Jolly Beach Resort & Spa

Antigua

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Don't knock Jolly Beach! Visited: May 2007 Posted by sw 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. 6 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't listen to other reviewers. Visited: December 2006 Posted by tini 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! 16 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the worst place I've ever stayed! Visited: August 2006 Posted by mikebean From start to finish, our experience here was a nightmare. Apart from the beach and gardens, the whole place looked run- down. We found the rooms to be awful and dirty. Also, the food and the restaurant {buffet} was poor. It reminded me of a school canteen dinners! Some of the staff were helpful, but most were very rude to us. Also, disgusting comments were made to my daughter on many occasions. We thought housekeeping was a joke! This resort had absolutely no class, and lacked any sort of atmosphere. We thought it was just tacky. Jolly Beach certainly did not live up to its name. If you have already booked, I suggest you cancel. If you cannot, you should change resorts, or get on the first plane home! We left three days early because we could not stand it! It was a complete and utter waste of our time and money. I hope I have saved some of your money. 11 users found this review helpful. 11 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the most enchanting holiday ever. Visited: June 2006 Posted by jaycarter06 My husband and I chose the Jolly Beach Resort for our wedding location, and it had to be the best descision we have made. All the staff were so friendly. Beverly, the wedding planner, made our special day so relaxed. All we had to do was turn up at the chapel. The flowers, cake, champagne, video and flowers were all great. The food was better than we expected - with plenty to choose from. Also, the room was cleaned every day, and to a very good standard. We met some great people in and out of the resort, and are returning next year with another couple who we met on their honeymoon. The entertainment staff was brilliant, and made our stay very welcoming. It was two weeks of our lives we will never forget. 10 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We thought this was a terrible island and a horrible vacation resort. Visited: June 2006 Posted by golf47cart Our experience here was terrible. It was our worst vacation ever. We visited in June 2006. The moment we were greeted and checked in by the extremely rude front desk staff at the timesharing location, we knew this would be a vacation to forget. We found the timesharing suites were extremely basic, and the rooms were definitely no more than one-star standard. The rooms were invaded by ants, which were swarming all over the walls and in the bed. We thought the housekeeping was appalling. We were never given clean towels unless we asked. One day, the maid forgot to clean the room. When we spoke to them, they answered us rudely and aggressively. The front desk staff was also very rude and unhelpful to us. The restaurants were very basic. The restaurant staff and the chefs could not seem to be bothered, and did not seem to want to be there. Again, they were rude and aggressive to us. We found the food to be constantly terrible with little taste, and it was undercooked. In addition, the selection of food was poor. Also, in the restaurants, the hotel indicated that guests must dress elegantly casual. However, this was not adhered to. People wore shorts, football shirts and trainers in the evenings. There were no standards whatsoever. Birds were a constant nuisance, walking over plates and tables, and drinking out of the drinks machines. There were approximately ten umbrellas around the pool, which meant there was no shade for those that did not want to look like a lobster.The resort also looked like it needed complete renovation. Do not use the telephone at the resort, because as we harshly found out, the rate was approximately $3.00 per minute. Also, to get the telephone to work, it took the front desk about two days of aggravation to figure out how to get it working. On a positive note, they had a beautiful beach and nice gardens. Also, Grand Princess Casino was a beautiful casino on the outside, with an empty atmosphere on the inside. There was also a corrupt game called "Super Rainbow Jackpot". If you are looking to give your money away, then play it. If you want to win, stay away. They took cash and credit at the table, which we thought was very odd to take credit at the casino table. Overall, we found this to be a poor resort with staff lacking any kind of customer service, and a vacation suited to those who want to look like a lobster, drink loads and be happy to settle for rudeness in a very basic resort. Would I return to the Jolly Beach again? I most definitely will not and probably will never return to Antigua nor would I even suggest it to my enemy. For a good time stay away from Antigua and Jolly Beach Resort! 12 users found this review helpful. 