insideKENT Magazine Issue 23 - February 2014 | Page 117
category come with a butler – more specifically,
three butlers! Extravagant? Perhaps. At odds
with our British reserve? A tad. But a pleasant
and welcome addition to our stay? Without a
doubt!
Butlers are there to enhance every aspect of your
holiday and in our case Kevin, Karen and Roxanne
did just that. They were on hand to take care of
every detail: unpacking our suitcases, confirming
dinner reservations, reserving pool beds or
beachside cabanas complete with a cool box of
your favourite drinks (these are memorised from
day one!) and organising spa treatments or
excursions. They can also arrange for you to
have food and drink anywhere on the resort.
Breakfast in bed? Check! Lunch by the pool?
Check! Dinner at eight at the best table in the
house? Check! And don't forget the candle-lit
scented bath before bed. Check!
What's more, all of these services can be
managed by the mobile ‘butler phone’ that's
provided for the duration of your stay, meaning
that you can contact your butler at any time
between 7am and 10pm.
Once settled and following the eight and a half
hour flight from London (made more bearable by
the comfort and service of Virgin Atlantic’s upperclass cabin), and a relaxing pre-flight breakfast
in Virgin’s trendy V-room at Gatwick. We were
happy to explore our surroundings and headed
for the familiar comfort of home: The Drunken
Duck British Pub for our late dinner.
Waking under the glorious Caribbean sunshine,
it was time to see what makes this resort so
popular. What is immediately obvious is that this
resort is made for couples – sun beds in pairs,
double hammocks, love seats by the beachside
fire pits and tables for two.
Why would honeymooners consider anywhere
else? But it's not just for honeymooners. Sandals
have pioneered their unique Wedding Moons™
where their wedding package is actually included
in the price of your holiday. Far from being a
wedding conveyor belt, intimate ceremonies are
offered in various locations on the resort and the
couples who we met that had married on site
clearly had had the wedding of their dreams all
taken care of by the Sandals coordinators.
The weekly beach BBQ took place at the end of
our first day, but this was no ordinary beach
party. Round tables set on the sand flats were
laid for groups of ten, seats were allocated
randomly after you were given a tempting glass
of ‘cool runnings’ a moorish cocktail which was
topped up time and time again that night. The
food was divine, kayaks usually used for beach
water sports were used as tables under the
platters of fresh salads, sides and breads. The
BBQ proffered huge juicy beef kebabs, plentiful
pork ribs, flavoursome jerk chicken and beautifully
charred fish, whilst other stations offered freshly
cooked Mexican chicken and shrimp to mix with
guacamole, salsa and tortillas. Once guests had
had their fill, mini desserts were available with
cheesecakes, profiteroles and tarts forming just
some of the tempting treats offered to the sound
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of steel drums and calypso music and sights of
traditional dancers and fire breathers. Food over,
the cocktails flowed whilst the beach disco beats
and soft sound of the crashing waves took the
party late into the night.
Exceptional Food and drink is at the heart of the
Sandals experience, and Sandals Grande Antigua
is home to not just a few, but 11 world-class
restaurants. The team of chefs cater for all tastes,
and in settings from barefoot beach casual to
white gloved grandeur. In an attempt to do the
resort's restaurants justice we aimed to eat in a
different restaurant every evening.
Most restaurants on the resort offer freestyle ‘eat
when you please’ dining, however Eleanor's the
Caribbean and Kimonos the Japanese restaurants
require reservations (effortlessly taken care of by
the butler team of course). Food is literally available
24hours across the resort.
The Mediterranean Village is home to Mario's
the Italian Trattoria which offers authentic Italian
dishes inspired by the Salerno region in a
traditional Italian setting. Appetisers are chosen
from a bounteous buffet whilst main courses
include pastas, risottos and grills. Mario's is also
home to the resort's most favourite food: the
Chocolate Lava Cake, an indulgent chocolate
fondant pudding that has guests coming back
for sneaky extra portions even when dining in
one of the other restaurants!