Latest Reviews for Antigua

We arrived in Antigua after a 5 hour delay, consequently this meant we arrived late evening rather than the afternoon. Tired and rather deflated after journey we took to our beds.

We were woken at 7.30am by machinery noise. When opening the front door, we were horrified to discover that we were adjacent to a building site! This continued throughout the week from 7.30am to 5.00pm (not Sunday). We were more than happy to pay for a further upgrade but were apparently in an upgraded apartment already. Having been shown the room we would have had, which were shabby to say the least and were definitely in need of refurbishment, not what we would have expected from the 'Honeymoon grand deluxe suite' that we originally booked.

Customer service were very dismissive and extremely unhelpful.

The Bay View restaurant was incredibly filthy and unhygienic. Constant visitors included Gulls, Lizards, Ants and Black birds! Fair enough, you do expect some animals in such a tropical climate. However, there were droppings that remained on the floor unwashed for the duration of our stay.

In short, we chose Sandals for its reputation for being the ultimate in luxury escapes but we are deeply disappointed in the whole experience.

On the upside. Resort is in a nice location and the beach was beautiful, absolute paradise. Trips worth considering are Shirley Heights experience on Sunday and the Sunset cruises.

My husband and I stayed at the Jolly Beach resort for 10 nights in November.( Our first Holiday without our teenage kids!!!!) The staff there we extremely helpful and fiendly. Some of the rooms could do with a revamp, but were very clean and maids called daily and were very nice.

All restaurants on site are very good and the standard of food served is excellent. Hot and cold buffet breakfast was superb, the choioce as follow; cereals, porridge, bacon, eggs, freshly made to order omlettes, fried potatoes, beans, cold meats, cheese, toast, rolls, croissants, pastries, pancakes, fresh fruit, tea, coffee, juices and just about anything else you could eat first thing in the morning!!!!! (No wonder I put on 4 pounds in weight!!). Suffice to say, the lunches in the hemisphere restaurant were just as lavish, with different choices of hot dishes, fresh fish, soups and salads etc. For any fast food junkies, the barbeque near the pool, served burgers (Chicken Beef and fish), Jerk Chicken, Honey Chicken and fries, with all the relishes you could muster !!! All drinks are free, including cocktails and you should try as many as possible.( The jolly Beach Cooler was my Favourite; A cross between a pina colada and a strawberry daquiri). The Indian, Italian and Seafood restaurants are good, but you need to make a reservation at least a couple of days before, as they get full up quickly. (Lydias Seafood Restaurant on the beach has a fantastic Sunday Lunch Buffet, which should not be missed.) I am a vegetarian and don't eat meat or fish, but I have to say the Jolly Beach caters superbly for Veggies. They even put on a vegetable and nut loaf while we stayed there !. My husband is a big meat/fish eater and loved the food in all the restaurants.

We took the catamarans out every day and also tried the canoes. (both Free). There are also plenty of excursions on offer (Costed) and you should try Shirley Heights on a Sunday, which is where all the locals hang out for food, live reggae and atmosphere. There is also entertainment in the evenings, which is a bit Butlins, but next door to the hotel, there is a Casino with bar etc, for the night birds. A trip into St Johns the Capital, should also not be missed as plenty of tax free shopping and a look at the massive Cruise Liners docked in the port.

All in all, I would say the Jolly Beach is an ideal destination for any couple, family and group. We noted four weddings on our trip, so the resort caters for all. Just a note that there are 5 catagories of rooms. If you want a fancier room you could pay the supplements, but to be honest, most of the time you aren't in the room anyway, so a waste of money really. If you choose the Jolly Beach for your holiday....Have a Lovely Time!!!

We spent two glorius weeks at the Beach Club, St James at the beginning of February. Don't upgrade to a premium room as the first floor rooms are much nicer, the only difference is you don't have steps down to the beach, you don't have a fridge full of drink (but it's all inclusive anyway!!) and you don't get a bathrobe (take your own!). The upstairs rooms have fantastic high vaulted ceiling and the rooms are the biggest I have every stayed in in the Caribbean. The bath is huge (big enough for two with arms rests), double sinks, hairdryer and toiletries replenished every day. The room not only had air conditioning but also a ceiling fan and en enormous bed.

