Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. AST, the Caribbean Travel Forum gavels in at Sandals Grande Antigua, kicking off four days of meetings, deals, and announcements that will set the agenda for Caribbean tourism for the rest of 2026. The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association picked a single all‑inclusive on Dickenson Bay to host all of it — 850 delegates, 175‑plus supplier companies, 25 destinations, and more than 9,000 pre‑scheduled business meetings — and that single all‑inclusive happens to be one of the most popular Sandals resorts in the entire chain.

If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like inside Sandals Grande Antigua — and whether it’s worth a booking now that the Summer Sale is stackable with Travel Advisor Appreciation Month bonuses through May 31 — this is the week the entire Caribbean tourism industry is going to be staring at the same resort and quietly answering that question for themselves. Here’s a guest‑side look at what they’ll see.

What’s happening at Sandals Grande Antigua this week

Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026 runs May 12 through May 15 at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa in St. John’s, Antigua. The week opens Tuesday, May 12, with the Caribbean Travel Forum — a three‑hour facilitated working session from 9 a.m. to noon that brings together public‑ and private‑sector tourism leaders to talk about the commercial realities shaping Caribbean hospitality. Marketplace meetings run Tuesday through Thursday. The Direct Booking Summit returns Friday, May 15, focused on AI, digital marketing, and how Caribbean hotels can win more direct bookings without losing the travel‑advisor channel that drives a huge share of all‑inclusive volume. Responsible Tourism Day on May 14 puts sustainability on the same stage.

The scale matters: 9,000 pre‑scheduled meetings between roughly 850 delegates representing 175 supplier companies and 25 destinations is the largest concentration of Caribbean travel buyers and sellers in a single building all year. CHTA’s selection of Sandals Grande Antigua as the host venue — for the second time in three years — is a quiet endorsement of the resort’s conference muscle, its grounds, and its dining bench.

Why CHTA picked this Sandals (and what guests get)

Sandals Grande Antigua sits on Dickenson Bay on the northwest coast of Antigua, about 15 minutes from V.C. Bird International Airport. The reason it can absorb 850 delegates without compromising the regular guest experience is that the property is actually two resorts stitched together: the Caribbean Beachfront Village — low‑rise, garden‑forward, tropical, where the original Sandals Antigua personality lives — and the Mediterranean Village, a sleeker, modern high‑rise wing built around arched walkways, stone fountains, and one very large oval pool. Couples who want the casual beach‑town feel of the Caribbean side and couples who want the polished modern hotel feel of the Mediterranean side can book either and still walk the same beach.

The room categories climb from Luxury and Club rooms (no butler) through Concierge tiers and into the Butler Elite suites, including the resort’s signature Rondoval Butler Suites — round, freestanding villas with private plunge pools and 24‑hour butler service tucked into a garden sanctuary on the Caribbean Beachfront Village side. The Rondovals are the room category I send honeymooners to most often when they want the most private layout Sandals offers at Grande Antigua.

Eleven restaurants, seven bars, and the Eastern Caribbean’s biggest pool

The dining bench at Sandals Grande Antigua is one of the deepest in the chain: 11 restaurants and seven bars. The lineup includes Mario’s for Italian, Kimonos for Japanese teppanyaki, Soy for sushi, Eleanor’s for Caribbean fine dining, Barefoot by the Sea for gourmet seafood at the water, O.K Corral for Tex‑Mex, the Drunken Duck British pub, Bella Napoli for pizza, Café de Paris for French pâtisserie, and Bayside as the casual all‑day spot. For a couples resort, that’s enough variety that a 7‑night stay can hit a different concept every night and still keep two or three in the rotation for repeats.

On the water side, the resort runs six pools and four whirlpools — including what Sandals describes as the largest pool in the Eastern Caribbean, on the Mediterranean Village side. The Caribbean Beachfront Village pool is more relaxed, framed by the original Caribbean architecture. Both villages share the same Dickenson Bay beach, which is consistently rated one of the best beaches in Antigua. Watersports — paddleboards, kayaks, Hobie Cats, snorkel gear, scuba diving for certified divers — are included, as is the resort’s PADI scuba program.

Steve’s take: who Sandals Grande Antigua is right for

I send couples to Sandals Grande Antigua when they can’t decide between two different vacations. If one of you wants the casual, beachy, “Caribbean village” feel and the other wants a polished modern hotel with a big architectural pool deck, this is the one resort in the Sandals portfolio where you can literally book one wing each and meet on the same beach. It’s also a strong honeymoon pick because of the Rondoval Butler villas and because Antigua’s flight access from the U.S. East Coast is straightforward year‑round. CHTA picking it again to host Marketplace tells you what insiders already know: the resort’s grounds, banquet space, and dining bench scale up without losing the resort feel.

How to book the right room — and stack the best May savings

Two booking levers are live right now and they stack:

  • Sandals Summer Sale — up to $1,500 off plus up to $750 in air credit, valid for travel between June 1 and September 30, 2026. Details on the Sandals Specials page.
  • May Travel Advisor Appreciation Month bonus — at five participating Caribbean Sandals/Beaches resorts (Sandals Grande Antigua is one of them), 6‑night Butler Suite bookings layered through a Pixie Vacations travel advisor earn extra commission and cash bonus that we use to sharpen your quote. Runs May 1–31, 2026.
  • Weekly 7‑7‑7 deal — every Wednesday Sandals refreshes seven discounted rooms (suite categories included) at seven resorts; Sandals Grande Antigua appears regularly. See the 7‑7‑7 deal page.

Both Pixie Vacations and Pixie Honeymoons book Sandals Grande Antigua with no booking fee. We’ll match the public Sandals rate, layer on the May Travel Advisor Appreciation bonus where eligible, and watch for price drops automatically until your final payment is due. Request a Sandals Grande Antigua quote here, or browse the property at Sandals Grande Antigua on sandals.com.

More on this resort and on Caribbean travel news this week

Sources: CHTA Marketplace 2026 event home; Breaking Travel News; Caribbean Journal; Visit Antigua & Barbuda; Sandals Newsroom.