Sandals Grande Antigua

This was our first time at a Sandals Resort. We really enjoyed it. The entire staff was so warm & friendly. But we had two truly stand out waiters in Chad at the Komono restaurant which was our favorite and then Khalil at our Martini event in the piano bar. There was a nice variety in restaurants to choose from. Lots of night time entertainment. Large pool area with lots of activities & beautiful beach area. Also lots of fun water sports to do.

First time to Sandals Antigua, have been to sandal Bahamas and Barbados . Loved them all. Antigua I would say is by far my favourite as beautiful Beach Front location and our room was in a great quiet location looking over the beach. Staff are laid back and charming. Part of the charm of the Caribbean . Don’t expect London efficiency where everything is done immediately. It’s part of the “ yeah man” charm !!! But it’s certainly done well and with genuine wishes you have a great stay The restaurants are all excellent though OK Corral wasn’t for me. Food a little rich for my palette I do appreciate the loyalty Sandals shows its returning guests. I like how valued they make us feel. The Gina app is great to get things done and also thank people who go over and above. There are so many it’s almost a daily occurrences thanking staff on Gina My friends whom i travelled with made an error booking too many days but Julianna and the guest manager at Barbados helped sort this out. going above and beyond. I’m happy to answer any questions on this resort and I struggle to understand some of the other guests reviews. We spent 11 days here and have already earmarked it to come back and recommended it to friends Shout out to Julianna in guests services all the wonderful staff in the restaurants , the amazing security team and all the lovely staff that always take the time to stop and ask how your trip is going . They are all so genuine and proud of their country and resort. They are all clearly managed well as they all seem to have long service with Sandals And I also must add never once did we struggle to get a spot on the beach or by the pools and the hotel was full . Fantastic staff fantastic resort and before we left we booked 3 more trips to sandals locations

This is our 3rd Sandals vacation and the first at this location. The beach is beautiful and didn’t feel crowded. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I had a massage with Keisha and she was amazing. I get massages monthly and she Is definitely at the top of the list! The resort is beautiful and the landscaping of always kept so nice. I took off one star because the rooms feel dated.

Absolutely loved sandals grand Antigua Masadie on the front desk was great so friendly and helpful as were all the staff so polite and happy. The atmosphere was great the rooms were lovely and clean and the resort was beautiful the beach was stunnng the restaurants were good and we would highly recommend it. We couldn’t fault it. There are plenty of excursions to do too and they are well organised. If your wanting a nice relaxing holiday this is the place to go.

We had a lovely stay at Sandals Grand Antigua. We enjoyed the people, the beach and entertainment We have food allergies in our group and we had fabulous service from chef Juleen and Dwayne. They were very attentive to our needs and visited us at every meal. It was fabulous to see the attention they gave to our food and made us feel very comfortable. I do agree with a number of other reviews that they are short staffed and need to fix the issue. . Getting drinks to the table does take a little time however we were there for a vacation and we were not in any rush. We had some incredibly nice staff and in addition to Juleen, the bar and restaurant staff were great and friendly. Rooms on the Caribbean side definitely need a refresh, very dated. Our 1st impression of the room was a little disappointing If you are allergic to cats this place will be a problem for you. They have a cat rescue program which is lovely but can be problematic to many. Also, I came home covered in flea bites. Although this program is a great option for the cats, I feel that paying a premium for a 5 Star resort flea bites should not be something I should be worried about including bringing home the problem with my clothes or bags. I’d like to say, the people in Antigua are wonderful people. The island and beaches are beautiful

This is an excellent resort. Very well maintained and run. All of the staff are very friendly, approachable and above all professional. The food in all the restaurants is excellent and well served. The accommodation is spacious, comfortable and the daily servicing is very good and reliable. There are plenty of activities to choose from both in the evening and the day time. No matter if you want entertainment or a quiet time, this resort caters for you. To summarise, Sandals have got this resort and their business model absolutely right. We have already booked for next year!

