bielfeldt

I am trying to decided between the Sandals Royal Bahamian and the Sandals Antigua. Either one is in my travel budget, but I don't know which would be better. A big pro for the Royal Bahamian is the travel time from Chicago. There seems to be no good way to get to Antigua unless you spend the whole day on an airplane and/or sitting in an airport. I would love any input on either resort, or if you know of a good way to get to antigua. I hate getting to a resort at 9 or 10 at night, it seems like such a waste of a night at the resort. I plan on spending all or almost all of my time at the resort. I am looking for hot weather, relaxation, and great pools, food and beach. I am planning on going in October. Thanks in advance.

ejcrowe

bielfeldt, where are you flying from? When I visit Antigua, I'm on island by 1:30 pm and enjoying a late lunch at the hotel an hour later, but I fly from the east coast...

If you're going to spend most of your time at the resort, it probably doesn't matter which Sandals you choose. That said, if you intend to leave the resort at all to see the island, I think Antigua offers more scope. I'm not a Sandals fan, but the one in Antigua is gorgeously landscaped and on a beautiful, albeit busy, stretch of beach. With the ecent renovations I've read about, it probably looks better than ever.

bielfeldt

Thanks for your thoughts. I am flying from Chicago and there just seems no good way to get to Antigua. I know there is a 12:45pm flight from San Juan which would be great, but I can't find a flight that gets me to PR before 12:45pm. Ugh. I do not want a busy beach so maybe Antigua is not the best choice. It also seems that the SRB has more of a restaurant selection. Sandals told me they were adding restaurants to the Antigua property but I think it was another Italian, english pub and something else. SRB seems to have more upscal dinning...can anyone confirm or deny this?

ejcrowe

ugh--sorry to hear about your travels from Chicago. Does Air Jamaica still fly from Chicago with a stop in Montego Bay? Those connections might work better for you than AA's. My brother entertained both options when he flew from Chicago to my wedding in Antigua a few years ago...but I think he ended up on a flight on AA that put him in Antigua around 7:00.

Is Sandals Royal Bahamian the one with the private island offshore? Because otherwise, I would think that the beach there would be just as busy, if not busier, than the one on Antigua. Because overall it's a busier island than Antigua...

KVR

We went to Sandals Royal Bahamain in 2003 and really enjoyed it. However, it was VERY expensive. Of the many AI hotels we've stayed at, the Royal Bahamain food was very good. Their dining options are very good also. They also had the best service and friendlist staff of any AI we've been to.

Their beach is somewhat private. The way the hotel is set-up, you would have to go through the resort to get to the beach. It's not like people can just walk by on the beach like at other hotels. At least that was the case in 2003. Their beach area is somewhat small, but we went in a Septemer and the hotel wasn't crowded at all. For more privacy, they do have an off shore private Island.

We haven't been to Antigua, but have stayed at the Sandals Grande in St. Lucia. After that trip, we won't be staying at anymore Sandals resorts. We've picked those resorts because we are more pool people than beach people. Their prices are so over the top, we really didn't feel that we got our monies worth. Also, I've had the worst, most expensive spa treatments at both of those Sandals resorts.

Sandals Antigua has recently completed renovations by adding a new block of rooms, an infinity pool and a couple more resturants. The best time to go to a Sandals resort is between Sept and the first part of Nov, to get their 40% off sales price. My TA told me the other day that Sandals has pulled their hotels from booking agents such as Fun Jet and Apple. You'll have to book off their web-site directly or through a TA to book with them directly.

I have pictures of the Royal Bahamain on our picture site if interested:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

kfusto

I have been to both and prefer Antigua for many reasons.

The resort is lushly landscaped and the buildings done on a smaller scale than SRB. I found SRB to be too large hotel like and not at all as personal.

Antigua itself is a much nicer island with spectacular beaches, water and people. Nassaus is charmless and overrun with cruiseships daily. Although you say you plan to spend most of your time at the hotel, I would hope you explore a bit and not be resort bound. However, if that is your choice, than SA is a much nicer, more romantic place to be.

bielfeldt

Thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate it. C and K, thanks for the link to your pictures. It seems like for every person who likes a resort there is someone else that does not like it.