HONEYMOON HELP...

My fiancée and I had our honeymoon booked through US Airways Vacations
to stay at the Sandals Antigua from June 13 - June 20. Unfortunately,
due to several severe airline schedule changes... our arrival and
departure flights changed so much that we would have lost 2 days at
the resort. US Airways did not have any options for us and they were
less than accommodating… they were horrible to deal with!! Although we
enjoy Sandals resorts and the island of Antigua... we were very
disappointed to have to cancel our honeymoon there. We did look at all
other Sandals resorts... but because of the short time table... less
than 1 month... most resorts or airlines were booked. My travel agent
found information on the Almond Beach Village resort and Barbados in
her travel guide... neither my agent or I have every heard of it or
have any details on the resort. We have never been to Barbados, so
thought it may be worth looking at. The flights to the island looked
good and we did some research on the resort. Everything looks pretty
nice... but I'm very concerned because we have read some bad reviews
on a few Internet boards. Since this will be our first time there...
could you please tell us about the resort, food, beach, maybe include
a resort property map, and some information about the weather and
Barbados. Our flight arrives at the airport 2:30pm on June 13... does
the resort offer a shuttle service to the hotel and back to the
airport? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. So
far... our honeymoon experience has been horrible!! We look forward to
your response and any assistance!!!

Michael,

I have been living in Barbados for the last year and although
I haven't stayed at Almond Village, I did walk through when looking for
a place to stay when my boyfriend visited. It is okay but if you
haven't booked yet, there are some better options.

We ended up staying
at The Crane www.thecrane.com. It is beautiful! It is on
the east coast of the island which has cliffs and a very strong surf.
We had a 1 bedroom suite with a private plunge pool. If you stay there
get a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor because the pool is much more
private. The one downside is that it is out of the way and you will
need to take a cab ride to get to any nightlife.

You can also check
out www.eleganthotels.com. We've had several team members
stay at Turtle Beach, Colony Club and Tamarind Cove. Their favorite
seemed to be Colony Cove but I think all are superior to Almond Village.
Turtle Beach may be the only all-inclusive and it is close to St.
Lawrence Gap which is an area with restaurants and nightlife. It is on
the south coast which is the place with the most nightlife. The others,
along with Almond Village, are on the west coast which has nice beaches
without a strong surf and a lot of nice restaurants right on the water.


Have dinner at Josef's in St. Lawrence Gap at least one night while
you are there. It is right on the water and very romantic.
Pisces is
also very nice.

If cost isn't an issue, Sandy Lane is the best resort
on the island www.sandylane.com. Very nice but very pricey.


So, if you haven't booked yet, you might want to check the other
places out. If you have already booked, don't be distraught. Almond
Village isn't terrible. I just think there are some nicer places on the
island.

Wherever you stay, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Trina


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

This fellow's interested in Barbados, and that's your turf...

"Michael" wrote in message
om...
My fiancée and I had our honeymoon booked through US Airways Vacations
to stay at the Sandals Antigua from June 13 - June 20. Unfortunately,
due to several severe airline schedule changes... our arrival and
departure flights changed so much that we would have lost 2 days at
the resort. US Airways did not have any options for us and they were
less than accommodating. they were horrible to deal with!! Although we
enjoy Sandals resorts and the island of Antigua... we were very
disappointed to have to cancel our honeymoon there. We did look at all
other Sandals resorts... but because of the short time table... less
than 1 month... most resorts or airlines were booked. My travel agent
found information on the Almond Beach Village resort and Barbados in
her travel guide... neither my agent or I have every heard of it or
have any details on the resort. We have never been to Barbados, so
thought it may be worth looking at. The flights to the island looked
good and we did some research on the resort. Everything looks pretty
nice... but I'm very concerned because we have read some bad reviews
on a few Internet boards. Since this will be our first time there...
could you please tell us about the resort, food, beach, maybe include
a resort property map, and some information about the weather and
Barbados. Our flight arrives at the airport 2:30pm on June 13... does
the resort offer a shuttle service to the hotel and back to the
airport? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. So
far... our honeymoon experience has been horrible!! We look forward to
your response and any assistance!!!