8 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Appalling and extremely rude vacation Visited: May 2006 Posted by golf47cart We found the resort to be very loud and noisy. Visited: May 2006 from USA The room that we had to spend the first night in had no ceiling fan, but it did have an air-conditioner. Also, there was a cockroach in the corner of the room. This was the very first time I had discovered cockroaches in any room. Others have written about bugs in the room here, but on our other trips here we had never seen any bugs. There was a room safe in each room and the rental fee for the lock was $15 each week. This resort seemed like a one-star resort. The food was horrible with terrible service. There were three restaurants (in addition to the buffet). An Italian; an Indian (Uvsak); and a seafood (Lydia’s). Suggested clothing at these restaurants would be long pants and shirts for men and appropriate dressing for women. The beach here was so wonderful. At the north end of the beach was Jolly Harbour and the Marina, and at the south end was Coco’s. The pool was very noisy. Music blasted out and loud speakers yelled all day long – there was no peace and quiet in this area. And unfortunately, it was so loud that the noise covered all of the Jolly Beach Resort beach area. The staff at JBR and in all of the resorts in Antigua made Antigua such a place never to visit again. It was the Antiguan people. They were always rude and obnoxious. Will we return again to Jolly Beach Resort? Never because of the noise and the rude people. Also, will never return due to The Grand Princess Casino runs a corrupt establishment with fraudulent games. 9 users found this review helpful. 9 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Why go elsewhere? Visited: May 2006 Posted by jackie_stobbs We first went to Jolly beach ten years ago when it was known as Club Antigua. We got married here, and it was wonderful. We decided to go back for our 10th anniversary (which was May 31st). Even though there were quite a few changes, it was absolutely brilliant. We couldn't have asked for more from a holiday. The staff was amazing. They were so friendly (well most of them). The bar staff was a bit more reserved than the restaurant staff. The Italian restaurant called Bocciolo's had brilliant staff - especially Ruth who was just lovely. Our kids (who are nine and five) really enjoyed the pools. The rooms, gardens and poolside were immaculate. All in all, it was the best resort I have been to. Thank you so much, Jolly Beach. We won't be waiting another ten years for our next visit, we can assure you. 11 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was good, but not great. Visited: April 2006 Posted by lovetotravel 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. 9 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I had a wonderful Visit Visited: February 2006 Posted by marlened After reading the number of surveys posted here, it just goes to show you that everyone experiences things differently! I have just returned from the resort for a business trip. I was traveling alone on top of that, and had an excellent time in Antigua. The rooms at the Jolly Beach were fine, not impressive but the location and grounds were lovely! The food was wonderful, and all the staff was friendly and helpful. I didn't experience any of the difficulties mentioned earlier. I would highly recommend the Wahdidli Catamaran Trip around the island. The trip took all day, but it was the best way to see the entire island. The boat staff was wonderul, we had a great lunch, and the group (at least my day) was made up of young and older folks who included me in many wonderful discussions. The food at the resort was great, with a variety of island dishes and familiar food for those not as adventurous. I don't drink, but people I talked to raved about the mixed drinks and local beer. The hotel gift shop had better prices than some of the shops outside the resort and had a fine cross-section of things of Antigua. True, it was not luxurious like Curtain Bluff, but then it wasn't $1,000 per night, either. Just roll with the punches on vacation and relax to a different pace. 14 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Jolly Beach was a beautiful place. Visited: January 2006 Posted by outaplace I was sent to Antigua on business. Jolly Beach was one of only two "hotel" phone numbers I was given, and the first one didn't accept international calls. I have never been to the Caribbean, and imagined my accommodations would be dreary at $150/night. I drove up to the resort and turned around twice believing that there was no chance I was staying at such an awesome looking place. Needless to say, my review is not like most of the "well traveled" other people who have posted here. I encountered many of the same "problems" they did, except the problems didn't bother me in the least. The Antiguans who worked here treated me with respect - as I did them. I only tipped one time upon arrival, because I was ashamed that Abdul carried my bags to my room. I am an American soldier and considered it a blessing to get the chance to stay here and see this island. I'm not sure I would have ever taken the time to see such a beautiful place. You will not be forgotten. 10 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was better than okay. Visited: January 2006 Posted by bigrs "I wouldn't stay at Jolly Beach again. It was nice, but not nice enough for a second visit." This was a quote from a previous reviewer and it fits our experience as well. We have stayed at close to a dozen resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, and this one rated in the lower half. I am writing this note to offset some of the comments regarding the rude staff. Each and every one of the staff that we had contact with was pleasant, and many of them went out of their way to be helpful. It is true that the standard rooms were not large, but they were clean and freshly painted, and housekeeping service was satisfactory. We had none of the problems with insects that some talked about, (although there was one frog outside our room that was quite vocal in his quest for a mate during the night). The food was adequate with a somewhat limited and uninspired selection. But we ate freely without concern for foodborne disease and certainly got enough to eat. The specialty restaurants were overrated as is often the case in