The Caribbean beach is just a two minute stroll through the villas and is very large, we had the same beach shade every day regardless of if we went to the beach at 9.00 or 3.00. The drinks cart comes round every hour with you cold drinks. The only downside to this hotel is that there are a large number of villas that are for rent on the complex and these are mainly taken by Americans who have to pay for their food and continually use Coco's dining room, so although the hotel is Virgin only the dining room isn't. The bar area needs complete renovation but unfortunately you don't have any choice as you can't get drinks at the St. James Club without paying.

The food is excellent and the maitr d' a very nice man. All the staff in the restaurant are great but the bar staff are very surly (this first time we've come across this in the Caribbean). You will get a note through your door from the villa people asking if you want to visit, it is time share but it's worht half an hour of your time. Each booking is individual and they show you round these five star villas, give you a sheet with the prices on and then they give you two vouchers. One for 75 dollars to spend in the St James shop and one for 50 dollars to spend in the casino. it's well worth a visit. Check in chill out is as usual excellent. Visit St Johns for your gifts and duty free (ladies especially the diamonds!!) this will cost you $25 for a taxi per couple and also visit Nelsons Dockyard. Extremely well worth it and this will cost $12 dollars per couple.

Do what we did and have a fantastic holiday.

As with a lot of the reviews we had a great time at the St James Beach club and was so glad that we decided to stay in the beach club and not the main hotel.

The rooms are fantastic and very clean. We prefer a top floor so only chose a standard room which was ideal. Coco's bar where you have your meals is really nice and the staff are really friendly. The two times that we had to have dinner in the main hotels restaurants was a bit of a let down and to be honest I wish you did not have to eat there. It was all a bit rushed and the steel band and fire eating night was a complete fast - but you have no choice but to eat there !? I am a veggie and after a week I was bored of the food, I was expecting lots of fish but there was only one fish dish per night and typically 'catch of the day' was always the same fish, grouper. But saying this I still thought the food was OK for an all inclusive hotel. The beach on our side was very windy so we tended to sit on the other side which was really nice. The sea on both sides was disappointing as on the windy side it was full of sea weed and the calm side it was like a lake and very cloudy. John had a great time on the hobbie cats which are free and worth a lesson. The hotel complex is well looked after and the staff really nice.

Shirley Heights is a must along with hiring a car. The island is not what I expected and quite messy with a lot of rubbish and half built buildings which was not what I expected. This is my first trip to the Caribbean and it was not what I expected. I would recommend going but I would not return as a week was enough for us as there is not much to do. There were alot of people there who had been many times and loved it. I think we prefer a holiday where you can get off the complex without taking a taxi. The Virgin early check in was ideal as the airport is manic !

Antigua Airport is chaotic and we had to queue nearly an hour to get through immigration. Don't let the redcaps take your luggage as it is only a few yards from the baggage belt to outside the arrivals hall!

We paid for a transfer to the hotel as it was not included in our holiday package, but it was easy to get a taxi and we were told it would be US$28 before we accepted the ride.

Hotel reception staff are friendly and we were offered a rum punch at check-in! We were given an upgrade to an Oceanview Room which was lovely and spacious with a huge bed and views over the pool and sea.

The main problem with this hotel is that you have to book a table in any of the restaurants EVERY night and you can only book a table at one of the speciality restaurants (Chef Pietro's or Pineapple Grill) the day before. The main restaurant (Topaz) is very good, offering a wide selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The a la carte meals there are particularly good and they do a buffet on two nights of the week. I would give Chef Pietros a miss as the menu is very limited. Birds are a problem at breakfast so make sure you don't leave fruit juice or water uncovered on your table while you go to get food.

The drinks are very good with named brands of alcohol (plenty of cocktails to try!) and both the red and white wine served in the restaurants is good. The service at the Piano Bar was usually slow as they certainly work on Caribbean time!

Mary's Outhouse is a great place to go for lunch - Mary doesn't talk much so just help yourself to drinks from inside the kitchen area in the fridge. Salad and hotdogs are laid out with plates and plastic cutlery and Mary will be cooking the chicken and ribs on the BBQ! Don't wait to be offered, just go right ahead and take what you want!

The beach is lovely with clear blue sea and white sand although there can be seaweed when it is rough. Walk along to the end of the beach by the Long Bay Hotel for the clearest water and the best place for snorkelling around the rocks.

