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The week between Christmas and New Year’s we usually spend at home, watching movies, going to New York City to see the Rockefeller Center tree, and visiting with friends and family. But since none of that was happening in 2020 (and we had spent plenty of time at home watching movies) we decided a family getaway was in order. We headed to the Caribbean island of Antigua, for six nights at the Royalton Antigua resort. Our trip was honestly so-so and we were very disappointed in many aspects of our stay. As with everything, I share the good, and the not-so-good regarding travel, so here is my review of the Royalton Antigua Resort & Spa.
As a full-service travel agent, I received a discounted rate to visit the Royalton Antigua. As always, all opinions are my own.
Royalton Antigua Review
Before I get into the details of our stay, both the good and the bad, I have to preface this review by stating the obvious – we traveled in December 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, I expected the resort to not be operating as normal. I expected certain amenities might not be available, or protocols in place to create social distancing etc. I understand properties need a little bit of a pass during these trying times, but I don’t think the pandemic is an excuse for the terrible service we had at the Royalton Antigua.
This also wasn’t the first all-inclusive resort I visited during the pandemic. In fact, it was my FIFTH! In October 2020, I visited Sandals Grande Antigua – which was amazing and one of the reasons I wanted to bring my family back to the island. In November 2020, I stayed at the El Dorado Royale by Karisma a few days after they were hit with their second hurricane, but the food and service was still top!
In early December, I went on a week-long FAM trip to Costa Rica, had did a site inspection at Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, which is owned by the same brand, Blue Diamond Resorts. The week before this Antigua trip, I traveled to Jamaica doing a split stay between Breathless Montego Bay (this was not a FAM trip, I paid, using an agent rate to stay here) and the beautiful Sandals Royal Caribbean. Both of those resorts also had great food and service even, amid the pandemic.
I’ve flown during the pandemic ten times, stayed in countless hotels during the coronavirus, went to Walt Disney World during its re-opening, and literally wrote THE ARTICLE about what it’s like to visit the Caribbean during Covid-19 – so I think I had realistic expectations!
As a full service travel agent, I have sold Royalton Punta Cana in the past to happy clients, and did a day pass last February to Royalton Blue Waters when we stopped in Falmouth, Jamaica on our seven night Disney Wonder cruise. We loved our day at that Royalton and for those reasons were eager to stay longer at their newest property in Antigua.
I do think the problems we encountered are unique to this resort, although going forward I will sell other Royalton’s with pause for sure. Keep reading to find out more about our recent stay at the Royalton Antigua.
Choosing an all-inclusive resort can be tough. Some are big, some are small, some are on the beach, some just near it. Some resorts have better food, more drink options, and more entertainment than others. Of course, there is your budget to consider as well!
For those reasons, it’s always best to consult with a travel professional to help find the perfect resort for you next vacation. And the best part? My services are free!
That’s right, you get full on, personalized, concierge vacation planning service, and it does not cost you a cent more! In fact, a package vacation with one of my preferred suppliers can often save you money on your trip!
PS If you are looking for a family-friendly all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, consider Hilton Rose Hall in Jamaica!
Is the Royalton Antigua Open?
The Royalton Antigua only opened in the Spring of 2019. It’s much anticipated opening was met with horrible reviews of poor service and the consensus that it really opened before it was ready.
Reviews from the Fall of 2019 and early 2020 suggested that the resort got its act together and was on its way to becoming a sought -after destination for families.
But then of course covid hit and the resort was closed from mid-March until November 29, 2020.
I was a little nervous booking into a resort that had only recently re-opened but I figured we would be arriving after the property was open for almost a whole month, and that the service would be back to its pre-covid standards.
Plus, the resort had 8 months to prepare for guests!
But unfortunately, that was not the case. I am speculating here – thinking that the overarching problem was that the first few weeks open, the resort was at a very low occupancy. In fact, the wedding photographer we talked to said on December 10, 2020 the occupancy was around 19%. We arrived on December 26, 2020 and the resort seemed to be almost full (we were told 80%).
My guess is that they went from so few guests to too many literally overnight with the Christmas holidays and were not adequately prepared for the number of people.
The majority of our problems at Royalton Antigua had to do with poor staff knowledge, which I guess is a result of poor training. And the crazy thing is, there were plenty of staff on property. But they did not seem to be focusing on the guests (more focused on cleaning the resort), were generally not knowledgeable, and many staff members could not answer simple questions.
There was also no follow through on finding out information, which drove my husband NUTS!
