this is the second time we have been at the coconut beach
and we will be going back next year
it is my little piece of paradise like all the other reviews
the satff are fabulous the food great (although not quite as good as last year) but then the standard is so high must be difficult to keepit up all the time.
walking along the beach at 6am in my pj's paddling in warm sea is my idea of heaven.our room was on the ground floor (did request this) just wonderfull the cleaning staff were great nothing is too much trouble.the bar staff jahilda etc are just fabulous
and athough a mother of 4 having no 'rugrats' screeching around you is also something that i enjoy.
thats why we will be going back next june for the third time

This is a small intimate three star hotel on a beautiful beach, with the emphasis on relaxation and friendly service. One of the advantages of being in a small hotel is that you get to know the staff and other guests in a way that you don't in a larger more impersonal hotel.

Clientelle - There was a good mix of ages but, as they do not allow children under 12 (except at Christmas), most guests were either young couples or people, say, 40+. In fact, the hotel is perfect for anyone looking for a peaceful and relaxing break.

Rooms - The rooms are in three storey blocks, all with sea view, air conditioning and ceiling fan. We had a ground floor room which was a good size with a huge bed, good storage space, good sized bathrom, fridge and free room safe. The ground floor rooms have a deck, rather than a balcony, with two comfortable chairs and a hammock (if you are brave enought to try to get into it!). We had an excellent view and it was only about 20 steps to the sea.

Food - Breakfast and lunch are served in the beachside buffet restaurant. Breakfast provided full English (with a member of staff cooking eggs to order) or continental, along with the usual cereals, toast, fruit platter, etc. Lunch provided three courses with always with a soup, a fish a meat and a vegitarian option, plus various salads and three deserts (one of which was always fresh fruit salad).
Plenty of food was always available with the staff quick to top up any tureens that required it.
Dinner is more formal and is served from an 'a la carte' menu in the poolside restaurant. You need to book you time with reception each day as they cook to order so need to stagger arrival times. As wth most caribbean resorts, men need to wear long trousers and a shirt with a collar. There is a choice of three starters , three main courses and at least three deserts. The portions are not huge but are beautifully cooked and presented. And who needs a huge dinner when eating three full meals a day?

Entertainment - We had three lots of entertainment during our 11 night stay - a steel band, a calypsio singer and a short magic show. Other evenings were spent chatting to fellow guests in the bar. If you want a disco, loud music into the early hours and people keeping asking you to join in this and that, you will need to go somewhere else. We don't, and found the level of entertainment here just right.

Bar - The bar opens at 10.00 am and is quite small , It serves the most delicious frozen pineapple daquaris, amongst a lot of other cocktails. Also if you want one they don't have on their list, if you know what goes into it they will make it for you. Watch out for the measures though - they can be a little heavy handed with the hootch. In keeping with the ambience of the hotel, the bar closes at 11.00 pm.

Excursions - A number of excursions are available , some of which pick you up from the beach. We didn't go on any but heard no adverse comments from those who did. Aparently the hotel also provide a free guided walk around their gardens and lake.

Wellness Cottage - I had two treatments at the wellness cottage, both were great, If you have the time, it is well worth getting the leaflet from reception and booking yourself some pampering.

Staff - Wonderful staff, always with a smile for you, always willing to help, and very friendly. For example, one of the guests organised a staff v. guests cricket match on the beach one day. Unfortnately, that was the day we left, I wonder who won.

Beach - Ah, leaving the best to last. What could be better that a wonderful powder soft sand beach just a few paces from your door. The sea was warm and the waves gentle - absolute bliss. We had no trouble with beach venders, there was one lady who had a table on the beach a few days a week but there was no hassle.

Accessibility - I include this because I have reduced mobility and needed a hotel with everything close at hand and not many steps and Coconut Beach Club was ideal.

Overall, I would happilly recommend this hotel to friends and hope to return there myself in the not too distant future.

We have just returned from our Honeymoon at the Coconut Beach club and had a superb time!

The reviews on this website are at times unbeleivable and I cannot understand what people really expect from a holiday such as this. It is quite clear from the Brochure that the hotel is secluded and that it is small and does not have a wide range of waterports on offer. If people want a 5 star all inclusive experience with things to do 24/7 then they should do a bit of research before they book and be prepared to pay a lot more for their holiday!

So, grumble out of the way........

The hotel is small, set on a lovely sweeping beach with sea within 10 steps of your rooms. The rooms were spacious, clean and had were serviced on a daily basis. Each room has a sea view, balcony furniture and best of all a hammock! The fridge had drinks in it which was quite welcome after the long flight and lack of refreshments from Virgin but thats a whole different story!

