Honeymoon at Sandals Grande Antigua

[FlatironGuy]

Ok, so my honeymoon is booked and we''ll be spending it at the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort. If any of you have been there before, can you please tell me how your overall experience of the resort was? I''ve heard nothing but good things about this place so I''m really excited, but I''m looking for the real scoop on the do''s and don''ts of this place. Any sort of information would be helpful!

Thanks!

 

[surfgirl]

I was in that area in late September and I didn't think it was very nice, to be honest. It all depends on what you really want in a honeymoon location though. The property is squished onto a small plot of land and it's a huge property, and it shares a rather small beach with the older Sandals, as well as a couple of other properties. If you dont mind watercraft pulling up right beside you while you're in the ocean, and you dont mind the constant drone of reggae, then you'll probably like it. Mind you, it's brand new so I'm guessing the rooms and furnishings are nice, but that's about all I can say that I'd like about it. Sorry!

I prefer quieter, out of the way places so it's not my cup of tea...Can you change your reservations?

 

[Neveah]

Oooohhhh. I hate to do this because you said you were so excited...... but you did ask for honesty, right??

I can''t say firsthand, but one of my good friends just got back.(October) She did not like it. at. all.
Noisy, food not great, everyone was on their honeymoon so she didn''t feel "special"....just wasn''t what she expected. And it was NOT cheap.
She said she cried when she saw her room. Nothing at all what she saw in pictures. (it was clean... that wasn''t the problem.
just dingy)

I would do more research. You might want to check out other all inclusives that are far superiour at the same price. Here''s one that I can tell you (from another friend, which is why we''re going there for our HM) here

I feel terrible, I don''t want to burst your bubble. I hope I''m not upsetting you. Just trying to be honest!

 

[lovehersomuch]

i posted on here a few weeks ago about possibly going to a sandals resort in jamaica for my honeymoon and everyone shot the idea down saying that sandals is not nice and like a party scene... the pictures they show on their website arent accurate apparently.

i think tripadvisor.com may have more useful informaton with real pics and reviews.....



btw... who do you all recommend for a couples resort in a tropical area that is cost efficient??

 

[Kaleigh]

I love Antigua, can I give you another suggestion?? www.curtainbluff.com I have been there 7 times. I love it because it''s a small resort. It''s a very special place. Perfect for a honeymoon. The food is to die for, all inclusive, and the rooms are so romantic. The owner''s Howard and Shelly make you feel right at home. Check it out.

 

[lovehersomuch]

Date: 3/13/2008 12:56:11 AM
Author: Kaleigh
I love Antigua, can I give you another suggestion?? www.curtainbluff.com I have been there 7 times. I love it because it''s a small resort. It''s a very special place. Perfect for a honeymoon. The food is to die for, all inclusive, and the rooms are so romantic. The owner''s Howard and Shelly make you feel right at home. Check it out.

just wow! i checked out that website and it looks amazing.. its expensive though. the cheapest daily rate is $600.. the rooms with a bluff are over 1,000!!!

do you know of others like these that are a bit cheaper?

for a 7 night stay it''d be over 7,000 not including other expenses (airfare..etc)

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/13/2008 12:56:11 AM
Author: Kaleigh
I love Antigua, can I give you another suggestion?? www.curtainbluff.com I have been there 7 times. I love it because it''s a small resort. It''s a very special place. Perfect for a honeymoon. The food is to die for, all inclusive, and the rooms are so romantic. The owner''s Howard and Shelly make you feel right at home. Check it out.

Looks really nice. I''ve already put down $400 on the Sandals resort to hold my room. Are you saying I should just forgo that $400 and book somewhere else? I was looking to spend in the $4200 range for 7 days. I don''t need to worry about airfare since I have plenty of skymiles for it. Is that website you suggested the best option considering what I''m looking for?

