Traveling to Antigua in October. I was planning to stay at Sandals,but have read so many mixed reviews I'm starting to get confused. If anyone has any info. on their stay at Sandals I would appreciated it.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend either place. If you're set on staying at an AI (and they just seem to be growing in popularity on Antigua), there are other, better ones. First of all, what kind of vacation are you looking for? Give us a few more details before we jump in with suggestions that may be way off base for you.

But for starters, unless you are on a very strict budget (and I'm guessing you're not since you're considering Sandals), stay away from Jolly Beach. Cocobay Resort and Grand Pineapple are in a moderate price range and offer a pretty good value for the money. Galley Bay is the most expensive but is also the best one on the island. Jumby Bay, just off the coast of Antigua on a private island, is stratospheric in terms of price, but it's all the most private and luxurious. A place like Curtain Bluff is on the high end of the scale, but it has a more formal country club like atmosphere compared to the others. Blue Waters hotel is a nice, traditional beach hotel that offers an AI option.

We loved sandals Antigua and have been there 2 times. We stayed at Galley Bay once and enjoyed that resort too.

Toppy, thank you for replying. How recently were you there? I was all set to book my October trip then started ready negative reviews about Sandals. Dirty rundown rooms, roaches, rude staff, bad food. Can you shed some light on these issue?

We are wanting to spend a week in a lovely setting, all-inclusive, calm water, white sand beaches, with good food and drinks.

We spent 2 wonderful weeks there in the summer of 2002 and 1 week in January 2003. I read some negative reviews too, but we decided to try it based on our travel agent's positive first hand review. The funny thing was, in researching places, I noted that Sandals includes waterskiing in the package, where most others had only non-motorized water sports. I had my heart set on that even though it had been 20 years since I last enjoyed it!!! It was a silly reason for choosing Sandals, but we are still glad we did, for lots of other reasons....so much so that we went back only 6 months later that January, and are talking about another trip soon.
The staff couldn't have been friendlier, (even the patient water ski instructor who spent a lot of time with me until I finally succeeded in my goal!) The bartenders were great, as were the servers in the restaurants, and the entertainment staff too.

The food was great. You can order as much as you want. One man we met ordered something from one restaurant to be added to what he was eating in another. You can ask for a double portion of anything. This same fellow also ate twice sometimes...like 7 o'clock in one restaurant and 9 o'clock in another!!! (He was a big guy!) There are 3 restaurants that you make your dinner reservations for, and also a grill type restaurant open almost non stop. Then there is the buffet too. Perhaps someone complained about the birds that will land on your unattended table in the open buffet restaurant...oh well, it's vacation! (Just take turns getting up for food!) I ate lobster tails from the OK Corral at least twice a week, but I hear that now you have to ask for it because they don't put it on the menu or maybe that is because there was a grace period for catching them????

Some people think Sandals, or maybe any AI, is for drinkers. We are not big alcohol drinkers. But with sitting on a hot beach all day, we do order a fair share of drinks of any kind, water, soft drinks, as well as margaritas and pina coladas, and our 11am Bloody Mary! . The drinks are great and they will make them any way you want at any strength.
Our rooms were fine. The first time we had a room high on the hill, 600's I think, and the second time we had a room closer to the main reception area. Both were nice rooms, no bugs, not run down at all, yet not new. They were very clean and well cared for.They each had a pool practically right out the door. The main pool with swim-up bar was in the center of the property and was active. If you wanted quiet, there were at least 3 or 4 other pools.

There were many weddings, and there were photographers available for anyone at any time. We have a great sunset photo.

The beach was so nice, calm, beautiful water, white sand. Vendors yes, but they will not bother you if you politely say no.

It may not be as classy as other places, (it does have the Sandals logo written on the pool floor Ha ha!)but we loved it and will go back soon. People have all different likes and dislikes for their vacations, so reviews will vary. We were very pleased.

I hope this helps.

Well, Sandals Antigua is in a very nice setting. The landscaping is lovely and fairly lush, even when the rest of the island is dry. The beach is beautiful, and as it's the busiest beach on the island, it's perfect for people watching. Water is very calm, perfect for swimming or kayaking, white sand if very soft and comfy to the feet.

Good food & drinks are a bit more subjective. You certainly won't go hungry there, even if the food isn't up to the prices they charge. And I suppose that if you drink enough, everything will start to taste good, eh?

October is low season, which gives you a bargaining chip on the rates no matter where you stay. If your heart is set on Sandals, by all means go for it. But definitely prepare youself by re-reading all of the reviews so you're not surprised by anything unpleasant you encounter there.

winnie, to answer your question from your other post, we were never able to find a discounted rate for Sandals either.