Hello,

I've been reading some posts that are a little discouraging. We've been trying to narrow down our honeymoon choices and I thought Antigua was the #1 choice. We were looking into Sandals Antigua. Can anyone give me an honest opinion about this Sandals? We are going next May (2008) and wanted to stay for about 12days; hence why we wanted AL. We plan on doing tours and going off the resort...so we were going to go for the cheapest room. Just wanted the AL because of the long stay and $$$$$. I appreciate any help and advice!

THANKS,

Lisa

Don't be discouraged, Antigua is a wonderful island, with friendly people. We are just about to visit for our fourth time. Never stayed at Sandals, but both Blue Waters & Galley Bay are excellent.

Antigua is a great island for a honeymoon, but there are lots of other AI resorts on the island other than Sandals. I personally wouldn't pay to stay at a Sandals, but there are tons of folks who like 'em, including many on this board who've enjoyed them.

For less money but comparable quality (but not necesarily comparable choices of restaurants) take a look at Hawksbill, Cocobay, and St. James's Club. Maybe even the Grand Pineapple Beach Resort. All of these are AI and most are small than Sandals and not dealing with never-ending construction. This means more attentive service and more peace & quiet. (Though admittedly the Sandals construction could be well over by this time next year...)

Blue Waters is a comparable price to Sandals but a much classier ambience.

Galley Bay is more expensive than Sandals but a superior setting and quality. Jumby Bay is more expensive still, but at the top of the heap when it comes to AI places.

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you're just using your room as a home base (and it kinda sounds like that's what you have in mind), then just about any of these places would suit you. If you tell us what is most important for you on your honeymoon, we can give you more suggestions with your wish list in mind.

Thanks for the help!

We are planning on using our accomadations as a "home base"...we want to explore the island and take it all in. I've looked at the other resorts and the one thing that keeps bringing me back to Sandals is that it's an Adult's only resort. I love kids, but it's my honeymoon.....so I'd really love a place that's just for adults. Some of those other resorts, I looked up their prices and they don't have as many restaurants and they are more $$$$. I'm going to keep looking...I keep going back and forth to different islands! Just want a beautiful beach, clear water, snorkeling, excursions, some night life and shopping. My fiance has never been to an island so the pressure is on!

The unflattering posts you read about Sandals are with good reason -- it's mediocre and you can do a lot better.
Antigua is a beautiful islands and would be great for a honeymoon. If you want All Inclusive: Galley Bay or Blue Waters are great choices. Cocobay is another nice place. Even Hawksbill and Dian Bay would be better than Sandals!

Out of curiousity - which all-inclusive hotels have off shore snorkeling? the best beach?

I understand your concerns about being in a place overrun with kids, but honestly in May you don't have to worry about a ton of kids anywhere. Cocobay and Blue Waters will have fewer kids than Hawksbill or Grand Pineapple.

Sandals may not allow children, but the one time I stepped foot on the property (a friend was getting married), I saw such clutches of drunken fools that I felt like I was at a college frat party. I'd much rather be around children than around people who think they have to drink their way through their rates to get their money's worth. Now I don't want to tar all Sandals with the same brush--it could be that what I saw was an exception and not the usual guest array. And certainly not all guests I saw were in that vein of drunkeness--many, in fact, looked to be enjoying themselves very much. Our friends had a great time for their weddingmoon. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it didn't suit me, but it suited lots of other people, and that the Sandals brand is clearing earning thousands of fans, as evidenced in their repeat guest program.

Galley Bay doesn't allow anybody under the age of 16, I don't' think, so that's not really an issue. They're also running a special right now where you get your 7th night free, which might bring the rates down to the same range as Sandals. You could ask them if they'll make the same offer for travel next May. Though in general I don't prefer the AI route, Galley Bay is definitely a place I would like to stay--gorgeous setting, small & intimate, with structures that don't intimidate the beach or look unnatural in their setting.

You could also take a look at Curtain Bluff, but their age range skews the other way--most couples there will be in their late 40s and over.

There is not, unfortunately, a lot of great shore snorkeling on Antigua. The best I've seen has been on Long Bay on the east coast, where the Long Bay Hotel and the Grand Pineapple are. I'm a huge fan of the Long Bay Hotel, but it's not AI and it's not very posh. It's very long on charm and a wonderful staff, however.