Royalton Antigua – Why I would Not Recommend This Resort
I do hate to “bash” a property, but as of this writing, I cannot recommend this resort to my readers and I certainly would NOT sell this resort to clients.
I am going to separate this review into two parts – the good, and the bad. And I’m gonna start with the worst first.
I hope over time, I can update this review. Maybe Royalton will invite us back to show they have their act together, or I WILL be stalking the Trip Advisor reviews to see if things pick up. Until that happens, I would avoid making reservations here – if you are booked for this resort, keep reading for some tips we realized to make our stay better.
Royalton Antigua Review – The Bad
So many disclaimers, but honestly, I feel like me and my family are such easy going travelers. On our vacations we like to relax, eat good food, drink, and have a clean place to sleep at night. In fact, sometimes I think that’s my downfall as a TA because I find the good in everything and can enjoy a Carnival Cruise as much as a night at the Four Seasons!
So, for us to consider leaving a trip early – yes on the second day we thought about just going home, you know it’s bad.
In the end, I am glad we stuck it out and the last three days were far better than the first three, I think because we lowered our expectations and kinda figured out how to best navigate the resort but in the end, I give this place a thumbs down.
I actually started to type out details of each “bad” but this article would be 100,000 words long so I am going to bullet point and summarize. Again, would one of these things make me not recommend the resort? No, but the combo of all of the poor service made for a disappointing vacation and could not overshadow the beautiful property that this is.
The worst thing was that we were four people given a triple occupancy room! This was the worst part of the experience for me. Both being crammed in to a room way too small for four guests, but also the lack of response we received when we broached the subject with management.
I booked a Diamond Club Swim Out Suite. We were given room 11-111, which had a total crap view, but also only a King bed and a single sofa pull out. We had to add a rollaway to accommodate the fourth person and it was just not a comfortable stay.
The housekeeper actually told us we were in a room for three guests. When my husband asked a manager, he was told “when the resort is full, we cannot guarantee there will enough beds in the room”
I am not sure what the hell kind of answer that is, or how to even respond to it. I just know I cannot recommend a resort where guests might get stuck in a room way too small for their travel party with the resolution being to stick a random cot to fix it.
Royalton will upcharge you ($65+) to choose your room in advance (like you do on a cruise) so maybe that is what you need to do?
The crap room, and even crappier response really turned us off from day one, and I really debated demanding to change because I had already unpacked when I was told by housekeeping we were in a triple and would need a rollaway. In the end I figured it was easier to stay in our room instead of wasting precious vacation time packing and unpacking again.
But here is a bullet list of some of the other issues and oddities we encountered at the Royalton Antigua:
- On day 2 it took two and a half hours to get my kids lunch. We waited an hour at Scores for only then have the server to tell us they were out of French fries. We tried to order from room service, waited a half an hour only to be told it would be another half an hour because they had to change the oil in the fryer! After all that time, we finally got the kids fries at the beach side restaurant.
- For five nights of dinner reservations, only ONE that we made at the Diamond Club was at the restaurant when we confirmed. After six nights on property, I am honestly still not 100% sure where you are SUPPOSED to make your dining reservations. Each day around 3/4PM, my husband would go to the ACTUAL restaurant and beg the manager to squeeze us in, which thankfully seemed to work. Whenever we went to Diamond Club, they never “had the book” or whatever reservation we were given, was not communicated to the actual restaurant.
- We did ask several staff members if the specialty restaurant was open and if we could make reservations, but no one knew if it was going to be open. Or how much it cost! It was so bizarre – just tell us its closed, no big deal!
- Upon arrival, I asked about what alcohol we could get stocked in our mini bar (my resort fact sheet from February 2020 specified Diamond Club rooms would have in-room alcohol). I called the Diamond Club and they did not know. Someone brought us some beers and two bottles of wine and said that we weren’t supposed to have alcohol but it was nice of them to offer. I later saw this on the resort website, I guess it was updated, but I just want staff to know the answer to the question!
- On day 3 we went to try the buffet for lunch. It was supposed to open at 12:30. It didn’t open until closer to 1 at which time there was a huge rush of hangry people. Since the buffet is not self-serve, they did not have the staff to both serve food and cook things to order. This was a problem at breakfast too – one guy making one omelet at a time, with no one manning the line to serve guests. In general, the buffet was understaffed and so unorganized.
- None of the restaurants have kids menus, which is a real negative for families.
