Tell me about Antigua. Looking for next year for 10 year anniversary trip. Want to relax, have quiet time and still socialize at hotel bar. Snorkel, etc.

garrettc16 said:

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Just got back on Sunday from our Honeymoon at Sandals Grande Antigua.

We really enjoyed it. Did the Butler Suite, and with that, I think you can get exactly what you described. Really nice, quiet accommodations and plenty of options in the evening if you're looking for a quiet beachside, quiet bar setting, or a more lively bar setting.


We did the Wadadli Catamarans 360Degree tour of Antigua and it was a BLAST! Get some snorkeling, some private beach time, plenty of time out on the waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and a really good lunch and all the rum punch (and other drinks) you want.

I would definitely recommend it.

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I am so glad ya'lll had an amazing time!!

Maroon - You will have to get a negative COVID test prior to your trip. As of now, you bring your results with you (unlike the massive cluster Jamaica has caused by requiring people to upload them and then not approving them prior to the trip start date).

This is for next summer or next Fall but noted for others that may see this for this year.

We did Sandals Grande St Lucia for our honeymoon so I'm sure the Antigua one is very similar. Glad you had a good time and Congrats. I'm also looking at CocoBay which appears more quiet and private.

The benefit about Antigua is it is much closer to the airport than St. Lucia.

I've quoted Cocobay but never had anyone stay. I think it's supposed to be decent but probably not Sandals nice.

Very true, however the flight prices to Antigua are insane from IAH. May have to look elsewhere.

When are you looking? I am seeing low $700's in June on AA from Houston. I rarely see it go below $700, sometimes up to $1k for Antigua.

It may be too far out for planning flights?

It's been many years, but we've been to the Antigua Sandals twice. It's a beautiful (and huge) property. The site has 2 different 'sides' - Caribbean and Mediterranean. Each have a different feel to them. We've stayed in both.

The Caribbean is the original part, and has a more lush feel, while the Mediterranean is certainly more luxurious, if not a little stale. You won't go wrong with either one. The beach is expansive.

We did a snorkling/high speed boat around the island one year, the next time we also hired a cab to take us on a tour of the island sites - well worth it. A few hours, paid around $250, maybe?

And yes, the 20 minute trip from ANU to the resort is nice and short!

Edit to add: we also did our honeymoon at the St. Lucia Sandals Grande (2007). We've been island hopping ever since.

You'll have a blast!

Wife and I are going ti Cocobay in early April for our 10 year anniversary. If you haven't decided by then i can give you a review but that may be too late for what you are thinking.

Only been via cruise, but the beach was gorgeous.

Most likely next August or October. I just enjoy looking at vacation spots especially during this crazy year...why it's so far out. But was just seeing what it cost in April and saw the +700 price tag for the shortest duration flight.

Would still love to see your review of CocoBay. We've been to St Lucia, Mexico too many times, St John, Turks, and Costa Rica so just looking for somewhere new to add!

We did our honeymoon at CoCo Bay. Granted it was 7 years ago but it was great. We loved it and having been trying to get back ever since.

Very relaxing and quiet property. The food was pretty damn good especially for an all inclusive. Highly recommend

Just set a reminder in my calendar to come back to this thread in mid April 2021.

My wife and I absolutely loved Antigua. We went on our honeymoon to Cocobay Resort in 2017. We were in one of the Chattel Houses and would 100% recommend. Great food/drink and very relaxing. Met some fun people at the pool bars and did the snorkel/lobster cruise.

Love Cocobay in Antigua! Have had many clients go there and while it's not on Sandals level it will fit the bill for a great all-inclusive, adults-onlly resort.

Can't wait to hear about more trips to Antigua from everyone now!

We went to CocoBay for our honeymoon in 2017 and absolutely loved it. Highly Recommend renting a Jeep wrangler one day and just exploring the island. We ended up at Half moon bay with literally 2 other couples. The little hut at the beach had fresh, caught that morning, lobster That to this day is maybe one of the best things I've ever eaten. Man, just thinking about that trip makes me want to go back.

The only thing I will say to the negative...Antique has some of the most insane mosquitos I've ever experienced. Regular off just didn't cut it, Luckily we brought 4 bottles of repellent lotion and lathered it on every single day.

Rosewood recently announced they are developing a resort on Half Moon Bay. It was our favorite beach when we visited Antigua. We are a little concerned it will wreck the serenity.

Rosewood Half Moon Bay

My wife and I spent our honeymoon at Hermitage Bay in Antigua back in 2011. I would highly recommend if you want something more secluded.

I looked there, but not willing to spend close to $1k a night.

I hear you. I'm afraid that might have been a once in a lifetime trip for us.

I hear ya, we did Jade Mountain for part of our St Lucian honeymoon and not sure we'll do it again!

Hopefully this notifies you as we just got back from 7 days at Cocobay and wanted to do a write up while still fresh in my mind.

Getting into/out of Antigua - To get in you needed a test within 7 days of travel getting out it needed to be within 3. It took about 30-45 minutes to get through the health screening and customs but didn't have any issues. Cocobay had someone come onsite for the test (I think it is $40 per person) but we got our fee waived due to our booking. No issues on getting out.

Resort Room - Situated on a hill and every room has great views. We opted for the high end suite and loved it. It was located right under the bar but we never had issues with noise since this place isn't really a party environment. Only noise issue was the birds waking me up at 7AM. Views from the room were absolutely amazing.

Food - As someone else posted, the meal time food was great and really interesting. Breakfast is anytime but they take reservations for Lunch and Dinner. There are paninis/"bar bites" for afternoon snacks but they aren't all that great.

Beach - Antigua actually shut down the beaches the first two days we were there to prevent "super spreader" events do to Easter but we still managed with the Cocobay pools. Cocobay has direct access to Little Ffyres which was our least favorite beach on the island. While it still blows anything in Texas out of the water its sand was mostly crushed shells. The shells were fine enough that it didn't hurt your feet but it wasn't really sand. You can also do a short walk to Ffyres beach which was mostly deserted and absolutely beautiful with sand.

Other - It might have been due to the time of year but we didn't have too many issues with bugs (I got one bite, wife had about 5) but we were also putting on spray before going to the beach and before dinner.

Overall - we would love to go back there. Everything about the resort was what we wanted and would book again if I could!

Obligatory Pics:

View that greets you from the welcome desk:


View of some of the rooms at the resort (right half):


Resort Beach:




Views from the Room: