{"id":5493,"date":"2017-07-26T12:22:33","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T12:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2017-07-26T12:22:33","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T12:22:33","slug":"sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/","title":{"rendered":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-2489204508\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1051522987\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p>By\u00a0<span class=\"byline__author-name\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/travel\/team\/tom-mulvihill\/\">Tom Mulvihill<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-2415935601\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:169\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:576\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:432\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:864\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged\">T<\/span>he sudden closure of the Sandals Grande Antigua resort has left many British tourists with their holiday, honeymoon and wedding plans in ruins.<\/p>\n<p>The luxury hotel unexpectedly announced that it will shut down for three months, starting from September 2017, leaving numerous holidaymakers with pre-existing bookings in the lurch.<\/p><div id=\"antig-2135555021\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1016129656\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:169\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:576\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:432\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:864\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Full-ABLP-Team-Digital-Billboard-1920x1080px.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p data-mediaconductor-processed=\"true\">Mark Ingham and Sharon Osborne, both 55, were due to marry at the resort after paying \u00a36,000 for their dream wedding through a travel agent, and claim that Sandals has ignored them since.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1128066918\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ReggaeInTheParkAntigua\" aria-label=\"lucanio\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;When I tried to call Sandals last week it took them half an hour to answer and then they hung up on me, saying they would only deal with customers who booked directly,&#8221; said Mr Ingham.<\/p>\n<p>Some independent travel agents have claimed that the company is prioritising refunds for US customers as they constitute a more lucrative market,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/edition\/news\/sandals-closure-of-luxury-antigua-resort-wrecks-holidays-s3vsrmfq8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><i>The Times<\/i>\u00a0reports<\/a>.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1026413922\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500 (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an appalling situation,&#8221; said Mr Ingham. &#8220;At such short notice the company should be prioritising people who have booked weddings, not American holidaymakers. My\u00a0fianc\u00e9e has not stopped crying for a week.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sandals denies allegations that US customers have received preferential treatment.<\/p><div id=\"antig-2394620510\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chtamarketplace.com\/\" aria-label=\"Social FaceBook Cover Desk_Mobile\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:111\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:379\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:285\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:569\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"949\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5495\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5495\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5495\" src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:188\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mark-ingham-sharon-osborne-large-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5495\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark-Ingham and Sharon-Osborne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"article-body-text component  \">\n<div class=\"component-content\">\n<p><span class=\"m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged\">M<\/span>r Ingham&#8217;s is one of at least five weddings to have been jeopardised by the sudden announcement, with furious couples having to contend with last-minute flight cancellations for themselves and their guests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dynamicMpu section\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"article-body-text component  \">\n<div class=\"component-content\">\n<p>&#8220;We humbly and sincerely apologise and promise, Sandals will take care of you,\u201d said Sandals Chairman Gordon &#8216;Butch&#8217; Stewart in a statement addressed to disgruntled customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur team is committed to handling this period in the most professional and practical way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"m_first-letter\">T<\/span>he company has since come to a settlement with Mr Ingham and Ms Osborne, and has pledged to allow UK customers to change stay dates or transfer to different Sandals resorts, whilst honouring the original rates and paying any airline change fees or penalties.<\/p>\n<p>Sandals claims the closure, which is reported to affect some 700 hotel staff, is in order for important maintenance work to be carried out.<\/p>\n<p>However, Gaston Browne, the prime minister of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/travel\/destinations\/caribbean\/antigua-and-barbuda\/hotels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antigua and Barbuda<\/a>, asserts that it is an &#8220;act of hostility&#8221;, designed to win tax concessions from the government.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is clearly an act of sabotage and I am saying that no investor should be able to treat our people in this way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/antiguaobserver.com\/pm-sandals-closure-is-a-play-for-concessions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antigua Observer reported last week<\/a>\u00a0that the Sandals had demanded a waiver on food and alcohol duties, which the government refused.<\/p>\n<p>The prime minister&#8217;s allegation is refuted by Sandals, which maintains that it is continuing to engage with affected staff, union representatives and government officials in Antigua.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dynamicMpu section\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"articleBodyText section\">\n<div class=\"article-body-text component  \">\n<div class=\"component-content\">\n<p>&#8220;The local economy is tied to ours and we sincerely hope our effort to shorten the closure period is helpful to them,&#8221; said Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>(www.telegraph.co.uk)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"antig-4236105593\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Tom Mulvihill\u00a0 The sudden closure of the Sandals Grande Antigua resort has left many British tourists with their holiday, honeymoon and wedding plans in ruins. The luxury hotel unexpectedly announced that it will shut down for three months, starting from September 2017, leaving numerous holidaymakers with pre-existing bookings in the lurch. Mark Ingham and Sharon [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-tourism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By\u00a0Tom Mulvihill\u00a0 The sudden closure of the Sandals Grande Antigua resort has left many British tourists with their holiday, honeymoon and wedding plans in ruins. The luxury hotel unexpectedly announced that it will shut down for three months, starting from September 2017, leaving numerous holidaymakers with pre-existing bookings in the lurch. Mark Ingham and Sharon [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/sandals-grande-antigua-beach-large.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\"},\"wordCount\":479,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mark-ingham-sharon-osborne-large-300x188.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\",\"Tourism\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\",\"name\":\"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mark-ingham-sharon-osborne-large-300x188.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters","og_description":"By\u00a0Tom Mulvihill\u00a0 The sudden closure of the Sandals Grande Antigua resort has left many British tourists with their holiday, honeymoon and wedding plans in ruins. The luxury hotel unexpectedly announced that it will shut down for three months, starting from September 2017, leaving numerous holidaymakers with pre-existing bookings in the lurch. Mark Ingham and Sharon [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/sandals-grande-antigua-beach-large.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters","datePublished":"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00","dateModified":"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/"},"wordCount":479,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mark-ingham-sharon-osborne-large-300x188.jpg","articleSection":["Featured","Tourism"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/","name":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mark-ingham-sharon-osborne-large-300x188.jpg","datePublished":"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00","dateModified":"2017-07-26T12:22:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/sudden-closure-of-sandals-antigua-resort-leaves-british-holiday-plans-in-tatters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sudden closure of Sandals Antigua resort leaves British holiday plans in tatters"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}