One thing my husband and I try to do is take a kid free vacation yearly. We have willing grandparents (and excited kids who love the “vacation” that is your grandparents watching you) so when my husband’s birthday was approaching we decided to book a 5 night getaway to Sandals Grande in Antigua. A lot of you have been messaging me about our experience so I figured I would put my thoughts about our visit to Sandals Antigua in one place!

The Room

We booked a Rondoval with private plunge pool room. This one was pricey but it was a milestone birthday for my husband so I wanted to splurge! I am *so* glad we went for this room! While the room was small (a common complaint I read online) I found it totally fine for two people and the private patio with pool made it worth it! The bed was very comfortable, I loved the high ceiling and our patio area was very private. It was heavenly sitting out there for breakfast or for a post-dinner drink! It really felt like we were in our own little private hut.

Butler Service

I’ve never had a room with butler service so I was curious to see what it entailed! Our butlers were so friendly and willing to do whatever it took to ensure our vacation went off without a hitch. We were given a “butler phone” to get in touch with them whenever we needed. In the morning they would set up a spot for us at either the beach or pool- they would put out towels and a stocked cooler with whatever drinks we asked for. They took care of all dinner reservations and offered to walk us there if we wanted (we usually declined since we like wandering around the resort before dinner). Other things a butler can do include unpacking your luggage, making excursion reservations, decorating your room while you are out, bringing you lunch to the beach/pool, coordinating private dinners and much more!

The Pool

I *loved* the pool here! It is huge and though the resort was near capacity, it never felt crowded. It was clean, good music was playing and the swim up bar was awesome!

The Beach

To be honest, the beach was one thing I was nervous about leading up to our trip since all beaches in Antigua are public. Thank goodness any concern I had melted away once I was actually on the beach. This is hands down the most beautiful beach I have ever visited! The water is an unreal aqua color and the sand is so soft. Yes, there were vendors that approached you for excursions or jewelry but unlike other destinations I have visited, the vendors in Antigua are incredibly respectful and friendly. I would say “no thank you” and they would say “no problem- have a good day” and be on their way.

Activities

One thing that attracted me to Sandals was that water sports were included. We did kayaking one day which was really fun. They also had paddle boarding, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving available at the resort. We ventured out and did zip lining one day since my husband has been bugging me to do it every time we go somewhere! The course itself was awesome and it wasn’t as scary as I thought (though I did have a cocktail immediately upon returning to the resort)

Food

As with any all-inclusive some food is better than others and my husband and I often struggle finding our “food groove” since we love going out to eat at home! We loved the hibachi and sushi restaurant! We ended up having sushi a second day before dinner because we liked it so much (highly recommend the Philly roll). We also liked Eleanor’s and Mario’s. We LOVED the pub food at the Drunken Duck for a late night snack. I would advise skipping the tex-mex place- we love Mexican and the food was just nothing to write home about.

I always know I have had a great vacation when I cry the last day and I couldn’t stop tearing up as we packed up to go home. Sandals Antigua was absolutely gorgeous and set the stage for an amazing vacation where my husband and I were able to reconnect. I always fall in love with my husband all over again on these kid free vacations and this one was no different. From laying on the beach during the day to cuddling by a fire pit at night the vacation was perfect and I hope to return again some day.

You can learn more about the resort or book your own vacation there HERE ! You can also check out their current specials HERE

Book Your Sandals Resorts Vacation Now and Take Advantage of Their Current Promotions!

Now for some vacation picture spam!

View from our flight into Antigua!

Drinking a mimosa in our private plunge pool…amazing!

Lobby area looking over the beach

I loved how lush the grounds were!

Resort at sunset

Taking a walk at sunset