Spa and Beach Vacation Guru

Scattered along Antigua’s beaches and hillside, there are many exclusive, elegant hideaways; romantic restored inns, simple accommodations and all-inclusive resorts for couples. Because getting around the island is inconvenient, the location of your hotel and resort is important. Those looking to be close to action and dramatic scenery should stay near St John’s, anywhere between Dickenson Bay and Five Island Peninsula If you want to spend most of your vacation at one resort, venturing out only once in a while, you can choose to stay in resorts such as Curtain Bluff or St James’s Club.

North Coast of Antigua

Jumby Bay Resort $$$$

Jumby Bay, occupying a 132 hectare (326 acre) offshore island is a retreat for the rich and famous. To get there, you can take a boat from the Antigua “mainland‿, which departs every hour from 7 am to midnight daily. You can reserve for the 3km (2-mile) boat ride on the Antigua “mainland‿. With secluded white-sand beaches along a coastline sheltered by coral reefs, the grounds of Jumby Bay Resort have been attractively planted with loblolly and white cedar.

All guests are treated with care and pampered with a luxury that is only second to Curtain Bluff. A sanctuary for naturalists, Jumby Bay Resort’s Pasture Bay Beach is home to sheep and endangered species of turtles and rare birds. All accommodations are recently refurbished, including 12-unit Mediterranean-style complex, two- and three- bedroom luxury villas and several spacious private manor houses. Both its beds and bathrooms are luxurious. The only rooms with air-conditioning are the bedrooms within the suites and since Antigua is constant windy, no one seems to mind. Airport transfers and ferry service is free.

Sandals Antigua Resort and Spa $$$$

This resort only allow admittance of straight male-female coupes, all others are denied entrance. It is an all-inclusive superior resort that organized all sorts of activities for its guests, including volleyball competitions, relaxing karaoke, tennis lessons and scuba diving (spa treatments and wedding excluded). The resort’s reception area opens into a courtyard with painted tile stairways, stained glass panels and unimpeded ocean views. On one of the island’s best beaches, Sandals Antigua Resort and Spa offers eight different room types. Some of the rooms include ocean or garden views and offer four-poster beds.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for Sandals Antigua Resort and Spa, click here.

Siboney Beach Club $$-$$$

Owned by Aussie Tony Johnson and his wife, Ann, the Siboney Beach Club lies on the north of St. John’s on 0.4 hectares of densely foliated land and faces the 1.6 km white sand beach of Dickenson Bay. The comfortable suites are in a three-storey building which has balconies draped with colorful bougainvillea and other vines. Every suite has a small bedroom, a living room, a balcony, a kitchenette and an immaculately kept private bathroom with shower. The rooms vary slightly but all comes with CD players, brightly colored, rattan furnishings, intricately carved side tables and items from the owner’s travel. The resort also has a tree house that contains a single room with a king-size bed and jungle décor perched high in a Ficus benjamina tree.

South Coast of Antigua

Curtain Bluff $$$$

Curtain Bluff, Antigua’s most premier resort, is a serene oasis that is located 24 km from the airport on the southwest coast. It lies on the most lushly tropical section of the island and stretched across two beautiful beaches (One turbulent and the other calm). Opened in 1962, Cubanos, lavished gardens, fine food, and its 25,000 bottled wine cellar are some of its signature.

The ravishingly and tastefully furnished accommodations include deluxe units with king-size bed, a terrace room with four-poster, king-size bed and spacious suites with 2 balconies. The bathrooms are roomy with beautiful tiles, fine toiletries, bath tubs and showers. The newer units are more spacious with upgraded furnishings and 2 double beds. No air-conditioning is available in-room, although ceiling fans keeps the room cool. Curtain Bluff boasts of fine continental dining and some guests come here primarily for its fantastic food.

The Inn at English Harbour $$ - $$$$

With views overlooking Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour, this 4 hectares recently renovated inn has a serene, casual and unassuming atmosphere. “We don’t put on airs here‿ said one of the staff. This charming, old-fashioned resort exudes an appealing historic feel that cannot be found in the more glamorous resort of Antigua. Its beach is nothing to scream about. Most guests will take a free water taxi to some of the finer beaches along English Harbour.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for The Inn at English Harbour, click here.

Admiral’s Inn $ - $$

Designed in 1785 and completed in 1788, this is a resort full of character and atmosphere. If you want to experience Caribbean history, make
Admiral’s Inn your first choice. There are 3 types of rooms available in this resort. The most expensive are the ground-floor rooms of a tiny brick building across the courtyard from the main building. Each of these spacious units has a small veranda, a garden entrance and air-conditioning. The front rooms on the first floor of the main building have views of the lawn and harbour and are also more expensive. The back rooms on this floor are cheaper. Both rooms have air-conditioning. The top floor rooms are smaller and some of these rooms do not have air-conditioning.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for Admiral’s Inn, click here.

St James’s Club

Spacious accommodations, varied restaurants, beautiful setting, this remote resort on Mamora Bay attempts to get into the same class as Curtain Bluff and Jumby Bay but sad to say, fall short. Rooms have fresh, vibrant color schemes, though the discolored concrete terrace and indifferent service undermine the luxe image. All rooms have excellent beds and the bathrooms all come with bath tub and shower, ample toiletries and dual basins. Two-bedroom villas on the hills are also available. Although guests can opt not to be in the all-inclusive deals, most opt-in due to the remote location of the resort. However, do be aware that in most cases, the settings of the restaurants are usually far more interesting than the cuisine.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for St James’s Club, click here.

West Coast of Antigua

Hawksbill Beach Resort $$-$$$

Located 16 km west of the airport and 6 km southwest of St John’s, this 15 hectare all-inclusive resort is named after an offshore rock that resembles a hawksbill turtle. Set on four beaches (one clothing optional), this resort is popular for weddings and honeymoons. It caters largely to family and couples who prefers its casual and unpretentious atmosphere. The reception and main dining room has panaromic views of the restored sugar mill, the sea and Monserrat.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for Hawksbill Beach Resort, click here.

Galley Bay $$$$

Although taken over by Elite Resorts and converted to an all-inclusive, this resort is retains its aura of exclusivity. Its Gauguin-inspired Tahitian style rooms are laid-back but classically elegant. A lagoon, a bird sanctuary with trails, landscaped gardens and a 1.2km white sand beach are some of its attractions. Choose among the airy beach-front bungalows with terra-cotta tiles, rattan furnishings and island art or the more romamtic Gauguin rondavels with thatch roofs or deluxe accommodations and suites in the newer two-storey wings. Dining in
Galley Bay is among the best in Antigua.

For more resort information or to make your reservation for Galley Bay, click here.

Cocobay Resort $$-$$$

This relaxing hillside retreat on the west coast has Creole-style cottages with tin-roofs that are distributed among beautiful tropical garden. Understated décor, stained pine floors, mosquito netting are among some of the features of the cottages. Each cottage has a king-size four poster bed, a private porch, a wooden louvered windows and a bathroom with a shower. Guest can also stay in one of the plantation house that can accommodate four persons. Bathrooms in the plantation house has bathtub.