We loved the resort over all, we did have a few small issues and one major problem. The smaller issues were the room safe and room phone not working, after not getting it resolved we spoke with Masadie from the Front Desk. She was great, she personally came to our room and made sure the proper staff responded Immediately and resolved the problems. She's definitely a great asset to the Sandals brand. Now the big problem, we stayed at the resort 1/1-1/12 a hour into our flight home on Monday my wife began feeling ill. By Tuesday she had bad stomach pains, a headache and body aches along with bad diarrhea. Wednesday she was doubled over in pain with a fever. We went to the hospital and after being admitted with 103.1° fever and tons of tests, it came back as Salmonella poisoning and C diff. After speaking with doctor's about the time frame they strongly felt it was picked up at the resort. She is now on multiple antibiotics, pain killers, anti-cramping and IV medications.

Delmore was a pleasure to meet while we were at Antigua. He was incredibly kind and personable, and what really stood out was how he remembered little details about us even while juggling other clients, it made everything feel so personal. He went above and beyond by capturing personalized beach writing photos without us even realizing it, which was such a special surprise. He talked to us like peers the whole time and never once made us feel like we were being “sold” anything. The experience felt natural, genuine, and fun. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer!

Threcia and Polly were lovely! From the moment we started, they made us feel so comfortable and cared for. They walked us through everything and listened to what we wanted. The pressure was perfect and their skills were truly top notch. Beyond the massage itself, they were both so kind, warm, and genuine, which made the whole experience even better. The front staff was prompt and super helpful, and the spa facilities were flawless. Easily one of the best couples massages we’ve ever had, we can’t wait to come back and book with Threcia and Polly again!

We went to get married and they were just amazing, every step of the way we felt special and looked after. We had a very special and memorable day and have to thank lueni for looking after us so beautifully and to Michelle for my hair and make up and Kenrick for the amazing photos. They are others in the team that all work so hard but they were the main ones we dealt with. The hotel is really large and we were apprehensive to start with but we soon found our way round. We stayed on the med side on the 5th floor. Large room and good sized bathroom well equipped with everything. The lack of usb ports is a pain and recommend bringing more adaptor plugs. If we came back we would stay the carribean side as we always sat that side of the beach and ate every day for lunch in the bay restaurant which we loved and did a different theme every lunchtime. We ate in most of the restaurants and all the food is excellent, we weren’t that keen on Kimonas we found food very bland but others loved it so we are all different. 99 percent of the staff are amazing and friendly. Like any big hotel we had a few niggles but would definitely come back and no hesitation on recommending the hotel. The main pool is really lively / noisy not for us as we are beach lovers but there are plenty of other quiet pools so don’t let that put you off. The lovely thing was always plenty of beach towels … the not so lovely was having to be up before six to reserve a lounger on the beach ….

We have visited 4 other Sandals and chose this as our next stay. Whilst the beach and resort were beautiful and we enjoyed the range of restaurants, bars and facilities I have to say that overall we were disappointed with the service - particularly from the bar staff. It’s not that the actual service was bad but just that there was little ‘service with a smile’. People were doing their jobs but it felt formulaic and ‘going through the motions’, very few smiled or made an effort to ask us about our day for example. The big exception was Marcia in the Guest Relations office who was friendly, chatty, really helpful and personable. Also the water sports staff were great on our daily snorkelling trips. Ironically, the local vendors on the beach were also very friendly and chatty. Marilyn was such a lovely lady and said hello to us every day after we met her, she was such a dear. The entertainment was great on resort - especially the fire eaters and entertainers on Antigua day which was an amazing evening. The pool and beach drinks service was not very frequent and we probably received 1-2 drinks throughout a whole day from them so we generally walked to the bar ourselves. The resort need to look into their sun bed policy as people were reserving beds from about 5.30am and they were getting all booked from about 7am. Many of the beds weren’t being used - we saw one pair that were reserved with towels then not being used until after lunch. Our room had an incredible view of the beach with sunsets each night. We have had a butler previously but didn’t book one this time and really didn’t feel we needed one. The resort is very well laid out, very clean and beautiful. The beach is also fabulous. We have recently been to Secrets and this probably highlighted the difference in the service from the staff. Some of them just need to smile more here and it would make all the difference. We still had a wonderful time and would visit Sandals again.

