beach isn't one of the nicer ones in Antigua and rooms terrible
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
On my recent trip to Antigua myself and my husband stayed at two hotels - this was the first one we stayed at and it was only the result of the first night at our chosen hotel being overbooked and so this was where we were sent for our first night in Antigua. The hotel is classed as a 4 star hotel and is based on All inclusive. We had been put in a Superior sea view room type to make up for being put in a different hotel so this review will be based on this room type.
Location: The hotel is only a short ride away from the airport at about 15-20 minutes and is located in a place called five island where funnily enough there is five small islands out in the bay near it. It is approximately 4 miles away from the capital St. Johns.
Check in: Check in was very easy with the girl on reception giving us a small form to fill in and then giving us some leaflets about the resort which included details of meal times and water sports available. We were also offered a juice or champagne and a cold towel. Once we had our key the porter escorted us to our room by putting our luggage on the golf cart and taking us down the hill to where we would be staying.
Room: As I mentioned above we were staying in a superior sea view room which we were told was an upgrade from the room type we should have been staying in in the other hotel. So with this in mind we thought at least we should have a nice room for the night but how wrong we were!! Upon arriving at the room we noticed straight away that the room had a very small sea view as it was quite far back behind the sea front rooms and the trees and everything else pretty much blocked the view - in fact facing our room was actually a tennis court so if I had actually booked to stay here for our whole trip we would have been pretty cheesed off by this!! Secondly we were hoping the room would be quite nice inside but when the porter opened the door i can only say it was shock horror at how horrible the room was! It was very old fashioned with a cracked wall and lights that were a squint! The towel that the maids normally arrange in a nice design was even just thrown on the bed with a few flowers petal thrown in for good measure! The bathroom wasn't actually separate to the room and the shower was located just around from the bed with the sink next to it which meant that if one of the rooms occupants for example was to step out of the shower and the front door was opened the people playing tennis could have seen you!! Hardly private!!! Also in the room was a coffee machine and a separate toilet but even this had a very light door on so it again wasn't very private!
Facilities: The hotel has some water sports included in the all inclusive which include kayaks and snorkeling and these can be arranged with the guy on the beach. They also has other activities such as tennis. The hotel has evening entertainment and and on site shop which is in an old sugar mill so that is quite a nice touch. The beach isn't private (as none are in Antigua) but due to location they won't get many people coming in unless you are at the hotel. The beach is pretty quiet but the main thing we noticed is that this particular beach isn't as white sand as some other beaches in Antigua and the sea is not that clear either. This was a big let down as with it being our first day there it would have been nice to have been wowed but unfortunately it was just kind of disappointing really. The hotel has a small pool which in my opinion is too small for the size of the hotel. The idea is the beach is right on the doorstep of the rooms so a large pool shouldn't really be needed but it could still do with being slightly larger!! The hotel have a small area just next to this with a TV in and a small selection of books. The tour desk is here as well where trips can be booked such as the Waddali cats which are popular.
One thing that all guests should note is that the hotel has 4 beaches within close vicinity to it and one of them is 'clothing optional' beach as they call it which is the only one at current in Antigua so if this is not your kind of thing then be warned!! We didn't see any nudists whilst there but we were only there for 1 night and day!!
Restaurant: The hotel have one main restaurant where all breakfast and dinner is served and then the other smaller area where lunch is served. There is waiter service in the restaurant in both the morning and evenings for drinks and most nights in waiter service for food apparently but, on the night we were there it was actually buffet night as it was a Friday. The smaller lunch area has a set menu and also the barbecue section and there is a small bar here too. The food selection is good in both places and the staff are really good in all areas.
Overall opinion: The hotel is rated as a 4 star standard but I wouldn't say that the actual rooms or certain areas in terms of design are worthy of this rating as it feels like it needs a good refurbishment especially when i think that the room we had was supposed to be an upgrade from our other hotel (which is only classed as 3 superior standard) and yet our room there turned out to be better! I thought the staff and food were this best part but was disappointed by the beach, and the decor and rooms overall. I would say if this was your first time travelling to Antigua and you stayed here you would not feel as if you have come to the Caribbean and would probably be disappointed by the hotel in general, especially if you had paid for a room upgrade.
(+) excellent value for money, watersports included with good tuition offered (-) rooms are small and functional but how much time do you spend in your room
