PART 2 of 3
THE GOOD
There are a lot of good points so this section will be long.
The food was fantastic. There is more variety than Antigua. Barbados had more choices but this was a close second. My favourites were Butches and the Le Jardinier. My son's favourite was the Tipsy Turtle and Cucina Romana. We both liked Neptunes and the Pizza place (for lunch) as well as some Spices buffets. I enjoyed Spices for breakfast. We also enjoyed the Cafe Paris for ice cream and/or cookies.
We liked all the ones we went to except a few listed below. We did not do Neptunes or Spices for dinner so those are not included one way or the other. We did not like our dinner at Kiminos. The food was ok but I think our impression was from our chef. Of the 3 there, he was the least entertaining. I think they had mercy on us with the chopsticks because forks appeared about 1/3 of the way in by our sides which made it easier. We were also underwhelmed by the hot dog cart. It’s hours are theoretically every day from 11AM – 2PM but we only ever saw him there once (once we found out where to look – by Neptunes if you are interested).
The resort was very clean, very beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous. It is also the closest of any of the resorts I have been to the airport. It took 8 minutes to get to the resort and I think it would have been 4 if not for the speed bumps. The resort itself is right beside the runway. Antigua and Barbados were each about 15 minutes away and they seemed like an eternity in comparison.
We did a boat ride which was great. It took a lot of days to get it going because December is not the best season for water stability. We had red flags every day of our visit except for our departure day (figures). This does not apply to the enclosed swimming areas. They are enclosed by rock walls and only open for about 10 feet on the ocean side. The water was warm as was the air. Walking in or out of the water could be done with no shock and not even need the use of a towel. When you do go in the water you are almost immediately surrounded by little fish. I discovered the reason a couple days in. Apparently, they get fed pretty regularly by guests so they expect every guest to be source of food.
As I mentioned, the waters were rough. They were as rough as Barbados even though we were on the Caribbean side. I am told this is due to the season. December to March has rougher waters than the rest of the year. Again, I have no evidence of this just what the Sandals boat guy told me.
The staff was very friendly. Everybody saying hello and helpful if you were looking for something. I was able to visit the gym once and it had a nice treadmill. The building was not particularly air conditioned so I only went the once. Really worked up a sweat.
We did the Returning Guest Dinner. The way Grenada does it they have everybody group by the stage and then they do their presentations. These are same at every dinner. They give the new pin or gift for a level change and honour the guests with the insane number of visits. They also do their pitch for the Sandals Foundation. After the presentation, the General Manager came down and shook my hand and my son’s hand. Aside from those that were on the stage, we were the only ones. He said something but I was kind of shocked so I don’t recollect what it was. The only thing I can think of is that they actually put a note on the account about the circumstances with my wife. If that is the case, it was a very nice gesture.
This is the first trip I had in the lowest Sandals Class. I did not find myself wanting. The bars were plentiful and the service friendly (aside from some points below). I certainly loved having the Butlers at Antigua (2022), Royal Plantation (2018) and Royal Barbados (2019) and the concierge at Barbados (2017) but it was not a deal breaker by any means. I was able to finally train the drink guy to bring us the appropriate numbers of cokes and juices. The maids did a fine job and the front desk and their new loop service was available when needed.
There were plenty of bars and Strawberry Daquaries for me and Mango Daquaries (or cokes) were readily available when ever needed as were bottles of water.
I didn’t really spend much time at the pool. By the ocean they have a quiet pool. It is a pool and hot tub surrounded by loungers with no external music or activities. On the other side of the resort is the party pool. It is a pool and hot tub with a DJ and pool side bar and water volleyball court. We spent some time on the non-pool side of the bar waiting for the pizzas to cook for lunch. People seemed to be enjoying themselves as was I when they played some tunes that I recognized which was not always but seemed well mixed. Most of the music seemed well received by those there so it was obviously a good choice.
THE GOOD
There are a lot of good points so this section will be long.
The food was fantastic. There is more variety than Antigua. Barbados had more choices but this was a close second. My favourites were Butches and the Le Jardinier. My son's favourite was the Tipsy Turtle and Cucina Romana. We both liked Neptunes and the Pizza place (for lunch) as well as some Spices buffets. I enjoyed Spices for breakfast. We also enjoyed the Cafe Paris for ice cream and/or cookies.
We liked all the ones we went to except a few listed below. We did not do Neptunes or Spices for dinner so those are not included one way or the other. We did not like our dinner at Kiminos. The food was ok but I think our impression was from our chef. Of the 3 there, he was the least entertaining. I think they had mercy on us with the chopsticks because forks appeared about 1/3 of the way in by our sides which made it easier. We were also underwhelmed by the hot dog cart. It’s hours are theoretically every day from 11AM – 2PM but we only ever saw him there once (once we found out where to look – by Neptunes if you are interested).
The resort was very clean, very beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous. It is also the closest of any of the resorts I have been to the airport. It took 8 minutes to get to the resort and I think it would have been 4 if not for the speed bumps. The resort itself is right beside the runway. Antigua and Barbados were each about 15 minutes away and they seemed like an eternity in comparison.
We did a boat ride which was great. It took a lot of days to get it going because December is not the best season for water stability. We had red flags every day of our visit except for our departure day (figures). This does not apply to the enclosed swimming areas. They are enclosed by rock walls and only open for about 10 feet on the ocean side. The water was warm as was the air. Walking in or out of the water could be done with no shock and not even need the use of a towel. When you do go in the water you are almost immediately surrounded by little fish. I discovered the reason a couple days in. Apparently, they get fed pretty regularly by guests so they expect every guest to be source of food.
As I mentioned, the waters were rough. They were as rough as Barbados even though we were on the Caribbean side. I am told this is due to the season. December to March has rougher waters than the rest of the year. Again, I have no evidence of this just what the Sandals boat guy told me.
The staff was very friendly. Everybody saying hello and helpful if you were looking for something. I was able to visit the gym once and it had a nice treadmill. The building was not particularly air conditioned so I only went the once. Really worked up a sweat.
We did the Returning Guest Dinner. The way Grenada does it they have everybody group by the stage and then they do their presentations. These are same at every dinner. They give the new pin or gift for a level change and honour the guests with the insane number of visits. They also do their pitch for the Sandals Foundation. After the presentation, the General Manager came down and shook my hand and my son’s hand. Aside from those that were on the stage, we were the only ones. He said something but I was kind of shocked so I don’t recollect what it was. The only thing I can think of is that they actually put a note on the account about the circumstances with my wife. If that is the case, it was a very nice gesture.
This is the first trip I had in the lowest Sandals Class. I did not find myself wanting. The bars were plentiful and the service friendly (aside from some points below). I certainly loved having the Butlers at Antigua (2022), Royal Plantation (2018) and Royal Barbados (2019) and the concierge at Barbados (2017) but it was not a deal breaker by any means. I was able to finally train the drink guy to bring us the appropriate numbers of cokes and juices. The maids did a fine job and the front desk and their new loop service was available when needed.
There were plenty of bars and Strawberry Daquaries for me and Mango Daquaries (or cokes) were readily available when ever needed as were bottles of water.
I didn’t really spend much time at the pool. By the ocean they have a quiet pool. It is a pool and hot tub surrounded by loungers with no external music or activities. On the other side of the resort is the party pool. It is a pool and hot tub with a DJ and pool side bar and water volleyball court. We spent some time on the non-pool side of the bar waiting for the pizzas to cook for lunch. People seemed to be enjoying themselves as was I when they played some tunes that I recognized which was not always but seemed well mixed. Most of the music seemed well received by those there so it was obviously a good choice.
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