Antigua - A Trip Report
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crystalloubear · 01-13-2005, 09:54 PM

Who: DH (37) and me (31)
Where: Sandals Antigua Caribbean Village and Spa
When: Dec 26, 2004 - Jan 2, 2005
Occasion: Celebrating our 5th anniversary (which isn't actually until April 22)

Day 1 - I wake up at 7:45 am to the phone ringing. I answer it. There is an automated message from USAir - "We have a very important message for you. Please Press 1 to continue." So I press 1. "You flight number 397 leaving from Allentown, PA at 11:30 am today to Philadelphia, PA has been cancelled. Press 1 for more options." So I press 1. "Please press 1 to repeat or 2 to disconnect." WHat the heck kind of options are they?? You just told me that my flight was cancelled!! I try to call USAir which is impossible - I get put on hold and then get this message "We are experiencing higher than usual call volume. Please call back later." and it disconnects!! So, my wonderful travel agent had given me her home phone number and I call her. She takes care of reconfirming our flights and says "You better get to Philly ASAP" Luckily, the Philly airport is only an hour and a half drive and the flight is scheduled for 1 pm. Plenty of time.
We get ready and jump in the car to drive to Philly. As we pass the Springfield exit of the Blue route - my husband and I wave in honor of a "famous" passporter!! It 10:30 am when we arrive at Philly airport and the place is crazy!! What a disaster!! People are just waiting everywhere. We are finally directed to the right line to stand in and we stand and stand and stand. 2 1/2 hours go by and we are still in line to check-in - it is time for the plane to be leaving. Reps of the airway keep coming around and telling us that we won't miss our flights that everything is ok. Finally, our turn to check in and the agent says "The plane is at the gate and the passengers are loaded - they are just waiting on the luggage to be loaded. You're gonna need to run with your luggage to the plane if you want to make it." Well, I never moved so fast in my life. We ran all that way, the agent at the gate checks my luggage, we get on the plane - don't even get seats together and proceed to sit there for 1 1/2 hours until the luggage is loaded. Well, its gotta get better from here.
So we land in San Juan and they announce that they are holding the flight for Antigua for about 6 of us on the plane. As I get off the plane, I find an agent and make a big stink about getting my luggage that they gate checked - it wasn't even marked to go to Antigua. Luckily, the woman went and found it herself and had it brought to our plane. We would be the only ones that transfered that got our luggage. Luckily, i opened my mouth.
Finally, we land in ANtigua. It is 9 pm by their time. the warm air hits my face and I feel so much better. We have no problems getting to the resort. They sent someone to fetch us and we are on our way. It is too dark to really see anything. We get to the resort and are welcomed with champagne and cool hand towels to wipe our faces. Lovely, let the spoiling begin.
We are quickly shown to our room and we are in a beach front rondeval cottage. It is a round room with a king size bed. Kind of hard to describe. We walk back down to the late nite grill, have a burger and cocktail and call it a night. I lay in bed and pray to god that coming home is not that bad.

Next - Day 2: I think I have died and gone to heaven.

crystalloubear · 01-13-2005, 10:10 PM

Day 2 - I think I have died and gone to heaven

I slept soundly - the ocean right outside lulling me to sleep. We don't even get out of bed until 9 am. I get dressed to go to breakfast and fling open the door.

and this is what I see.
I look to the left

I look straight out

I look to the right

I think I have died and gone to heaven!!!!!
This is our room

We spend the day laying on the beach and by the pool. Occasionally, jumping in the pool to cool off or visit the pool bar. The grounds of the resort are absolutely gorgeous. Everything is well kept. On the grounds, there are 5 restaurants, 4 bars, 5 pools, 3 whirlpools, tennis courts, all kinds of watersport activities, 3 pool tables and countless other things to keep you busy. This is a couples only resort - I want to save my energy for things more exciting than watersports.

That night there was a big BBQ on the beach. The resort is an all-inclusive so its all you can eat and drink all the time. We went to the BBQ and made pigs of ourselves. We decided to call it a night around 9 pm. It had been a long day. All that rest and relaxation is tiring - besides all the rum doesn't help things either!!

Next Day 3 and 4: Too much of a good thing......

Tara O'Hara · 01-13-2005, 10:16 PM

Wow, Crystal, what a beautiful place!!

I would've thought I had died and gone to heaven as well!!