3rd visit to this lovely hotel and first time at Christmas. As always food and staff were fantastic especially bar staff Sheena, Janeil and Jeemangee (spelt wrong sorry) and Celia still rum punch queen, Ursula in the piano bar and a special thank you to Charmanthia. The Christmas Day parade was fun. Only a couple of negatives the beach has got very very busy with cruise ship visitors due in part I think because of the water taxis that come from St John’s, and they did tend to invade our beach bed space. AND one issue with a butler who literally pushed us out of the way to get to the last table for 2 at the beach restaurant!!! We did report him and was assured it was dealt with. It is still annoying that the butlers can book tables at the non booking restaurants but I guess this will not change. Some past reviews comment on miserable staff, we did not encounter a single one, if you smile, say hello and please and thank you, you get rewarded. Hopefully will be back for a 4th visit at some point

We spend Christmas in Antigua this year, the resort was tastefully decorated with lots of Christmas trees and lighting, very festive atmosphere. We have visited Antigua many times but not in December, it was quite chilly and the ocean was not warm enough for us to swim in. We always stay in the Villas with Private Pools on the Mediterranean side, this visit the pool was freezing, we did not use our A/C only to freshen the suite a little while we were out, waste of money on this occasion. Our suite was cleaned early and turn down service was done while we were out in the evening which we appreciated. We just could not get supplies to make coffee in our room, even when the Butler managed to leave us some coffee sachets, someone else came in and took them! The resort was very busy due to three Sandals Resorts that are still closed in Jamaica due to hurricane damage, The beach was very crowded with guests, families and cruise passengers which were continually being dropped off by water taxis, very little provision seems to have been made for their shore visit, some were trying to enter the resort. The only restaurant that requires reservation is Eleanors, as Sandals Ambassador guests we have visited all the Sandals resorts many times, for lots of reasons but definitely not for the food. Evening dinner for us is always disappointing, our best option this visit was Marios and the worst were OK Corral and Eleanors. We do not bother with the entertainment or visit the pub so cannot comment. Dining experience was better for us in Grenada, Curacao and Dunn's River. Loyalty staff particularly Andy (manager) and Dillion who did our booking for us were excellent. The Returning Guest Dinner and the V.I.P lunch hosted by our favourite Sandals GM (David Latchimy) were well organised, friendly and enjoyable. Our lovely Butlers were Wendel, Niesha and Vakeshia, a good choice. Our Airline was definitely not a good choice, we booked London to Antigua via Miami with American Airlines. The return flight from Antigua to Miami was very delayed so we missed our London connection. In the overcrowded Antigua and Miami airports we were sitting on hard plastic chairs for a total of 31 hours, even celebrated our wedding anniversary there! UK and European airlines are obliged by law to attend to passenger's welfare commencing after 2+ hours delay, whatever the cause of the delay, offering food & drink, complimentary phone calls, accommodation if overnight. In addition, compensation would also be paid if it were the airlines' fault. American Airlines failed to undertake any responsibility whatsoever and just abandoned us, lesson learned we will never again fly with this airline. Entering Antigua requires documentation, we did not receive any forms on American Airlines. Fortunately, before we left home we went to the 'visit Antigua' site' and completed form online and acquired the necessary QR code for entry and exit. As we do not have cell service at the airports we saved the information/QR code in a screen shot. Thank you to the lovely staff who gave up part of their Christmas to look after us. Happy New Year.

