Luxury Travel Advisor - November 2007 - (Page 36) LUXURY ALL-INCLUSIVES All-inclusive Antigua We’re back from the grand opening of the Mediterranean Village at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa (www. sandals.com), where we got a good glimpse of the $70 million expansion to the resort’s existing Caribbean Village. Here’s the lowdown on what we experienced. We stayed in Suite 4501 (the Mediterranean Village is all suites, but this actually falls into the Mediterranean Penthouse One-bedroom Oceanview Suite category). We had two butlers, Maureen and Clifford, who took care of dry cleaning, pressing, late check-out and every other request we had; they even offered to pack and unpack our bags. The suite is extremely spacious with an expansive living room and a separate butler’s pantry. This room was extremely well thought out; it has a sink with a mini-bar whose offerings are all complimentary (these amenities supplement the fullsize bottles of liquor provided in the bar in the living room). The pantry also has a closet for the ironing board. All told, it is a great addition to the room layout, as it keeps the more functional facilities out of sight. The suite’s bathroom has hisand-her sinks on opposite sides of the room, a design that provides a true sense of space. The balcony is large enough to hold several chaise lounges, as well as a table and chairs; we liked that it was accessible from both the large bedroom and living room. We also viewed Suite 7712, which was quite similar and of equal appeal. The top accommodations at the resort are groundlevel One-bedroom Villas, which have their own plunge pools and Jacuzzis. While we thought these were very special, we preferred our Penthouse Suite because of the views it afforded of the Caribbean, and the entire resort for that matter. The Mediterranean Village is an elegant retreat; we suspect that aside from attracting loyal Sandals fans, it will also draw the affluent, hip Gen Y crowd, who will want to “see and be seen” at the huge freshwater pool with swim-up bars and luxurious cabanas, which are equipped with Wi-Fi. At the same time, we love the fact that the quaint Caribbean Village was just steps away. This 30-year-old property, which Sandals has upgraded continuously over the years, is old-style Caribbean, with smaller buildings housing the guest rooms. It’s cozy and charming, and it’s fun to float around one of its intimately sized pools with a rum punch in your hand while gazing up at the new Mediterranean Village in the distance. We also visited the new Red Lane Spa, which is set in the Caribbean Village. The facility is ultra-modern and luxurious; be sure to ask for Efay if you’re requesting the Bliss Massage. Contact Jennifer Ross, manager, retail partnerships, Unique Vacations (305-284-1300). Ruthanne Terrero MEDITERRANEAN PENTHOUSE One-bed- room Oceanview Suites overlook Dickinson Bay from the sixth and seventh floors. 36 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | November 2007 http://www.sandals.com http://www.sandals.com
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