Un-Spoiled Antigua, Small, Simple & Special Long Bay Hotel, Good Food and True Hospitality. You are invited to come experience our idea of PARADISE.
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 We won't go back! Visited: April 2008 |
| Posted by laurelh |
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The beach and views at this hotel were great. However, everything else was not very good.
We stayed in a beachfront room, and the beach was steps away from our room. The beach was very clean and nice, but the hotel was outdated.
There were ugly gold curtains on the windows, the bed was very hard, and the boxsprings were held up by a piece of a 2 x 4.
The gardens around the hotel were very nice. The service was very, very slow, though.
There was not much to do here, either. The game room consisted of some slot machines and a cheap pool table that was uneven and falling apart.
The food was pretty good ,but there was not much of a selection. Also, there were birds flying all over the Topaz restaurant.
We will never go back. |
| 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
 Don't knock Jolly Beach! Visited: May 2007 |
| Posted by sw |
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I stayed here almost a year ago, and have booked to go May 2008.
The rooms are not great, but so little time is spent in them anyway. The food is very good, as is service - that is if you treat the locals with a tad of respect.
This is a great place for a chill out holiday. Last year, our children, ages seven and 11, preferred to go back to the Jolly than going to Orlando (dolphin swim etc, theme park tickets work out cheaper), so we are back in May 2008.
Overall, the good reviews seem to outnumber the whiners. |
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| 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
 It was horrible. Visited: September 2007 |
| Posted by caymanbound |
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Keep your money and stay at a Motel 6! We went for our honeymoon. We stayed ten days, but wanted to leave after three.
I got food poisoning, we had bugs in our room, and rain leaked in window. The food was horrible. We could not get any seafood except fish (i.e. no conch or lobster).
The only redeeming quality was the dive staff and a few of the support staff.
Most of the guests we spent time with had similar or worse issues. |
| 5 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. |
| Long Bay is relaxing and romantic. Visited: November 2007 |
| Posted by susank |
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My husband and I spent nine days at the Long Bay Hotel, and we loved it.
The hotel is designed in traditional Caribbean style. It has been lovingly maintained, but has kept up with modern expectations - such as sparkling bathroom fixtures and plush towels. Our room was spacious and attractive. The four-poster king-sized bed was carved with banana leaves, and was very comfortable.
Service was impeccable and friendly. The food was incredible. It was fresh, inventive, and world-class. They combined local specialties, such as black pineapple, grouper and conch, with treatments and ingredients familiar to US and European diners.
Daily dinner menus were posted, and we checked them hours in advance to contemplate our choices (there were two options for each of the four courses, and the decisions were seldom easy). The most surprising to us were the daily offerings of cold soups, which we found to be refreshing and creative.
Mosquitoes are the scourge of the tropics. The hotel provided mosquito coils and a good personal spray. Use them! Kill mosquitoes in your room before retiring. Consider this the price you must pay for enjoying paradise while friends and family back home are miserable.
In the mornings, I went SCUBA diving with Aquanauts out of English Harbor, which was delightful. In the afternoons, I rejoined my diving widower husband. We enjoyed using the library and game room, but in nine days never got around to using the free kayaks and sailboats.
Our favorite activity was to sit on our balcony, where we were thoroughly entertained by reading magazines and books from the library and letting ourselves be mesmerized by the waves crashing against the rocks where the bay meets the Atlantic.
The big event each afternoon was the arrival of a smiling lady with a bucket of ice to re-chill our Cokes and water, and we had to decide if we were thereby inspired to go for a stroll. Walking was very enjoyable after the mid-day sun was at a lower angle. Our favorite destination was Devil’s Bridge, an archway cut by waves into the rocks at the mouth of the bay, where sea foam flies and the water boils dramatically.
After dinner, we usually strolled the grounds and returned to our balcony to watch the moonlight sweep over the bay. As proof of the romantic charms of this lovely place, my dear husband was inspired to make a photograph in which he wrote my initial in moonlight.
Stay at Long Bay Hotel for a relaxing, romantic Caribbean adventure, and you will be very happy.
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| 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| I was extremely disappointed in Sandals Antigua. Visited: November 2007 |
| Posted by dreamcrazy |
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I visited this resort on a work trip and was extremely disappointed. I had read several reviews, and many of them were true.
The one redeeming quality the resort had was the butler service in the Meditterranean Village. They were outstanding!
Other than that, the food was definitely lacking; and most of the employees were cordial, but did not have answers to any questions. A large handful of them were very rude and unhelpful. A small handful were above and beyond pleasant and helpful, though.
The resort and the rooms were also infested with mosquitoes - who seemed to love the tourists. Also, there were several power outages on the Friday night I was here. The power outages were to the entire resort, which left us in the dark for several minutes.