There are stalls set up on the beach selling jewellery, T shirts, sarongs, etc so you should not be bothered too much by beach sellers while you are sun bathing. If you decide to buy anything make sure you haggle. The shop at the hotel is very expensive - newspapers are US$7! There is a library that is well stocked with books and magazines so you don't need to weigh down your luggage with a lot of reading material.

There is not a lot to do around the hotel but the walk to Devil's Bridge is well worth it. It only takes about half an hour each way and is not too strenuous. Make sure you take a camera to take shots of the waves breaking against the rocks. I would recommend you go on a day when the sea is rough to get the best effect.

Overall the hotel was good and the quality of food and drink made it good value for money.

We were not expecting too high a standard, considering the previous reviews we had read. We were pleasantly surprised, our rooms were clean and comfortable, the majority of staff were very pleasant and helpful, the food decent standard, especially the seafood restaurant.

We also ate at Peter's Steakhouse at Jolly Harbour one night, this was excellent.

Okay the service is slower than some people would like but hey this is ";Antigua time";, part of your holiday

The watersports were good, the beach great, we did not experience any vendors hassling, saying No politely worked. It has been much worse in other places we have visited.

It is well worth taking the helicopter over Montserrat if this interests you, very good.

We also took a taxi from reception ";King Jango"; to St Johns for the shopping which was good and the driver of the taxi very informative and reasonably priced.

We liked Antigua, the airport was a bit crowded and slow on the way back but we hope to return one day.

We stayed in two beachfront villas which were lovely, huge windows with louvred shutters and doors opening onto balcony with hammock. Ceiling fan but there was always a lovely breeze coming through the shutters at night. Housekeeping very good. Downside - no chairs in room for sitting after dinner, needed another light to read by. Didn't risk sitting on the balcony at night because of mozzies. Don't believe the people who tell you there aren't any - there are, and also sand flies. We liberally applied repellant every evening and all got bitten, some more than others. The public areas are where you get eaten! Pool was lovely but got very crowded. Beaches good, lots of loungers and shade. Restaurant disappointing for dinner and service could be slow, buffet for breakfast and lunch which was fine. Bar needed to use brand-name drinks! Most of the staff were very friendly and helpful. Generally very relaxing but possibly overpriced and spoilt somewhat by indifferent food.

We had a fab holiday at The Beach Club.we went with Virgin, and to be quite honest i dont think we can go with another airline again! 10/10 Virgin.we checked in the night before,no hassle.We had a ground floor,which we upgraded on.it was beautiful, walking striaght on the beach.We went for 10 nights, which was just right.Departure day, check in and chill out!the Vigin Airport Staff came to the hotel at 10.30am,so we could check in then,got rid of the bags.Back on the Beach to sunbath and have yet more Rum Cocktails!!!!! We would come back here,but lifes too short and we are looking to go to St Lucia,with Virgin again!!!

We have just returned from a fantastic 10 day Honeymoon in beautiful Antigua.

We chose the Pineapple Beach Resort over others as the All Inclusive package included premium brand drinks and they also assured all rooms had air conditioning.

On arrival at the airport, you have to complete a small immigration form and queue to get it stamped - no problem at all. Then we went through and were collected by our rep and put into our own taxi transfer to the resort.

The roads aren't as bad as people make out, yes, there are pot holes here and there and there are no road markings or road signs, but remember where it is and how small the island is! It's not a problem at all.

Pineapple Beach Resort is breathtaking on arrival. It did look exactly as it did in the brochure. We checked in and found that we had been given a free upgrade to the best rooms possible on the beachfront!
The welcome rum punch was certainly most welcome - and very strong! Something you got used to very quickly!!

There is a porter service for the cases to your room, but the resort isn't that large and the walkways are wonderful so wheeling your case isn't a problem either.

The room was clean, had everything you would need (no fridge but not really needed as you're AI), air con was superb - we even had to turn it off sometimes as it got too cold indoors! The room was literally on the beachfront, about 10 steps from the sea and totally idyllic!

Don't be alarmed by the low key security guards on the beach, they're more for show than actually doing anything, the beach itself is private to PBR but there is a public beach alongside so I guess they're there incase of any trouble, but we experienced no issues at all - there is such a low crime rate in Antigua as they have a high employment rate. We felt totally safe wherever we went, everyone was so happy, relaxed and wanting to help you with any questions.

