Something Borrowed: Nashville Bride’s Review of Sandals Antigua
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
For my "something borrowed" feature today, I thought I would borrow a blog from A Delightful Day. In addition to offer wedding planning services, A Delightful Day can also help you plan your honeymoon since they are Sandals certified specialists. One of their couples recently returned from their beautiful destination wedding. Their review was so helpful and thorough that I wanted to share it w/ABG brides (or vendors looking for a get-away). Thanks Stephanie and Jason for sharing your insight. I know it will help others looking to plan their honeymoon. Today's Guest Blogger: A Delightful Day, Nashville Wedding & Event Planners http://www.ADelightfulDay.com After our wonderful post last week on Stephanie and Jason's destination wedding to Inlet Beach, Florida, we had to share Stephanie's first hand experience at the Sandals Antigua resort. Enjoy the wonderful, and thorough, answers from Stephanie and Jason. What made you choose that resort for your honeymoon? We considered several different islands for our honeymoon, and Sandals was the most reputable resort at each of the islands. Since we had never been to Antigua before and weren't familiar with the island, we thought our safest bet would be Sandals.
Describe your experience with the Sandals resort. We were spoiled rotten! I was afraid that a big resort like Sandals would be cheesey (and it was to an extent... silly games, photographers walking around asking to take your picture, etc) but it was much nicer than I expected. There was usually only one activity or game going on at a time, so we could just hang out and relax in another area if we didn't want to participate in the activities. We LOVED the hammocks they had along the beach. We had a couple really good meals, but other than that the food was mediocre. We wanted to try other restaurants on the island, but ended up eating all of our meals at the resort since it was all-inclusive. All of our drinks were included too, so we could walk up to any bar, any time and get any drink we wanted! That was nice! We really enjoyed the atmosphere and being so pampered at Sandals, however there was very little local "flavor" at the resort. We ventured out to other places on the island during the day, but it was nice to return to Sandals at night for the all-inclusive dinners, etc. Overall, it was the best place we could have chosen to stay for our honeymoon, but if we ever go back to Antigua we will stay somewhere locally owned.
Of all the activities provided by the resort, what did you partake in and how did you feel about it? We didn't participate in many of the activities at the resort, but we did watch a few minutes of a newlyweds game one night which was entertaining. If we had more time we might have gone to more of those types of activities. We spent a lot of time in our room the first couple of days because both of us were sick. We had a honeymoon rondoval with a private plunge pool and we also had the butler service. Our butlers, Maureen and Cecil, did everything they could to help us feel better as quickly as possible, which was really nice. Once we felt better, we enjoyed wandering around the resort. There was a lot to see and do around the resort. I love the fact that it was couples only and no kids. We have a 3 year old, and when we get time away from him the last thing we want to do is listen to other people's kids. This was truly a kid-free vacation & we loved every minute! (No kids splashing in the pools, no crying in the restaurants, etc.) Of course, we were dying to get back home to our son by the end of the week. =)
What restaurants did you eat at, and what was your opinion on those? Mario's - I would compare the quality of the food to Olive Garden. It wasn't bad, but not great either. Barefoot by the Sea - We loved the Chicago style hotdogs and curly fries! Cricketer's Pub - I had a bacon cheeseburger & curly fries - loved it! Jason had fish and fries, and his fish was black and chewy inside. That was the last time he ordered any fish. Bayside Buffet - We had an asian buffet there one night & thought it was horrible. We also had breakfast there one morning though and it was great. Kimono's - This was a Japanese hibachi grill and we LOVED it. This was by far the best food we had at the resort. They also had the best martinis on the resort. The other bartenders around the resort made good frozen drinks, but they didn't know much about other cocktails. Room Service - We were really disappointed with room service. It was delivered pretty quickly, but the food was terrible. We ended up asking our butlers to bring us food from some of the restaurants instead of ordering room service again. Private Beach dinner - I can't remember the names of our meals, but mine was chicken with spinach and some kind of cream sauce and a side of potatos and mixed veggies - VERY good! Jason had breaded lamb & he liked his as well. It was very romantic dining on the beach, BUT we had terrible service so that was disappointing. What were your favorite things about the resort? There was much more plant life on the resort than anywhere else on the island. It was really pretty, and they kept the whole place immaculate 24/7. They fog for mosquitos every night so we never saw any bugs (except for one tiny spider in our room). We loved watching the sunset from the main bar, relaxing in the hammocks and spending time in our private plunge pool. We had two butlers, so that was definitely the best part of our experience because they would bring us coolers of drinks, food, books from our room if we were lounging on the beach, etc. They will also pack and unpack your luggage, iron your clothes, etc. but we didn't ask for those services. I also especially loved all the steel drum bands playing around the resort at different times. We had steel drums at our wedding, so it was nice to hear them again on our honeymoon.
What were you disappointed or unhappy with about the resort? We don't have many complaints, but we do wish the "private plunge pool" had been more private. Some of the resort staff came in our fenced area unannounced at random times throughout each day. We put a "do not disturb" sign on the gate, and they removed it and entered anyway. We were also annoyed that the resort refuses to recommend outside vendors or services for no apparent reason. They warn you of "doing things at your own risk" etc. We went horseback riding and it was completely safe, fun, and reasonably priced. (If you're interested in horseback riding in Antigua, ask the guys on the beach for "Nick".) I don't know why Sandals refuses to recommend services that could add to their guests' experience. Our only other complaint is that the food wasn't always very good. If you learn which restaurants are good though, you can find good meals here and there. We weren't bothered by the noise level, but some people who prefer peace and quiet might be annoyed with the noise level late at night. Some of the activities go on pretty late and we could hear everything from our room.
If you could choose this resort again for your honeymoon, would you?
I wouldn't change a thing about our honeymoon! We had a blast. Sandals is very upscale and they don't forget a single detail. Anyone who chooses Sandals for a vacation or honeymoon will be completely spoiled and sad to leave! Just keep in mind that Sandals and the rest of the island outside of Sandals are like two different worlds. You can do like we did and explore the island at day and return to the resort at night. Or if you don't care about exploring the island, then you can find plenty of things to do at the resort.
I hope this may help you choose the perfect Sandals resort for you and your new hubby! ~ Mary Alice, Nashville Wedding Planner A Delightful Day
About the Author:
Ashley
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on May 27, 2009 |
Filed under: Destination Weds & Honeymoon