Fantastic experience, service great, all staff very happy and David ( GM for the Site ) should be very proud of his team. Excellent service, very polite well mannered staff at all times no matter what role they participated in. David was very polite and a good leader who was always present talking to guests and his Team. Some stand out members of the Sandalls Team for us as a family during our stay; Kamar and the Watersports / Dive Team; Extremely knowledgeable and very very friendly, Kamar, Urantus, Miguel, Donjay, Stephen and the rest of the team were excellent and very helpful at all times! Dale and the team at The Bayside Restaurant; Dale and his team were extremely welcoming and always gave a fantastic service, the food was great, ALL staff were very helpful especially Stacey. They also catered for allergies well and helped my wife with her Dairy Intolerance. John - OK Coral Restaurant John and the team inc’ the Chef were very very accommodating and the food was very good. Service was also top drawer lead by John and the team. John was a very good waiter towards everyone who visited the OK Coral. The ‘French’ Coffee Shop; All the staff here were extremely helpful and again very friendly and polite at all times. Service was good with everyone who visited very happy! All in all an extremely good stay and fantastic memories. Thanks to the team! Martin, Karen, Amelie and Guillaume

We arrived back home yesterday after a fabulous time at Sandals. The food was amazing, the rooms and housekeeping were great and it was evident that every staff member had excellent training, as everyone was extremely polite, friendly and happy to help throughout our vacation. Upon arrival we were greeted with welcome drinks through club sandals and were well informed about everything that Sandals had to offer. My brother and I spent a large part of our holiday diving, we went every day and had great fun with the watersports and diving team on the boat, and saw some incredible sea life. My brother completed his PADI in 3 days at the start of the holiday and we were able to dive together for the rest of the trip. Sandals is set on the gorgeous Dickinson Bay which has crystal clear water and is an amazing beach to sit and relax. The water sports staff were very helpful and helped us learn to Wind Surf and Sail. We also enjoyed kayaking and paddle boarding all included within the holiday. We spent the evenings at the amazing restaurants, each one offered great food and atmosphere which we thoroughly enjoyed. Christmas Day was a highlight, where we had a buffet lunch with every cuisine you could imagine, including Sushi, Grilled shrimps, Meats, and incredible deserts of all kinds. This was followed by a Christmas Parade where Santa arrived on a Tuk Tuk and paraded the resort with a marching band and dancers which was amazing to see. We also had great fun of an evening with the entertainment, including 3 great local bands (one on Christmas Day singing many Christmas songs) as well as a silent disco and other events throughout the 2 weeks we were there. Our vacation concluded with a very nice send of, with staff singing and dancing before we made our way to the airport. Overall, we had a great vacation and will definitely be returning to Sandals next year. It is a vacation like no other. Thank you to all the staff who made it a holiday to remember.

We stayed on the Mediterranean side in a club level walkout. The rooms and public spaces are not in serious disrepair but could definitely use some TLC. Small things like missing drawer hardware, broken tiles and staining on walls/ceilings. Mostly cosmetic but for a luxury brand the small things matter. Beware the French doors on the WC. If you don’t open both of them all the way you’ll inevitably hit the lever handles on one side or the other. A week later I still have a nice bruise on my hip. The restaurants and food quality is good. Barefoot was our go-to during the day. Soy is great at every location and Eleanor’s was a standout for the reserved restaurants - special thanks to Charlika for her excellent service there and to Ericka at the Returning Guest dinner. The beach is lovely and most days the water is calm enough to enjoy a swim or a paddle. Take note that on cruise ship days you’ll probably want to stay away from the beach. The beaches in Antigua are public and were literally jam-packed with families from one side to the other. But both the main pool and small pool have swim-up bars, hot tubs, great music and lovely service staff. The entertainment staff keep things lively and fun at the main pool and we especially enjoyed the visit from Santa and his crew. One more special shout out to Davin in the photo shop. We had so much fun taking unique sunset shots. Feedback for consideration In order to justify the elevated expense of staying at a Sandals resort, a similarly elevated experience is expected. Recent changes have resulted in some disappointments for us as Emerald members. One of the main reasons we chose to be loyal to the brand was the included Scuba however twice this visit the boat was full and in order to ensure a space we would need to join the “Elite” club - at an added cost. Another blow is the paid cabanas. So many pool seats sat empty because in order to sit there you need pay extra. I understand the reserved spaces for Butler rooms but the rest of us already paid for food, drink and pool chairs - this is uncalled for. And please, please, please, can we add a rosé wine to the inclusions? It seems ludicrous that I should have wait until I get to the airport lounge to have an included glass.