- On the first day, upon arrival, baby girl laid down for a nap. We had gotten up early to fly to Antigua and she was tired. Hubby and little man went to get a late lunch at Scores. Hubby said his fish was terrible and it took over a half an hour despite it being 3pm and no other patrons there. Since I was in the room unpacking, hubby texted me the menu and went to order me some lunch to go – and they wouldn’t make me food to take back to the room and told us we had to order room service. Have you ever heard of such a thing at all-inclusive????
- Twice during our stay there were no towels available at the pool (including one morning at 930am)
- I wanted to do a jet ski tour, booked through the excursion desk by the beach. I was told to come back 3x so she could confirm the time. She finally took my what’s app number to text me the time to confirm the tour. I never heard from them, and never got to do the tour.
- Never saw information about activities going on or restaurant times
- At Caribbean Grill, we were told we could only order one appetizer and one entrée per person. To me, this goes against the point of vacationing at an all-inclusive! Plus, the portion sizes at this restaurant were embarrassingly small!
- Several times there were no Pina coladas at the pool bar. Twice (we frequent the bar a lot) the bartender did not know how to make strawberry daquiris, which was just odd.
- Hot tubs did not work and were dirty. Very unsightly and there did not seem to be any attempt to fix them.
- Most mornings the resort only had ONE type of cereal (corn flakes) and on the last two mornings also had Frosted Flakes. Every time I tried my kids’ cereal it was stale!
- Housekeeping never gave us more coffee (or cleaned the coffee pot I used on the first morning). I am also convinced that although there was a 4 cup pot in the room, the packet was a single serve dose. Its a small thing, but shows lack of attention to detail.
- No vegetarian lunch options by the pool, and I heard others complaining about this as well. I also would definitely not consider this resort if you have any food allergies or food preferences, since no one seemed willing to help with accommodations. I also would not trust with cross contamination. Everything I ordered for breakfast tasted like bacon.
- In general, the food at Royalton Antigua was mediocre at best. I had a few items that were literally inedible, and there is little variety across the restaurants – I actually heard someone at the pool joking about this. Every restaurant had fettuccine alfredo on the menu (including at the buffet) and it was gross.
- Every day we had to go to the Diamond Club to get more water and juice. It was unclear who was supposed to restock the mini bar, but we were thankful the Diamond Club was willing to help.
- On the second night, we were heading to dinner at Grazie Trattoria which is down by the beach. Unsure if there was a bar at the restaurant, we stopped at the Diamond Club lounge for a pre-dinner drink. We asked the staff if there was a bar down by Grazie and they told us there was a sports bar. We asked if they meant Scores (which is up by the lobby) and they assured us no, a different one. Needless to say, there is no sports bar by the beach.
And lastly, I think the biggest complaint I have about this resort and our experience here – no one at this resort went out of their way to make our vacation special. Honestly the staff seemed annoyed by the guests.
There were no fun bartenders, no engaging servers at the restaurants, no staff coming around the pool with water or specialty cocktails, fun things that are common place at other all-inclusive resorts I’ve been to.
At other ROYALTONS I’ve been to!
And sadly, there were a lot of grumbly guests and people complaining by the pool, in the Diamond Club, and at the restaurants.
No one was making it FUN, or trying to create that incredible vacation. It’s such a missed opportunity I hope they turn around because there were good things about this resort.
Looking for a family friendly all-inclusive, then check out the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta.
Royalton Antigua Review: The Good
Okay, so I am super glad we stuck it out because this resort is gorgeous and definitely has potential to be amazing once the staff can get trained up and maybe with some better food options. Here I am going to list the things I liked about the Royalton Antigua and why I will be looking forward to when reviews are up to par and I CAN recommend this resort.
- Beautiful beach. Quiet, calm, warm, Caribbean water. Located on Deep Bay, this beach was perfect for swimming! Also, it’s a protected cove, so very few peddlers, because all beaches in Antigua are technically public.
- Beautiful pool area with infinity pools, swim up bar, and Bali beds on a first come first service basis. Comfy pool chairs as well!
- I had an amazing massage on the beach. Definitely recommend doing this.
- I personally liked the size of the resort. Small enough to walk around but large enough to have what you need.
- Lifeguard on the beach (although not at the pool)
- Well-appointed room with lots of outlets, drawers and an amazing rain shower.
- Staff was constantly cleaning up around the pool
- Security presence on beach to keep public off the resort – we also felt safe letting our kids walk around (together) day and night
- My kids did love the little splash park – perfect for little ones as well
- I enjoyed the wine and drinks. The spirits selection is not as good as other resorts, but I really have no complaints about the drinks.