Since I didn't pay for this trip (was work related), I suppose it was acceptable (and beyond my control). However, had I paid upwards of $2,000 to travel across the nation for a wedding or honeymoon, I would have been seriously disappointed.
I can't speak for any of the other Sandals resorts. But if you are looking for top of the line treatment and great food - this resort is not the place to be.
And yes, the pictures shown of the resort are amazing. However, they are deceiving. |
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| 5 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. |
 I don't recommend this hotel. Visited: November 2007 |
| Posted by kcdh2002 |
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I just returned from Sandals Antigua.
I thought the service was slow and understaffed. Also, there was no top shelf alcohol. The main pool was closed for a private function, and the guests were never notified. My room never not cleaned before 4:00 pm.
In addition, the beach was dirty and not very big (maybe a 1/4 mile long). They advertised it as one of the best beaches, yet I could not even see through the water to the sand.
The beach rooms need to be renovated. Fortunately, I was on the Mediterranean side, where you pay to stay at the adult-only hotel. Then, I found out that the beach was public.
I feel this hotel is overpriced for what you get. |
| 7 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful. |
| I suggest you stay away. Visited: September 2007 |
| Posted by ruxl |
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I would highly recommend against anyone considering staying here.
During our stay, my wife and I were constantly lied to and given misinformation. Our room was robbed, with little effort to resolve by the hotel security manager. They provided a safe, which did not function, and they never showed up to fix it, after multiple complaints prior to the robbery.
Management, in general, was completely inept. We spent two to three hours per day complaining about a variety of issues - all of which have gone unresolved.
This was our wedding and honeymoon, and the happiest moment of the entire trip was when we finally arrived back home. |
| 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
 We loved Long Bay Hotel. Visited: May 2006 |
| Posted by lauriema |
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My husband and I took a getaway to Long Bay Hotel and I will look forward to the day we return.
Long Bay was a wonderful, eclectic, beach-house type hotel. Nothing was too posh, yet it was pure relaxation from the moment we arrived.
The beach itself was incredible. The sand literally fell off of us when we were ready to head in. We never felt that "sandy/dirty" feeling.
Also, the snorkeling was great. Also, we would sneak bread from our meals and feed the small fish that lived in the shallow rocks right to the right of the beach. They were so beautiful! And it was fun to see them all race out from under the rocks to eat. Although our son wasn't with us he would have loved that.
And actually, Long Bay would be a great place to bring kids. There were games, table tennis, etc.
We enjoyed both of our outings through the hotel - the baracuda fishing and the snorkeling trip. We saw pelicans galore on the way to the snorkeling spot, which was a treat.
The food was incredible. It was absolute fine dining in a comfortable environment. I fell in love with one of my meal's sauces, and had our waiter report this to the chef. To my surprise, she came out of the kitchen and handed me the sauce recipe!
We had a wonderful experience at the Long Bay Hotel. The staff was wonderful. Our room was comfortable and cozy. We loved the bed more than our own at home! It was hard to leave! |
| 5 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| Beware of the lies! Visited: July 2007 |
| Posted by joegiggles |
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We booked through Sandals. We were called one week prior to our stay, and were informed of some "minor construction". We were told they were going to give us a free week to make up for this. I thought this was great.
I was told the stores were just being stocked, and they would open the second day we were there. One did, but it didn't even have bug spray...just some clothes!
There was also one resturant that would not be open. I asked, and was told that there was no major construction, no jackhammers, no cranes, no dump trucks...lies, lies, and more lies.
We pulled up to see the entire front was still being built. We had a great view of the villas being built, there were only about 15 rooms that were open in the entire hotel. One of the elevators dropped two floors, and the people were stuck for over an hour.
There were fire stairs by our room, but the door was locked since it wasn't done yet. There were also spots for fire exit, and hoses but none were there.
We lost power every day, and woke up to singing construction workers and the romantic hum of a jackhammer. We had to be careful not to trip over buckets of paint while we walked around.
When I complained to the front desk, all I was told was about how nice it was going to be. I agree it's going to be amazing - but for at least three months, please stay away!
The old side was very nice, but they didn't have enough staff. Every day we saw people gettng the tour, and no one had a clue what was going on! |
| 11 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. |
| Why open if it's not done? Visited: July 2007 |
| Posted by bvenable76 |
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I planned for eight months to stay at the new Med Village - and even called to make sure it was complete on July 10th.
After talking with with the resort, I was told it was at 99%, and by the time I got to the resort it would be at 100%.
The resort sould tell people the truth!