Most of the west coast has very limited snorkeling. The daysails go to the offshore islands like Great Bird Island for most of their snorkeling.

we love antigua and are returning in august with our three young adult kids. we are aware that the snorkling is limited, venturing out on the power boat and resort excursions during past vacations there, we were fine with it.

ive been gathering that long bay is the place to go if you want beach side snorkling? we are staying at blue waters and although i am fine with the fact that snorkling is limited, i would love to take a day trip to a beach where we may enjoy the off beach snorkling, giving us another "glimpse" of antigua.

we plan on taking boat adventures, but i thought it may be nice to get out and about with the family for a day on "another" beach.

any suggestions as to where we might enjoy some beach service, lunch and chairs with some shade...i know how easily it is to "fry" in that gorgeous sun.

we are planning on booking the zip line for my 18 and 19 year old kids. now as much as i would like to fly through the jungle on a rope, im not sure if i am physically able to do this, lol..! if i go with them, will i be able to hang around somewhere while they fly through the sky? i may even let them go on their own....im sure it's fine.

thanks very much. we will be there for 11 days and the info on this website has been very very helpful.

btw - sorry for the hijack, and i think blue waters looks amazing for a honeymoon !

thanks
albee

Thanks again ejcrowe for the advice.

I really don't know where to go! lol...We really want the AL aspect because of the $$$ and the length of time we want to stay (approx. 12 days). Want nice clear, calm water. I have seen excursions such as, horseback riding, zip line, jeep tour, snorkeling and those all interest us...so I feel that would keep up busy. As well as going to Shirley Heights.

As far as the town (capital) St. John's, that where the shopping is? I would like to go into town and visit there a bit, are there good places to eat and visit there?

Sorry for all the questions....the more I learn about this island the better it will help me make a decision. Thank goodness we have the time to make up our minds! lol

THANK YOU!

Albee622- Have fun on your vacation! Would love to see some pics. if you decide to do the zip line tour.




THANK YOU

Hi, scoots--

I know it's hard to plan the honeymoon because there's so much pressure for it to be perfect, but really, with the right attitude, you're going to be thrilled with whatever place you choose because it marks the beginning of your lives together.

All of the places I suggested for you specifically were All-Inclusive, (AI, not AL, by the way), so I'm a little confused what you mean about saving the money by wanting to book AI. Sandals gives about the least value of all the AI places on the island, in my opinion, and considering it's one of the more expensive ones, that's saying a lot.

Yes, most shopping that tourists do is in St. John's, but it's fairly generic in the sense it's what is found in most cruise ship ports. It's still worth a look, and the town is also home to a small but lovingly tended museum of Antigua & Barbuda, the cathedral, and good restaurants, all of which are worth a little time if you want to spend a few hours browsing St. JOhn's.

English Harbour is the other major location for tourist shops and such, but it's much more spread out than in town.

For snorokeling it's definitely worth a trip out to Long Bay. Long Bay Hotel has a wonderful beach side restaurant that offers plenty of shade for getting out of the sun. There are a couple of other dining options but they're not quite as shaded or as nice, but remember that I'm a huge fan of the Long Bay Hotel and am definitely biased.


So, by all means go ahead and book Sandals if that's what your heart and head are leaning toward--you're going to enjoy it no matter what. But do remember that there are tons of other AI places on the island. And also consider that if you're going out for excursions and exploring most days, you're not going to be at the resort eating and drinking...so perhaps what you'd really like best is a resort with a meal plan?

Never mind--I don't want to push you too much toward my own preferences...just go and have a great time. Antigua is a wonderful island.

EJ is totally right -- if AI is important to you -- there are better options. But if you get out and about, then you will have a great time. Antigua is a great honeymoon choice.

My friends stayed at St. James Club last year and absolutely loved it. They said, while there were a few kids, it was definitely more of an adult place. And as previous posters have said, in May you will have less kids because they're still in school.

You might want to go to Tripadvisor.com and check out all of the places that have been suggested. Here are some kinds regarding Tripadvisor.com that I think are great. If most of the reviews are good, then mostly likely you can believe what they're saying. But even better are the pictures. Look closely at the pictures because you can get a real feel for the place and the people who go there. That usually gives me a good feel of whether they have the same tastes as I do which ultimately helps me make a decision...are they in my age range? are they dressed like me? are their interests similar (honeymoon), etc.

I hope this helps.