I just noticed that you asked about the weather in Barbados. Lately it
has been very rainy! But, maybe all the rain will be in May so June
will be wonderful! Anyway, the weather here is typical for any island
in the Caribbean - hot and humid. When it rains it is usually just a
quick shower and it is soon sunny again.

I'm not sure if Almond Village
has a shuttle service but cabs are easy to get at the airport. A ride
to Almond Village should cost about $25 US. They may try to load you up
with others in a van though and make stops at other hotels. I don't
know if that will give you a break on the cost so I would just tell them
that you want a taxi on your own. If you stay at Sandy Lane, no problem
with transportation to the hotel - I saw a couple being picked up at the
airport in a Rolls Royce!

By the way, if you choose The Crane, you can
save some money by taking a trip to the supermarket since you will have
a full kitchen. Also, everything at the Crane is just as nice as it
looks in the pictures. The furnishings are beautiful and you have a
whirlpool tub and shower both big enough for two! But, one downside to
The Crane is there are a lot of steps to the beach so if either of you
have trouble with steps this could be a problem. But, the beach is
worth the trip up and down the steps!

One other note, you can get duty
free liquor at a shop just past immigration near the baggage claim
before you go through Customs. That can also be another way to save
some money.

Most shopping in Barbados is in downtown Bridgetown.
Lots of crowds from cruise ships are there most of the time. There are
some shops along the west coast but they don't have the selection you
can get in Bridgetown.

Oh, for spa treatments there is a very nice
place called Suga Suga. It is on the West Coast. It has a pretty
little pool with a waterfall and also a grotto spa that you can use if
you have a treatment there. At the Crane they arranged a couples
massage for us in our room which was very nice.

Well, that's all I can
think of for now. If you have any other questions post them on the
board and I'll tell you what I know!


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

My travel agent
found information on the Almond Beach Village resort and Barbados in
her travel guide... neither my agent or I have every heard of it or
have any details on the resort. We have never been to Barbados, so
thought it may be worth looking at. The flights to the island looked
good and we did some research on the resort. Everything looks pretty
nice... but I'm very concerned because we have read some bad reviews
on a few Internet boards. Since this will be our first time there...
could you please tell us about the resort, food, beach, maybe include
a resort property map, and some information about the weather and
Barbados. Our flight arrives at the airport 2:30pm on June 13... does
the resort offer a shuttle service to the hotel and back to the
airport? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. So
far... our honeymoon experience has been horrible!! We look forward to
your response and any assistance!!!


Barbados is a nice island. You have the busy south coast full of
restaurants, bars, shopping and stuff like that. West coast is more quiet,
but still has some things to offer too. The busiest place on west is around
sunset crest area. It is a very very nice place.
Almond Beach Village is among the largest resort in Barbados. Located near
Speightstown, far up north on the west coast. I have been inside Almond some
few times, but it is a long long time ago. So my impressions about the hotel
itself is no longer relevant. But if I should go, I would consider the
location of the hotel as too far away from everything. I like to have
things nearby. I like to have many restaruants, bars and so on close to
where I live. And Almond Beach Village is _for me_ not the ritht place to
go. But you may have different criterias than me.
If I should come with a suggestion, I would consider Accra Beach,
Bouganvillea or Casuarina.
Accra Beach is a very nice, almost new hotel. Located very very good, right
on Accra Beach. Probably the most popular beach on the island. The hotel is
very nice, and have a beautiful pool area too. And you are very very close
to everything.
Be aware that there is sea view, and land view. Those that has not sea view
may be disturbed by traffic noise. But if you go for sea view, you will not
have problems with that.
Casuarina and Bouganvilla is also very nice and good hotels. Casuarina is
located in St.Lawrence Gap, a popular place to go at night. Even if it is in
the gap, it is not disturbed by noise from outdoor music, like many other
hotels around that area.
Bouganvillea is located near the gap. You can walk two minutes on the beach
and go trough Casuarina, and you are ritght in the gap. But dont walk the
beach at night. Then you have better take a taxi.
Bouganvillea is also a pretty new hotel. I guess it opened 3-4 years ago.
Beautiful!

I am not that good on All inclusive hotels. But Turtle Beach, next to
Casuarina, is a very very nice place. But very expensive!
And I think Amaryllis Beach Resort also offer all inclusive packages.


