We visited Sandals Grande Antigua in April 2026 as a late celebration of our 30th Anniversary which was in January. It was our first time visiting a Sandals property. We wanted a laid back and romantic atmosphere. We don’t take trips like this (last one of this magnitude was our honeymoon), so after saving for this occasion we decided to spring for the Butler Services and we were not disappointed.
Arrival: At the airport we were greeted warmly by Alford and because it was our first Sandals visit, he arranged for a private car to take us to the resort. Our driver fed us lots of interesting information about the island. We arrived at the resort, and were taken to the Club Sandals area. Astrid, the Butlers Manager got us drinks as she explained our room wasn’t quite ready. She then introduced us to Corrie, one of our Butlers, who took us to enjoy lunch at a restaurant on the beach until our room was ready.
Room: After lunch, one of our other Butlers, Tiffany, took us to our room in the Mediterranean area and gave us a tour. Our room was on the top floor of the main building, and the views were amazing. It had all the amenities that we needed (and more). We enjoyed morning coffee and pre-dinner drinks on the balcony and got to watch incredible sunsets. The bathroom is dated, and there were areas of the room that could use touched up with paint and refreshed, but it was very clean. We did not mind the “Caribbean” feel to the room, as opposed to something sleek and modern. We filled out the pre-butler survey, and for the most part all the drinks we like and the pillows we requested were in our room on arrival. Housekeeping services were good.
Butler Service: Sunday we met Kernisha, the 3rd member of our butler team and she took us to our reserved seats on the beach (with shade) & had a cooler full of water and beer for us. (This was one of the best perks of Butler Services - having our chairs reserved each day. We talked to another couple later that week where the husband was getting up at 5 am to get chairs on the beach reserved.) We opted for 3 days at the beach, and 3 days at the pool. We did not want the atmosphere of the big, popular pool, so our butlers set us up at a smaller pool, which was quiet and had very few people - just our speed. Each day we had the butlers bring us lunch, which was such a treat. We enjoyed pizza on the beach or hot dogs & salad at the pool. Most mornings, we enjoyed breakfast in our room brought to us by the butlers. On our first day, our butlers gave us a dining plan for the week, setting up the time and location of each dinner (giving us the option to change anything we wanted). While only a few of the restaurants required reservations, this service turned into a sort of “call ahead seating” where our butlers walked us to the restaurant, and immediately to a table (usually one of the best in the house) with no waiting. One night, our reservation was on the later side, and I mentioned to Corrie that we really enjoyed the appetizers at the restaurant we ate at the night before, and he offered to bring those appetizers to our room that evening for us to enjoy before dinner. We found that communicating our wishes ahead of time got us great Butler service (for example, calling the butler at Noon to say we’d like this for lunch and at 1:30 or so). Tip - I took a screenshot of the menus from the Sandals app, so I can easily access the lunch offerings. Was really helpful at the beach since the wifi didn’t reach out there. The butlers would check on us throughout the day, bring us drinks and more water if needed. In celebration of our anniversary they decorated our room one night, and had a hot bubble bath for us. We plan to visit another Sandals in the future, and will be getting the Butler service - we are hooked.
Property: Our building was set back from the beach, but we did not mind the walk. One of the elevators in the main building was renovated and the other was not (and that one made me nervous, so we only took it once.) The property is big, so evening walks were something we really enjoyed. The flowers were beautiful. Because the property was so big, it never felt to us like a ton of people were there. We could find quiet areas to sit when we wanted. Our butlers mentioned that renovations on some of the rooms has taken place, with more planned. They are even planning to completely revamp two of the restaurants (Soy & Kimonos) by tearing down the building and expanding both.
Beach: The beach was clean and the water was a beautiful blue. Most days the water was calm and the seaweed hardly present. (On our last day, the seaweed was a little more noticeable, due to the direction of the wind, per our Butler.) We took several walks up and down the beach. Our only complaint is the beach is a public beach, so you do have vendors trying to sell you things. Most were kind when we said no, but some wanted to stay and chat, trying to convince us to buy something. Truthfully, this is why we chose 3 days at the pool - we did not want to be bothered.
Activities: We did go snorkeling via the Sandals boat on our last morning, and it was fun. Not the best snorkeling we have done, but I did see a sting ray! We stayed on property the whole time and did not do an excursion.
Spa: We had a spa credit, so we each opted to get a massage, each choosing different types and our Butlers set those up for us at the time and day we preferred. We had requested they be given separately, as we did not want it to be some sort of couples massage where they make us talk to each other. However, they did put us in the same room, but thankfully both therapists were quiet, did not make us talk to each other and gave really good massages.
Entertainment: We don’t stay up late, so we did not partake in much of the entertainment. The Caribbean night was our favorite - steel drum band was so good.
Overall, our visit to Sandals Grande Antigua did not disappoint. The staff was very friendly and most of our service was great. Our butlers were amazing. We felt taken care of and valued. It was a great introduction to Sandals and we can’t wait to visit another property in the future. - and maybe even revisit Antigua again to see the changes they make.