We stayed in a walkout Caribbean room so all based on that. Perfect location. 2 mins from everything local and the sublime beach. Staff were friendly and helpful, everything we asked for was quickly sorted. We had a great couple of very relaxing weeks and would highly recommend. Usual caveats, if you're looking for fault you'll probably find it. If you're here for a lovely relaxing break you'll have a ball

We just returned from an amazing stay at Sandals Grande Antigua, and it exceeded all expectations. The resort is beautiful, the beach is stunning, and the atmosphere is wonderfully relaxing — but the true highlight was our exceptional Butler team. Butler Service Alex, N’Kosi, and Charmaine were the best Butlers we’ve ever had at any Sandals resort. They anticipated our needs, checked in at the perfect moments, and consistently went above and beyond. When my husband was injured on Christmas Day, Alex and N’Kosi shuttled him to and from the Nurses’ Station without hesitation and with genuine care. We’re also grateful to the nursing staff and on call doctor for their excellent support. Resort & Staff The grounds are immaculate, the pools are lovely, and the staff throughout the resort were friendly and welcoming. A special thanks to Denisia and Grant for a great St. John’s shopping tour. Dining With so many restaurants, we never ate at the same place twice — and every meal was excellent. We celebrated our 25th anniversary at Eleanor’s, where the wonderful staff even serenaded us, making the evening truly memorable. Overall This was one of our favorite Sandals vacations. The resort is gorgeous, the service is outstanding, and our Butler team made the trip unforgettable. We highly recommend Sandals Grande Antigua and are already planning our return next year.