Hotel is 30 mins by taxi (they all seem to be mini-buses) from the Airport and the drivers we used were all very firendly indeed and very informative of the Islands highlights. Reception at the hotel was very friendly, we were greeted with Rum punch and shown to our room very prompty so that we were on the beach within 10 mins. They always book new arrivals for dinner at 7 or 7.30 so we didnt have to wait too long to get some food.

The food we received was excellent with perhaps the exception of the buffet evening which is on a Tuesday when they have the Managers Cocktal party (Really not worth the effort of getting dressed up for!). Breakfast was a gastronomic delight, eat as much as you like of a very good range of food on offer, the best being the eggs, cooked to your liking fresh as you wait. Lunch was always buffet style with 2 or three choices daily and always fresh soup. Lots of salads and veg, pasta, hot and cold and desserts such as cake and pie and always fresh fruit salad. The waiting staff brought water and wine to your table and would also get you anything from the bar.

Dinner was excellent, the food would put a fine Bistro to shame. The menu's were imaginative and tasty and we didnt have the same thing repeated in the 10 days that we were there. Portions were adeqaute for most appetites bearing in mind the lunch and breakfast were all you can eat, anyone who complained about the amount of food, must be very big eaters indeed!

There were three lots of entertainment, the only one which wasnt too good was the magician, the others, a steel band and the duo were excellent and not even slightly offensive! Be warned though, the bar closes at 11pm and sometimes earlier so when they call last orders make sure you order a couple more drinks if you dont want to go staright to bed!

Just as a matter of interest, the famous Zauda seems to have disappeared. Seemed to have been an altercation with someone (not a guest) and she promptly closed up shop at 10.20pm on Sat night and did not return. No big loss, the other girls mix a better cocktail and without the attitude!

They offer free tickets to a place called Shirley Heights on a Sunday, we didnt go but did get feedback from several people who went and they all came back early as they said it was all about selling stuff to the tourists and once you had taken in the view, there wasnt much else worth seeing or doing.

A visit to St Johns is a must but really it is unlikely that you would spend more than 3 hours there, avoid Sat as this is when the farmers market is on and it is very very busy.

At no time were we advised not to leave the hotel grounds, Antigua is very safe and friendly. We took a walk to Fort Barrington (about 30 mins) and found the most beautiful beach called deep bay. It is a hotel beach that stretches for a good half mile and is desserted most of the time as the hotel is closed at the moment. The snorkling there was fabulous so we hear!
Once trip we would highly recomment is the Wadadli catermaran trip, it was an excellent experience and well worth the money. Just remember not to have a too big a breakfast that morning as the atlantic part of the trip can get a bit choppy!

Do look out for th wild horses that come to the beach some days, they like to come to a drink out of the water bowls outside the rooms which are there to clean your feet in! Also check out the ugley blue land crab that lives under the rock in the gardens!

No complaints about the hotel whatsoever, howvever if you are booked on a Virgin flight out of Gatwick be prepared to be very hungry and very thirsty. On the way out we had been airbourn for 2.5 hours before we got offered a drink and 4 hours before we were fed. On the way back we had to go via Barbados (think this is just the Friday flights VS036) so flight was 10 hours. No service at all between Antigua and Barbados (an hour) then a hour picking up people before setting off for Gatwick. We were on the plane a total of 4 hours before a drink was offered (and there was only one!) and 5.5 hours before dinner. Breakfast was a rushed coffee and cookie! Had better service from Easyjet and was not what we expected from Sir Richard at all.

We are planning of going back at the earliest opportunity, it was excellent and just what we needed after the stress of organising a wedding.

Have recently come back from Coconut Beach having enjoyed a largely pleasurable 10 day holiday.

Its a longish flight from UK but thankfully just a short bus ride from the Airport to the hotel. We had a lovely welcome from the extremely pleasant front of hotel staff and a welcoming glass of rum punch! Our room was great - on the ground floor, and was a junior suite. Huge bed, good sized bathroom and fairly spacious. The best bit was the fact that we were literally a hop, skip and jump and into the sea!! The room was kept clean and towels changed on a daily basis. Housekeeping staff were very pleasant.

We were all inclusive and for the 1st 8 days this was good BUT I dont know what happened on the last 2 days as the food went from being either good or very good to being totally awful! This was such a shame as it spoilt what was otherwise a very good experience at this little hotel.

The staff were in the main very pleasant and helpful - but please bear in mind they like to be treated pleasantly - if you are nice and smile at them we always received a smile back!!

It is quiet here - certainly it suited us down to the ground but for people who like non-stop action this is not the hotel for you! Its definitely the place to go to either sit and read books or people watch! All in all we would give it the thumbs up but it was just such a shame that the catering let the place down on the last 2 days!!