The restuarants were superb. There was the Topaz which is the main one used for breakfasts, lunch and dinner. The Pineapple Grill and Chef Pietro's are open various days of the week and you get given a timetable on arrival. You need to book any of the restaurants a day beforehand at the Tour Desk or Reception.

The Topaz breakfasts are amazing, they cater for everyone and even have an order cook in the main area where you can get eggs cooked however you want and order the most amazing omlettes.

Lunch can be taken in the Topaz although you need to cover up swimsuits and wear something on your feet, but most of the time we grabbed a snack from the Pelican Bar (burgers, nachos, chips, etc) or hiked up the hillside (really not that high! Great views along the way) to Mary's Outhouse which is an amazing hillside chillout. Mary cooks ribs, hotdogs and anything else from 12 - 5 - the fridges are a help yourself to beer type affair and you can sit and watch the sun pass over ..beautiful!

There are activites during the day if you want to take part, and there is an air conditioned gym, but we never made it there! There is no pressure to join in, the beach volleyball was always a good laugh to watch - at the time the resort was 50/50 USA/UK so there were some great games USA vs UK to watch and cheer along!

In the evening, Topaz has 3 sittings, 6.30/7.30/8.30 - you don't have to be in and out in an hour, they just like to control the seating. The food ranged from A La Carte to Buffet to themed nights and we had no complaints at all. The table wine was fantastic and the waiters would come round to see if you wanted anything from the bar.

The Pineapple Grill serves mexican/caribbean food like fajitas, enchiladas, etc and makes a nice change. Chef Pietro's is the Italian restaurant next to Topaz and was good for a change of scenery too.

The Pelican bar opened at 11pm until 1.30am if you missed dinner through sleep or got a case of the midnight munchies!

The bar staff were amazing - they would take 3 orders at the same time and deliver them perfectly to you. They had all premium brand drinks and I would suggest that you gradually work your way through their cocktail menu!

There was another bar open near the beach during the day, the Aqua Bar, which was superb as you didn't have to walk too far to grab a quick rum punch.

They have a shop where you can buy and post postcards, they sell suntan lotion, aftersun, swimwear and flip flops and various gift items.

There is also a library area next to the tour rep desks - this is a great system - you can just go and take books or leave the ones you've read and don't want to take home.

The resort is well looked after and very clean. The staff were so friendly and we cannot find any fault whatsoever with our stay.

If you're going for a wedding, then you have the choice of 2 gazebos - we saw quite a few weddings out there as we had some people moved to us from Cancun since the devastating hurricance. I believe they offer fanstastic packages and you have the Pineapple Grill for your Wedding Breakfast afterwards.

I would definitely recommend going on some trips to see the island otherwise you might as well have gone to the Canaries! We did the jeep tour around the island which was superb - takes you around all the major sites and through the rainforest. Then we did the Catamaran Circumnavigation which was a day spent going round the island - this was ok, they didn't describe the places you were going past very well but great fun all the same.

If you're flying with Virgin I would definitely recommend the Check in Chill out service both ways - superb!

Other than, the only things I can think of that will help you make your mind up are things that I was thinking and looking for when we were booking - did it have air con? Yes. Do they have premium brand drinks REALLY? Yes.

We do feel that we booked the best place on the island as the south and west are slightly more developed but it's more humid there and we heard about people being bitten by mozzies all the time. Also, some people at Cocobay moved to Dian Bay for this reason and also because Cocobay didn't have aircon.

Otherwise, I seriously recommend this place if you want to relax and be treated like royalty. The All Inclusive was definitely all inclusive, we only took an extra £200 worth of US dollars and didn't spend it on anything other than gifts and trips.

Have a great trip!

The hotel is rated as 3 stars in my opinion it was more a 1 star resort!
The food was dire no choices, poor standards, no air conditioning, staff were unhelpful and rude, lunch was a choice of burgers or fried chicken daily.
Entertainment was non-existant.
The room as very basic, no fridge or minibar, the bar shut every night at 10-30-11-00. Shabby interiors and guests left in droves to relocate due to the poor standards.
It is advertised in all the major brochures but should not be.
we went in July/August and will not be returning not worth the money