This was our first vacation at a Sandals Resort. We know several people who have been to Sandals Resorts in the past and spent a lot of time researching their properties. We are experienced travelers who have visited almost every island country in the Caribbean. This was our third visit to Antigua, first none cruise. We are not hard to please, and understand island time and the reality of customer service outside of the United States. Here are our completely honest observations and thoughts on our experience at the Sandals Grande Antigua. Airport Transfer We found this process initially a little confusing. The Sandals check-in desk for transport to the resort is located outside of the terminal building in the median to the right of the arrivals exit. There are a number of booths in the median for different companies, we found Sandals about five or six stalls down. We were initially looking around inside the airport and stopped at the information desk only to go completely unacknowledged by the attendees so we decided to step outside. Be aware that once you exit the building, there will be people yelling names of resorts with luggage carts. Several walked up to us repeatedly saying “Sandals.” These people do not work for Sandals. They work to solicit a tip from you for carting your luggage about 100 feet down to the Sandals transfer check-in booth. Thankfully, I read about this in another review. They were however pretty convincing to a few others. Transport to the resort was by minibus. We were at capacity with four couples and luggage. We arrived after a quick twenty-minute drive. My wife and I were immediately greeted by a host who escorted us to the Club Concierge office. Keon assisted us with check-in and provided us with welcome cocktails. Lodging We reserved and stayed in a Caribbean Honeymoon Beachfront Grande Luxe Walkout Club Level Room. It was located on the far right (north side) of the resort near the border with the neighboring Royalton Chic Resort. The room was fairly modern with a very effective mini-split air con system. It was equipped with a well-stocked mini-fridge and low-end spirits. We were fine with the low-end spirits as the aged rum was perfect for our in-room cocktail preferences. We also stopped by the nearby Club Concierge office if we wanted to pour any of the higher end liquors for drinks in our room. Bedding was comfortable with four total pillows on the bed plus two additional in the closet. The walkout aspect of the room was great as there is a small pool immediately in front of the building. The little covered patio was a great spot to sit for a few relaxing minutes while enjoying a coffee, breakfast or a cocktail. The beach was immediately on the other side of the pool with a small number of lounge chairs. They were snapped quickly so I recommend getting out there early enough to snag your desired location. Beach Our relaxing beach time was generally spent in the area directly in front of our building. We had a few peddlers walk through offering items for sale or excursions, all were friendly and cordial when we declined. We walked the beach twice, stopping at the nearby vendors set up on the beach. Our experience was the same, all were friendly and cordial. The beach area in front of the building, near the border with the Royalton is a drop off point for numerous tour boats and water taxis. Cruise ship patrons were dropped off in the mornings, usually around 9-9:30am. Some set up on the beach not far from our loungers, others swam or went for a walk. There were several families with children and some young adults who kicked a soccer ball around. None bothered us, just mentioning for those who may be looking for a “quiet” beach experience. As far as swimming and water experience goes, the sand is soft and comfortable, not rocky with corral like many of the other Caribbean beaches we’ve been too. Unfortunately, there was a pretty good quantity of weed growth that floated through. Sandals did a great job raking it off the beach each morning so there was no smell. Just be prepared for possible wading through it in the water. Club Concierge Our experience in the Club Concierge office was incredible throughout the visit. Keon was awesome at check-in. He guided us through a very informative orientation and immediately addressed some of our requests and inquires. We quickly had reservations for multiple activities and he promptly returned with some items we requested for our room. We stopped in the Concierge Office several times with questions (and for the good rum). Each visit was met with exceptional service. Restaurants - Dining First of all, highly recommend making your first reservation online in the Sandals app once your stay is activated. We stayed the week before Christmas so it wasn’t terribly busy. However, we did speak to some folks who were turned away from a few restaurants during the traditional busy dinner time period. The Club Concierge can help with dinner reservations as well. Eleanor’s was our first dining experience at the resort. We made a reservation through the Sandals app before arrival, but they were also accommodating walk-ups. We were seated quickly upon our arrival. Service was very good with our water glasses refilled regularly without request, cocktails arrived quickly and refilled promptly upon request, and our meals were absolutely delicious. This ended up being our favorite dining experience of the visit. Highly recommend. We wished we could have dined here a second time. We dined at Soy and Mario’s on our second night. We stopped at Soy shortly after they opened and spoke with the gentlemen at the host stand. He took our room number, referred us to the bar for a cocktail, and had us seated very quickly. We thoroughly enjoyed the food at soy. We treated this as an appetizer round before going elsewhere for main entrees. Highlights were the three carpaccios and the spicey crispy shrimp roll. The champagne lobster roll was