When you hit the Jumby Bay Blog (don't try and say that after a couple of drinks, by the way), the first impression is good. It looks nice. Plenty of pictures of long white beaches and sparkling blue sea, and a neat looking layout. But start reading and you might be disappointed--we were.
It's not just a promotional blog, it's a whack-you-over-the-head promotional blog. Each post so far advertises packages or aspects of Jumby Bay without anywhere near enough attempt to make it interestingly readable.
The list of categories on the left looked interesting, until you start clicking, because every post has been linked to practically every category.
In the interests of fairness, it is very early days at the Jumby Bay Blog, and we hope to see a bit more story-telling and a few less categories attached to each post. As it stands, it's not the kind of hotel blog we'd go back to read again, even if it does look pretty.
Summer doesn't seem to be getting any closer for those up in the northern hemisphere, but down at the Blue Waters Antigua the summer is pretty much there all year round. Blue Waters is a small resort with just 77 rooms and suites, and is proud to be one of Antigua's longest established resorts.
Long established can mean in-need-of-repair, but the Blue Waters has been undergoing some renovations and guest reports are very postive. From a base at the Blue Waters, there are plenty of activities within reach, including sailing, snorkeling, golf, kayaking and windsurfing, or you can also hire a jeep and head round the island in a few hours. Apparently though the tennis court hasn't yet experienced the refurbishment and its rough surface might make for a frustrating game.
Meals can be had outdoors in the Palm Restaurant, or for a more upmarket dinner try the Vyvien's A-La-Carte place; there is also the gourmet Cove Restaurant on site, but if you've booked an all-inclusive package you won't be able to eat there.
Winter rates--the winter season runs until April 23, 2008--start at $479 for a double in the basic Superior Hillside room, rising to $1050 for a Cove Suite and if you're traveling with a group, you can grab the Cove Penthouse with three bedrooms for $2132 a night. For various surcharges you can add breakfast or all-inclusive deals that also include access to more of the facilities. Or you can just hang out at the beach.
Heading for Antigua for an escape into warm weather and got some pretty deep pockets? Well, with a pretty long list of awards, you can't go too far wrong with the Galley Bay Resort. As well as being #1 on the TripAdvisor ratings, Galley Bay was named on Conde Nast's 2007 "World's Best Places to Stay" list (and it was there in 2005, too).
Galley Bay is an all-inclusive resort set in 40 acres of gardens, and although it's not quite an eco-resort, care has been taken to make the buildings blend into nature as well as possible. There are 69 suites and cottages and the majority of them front directly on to the beach. One of the main restaurants, Gauguin, is an intimate spot that gets a few mixed reviews but generally sounds good; you can also eat at the Seagrape Restaurant--dress standards apply.
There seem to be two down-sides to a stay at the Galley Bay, although neither are really the fault of the resort: there are a lot of bugs around (bring your repellent if you want to head outside) and the sea is often too rough for swimming, or certainly too choppy for relaxing. That said, the resort of course has private splash pools for some of the villas. As for the bugs, you'll have to deal with them yourself, but that's part and parcel of getting warm weather, right?
We're not sure if the world needed another huge Sandals resort but someone decided that it did and thus, the new addition to the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa just opened this past weekend.
Much like the opening for The Cove at Atlantis, Sandals brought out celebs to celebrate its opening weekend. And by celebs we mean Rumer Willis, Kimora Lee Simmons, Shaggy, Teri Polo and Laguna Beach alum Stephen Colletti.
Jen at Ok! Magazine actually has the "play-by-play" on the opening festivities including a brief description of the suite "which is like a palacial suite with a balcony overlooking the entire 'rainy' village", her stint in a beer-guzzling competition and a report that Rumer Willis and Stephen Colleti were in the hot tub til 4am while friendly Sandals butlers refreshed their towels.
As for the new addition, it totally resembles The Cove, complete with some flash media presentation that talks about a "legend" and an "epic of love." The presentation also says the place was so grand and so luxurious it needed a new name--the Mediterranean Village. Um, that's not so grand or epic.
Anyways, in typical Sandals fashion it remains an all-inclusive resort but now it has all-suite accommodations and the Eastern Caribbean's largest pool:
As big as an ocean, this impressive new pool features a majestic tower for viewing sunsets, a colonnaded swim-up bar, and chic pool-side cabanas for lounging in intimate luxury.
Plus Sandal's has exclusive butler service, the first for their resorts, with butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers. This service is available for those staying in the concierge suites. And of course, this is Sandals. There's so much more to do here aside from make-out in a hot tub. And for that we can't really fault Sandals.
Here at Hotel Chatter, we've seen plenty of crazy stuff, but when we heard about the midnight messages at Jumby Bay in Antigua we wondered what they'd think of next.
The private island retreat (which, needless to say, is our favorite kind) recently debuted it's midnight messages for couples who prefer to unwind before bedtime. Resident message therapists visit guests in the privacy of their suites. The treatment starts at $350 per couple and includes candlelight, therapeutic massage, culinary treats and a hand-drawn bath. Sure, 500-count sheets are nice, but this is pure luxury. And also very conducive for baby-making.
A friend of HotelChatter is bugging us about the US Airways sale that's currently on until March 5. "Come on," the FoHC told us last night. "We gotta get some sun." It may be true, and Antigua does have killer rays to soak up. But where would we stay for under $600?
The Dian Bay Resort & Spa might fit the bill. There are 34 ocean view rooms to choose from at Dian Bay, all of which come with smallish terraces. The beach directly in front of the property doesn't offer much, but, hey, that's what water taxis are for. The hotel ferries guests across the bay to another sandy strip when sunbathing duty calls.
So what's the catch? Might be this:
The resort's remote location makes it difficult to get to dining spots on the island, unless you rent a car for your stay or take a taxi, which, although easy to arrange, can get expensive after a few trips.
True, but you can't beat rates that start under $200. Use the money you save to tip those cabbies!
Just over three years old, Antigua's Carlisle Bay is one of those relaxing luxury hotels that not too many people ever complain about. And this week a Guardian reviewer in the UK found cause to pretty much rave about it:
It manages to pull off the difficult trick of being fabulously cool and completely unintimidating. Though you won't find much in the way of folkloric evenings, pirate hats, steel bands or umbrellas in the cocktails, you will find gorgeous split-level rooms in cool greys - all designed to give a jaw-dropping view over the ocean from your bed - giant bathrooms and walk-in showers, nine tennis courts, a good gym and spa, and of course great food, tending towards a sort of Pacific fusion thingy.
The Carlisle Bay's website likes to go on about the hotel's "wow factors", including the private cinema, extensive library collection and the new "Cool Kids Club". We think if you can lie in bed and look over the ocean, you really don't need anything else. Maybe some occasional room service deliveries of Pacific fusion thingy food.
The Trade Winds Hotel in Antigua is a special Hotel Heaven, the do-gooder kind.
While it's not technically a "green hotel," it is recycling and has made use of it's tired linens by donating them to one institution that doesn't care about thread count: prison.
The prison's superintendent promised to put the donation to good use (like forcing prisoners to do more laundry), and commended the hotel's charity.
It's a wonder that Martha Stewart didn't come up with this do-gooder idea while in the pen.
As for the hotel itself, what it lacks in beach it makes up for in views. Think the opposite of prison. Dear inmates reading this blog, we're sorry to rub it in, but we hear that:
Rooms are spacious and airy so that you don't feel trapped. You have your own private balcony to enjoy the views and sunshine. The rooms come with ceiling fans as well as air-conditioning (in case your need it), satellite TV, a mini fridge and on-suite bathroom.
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by amandak