- I have heard that if you book an overwater bungalow, you will have an amazing stay.
Tips for Visiting the Royalton Antigua
Like I said, our last three days were definitely better than our first. We sort of figured out who to ask for what and I think we lowered our expectations around the service and food.
If you are booked for an upcoming trip to the Royalton Antigua, I would honestly look at seeing if you could change resorts. Depending on how you booked, you might have the flexibility to change – I would first inquire if this is possible.
If you cannot change your trip, and are headed to the Royalton Antigua, here are some tips to make your stay more manageable:
- Consider booking (or upgrading) a butler level room. We were Diamond Club, but no butler. I think the butler gives you a point person to help with dining reservations, special food requests, and gets you lunch by the pool.
- If you don’t do butler, Diamond Club is a MUST – you will have a much nicer, less crowded pool and beach section, you can get drinks at the Diamond Club Lounge (which we enjoyed) and at least try to find assistance there.
- We found it best to go to the restaurants around 3/4pm and confirm or make a dinner reservation. I would NOT show up at the restaurants without confirming with the venue that there is a reservation for you.
- Order room service for breakfast and call in your order. They can make you what you want. The wait at the buffet was long. Worth noting options for breakfast were only the buffet or room service, or you could get small pastries at the coffee shop.
- Don’t go to the buffet for lunch right when it opens. Go after 1pm, after the initial rush.
- The pastries at the Coffee shop were delicious – try the cheesecake for sure! We also loved the gelato here.
- Order a pre-dinner cheese plate from room service. The goat cheese was delicious.
So that’s it! The good and bad from our recent stay at the Royalton Antigua. I do hope this property can work out it service kinks and up the food offerings, because it really is a beautiful resort. Have you been to the Royalton Antigua? Leave me a comment as to your experience there and be sure to reach out if you need help planning your next family vacation!
Check out our Resort Tour:
Related posts:
Sandals Grande Antigua Review: Adults Only, All-Inclusive Resort
What it’s Like To Travel to the Caribbean from the US during COVID – Antigua Trip Report
Sandals Royal Caribbean Review: Adults Only, All-Inclusive in Montego Bay, Jamaica
The Ultimate Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados Review
This sounds like fun. We always love being by the water, so I bet my family would enjoy it here.
Ugh, I’m sorry about your stay. We’ve done a couple trips closer to home during this time and I agree that we expect amenities to be a little different. Most experiences have been great but there have definitely been times I’ve been disappointed by lack of empathy from staff!
Right we are patient and understand it wont be the same as pre pandemic, but this was beyond
Sounds like you want a refund or a free trip back, these reviews are ludacris, it’s normally rich people going to resorts thinking they should be treated like royalty. They have an info board, where you can check the timings of restaurants, shows etc, I went there in December and we had a lovely time. Staff were friendly and kind. I totally disagree with your review it is biased. Food wasn’t 100% but was worth it. With everything included in the package. If the restaurants have a wait time, you have to wait like everyone else. Remember your not the only person at the resort waiting to be served. Entertainment was good, the alcohol was also excellent, we enjoyed Bob Marleys and Martinis during the live shows. If you don’t like a place please don’t bash it with bad reviews, most of the things you’ve stated are ridiculous,just don’t review it. I’ve been to quite a few Royalton Resorts in the Carribean and in Mexico as well. They have been excellent.
I was there three years ago, so hopefully/maybe they have turned it around. Its a gorgeous property and if the service and food could come up to par, it would be a homerun. Glad you had a great experience.
I love a good honest review! Beautiful location but what a bummer it wasn’t exactly what you were hoping for.
I know – but they can improve service and it will be a great resort!
There is so much to take away from this, Sorry your trip wasn’t as planned and hope you made the most of it. I love when people give honest reviews makes planning a trip so much easier!
always honest here!
Must be lovely to get away from all this madness. Thanks for the heads up about booking a better room, I agree most times the basic package doesn’t get you all you’d like.
yeah usually at All Inclusive I recommend booking into the “preferred” of whatever the upgraded level is
This was such an honest review! I have been thinking about a Sandals trip in the future and whenever our family goes to the Caribbean, I will definitely reach out!
This is an excellent article! It is so refreshing to hear the good and the bad about a destination and to know that you would not recommend something to your friends or clients. Keep on keeping on! Thanks for the fun read!
yes, at this time, no bueno. but hopefully they will turn it around!