underwhelming as the 4 pieces of sushi combined had one very small, almost undetectable piece of lobster in them. We moved on the Mario’s. Our entrees (herb crusted pork loin and linguine with spicy shrimp) and dessert were amazing, but what impressed us most about Mario’s was the antipasti bar. The number of items and quality were surprising. We found everything to taste great and thought it could be a meal in itself. Service at both locations was very good. We decided to eat at Bayside for our third dining experience. We found the menu to be the most enticing during our research prior to arrival. We arrived later in the evening as we had a late return from the Super Snorkel excursion (mentioned below). We were promptly seated around 8pm without wait. Our waitress arrived at the table quickly after we were seated. She seemed notably disinterested in speaking with us. Her questions and responses were very short. She requested that we place our entire order at one time. My wife’s order of escargot and my soup arrived simultaneously. The escargot was very small, overcooked and devoid of taste (according to my wife, I don’t eat snails!). My soup was very good. Our waitress returned when we were done with the first round of appetizers and asked if there was anything else she could get us. This was rather confusing as she had directed us to place our entire order earlier. I mentioned that we had already ordered our entrees, to which she nodded in acknowledgment and walked away. My wife’s soup arrived a few minutes later and the waitress asked if my wife would like another cocktail. My wife ordered another cocktail to which the waitress acknowledged and walked away. My wife’s niçoise salad and cocktail did not arrive. We waited for about fifteen minutes before I decided to go to the nearby Sundowner Bar and order my wife’s cocktail. Our entrees arrived shortly after I returned to the table. My wife had the lamb shank, and I combined the steak and lobster dishes to make a surf-n-turf dinner. Another woman stopped by the table to inquire about our dining experience. My wife informed her that the niçoise salad she ordered never arrived. The woman apologized and within minutes our waitress arrived with the salad and apologized for the delay. We enjoyed our desserts and found them to be tasty. My wife and I looked forward to Bayside’s menu the most. Most of the food was very good. My wife does not recommend the escargot or the niçoise salad. Unfortunately, this service experience was the worst during our visit and not consistent with our experiences throughout the rest of our stay. Our last dining experience was Kimonos. We arrived without a reservation. The host (same from our first visit to Soy) put us on the waitlist and informed us that we should check back at the next designated seating time to see if they had any cancellations. We sat outside for about twenty minutes then checked back in. We were happy to find out that there had been a cancellation and we were seated with several other groups. Service at Kimonos was fantastic. Our waiter was very attentive, respectful, and humorous. Our chef was fantastic, working quickly through the Hibachi experience. Our food was tasty, well prepared and very plentiful. Highly doubtful anyone can walk away from this dinner experience hungry. My wife recommends the Mango Lassi for dessert. She convinced several others at the table to try it which quickly became a comical interaction with our waiter who was not a fan of the dessert. Restaurants – all others Eleanor’s for sit down breakfast was fantastic. We ate breakfast there twice. Food quality and service mirrored our dining experience there. Highly recommend. Bayside Breakfast Buffet – I stopped by Bayside for the breakfast buffet one morning. Food quality was relatively good for a buffet. I found the food options to be fresh with staff replenishing items quickly. The hostess was very helpful as I took my food back to my room. She had room service containers, utensils and napkins quickly available for me to use. Barefoot by the Sea - we ate lunch at barefoot by the sea one day. We were quickly seated, service was attentive, and our food was ordered and arrived quickly. It was decent for what it was, a quick bite on the beach a short stone’s throw away from the main pool. Bella Napoli – it’s pizza by the pool. Can’t go wrong. We had pizza on three different occasions, all were cooked well and found to be very flavorful. They’re mid-sized pizzas, maybe 12 inches in diameter. I decided to try the Courtyard Bistro one day for lunch. I ordered the Buffalo chicken sandwich with fries and banana pepper slaw to go for lunch by the pool. I found it all to be very tasty. Just keep in mind this isn’t U.S. chicken so it will be smaller portions. Café de Paris was our daily drop in spot. We enjoyed coffee beverages daily, sampled the various confectionary selections they had on hand, and tried several of the crepes throughout our visit. We found the service to be excellent during each interaction. Bar Service I would divide our bar experiences up into two categories; 1) Pool Bars, and 2) the others. My wife and I found many of the critical reviews we read regarding pool bar interactions to be pretty accurate. It wasn’t terribly busy while we were there and we never waited for a drink more than a few minutes. However, the bar staff seemed disinterested while taking orders and serving drinks. During our stay, we frequented both pool bars and found the service to be the same. My wife stayed in the frozen cocktail area which seemed to be pretty consistent but lacking in alcohol. She started ordering her drinks with a rum floater, a trick we learned on cruise ships, which overcame that issue. Her orders were 100% accurate. My experience was a bit different. On several occasions, I ordered a simple drink (rum and coke) and received something totally different. On my very first visit to the main pool bar, I ordered a