 

[surfgirl]

I cant believe you cant get your deposit back as long as it''s not a last minute cancellation...Are you sure you''d have to forfeit it? That doesn''t sound right to me. All resorts have cancellation policies and usually as long as it''s not within two weeks of arrival it''s refundable.

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/13/2008 6:08:59 PM
Author: surfgirl
I cant believe you cant get your deposit back as long as it''s not a last minute cancellation...Are you sure you''d have to forfeit it? That doesn''t sound right to me. All resorts have cancellation policies and usually as long as it''s not within two weeks of arrival it''s refundable.

I''m glad you brought that up because it was actually me assuming it wasn''t refundable. I''ll have to double check on that today. With that said, what should I do if I''m willing to spend in the $4200 range outside of airfare?

 

[sumbride]

I think somebody here recently canceled their Sandals reservations and got all of the deposit back minus $25 for "processing", so it''s worth a try.

 

[FlatironGuy]

It looks as though Sandals will fully refund the $400 deposit as long as the reservation is cancelled 46+ days out.

 

[surfgirl]

Good. Find another place! Seriously, ALL the couples at Sandal''s are either honeymooners or anniversary celebrators, which seems to me like you''re all the same and nobody''s really all that special, you know?

I''d check out all the resorts on Antigua, if that''s where you want to be, and post them here on this thread and people can see if they know the places. Another place in Antigua to stay away from is "Jolly''s Beach Resort". Totally mass group tour thing and tacky. There are other places that are super nice, I just dont know the names of them.

You might also want to look at spending a couple of days on Barbuda. Lovely pink sand (from the conchs I believe), very laid back and quiet...supposed to be lovely there.

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 3/14/2008 1:29:09 PM
Author: sumbride
I think somebody here recently canceled their Sandals reservations and got all of the deposit back minus $25 for ''processing'', so it''s worth a try.

That was me. We booked it through American Express (I believe they go through Expedia) as a package. We kept the flight and changed the hotel and it would''ve only been a $25 fee. In the end we had to cancel the entire thing because we wanted to stay at 2 different resorts. Long story, but it worked out. We have the same flight and we''re staying at nicer places. 2 nights at the touristy place and 3 nights at a private romantic villa.

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/14/2008 4:10:47 PM
Author: surfgirl
Good. Find another place! Seriously, ALL the couples at Sandal's are either honeymooners or anniversary celebrators, which seems to me like you're all the same and nobody's really all that special, you know?

I'd check out all the resorts on Antigua, if that's where you want to be, and post them here on this thread and people can see if they know the places. Another place in Antigua to stay away from is 'Jolly's Beach Resort'. Totally mass group tour thing and tacky. There are other places that are super nice, I just dont know the names of them.

You might also want to look at spending a couple of days on Barbuda. Lovely pink sand (from the conchs I believe), very laid back and quiet...supposed to be lovely there.

I completely agree but I'm not so concerned about Sandals being crowded with other honeymooners, I'm just concerned about it not being as nice as I had hoped. At this point, my fiance and I really don't mind changing out plan all together, it could be Mexico for all we know. All we know is that we want to get married there and we want it to be a memorable trip. Another thing that's concerning me about Sandals is their food. What's funny is the packaged deal I got was valued at +$9000. Do you think it's a fluke?

 

[scm1012]

I have heard really negative things about Sandals.

Can you get your money back? Seriously, even if you lose your deposit(hopefully it''s not a ton).....it might be worth it in the end.

I lost my deposit on a trip once...sucked at first but I was so happy I canceled my original trip plans

 

[FlatironGuy]

Date: 3/14/2008 6:25:24 PM
Author: scm1012
I have heard really negative things about Sandals.

Can you get your money back? Seriously, even if you lose your deposit(hopefully it''s not a ton).....it might be worth it in the end.

I lost my deposit on a trip once...sucked at first but I was so happy I canceled my original trip plans

Yeah, I''m able to get it back.

I saw the post where you mentioned the Xpu Ha Palace Resort. Do you think that''s better than the The Royal in Cancun?