They only had six rooms opem when I checked in, and the pool was closed! |
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| 11 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| I would go back. Visited: June 2007 |
| Posted by barryedwards |
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My partner and I had a 14-night stay here, and I also found it rather tired. But despite this, the staff was the business. They were polite, efficient, and courteous at all times. The cleanliness was at a high standard with no complaints at all.
We went room only after reading the comments, and ended up doing the American plan (three dinners and seven breakfasts). Yes, the food was repetetive, but enjoyable. If I were to nit pick, they did not fill the coffee pots enough times.
The Lobster Shack close by was a regular dining haunt, as well as The Bay House. Both were a short taxi ride away. Sandals next door is expanding big time, and this may affect the space on the beach.
Also, the local bars were very friendly and attentive.
I would go back again - especially if they gave it a massive face lift to bring it up to date (particularly the very dated bathrooms!). |
| 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| We're return guests of Jolly Harbour Villas. Visited: October 2006 |
| Posted by uktraveller |
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We are just planning our third family holiday to Antigua, and yet again, we will be staying at Jolly Harbour Villas.
It really does make a difference if you ask specifically for one of the refurbished villas on the South Finger. This way, you are guaranteed a privately owned villa of a high standard that is close to the beach and all the restaurant, shopping and sporting facilites.
Reviewers who needed a golf cart to get around are most likely to have been allocated North Finger or Golfing villas - great if you like golf but not much else! |
| 7 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| Don't listen to other reviewers. Visited: December 2006 |
| Posted by tini |
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My boyfriend took me to Jolly Beach, and we really enjoyed ourselves. The hotel was keep clean and tidy, and our room was kept fresh every day.
We thought the food was good, and the beach was lovely.
I've made some good friends here, and I'm still texting and e-mailing Ann-Marie every other week.
The staff was helpful and always laughing.
We are returning this August, and really looking forward to going.
So don't listen to the bad reviews - just go yourselves! |
| 14 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| We had an awesome vacation! Visited: January 2007 |
| Posted by joejul1027 |
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My husband and I stayed at this resort and we loved it! We have traveled to many all-inclusive resorts and by far, the staff at this resort was top quality in customer service.
The view was breathtaking. We stayed at an oceanview room on the hill. They also had oceanfront rooms. However, if you truly want the spectacular view, go for the oceanview rooms like we did (but you need to be in shape for walking up the hill).
The food was quite good for an all-inclusive. There were three main restaurants to choose from in the evening. At lunch, the grill was open along with the buffet lunch.
They also served lunch on the top of the hill at The Outhouse (near the gazebo). You have to go check it out - the view was excellenct from there, also.
Every night they had different entertainment, which was fairly decent. They had regae and calypso bands, along with a fire/limbo show.
Antigua was a wonderful island! If you have never been there - don't wait, book a trip there. You can do nothing - or everything under the sun on this island. My husband and I recommend this resort, and we would definitely go back. |
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| 6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| This is definitely the place to go. Visited: March 2007 |
| Posted by alistairanddee |
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Hawksbill Resort faces the setting sun on the western coast of Antigua near to Five Islands Village. It is set in secluded gardens featuring Tamarind, Turpentine and Palm, Hibiscus and countless other beautiful tropical plants. On arrival, you feel that you may be in paradise but when you meet the staff you know you have. I have never known people so friendly and kind.
The resort has four beaches - all of different character - where you can take the sun, read in the shade, and snorkel in the turquoise waters where multicolored fish can be found on the reef a short distance from the shore. There are facilities for sun-sail yachting, water skiing, and other water sports, and an excellent restaurant and grill for lunch.
Accommodation is in spacious rooms located in an attractive two-storey block or individual semi-detached cottages facing onto the beach.
The main restaurant where breakfast is served, has panoramic views across the beautiful resort with its exotic plants and the blue, blue ocean. Dinner can be taken under the brightest stars to be found on earth, to the sound of gentle waves lapping on the beach. The main restaurant offers a reasonable choice of good food, with an abundance of fresh fish enabling delicious eating, while an a la carte menu is available at Il Vignetto by the main beach.
Did I mention the friendly, friendly people? - Not enough can be said. And not many places in the world can beat this resort. If you love to leave footprints in the sand at sunset, and drink good wine under the stars it is definitely the place to go.
To Richard and the staff my special friends - Thank you all for you everything. |
| 8 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| This was the perfect place. Visited: March 2007 |
| Posted by love_to_travel_7 |
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We would highly recommend Yepton Estate Cottages in Antigua.
Gabriela and Douglas, the owners, have thought of absolutely everything. The cottages were well constructed/maintained and very well equipped, from a mini food processor right down to beach chairs and a small cooler for picnics. Their web page was very accurate in describing what the hosts and accommodations provide.
Gabie and Douglas were the best host(ess). The first hours with them and their uncanny way of making us feel special and welcome blew away any uneasiness we had.