rum and coke then watched the bartender make my drink with gin. Another time I ordered a pina colada and received the exact same frozen drink my wife ordered which was the Island Kiss (half Colada, half Daiquiri). Our experiences at the Sundowner Bar and the Drunken Duck were much different. Our orders were taken quickly and made attentively with no mistakes. Only suggestion for the Drunken Duck is to maybe replace the dart board and get some new darts as they were in rough shape. Spa My wife and I booked a 60-minute couples massage at the spa which was conveniently located directly behind our room. We were greeted immediately upon our arrival and completed the check-in process. We were escorted to private male and female changing areas which included rest facilities, a sauna, and a steam room. Just keep in mind you may be in these rooms with others who are utilizing spa services. You may also find female employees in the male changing room as they escort new customers in for orientation. The massage experience was very good. The only negative critique we have is the attempt to sell skincare products at the conclusion of our visit. We were seated in an area behind the check out counter where our masseuse attempted to sell us various skin car products. Activities We found the availability of pools and hot tubs to be well proportioned throughout the property. The main pool had some fun activities, mostly trivia style related to pop culture. Music was tasteful and not too loud. The Caribbean Pool was very, very quiet when we were there. No music, no one talking. The population there was also much older (60’s plus). We did see that change one day when the entertainment staff facilitated a volleyball game in the pool. We joked that the pool had been invaded by the young folks. As previously mentioned, Keon helped us make several reservations when we first checked in. One was for the Friday Super Snorkel excursion through the Sandals Aquatic Activity center. This specific excursion is not included in your Sandals free activities, but we found the $65 per person to be very reasonable for the experience. The tour lasted about 3.5 to 4 hours in total. We arrived at 2pm for paperwork and equipment fitting. The tour promptly departed at 2:30 with a stop in St. Johns for some shopping. My wife shopped for a craft made Christmas ornament. I personally found the shopping experience to not be that great. We were last in St. Johns by cruise ship in 2019. This experience was much different than our last. “Tourist Trap” does not adequately describe this area. Many of the stores we visited had elevated prices, some of which were clearly excessive. One shop attendant quoted me a price of $600 for a bottle of Blanton’s Bourbon ($70 in the U.S.). Two stores nearby had the same product for $250. Still high, but not $600! This is just one example of our “shopping” experience that was filled with high pressure tactics and exorbitant prices. My wife was happy with her ornament from the street vendors adjacent to the mall, we both agreed we would just skip most of the other stores if we returned in the future. Back to sea after a thirty-minute stop and out to Cade’s Reef for snorkeling. The current was pretty strong and much of the reef appears to be dead but we did see an abundance of small marine life that included various types of fish, crab, lobster, and even a barracuda. We snorkeled for thirty to forty-five minutes in depths of 3 to 10 feet, then got back on the boat to dry off. We were quickly greeted with rum punch, sandwich platters and a fruit and veggie tray that we enjoyed as the boat returned back to the resort while we enjoyed the sunset. All in all, it was a great experience. Captain Jamal and First Mate Stephen were awesome. Very friendly and attentive. I could do without the shopping experience but my wife was happy with her ornament selection as it was pretty unique. We learned during our initial interaction with Keon that cabanas were available for rent near the main pool for $99 a day. This included butler service for the duration of the rental. We decided to give it a try on our last full day at the resort. Keon informed us we could start the day by having breakfast delivered to the cabana. We promptly arrived at 9:30am and were greeted by our butler, Kelly. She took our mimosa and breakfast order, and returned to deliver it within 15 minutes. Kelly was very helpful throughout the day, ensuring our cooler was well stocked with water, soda, juice and beer. She also managed to get our drinks from the pool bar with my order correctly fulfilled every time (to include extra rum to float in our frozen drinks). Cabana food service for lunch is limited to Barefoot by the Sea. We had already eaten lunch there on a previous day and decided to try a few other places. My wife hit the hot dog cart and got us a few hot dogs to try while I got a to go order from the courtyard café. The hot dog cart is supposed to be open from noon to 3pm. We found that to be a flexible schedule with varying times of service within that window of time. It is also serviced by Barefoot by the Sea so the attendant often leaves the cart. We finished the afternoon off with a pizza which was a short walk from the cabana. While it wasn’t terribly busy, the cabana proved to be a great experience. We both agreed the inclusion of butler service during peak occupancy times would be highly beneficial to avoid long wait times at the pool bar. A few final thoughts We very much enjoyed our overall stay at the resort. We found most of the employees on the property to be friendly and cordial. Welcome and Departure staff did an excellent job and made the transitions to and from the property very comfortable. We plan to visit another Sandals Resort in the future, and were very happy with the Club level accommodations and amenities offered at this resort. We plan to book another club level accommodation at a different resort in the future.