaxing with a glass of wine at night or enjoying breakfast in the morning. Note: the birds love the pastries. We did not go and see a room in the Med Village for comparison and perhaps our furnishings were not 100% pristine, but we felt safe and comfortable and all appliances (tv, radio, iron, lights, air conditioner, etc..) worked as they should. |
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