Leif Arild

"Michael" wrote in message
om...
My fiancée and I had our honeymoon booked through US Airways Vacations
to stay at the Sandals Antigua from June 13 - June 20. ...
.. My travel agent
found information on the Almond Beach Village resort and Barbados in
her travel guide... neither my agent or I have every heard of it or
have any details on the resort.

No personal experience of the resort tho someone I know stayed there in Jan
and thought it was good.
I think some of the other respondents to your query have not noticed that
you had booked for a Sandals resort - some of the alternatives they are
suggesting will, I think, not be much like Sandals - which are on the whole
large resorts with a lot of facilities on-site. I suspect that Almond Beach
Village is probably the closest to a Sandals that Barbados has?
Having been to Antigua and Barbados I'd say that Barbados is the 'prettier'
island, but if you go all-incl in some ways it may not matter what island
you are on!

--
Rita Daggett

Petal & Leif wrote:

I like to have
things nearby. I like to have many restaruants, bars and so on close to
where I live.

Hi,

I'm just the opposite

I was very happy outside of Duncan, Jamaica... empty beaches... normal
(non tourist) town, grocery, etc.

--
MICROSOFT WINDOWS 2003 ENTERPRISE SERVER W/ 25 LICENSES
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3678485459

On 18 May 2004 13:42:26 -0700, (Michael) wrote:

Since this will be our first time there...

Hope all this advice is helping you fix your honeymoon problems.

I concur with the suggestion of Turtle Beach. I spent 10 very happy
days there. The ambiance and staff were excellent. The food is high
quality. And it is a short walkf to many nightlife and restaurant
choices. I wish the beach were longer - it's only a few hundred yards
but it is a nice one.

As an American who grew up with an Irish culture and as a former
employee of Lipton Tea Company - I greatly enjoyed the fact that this
resort knows how to serve tea. No lukewarm 4 ounces of water and the
cheapest no-name-brand they can find. They serve tea properly brewed
from good quality loose leaves, very hot, in a pot. I wish USA
restaurants knew how to do that.


CaribeJoe - Moderator
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A concern was expressed about not suggesting resorts that are similar to
Sandals. Then, I have to concur with caribejoe about Turtle Beach. It
is an all-inclusive similar to Sandals. I saw what Almond Village has
to offer and I think that Turtle Beach would be the better option,
especially when you consider its close proximity to St. Lawrence Gap.
After going to several places last August I had decided upon Turtle
Beach for my boyfriend’s visit, until I went to The Crane.

I have
stayed at the Accra several times. I agree with Leif that it may also
be a good option. The pool area is very nice. I didn’t mention it
because of the problem of noise if you aren’t in the right room. Also,
when I stayed there you had a ‘key’ for the A/C that was attached to
your room key so you couldn’t leave the A/C running while you are out of
the room. But, it is a nice hotel although it isn’t all-inclusive.
Bubba’s, a sports bar, is right down the street and that is a good place
to go if you have a game you want to watch. If you get a good room away
from the noise, no problem and you are close to Bridgetown and St.
Lawrence Gap.

I don’t know anything about Casuarina or Bouganvilla, so
I defer to Leif on those hotels. If you like nightlife, it sounds like
these may be good options too.

I guess I have a bias to The Crane
because we had such a nice time there. We really enjoyed walking and
exploring along the beach. But, if you want a lot of nightlife, this is
probably not the place for you. But, if you want a beautiful place to
spend some quality time alone with the one you love, I recommend a 1
bedroom with the plunge pool on the 2nd or 3rd floor. The furnishings
are first class, the views are beautiful, and the beach is fantastic!


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Michael

I stayed at the Almond Beach Village resort a few years ago, and it
was wonderful! We stopped in one of the beachfront rooms - it was
literally right on the sand - what a view to wake up to every morning.
The room was very luxurious, and the food was good.

My husband and I honeymooned at Sandals Halycon in St Lucia - I was
disappointed with the accommodation. Again, we upgraded to the best
beachfront room but it was a fair distance from the sea (you could
only just see it in the distance!). The room was far nicer at Almond
Beach and the entertainment better, but we preferred the food at
Sandals, mainly because we had the choice of umpteen resturants in
three different Sandals resorts.

Hope this help!

Cathy