Since we arrived late in the afternoon, Douglas sat down with us the next day to go over all the places we could drive and things we could see with the rental car that they arranged for us. Both Gabie and Douglas have been around Antigua for the past 25 years, and their advice on what we could do to make the most of our stay was more than we could have asked for.
Gabie is well experienced in managing customer service, and knowing what her guests need and enjoy. She can direct you where to go to enjoy the beaches, shopping and local culture. As well, she is a very gifted artist, and you can see her art work and paintings in the cottages and office.
Douglas is well versed in the island’s history, and if you can catch his ear, he can fill you in on the island’s railway system as well as sugar plantations.
They always tried to ensure our stay was comfortable and memorable. A couple of examples; installation of a hammock between two trees outside our cottage for our use; and taking us to a roadside fish and chips wagon one evening north of St. Johns.
For the bird lovers who want to enjoy watching exotic birds, there are many to see and watch around the lagoon - including very interesting looking hummingbirds, song birds of all types, and a flock of approximately 50 very rare Whistling Ducks who come right up on the cottage grounds to get a drink of fresh water which Douglas provides every day.
For the fishing enthusiasts, Douglas provides the fishing gear. He is very interested and keen on ensuring his guests enjoy the experience of fishing for the elusive and hard to catch Tarpon.
If you want to go to a place where you can enjoy your partner in quiet surroundings, feel special, understand the island’s history, and gain friendships, the Yepton Estate Cottages in Antigua is highly recommended.
Gabie, Douglas and the PEP squad (their dogs) were the greatest. We’ve gained a great friendship, and we hope to see and stay with them again.
Thanks to our travel agent for her diligence and understanding of our vacation needs in finding this location and accommodation. |
| 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| We had another fabulous visit here. Visited: February 2007 |
| Posted by dbm |
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Having just returned from our fourth visit to Curtain Bluff, we can say once again it was awesome.
They have great staff, food, beach, and rooms; and we had lots of fun with other guests.
We have booked for next year. |
| 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| We can't wait to go back Visited: December 2006 |
| Posted by catandy |
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We traveled to Antigua specifically to elope. Gabriela, at Yepton Estate, organized this so brilliantly well for us that we had to do little more than turn up!
Everything was organized by her - legal paperwork, the cake, the celebrant, the hair, the photography and video work, floral arrangements, witnesses and champagne. She even called us in Australia to discuss what we wanted to ensure that everything went smoothly; which it did.
The cottages themselves were exceedingly comfortable, clean, quiet, and contained everything we could possibly think of to enjoy a stay in the Caribbean. The grounds were well maintained and was an ideal spot to sit around and enjoy the idyllic surrounds of the lagoon, as well as being a quick walk away from the ocean.
Gabriella was also very helpful in organizing tours for us, which can be done in advance or upon arrival. Everyone working at Yepton Estate was extremely friendly. We cannot recommend it highly enough. If it wasn't 32 hours of travel away, we'd be back every weekend! |
| 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. |
| We enjoyed it here. Visited: February 2007 |
| Posted by l_vanarem |
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We very much enjoyed the tranquil setting, and the variety of birds was amazing.
The cottage had all the amenities - lots of space and it was very nicely decorated.
Gabriela and Douglas were great hosts. They were very helpful with suggesting activities around the island.
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| 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| It was good, but not great. Visited: April 2006 |
| Posted by lovetotravel |
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We came here in April 2006 for our wedding, and had a total of 18 people in our party.
The food was adequate, and there was enough to eat. But it was all "themed" nights - and some of the nights were less than impressive. But I guess it is all according to taste.
The room was small without a dresser; and there was only a closet to store all our clothes. That was a little disappointing. There were larger rooms to choose from, though, so keep that in mind.
Our wedding was storybook perfect. The wedding co-ordinator was a pleasure and a saint. She will make your dreams come true! Also, the pictures on the beach are worth a thousand words. The wedding food was awesome, and the entertainment and staff for the wedding was wonderful.
I agree that at different times, some (not all) of the staff could be rude. However, the kids' staff were wonderful - and the wedding staff was great, too.
We spent all our time on the beach, and it was top rate! I was disappointed there were topless women allowed, as that is not my thing. It definitely took away from my holiday, but I was unaware of that when I booked the resort.
I did not see any bugs, and the timeshare people were not a hassle if you let them know that you were not interested. We went on the tour and thought it was lovely, but again, it was just not our thing.
I have been to better and I have been to worse.The tours and excursions were lovely, but be careful the cost of taxis was frightening!
Oh, and they let the bus leave for the airport without us. It was chaotic before they realized and fixed the problem getting us to the airport. |
| 8 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
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