all-inclusive resorts. The beach was beautiful, and chairs, mats, and towels were in good supply. Those who used the sailboats and canoes seemed pleased with the equipment. The grounds were spacious and nicely, but not expensively planted, and were quite well maintained. If one has difficulty with walking or with stairs, this should be made known when making reservations as some of the rooms were on the fourth floor and there were no elevators. Entertainment was fair on some nights and marginal on others. Bar service was readily available, and as is usually the case, you will not see the most expensive brands. This was a very nice resort for someone on a budget, but if you are used to four- or five-star accommodations, I would strongly suggest you not stay here. 7 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a great all-inclusive. Visited: December 2005 Posted by w_moss The hotel was great. The rooms were simple, but clean. All of the restaurants were great with lots of choices. Also, the food has improved greatly since we were last here 12 years ago. Make sure you take proper clothes for the restaurants where you need reservations. The seafood restaurant was really great, too. 4 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't expect too much! Visited: November 2005 Posted by kellyprangley I visited the Jolly Beach with my family and young baby. The first problem we encountered was them giving us rooms on the first floor. I explained we had a pram, but they didn't seem to care! One of our rooms totally stunk of bleach, and it took them three hours to arrange another room. The food at the buffet restaurant and the grill was very basic, with little choice. Also, it was never cooked properly. The Indian restaurant was the only place where the food was decent and the staff was nice! Don't bother going to the Italian restaurant - the food and staff were both terrible. I have been to many Caribbean hotels, and if I returned to Antigua, I would definitely not stay here again. The good thing was that it was on a beautiful beach with a good sized pool area. But just don't expect too much. If you want luxury, you won't find it here! 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Jolly Beach - that was the only "jolly" thing! Visited: November 2005 Posted by johabgood In November 2005 my partner, my son and I went to Antigua for our dream holiday. After reading all of the Jolly Beach web site and various others, we were very excited. We had never stayed in an all-inclusive place before. I can state now that Jolly Beach Resort has put us off ever doing it again. The hotel itself looked very run down with all of its amenities needing a big overhaul. The A/C leaked onto the electrics, the rooms were missing things that were supposed to come as standard, and the TV channels had bad interference. We even received electric shocks from the light fittings. The majority of staff were rude and unhelpful to us, the pools and restaurants were littered with shards of glass, and we thought the food from Hemispheres was horrendous. The Coconut Grill served chicken hot on outside and frozen in the middle. We thought their Kidz-Club was a joke! There was only one supervisor watching as many as 20 children. When we asked what she would do if one needed the toilet, she replied "I would leave the rest on the beach." No thanks! Prices quoted on the web site were not prices they gave us when we arrived. The beach was beautiful, and the water sports were excellent. I recommend you go to Antigua, it is a beautiful place. But I suggest you avoid this resort like the plague! 6 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I loved it! Visited: November 2005 Posted by info10 Having just got back from the Jolly Beach Resort three days ago, I have to say I miss being there. As a lot of people have said, the room was a tad on the small side, but it was cleaned every day. I had fresh towels when I needed them and it had both air conditioning and an overhead fan. The patio in the room I had was wonderful and made for a great place to both start and end the day. There were a few insect bites, but that's part of the price you pay for being in this little part of heaven. As far as I could work out, all of the rooms have a sea view (well, all in our group did). All faced out to the west for some great sunsets in the evenings. We were here for a wedding and it went great. The food was great, and they had something for all - either in the main dinning area or in one of the three restaurants (open on rotation). Yes, the entertainment was a bit basic, but holidays are what you make of them and ours was great! 5 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Our experience here was terrible. It was our worst holiday ever. Visited: November 2005 Posted by gavinandbarbara From the moment we were greeted by the extremely rude front desk staff at check in, we knew this would be a holiday to forget. We found the rooms to be extremely basic, and the standard rooms were definitely no more than two-star standard. The rooms were invaded by ants which were swarming all over the walls and in the bed. We had no running water two mornings out of seven, and three power cuts on separate days. We thought the housekeeping was appalling. We were never given clean towels unless we asked. One day, the maid forgot to clean the room. When we spok to them, they answered us rudely and aggressively. The front desk staff was also very rude and unhelpful to us. The restaurants were very basic. The restaurant staff and the chefs could not seem to be bothered, and didn't seem to want to be there. Again, they were rude and aggressive to us. The food was constantly undercooked (hamburgers were nearly always pink). The hotel constantly