Yikes! I appreciate the honest review! I am actually booked to get married at the Royalton Antigua in November 2021 and this just concerned me. I hope they turn things around by then, but now I’m wondering if I should look into a different resort. As much money as we are spending to get married there, I really hope we don’t have as horrible of service as you and your family had. So sorry your experience wasn’t better. Thanks again for the honesty.
I agree – I would hope by November they will have their act together! Its a beautiful resort. Good luck with your wedding!
Hi Momma to go ,and thank you for your review.
We actually went to the same resort couple of weeks before you and our experience was even worse!
We reserved a Bungalow with Diamond club, and butler , and all bells and whistles that room was supposed to come. Unfortunately it was a complete disaster. No one, included a hotel manager knew what comes with our room: we had to fight for all our additional benefits including free transfer, bottle of brain name champagne, welcome gift etc. We had to show hotel website to the hotel manager to get her familiar!
We never saw our butler, we were hunting for food, since nothing was available, we was sharing our bananas with kids on a beach since they could not find any fruits anywhere. We were not as quiet as other guests, and we demanded a manager, but even she was not able to change anything. I have my phone full of her apologies and admitting, that that was unacceptable!
Later, after a month of us complaining to Royalton, Trip adviser ,and other social media, we got an offer to come back for free , but at the same offer they were telling us that service will not change.
I appreciate your review and glad you are concerned about your readers and your clients.
The worst is that somehow this resort was nominated by Booking .com! I’m appalled!
OMG that is terrible! And I was thinking while I was there, how can they justify the costs of the OWB which have access to the same poorly run resort. Uggg I don’t even know what to say. I kinda blocked out this trip and have not thought about it. I wonder how things are running now.
Horrible!!! Booked Match 2024 went in July. Girls trip of 5. Requested 2 beds and manager stated they did not have to honor our request and gave us 1 bed in each room. Mold in ceilings and around pool. Bathroom smells like sewage. Lights flickering on and off for multiple days. Had to take shower in dark. Pool water very murky as if no chlorine. Some of male staff very fresh. Nothing has changed and I will be getting my money back!!!
oh no!!!!! I had hoped recent reviews would be better. I hope you did find things that were enjoyable about your stay
Dear Momma To Go,
Thank you so much for your honest review of this Resort & Property. My Partner and I will be taking a group of about 50 people to the island in September 2021, and I’m hoping things will be much improved by the time we arrived.
I have not read recent reviews, but I hope so!
Thank you for this detailed review! Any suggestions for a fun all inclusive family resort in Antigua, Barbados or St Lucia? We have kids ages 12 and 14 plus some young adults and parents who are 80. Thank you!
Thanks kim for your comment! I sent you an email but definitely depends on your budget and what you like to do.
Hello!
In February we went to Jamaica and stay in Iberostar Montego Bay. This company has three different resorts all next to each other and all are great with kids or without. Resort was closed for over 8 months but management is doing everything possible to bring it back and everything is spectacular! We were staying in Iberostar Grand for adult only ,and service, food, drink, entertainment were outstanding.
We had an access to Iberostar next door, their restaurants and buffet was very good even with all Covid restrictions. All resorts are extremely clean and very vigilant about safety of their guest but without sacrificing quality of service or food.
If you will go there, check on Luminous lagoon boat trip. Kids will love it, but I’m sure adults will enjoy it as well. You can book this tour right from the water sport activity desk on a beach and go that night.( take lots of towels with you).
Especially after our fiasco with Royalton Antigua, that was a great place. Ocean and beach are great as well and not to far from the airport. However, if you consider farther trip from the airport beaches at Negril are better. We were staying at Royalton Negril last year and it was good, definitely better than Antigua, but Iberostar is much higher is quality and services all together.
Hope this will help.
so good to know! i am not as familiar with the Iberostar brand. Hope to get back to Negril soon!
Yikes!! I am so sorry you had such an awful time, I’m due to go there next week with my boyfriend for a week, we looked at 5* resorts on the island and Royalton and Hermitage Bay came up which is obviously a way more expensive holiday but we thought Royalton would be comparable to say Hard Rock in Cancun? The reviews have been so scary and now I’m really apprehensive.. I can’t believe a resort as beautiful as this is so poorly managed and they’ve had so long to get it together.. It’s also not cheap. What would you suggest we do?