JB

we are on the fence about the meal plan at blue waters. we figured it out to be $120 per person per day. breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, all drinks....

sounds reasonable enough...BUT...the big question for us is that we prefer to go out in the evenings.

on one hand it would be great for this family of five (one 18 year old boy who loves to eat) to not have to deal with money on the property. on the other hand i feel like my husband and i would start to get "antzy" at night....come to think of it we WOULD get antzy at night!

we are still deciding. usually all inclusive is not our thing but at a resort such as blue waters i may give it a try and if we go out a few nights, so be it.

and yes the pics on trip advisor help you decide.

have fun making plans...although i agree it does get confusing.

albee

We have been to Sandals Antigua twice and Sandals St Lucia also. We love it there. I can well agree that there are other AI's that are better...(we stayed at Galley Bay as well)But this is my opinion of our experiences there.

Sandals always treats us well, such as bringing the ice bucket and bottle of champagne we requested each day around 5, to our balcony... helping us decide on tours, suggesting new and fun drinks, remembering our favorites and pouring them as soon as we approached. we loved the food...lobster tails was a regular nightly meal for me, not sure if they still have it every night. There are several restaurants, so we were never bored. There is dancing every night and other things going on too.
The water ski instructor was very patient as I was determined, and I went every single day. We took the included snorkeling boat trip several times, no limit to that. The water was wonderful and we enjoyed the sailboats and novelties such as kayacks and some weird water bike things.

As for the guys at a fraternity party...the main pool did have some drinking games going on at times, and volleyball games, but that was not a main noticable thing. There are so many pools that you can be as quiet or adventurous as you wish. We made a lot of friends there.
There were several beautiful weddings and lots of great photo opportunities all about the lush grounds.
There were couples of all ages there. Many younger couples in July. There was a nice atmosphere of getting somewhat dressed for dinner which I liked...(sundresses, long pants for guys).
If I didn't insist on going someplace new, my husband would want us to go there every year. But that's us....others will differ.
The bottom line is, it's your honeymoon. You will have fun wherever you go.

If you are going for 12 days, why don't you consider staying at 2 different hotels on 2 different sides of the island. AI's are easy, but not always a good deal. Maybe do sandals and another hotel??? If you are planning to do tours and go off the resort often, then you don't need an AI the entire time as you will have to eat and drink elsewhere.

First, thank you to ALL that have posted their opinions/advice.

Beachbum2: The suggestion of staying at two different places because we would like to be there for 12days...is a great one. Any suggestions?

Ejcrowe: I have been looking into Grand Pineapple...seems to have a beautiful beach, but now I've been hearing that Sandals took that resort over and will be refurbing it. Any news on that? Some of the other places like Galley Bay and Blue Waters...I've read that the water is rough there?
Really looking for calm, clear water...that's why I started looking into the Grand Pineapple.

I have been thinking into the whole AI thing and we will be doing excursions, etc...so maybe looking into two resorts isn't a bad idea.

Any suggestions for CALM water and good food?

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I honeymooned at Sandals Antigua in 2002 and loved it. The beach was great with very calm water and every shade of blue/green. The beach/resort never seemed crowded and we always felt we had our own space.

I also stayed at Sandals Negril in July of last year. The service there was amazing and we didn't lift a finger. However, I prefer Sandals Antigua due to the atmosphere and crowd. Sandals Negril was a bit more of a party crowd.

Overall, I would recommend SA to anyone. But it's your honeymoon - you'll have fun no matter what!

I have neighbors who went to Sandals Antigua and actually got married there as well. They loved it and had no complaints. They are rather active people and after one week they were ready to come home. I have been to the beach at Dickensons Bay where the Sandals is located. It is a totally awesome beach. We rented Jet ski's there. I think you will have a great time.

I have not been to Antigua yet. It is going to be our trip next year. We are looking at Hermitage Bay. It gets amazing reviews and looks like it could be a wonderful honeymoon spot. It could be a quiet part of your trip if you split. I have been to big AI's but prefer small boutique types of resorts with my husband. Check tripadvisor for reviews of other resorts in Antigua to decide, but I would definitely split the trip. I can't imagine eating at the same AI resort for 12 days, no matter how nice. Friends just returned from Jumby Bay for their honeymoon and loved it. There is not much to do, but it is beautiful, you are pampered and it is pure relaxation. Good luck.