Although this review is generally about the Verandah resort in Antigua; I think our families holiday experience, is important, for those who are planning a trip to Antigua. Our family did not stay at the Verandah but this new resort, along with other local noise issues, did adversely affect our visit to Antigua negatively.

In the interest of full disclosure I should write, we were actually guests at Long Bay hotel a small hotel very near to the Verandah, I thought though, it would be more appropriate to write a review here about the Verandah as it was the new Verandah, which in the end, finally broke my spirit, spoiled my families’ holiday and prompted this review.

I think to be honest and place facts in context I should paint a picture of my visit to Antigua. Our families’ visit was during the Christmas Holiday, we are a family of five, the holiday started out most pleasantly and we were enjoying ourselves when the first sign, we might be in for a shock, showed up. The sign was when 600 or so Cruise ship passengers descended onto the Long Bay beach on Sunday December 23rd. turning it into the mad house, we were most assuredly, escaping. To our joy, the mayhem only lasted for a few hours that day and soon the area and the beach were returned to their peaceful state. A few days later, on Boxing Day we were once again chased off the long bay beach because we were assaulted by the unbearably loud music that was being played at the public beach during the Boxing Day holiday. This noise prompted a decisive response from my wife.

My wife who could not believe the noise, forced me to get the hire car, pile us all into it, to search for a quiet beach to spend the rest of our spoiled day. We finally after much trouble and time stumbled upon Half Moon Bay Beach which was very nice and most importantly for my family, free of loud pounding awful music. My older children were very happy with the surf at Half Moon but my youngest wasn't able to enjoy the water as it was just too rough. Finally and this is where the Verandah Resort came in, we returned to Long Bay to enjoy our evening and some light entertainment, a good meal and an early night. After retiring to our cottage for some much needed sleep we were once again assaulted by loud awful music this time the music was emanating from the Verandah Resort, I couldn't believe my ears; first we were assaulted by the Cruise ship passengers, then the Boxing Day Holiday noise at Long Bay Beach, finally we were disturbed by the noise from the Verandah Resort which was so loud I thought we were part of the Verandah's entertainment.

It was all TOO much!

On speaking to Chris, the manager at Long Bay, about these upsetting events he told me that he had made several attempts to speak to the management of the Verandah resort but so far he had seen no change. He also said that he had spoken to the local government about the problem but that so far his efforts had been useless. My question to the management of Verandah and the government of Antigua, is why, do they have to spoil the wonderful Antigua experience that could be enjoyed by all on Holiday, with too much loud noise?

It would seem evident to me, that all hoteliers and Antiguan's would want every guest in Antigua to go back home with glowing reports thereby ensuring that positive word of mouth advertising would increase bookings for all hotels in Antigua and Antigua as a whole.

I do hope someone with some authority reads and acts upon my comments.

This was our third vacation at Long Bay and it just keeps getting better! We stayed at the View House which offers an excellent view of the sun rising over the bay and setting over the ocean. Chef Charles provided a wonderful variety of meals. Even though it was the first week for the new wait staff, they were very pleasant and helpful. We were so pleased to reacquaint with Chris, Dave, Sam, Gary, Roma and Sondra (who rather than say "goodbye" at the end of our week, referred to our "going on vacation back to the USA, and coming home to Long Bay again next year!") The staff left us wanting for nothing going above and beyond to see to our comfort. Of course the ambiance can't be beat. We look forward to returning in the autumn of 2008. Long Bay Hotel is truly a gem on the island of Antigua.

3 January 2008

We are a family of four and have just returned from a 16 day trip to Antigua and Montserrat. For the Antigua leg we stayed 7 days at the Long Bay Hotel, (our second time there) and really enjoyed it. It is a great place to wind down. We sat and read, (though I jogged most mornings) or took the car on trips out. Our two boys (12 and 10) spent most of their time between the lagoon side (sailing and kayaking) and the beach side (swimming, snorkelling and fishing).

Service provided by the friendly staff was excellent, and the prices were very fair. We (Dad and two boys) went on two water trips (fishing and island snorkelling) with Robert, the in-house watersports supervisor, and he made them both interesting and exciting for all participants (and reassuringly life-jackets worn). Inside the hotel, the children enjoyed the sitting room and the games area (we used pool table, cards, chess and rummikubs although others as well) . Mum and dad liked that room for the huge selection of books.

The constant sea breezes ensured that we did not overheat, and in fact those - in combination with the room fans - were a better option than air conditioning. Environmentally we felt a lot better too about this more natural approach. All rooms are fine, but we have stayed in View House and Cliff House which seem better for a family, and they also have longer range views and the hilltop breezes.

We would recomend the hotel unreservedly for those looking for a traditional (non-bling) hotel with great core values, a strong service ethic, and great food. Before our first time there, we were bothered about the lack of a pool - but having been and experienced the proximity of the lagoon and the totally safe beach, this is simply not an issue. Anyway, whoever heard of making sandcastles by the pool ?

Younger son has just tipped my scoring from 'above average' to 'excellent' and, of course, he is quite right.

We will be back.


Stephen Collier

My husband and I spent nine days at the Long Bay Hotel, and we loved it. The hotel is traditional Caribbean style with lots of spaces open to the sky, ceiling fans, lush gardens, cozy rattan and hardwood furniture, woven mats on tiled floors, romantic views, corners designed for quiet relaxation with cool breezes. It has been lovingly maintained and 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 very comfortable.

Service was impeccable and friendly. The food was incredible. It was fresh, inventive, and world-class, combining 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 are 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 provides 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.

I came to Antigua to SCUBA dive, and this made delightful morning excursions for me. Since Long Bay Hotel is on the Atlantic side of the island and the best diving is on the southern, Caribbean side, driving to a dive site is required. Driving in Antigua is a bit challenging, with narrow and twisting roads, left-side driving, stray goats and burros around every turn, and aggressive local drivers. The dive shop I used, as recommended by the Long Bay staff, was Aquanauts out of English Harbor. They picked me up and returned me to the hotel free of charge daily, and were good company as well as excellent diving guides.

In the afternoons, I rejoined my diving widower. 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.