I'm so glad you are doing a trip report!!

If I had known you were flying by,I would have stood out on the road with a sign or something!

Can't wait to hear more!

crystalloubear · 01-13-2005, 10:28 PM

Days 3 and 4 - Too much of a good thing......

IS A GOOD THING!!!!!! Man this place is gorgeous!!

These are pictures of the resort from the ocean. The one below is the main area of the resort where most of the excitement was at night.

Days 3 and 4 consited of a lot of

general laziness and some activity

Day 3 - we had a pretty neat dinner at Kimonos - their version of Teppanyaki. The chef, George was a real character. He made the meal a lot of fun. Since it was a group setting, we got to met some nice people. Most notibly Jay and Sandra who we got along with well and hung out with them a few evenings. After dinner, there was a reggae band playing in the courtyard area. So we danced and drank and had some fun.
Day 4 - We had a special dinner this night. Since we had vacationed at Sandal's before, we were invited to a special cocktail party and dinner for repeat guests. It was a lot of fun. We met Alan and Ann, a couple from England. They had been together for 27 years and were getting married on New Years eve. WOW!! We had a lot of fun with them. Jay and Sandra also sat with us at the party. After dinner, we all adjourned to the courtyard for some dancing and drinking. Tonite, the band was more of a dance band, but the music still had an island feel to it.

Day 5: A day tour of the island

maryjane · 01-14-2005, 06:59 AM

Chrystal
What an absolutely beautiful place!I want to go !
MaryJane

Tara O'Hara · 01-14-2005, 07:00 AM

Again, Crystal, what a beautiful place Antigua looks to be!!

Great photos!!

**LizardCop** · 01-14-2005, 07:22 AM

Wonderful trip report Crystal and GREAT pictures!!!

**LizardCop** · 01-14-2005, 07:22 AM

Wonderful trip report Crystal and GREAT pictures!!!

GoofyMom · 01-14-2005, 09:04 AM

Well, I think that the time in Antigua is more than making up for that terrible travel day! Hurry with Day 5 please!

PhillyPooh · 01-14-2005, 10:13 AM

Wow the resort looks incredible. My hubby and I honeymooned at Sandals in Jamaica in June 2000 and absolutely loved it. Antigua looks so beautiful. Sorry about all the BS at the Philly airport. It was a complete disaster there for a few days. Looking forward to more.

Bert & Sully · 01-14-2005, 01:39 PM

Take me away Crystal. So glad you started this trip report. Pictures are great. How was the food? Is it all buffet style or a bit of both? Did you do any excursions off of the property?

More please.

crystalloubear · 01-14-2005, 01:55 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How was the food? Is it all buffet style or a bit of both? Did you do any excursions off of the property?

[/ QUOTE ]
The food was pretty good - not the best I have ever eaten but pretty good. For breakfast, the Bayside Restaurant was the only option (unless you had a suite like us and had room service also). The Bayside was buffet at all meals. For breakfast, there was all kinds of buffet items and a made to order egg station. Lunch at the bayside was buffet as well with a pasta station and a sandwich station. The other choice for lunch was the grill. The grill was open from 11 am until 5 pm and then again from 11pm until 5 am. So you could get stuff like burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and french fries pretty much any time. Dinner at the Bayside was also buffet although we never made it for the regular buffet there at dinner. We had dinner here for our repeaters party but it was served at the table. We had lobster thermador and beef tenderloin. YUMMY!!
The other restaurants were only opne for dinner. They were
Kimonos- a Tepanyaki restaurant - pretty typical of any of these.
Il Palio - an Italian restaurant with a open kitchen
OK COral - Southwestern food such as fajitaas, steaks and ribs
The 3 special restaurants required reservations that could be made 1 day in advance. ALl restaurants had a dress code - men had to have shirts with collars and long pants.

We did do 2 excursions off property - I just didn't get to them yet!!

Bert & Sully · 01-14-2005, 03:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
The grill was open from 11 am until 5 pm and then again from 11pm until 5 am.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow are all Sandals like that? Our resort in Negril doesn't keep quite as late hours.

So unless you specifically went to Bayside dinner was a sit-down affair?

[ QUOTE ]
We did do 2 excursions off property - I just didn't get to them yet!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok I'll try to wait patiently. Just got all excited to hear you had started your report.