had businesses in for lunch dining amongst the holiday makers, and once they had been to the buffet, there was little left. Also, in the restaurants, the hotel indicated that guests must dress elegantly casual. However, this was not adhered to, and people wore shorts, football shirts and trainers in the evenings. There were no standards whatsoever. Birds were a constant nuisance, walking over plates, tables and drinking out of the drinks machines. Selection of food was poor. There were approximately ten umbrellas around the pool which meant there was no shade for those that did not want to look like a lobster. The resort also looked like it needed complete renovation. Don't use the telephone at the resort because as we harshly found out, the rate was approximately $3.00 per minute. On a positive note, they had a beautiful beach and nice gardens. Overall, we found this to be a poor resort with staff lacking any kind of customer service, and a holiday suited to those who want to look like a lobster, drink loads and be happy to settle for rudeness in a very very basic resort. Luckily, the week before, I experienced another hotel on an all-inlusive basis which was in Barbados, displaying excellent customer service and facilities. So this has not put me off the Caribbean. However, would I return to the Jolly Beach again? I most definitely will not and probably will never return to Antigua. 6 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? My holiday was great, but the hotel wasn't! Visited: October 2005 Posted by xxjadehu We had been traveling all day. We arrived at the hotel to have to wait at least two hours to get in to our room. The room was very small with no space to put anything. We ended up having to move rooms. We found the people/staff to be very rude and unhelpful at times. We thought the room service was very poor. Our room was not clened for a couple of days, and once they did clean it, they did not put clean sheets on the beds. Also, there was not a lot of choices of food. A few people in my party hardly ate! It was really awful. The best part of the hotel was the swimming pool and swim-up bar. It was very relaxing. If we went on the beach, people just hassled us to buy things all the time. We came here to have a wedding. There were about 40 of us, so we did make some fun out of it. The wedding was fantastic, although it rained and we couldn't have it on the beach. But we had our wedding inside, and was still very good. There was one problem withthe photos they took. They were beautiful, but the color was all wrong, and she even got my order wrong! The evening entertainment was the worst. It was the same music over and over again - all instrumental (the steel band). Mosquitoes were everywhere, and I had bites all up my legs. We couldn't even go out of the complex, because there was no where to go except the harbor where there were a couple of restaurants. We weren't impressed with the town, either. Overall, we thought this hotel was quite bad. But we had a lot of fun because we had to make some! I suggest you avoid this hotel if possible! It seemed like a great place when we read about it in the brochures and on the Internet, but we found it really wasn't all that. 3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Jolly Beach was amazing. Visited: September 2005 Posted by lollibird1 After reading some of the reviews on this site, I was a bit worried. However, it was one of the best Caribbean resorts I have been to. It's true that the super saver rooms were very small - but how long do you really spend in your room? The staff was really friendly and nothing seemed to be a problem for them. Also, the entertainment was fun and varied, and the choice and quality of food was excellent. My only gripe was that the local branded alcohol was fairly poor. We had an amazing holiday, though, and we would definitely recommend this resort. 3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a very pleasing resort with a lovely beach. Visited: September 2005 Posted by simon_mirams Having read reviews before our trip, we were a little bit worried about food, service, and the cleanliness of the room. We experienced, however, the complete opposite of what we had read. The staff was extremely friendly and would go above and beyond to help, without putting their hand out in search of a tip. The food selection was limited, but the quality was generally good at Hemispheres, Bocciolo, and Lydia's. The rooms were basic, but adequate for the amount we actually used them. They were cleaned every day. They were also cool - a welcome relief from the heat outside. However, at first, there was a slight problem with the air conditioning. But that was dealt with very quickly by the maintenance department. So, all in all, the resort was a lot better than we previously thought. Also, the beach was beautiful, and the vendors didn't pose any threat or problem. Antigua was a beautiful island and was one I hope to return to again. The local people were fantastic! 5 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had good fun here. Visited: August 2005 Posted by lorijordan_35 Jolly Beach had a very Caribbean staff, but you have to understand you are experiencing a different culture. It was laid back, but at Jolly Beach, it was good, basic fun. Enjoy the experience with an open mind and appreciate the difference in lifestyles. Caribbean life is simpler, slower, and to be admired. You are on vacation to slow down, right? Enjoy it! The island is on a generator, so expect brown or black outs. Also, expect beautiful weather. Try and see the locals for who they are - genuine people who enjoy life. 3 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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