Idk tough one – definitely ask for things. Seems like we had to really ride the staff to get things. If there is anyway to switch resorts, maybe consider that as well. It is a beautiful resort, just poorly run
It’s fascinating that you had such a horrible experience. We went as a couple the same week and had the complete opposite experience. The food was as good as or better comparable all-inclusive resorts in Barbados and Trinidad. As well, the staff was friendly and helpful. Drinks were strong, spa services were amazing, and the beach was perfect. We are used to unpredictable waits at all-inclusives compared to hotels because, well, you get what you pay for. We are heading back in 2022 with the kids and very excited.
I went there on the 5th – 19th August, had a crap time as we went for my hubby’s 50th birthday and my birthday we share the same day 🙄 no one there made it special even though I wrote it on the check in form outside scores bar, even told 3 members of higher staff and nothing no banners, balloons, I had an allergic reaction and went to St John’s medical centre where the hotel sent me only there for 7 hours and charged over $1000 plus 4% cos I paid by card noone including the butler asked how I was but wanted to know if we wanted a birthday cake for $25!
My list is endless for all the crap that went on never ever again I’m not a cash cow, this was our last holiday for a while as I’ve been made redundant last day 3rd Sept so I don’t feel like I’ve had any R&R to prepare myself for the job search overall bad experience I can only hope ppl read the reviews and change hotels
oh no! so 9 months later they still dont have their act together – so sorry to hear this!
No I paid £6800 for this trip, diamond club …. I literally don’t see the benefit of diamond club at this resort whatsoever I have been to Royalton St Lucia and that’s what I based my next holiday on … worlds apart I wished I read the reviews sooner, being from the UK I saw green list and off we went, I couple I met luckily they only had a week at that resort and then went to St James Club, I have posted my review on TripAdvisor ‘memorable for all the wrong reasons’, People say you get what you pay for I paid for diamond club and I couldn’t get a restaurant the first day there, nor a drink for that matter, didn’t have a butler until the next day when he introduced himself whilst we were having a meal in the Caribbean restaurant that made sure I booked 4 days worth of restaurants so I didn’t get told no, hubby threw a hissy fit saying he wanted to go to another hotel, free for all in the diamond club area the BBQ everyone went to that’s for diamond club, the pool and bar area and hot tub was completely overtaken and they also weren’t diamond club. People that claim they were management wrote stuff down apparently but nothing got done … LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMERS
Lawd! I came across this post on IG. I’m booked to go on Tuesday and this has me all kinds of worried. We are doing Diamond Club with butler service. I will come back here next week to update. Thank you for the tips. I have a love/hate relationship with all inclusive mainly do the food being hit or miss.
We stayed at the Marival Armony while it was still under construction and it was amazing. Ugh will
HOPEFULLY ITS OKAY!!!!!! I have not checked recent reviews – I do think the butler will help! Let us know how it is
Hope you can update us on your stay at the Royalton Antigua. I didn’t see this review until now……we booked it for June 2022.
Hi Keith – I stayed here in December 2020. I have shyed away from selling this resort. I am honestly not sure how recent reviews are.
We are thinking about booking a couple vacation at Royalton Antigua in February 2023 but, along with your review, I have read many negative reviews. I hear that it is beautiful. We also looked at Sandals in Antigua but the reviews for that called it “tired and dated”. Can you help us to decide? Thank you!
I will send you an email to get planning but – As for Sandals Grande Antigua- honestly I’ve been to six Sandals and its been my favorite. Always a favorite of guests I send there. I will say some of the rooms need a facelift in terms of furnishings. Those rooms have the dark wood, large furniture. But there are rooms that have been more recently renovated and are very modern. There are like 25 different room categories so I am sure we can find something great!
This is sad to see that someone running a review site makes this kind of review during a pandemic (sure some might say it was over….NO!!!) We stayed there in 2021 in June which is low time and despite the hangover of supply issues related to the Pandemic the service and food were still as expected. Not top notch but good!!! Waiting for restaurants is part of the process when not with Diamond Club at Royalton resorts and the same at every other resort that is popular. The service was good and the area was fantastic. Since then, we’ve stayed at 3 other Royalton resorts and going to another this March 2024 in Jamaica. Antigua was a great location and the Island was awesome!!!
Im glad you had a better experience. I traveled to four other all inclusives in the fall of 2020 and they were all fine despite supply chain issues and coming out of the pandemic. This was just bad and nothing to do with the c0vid. As a travel agent who sells all the resorts, I find Royaltons hit or miss. I have been to some of them in Jamaica and they were great.