If your looking for the Hilton, this aint it. It is a nice family run lodge thats great for divers. The other reviews about cleanliness are accurate, but if you have traveled in the Caribbean, you should expect things like dirt in the corners, bugs and bats. The hotel is in the same area as a bird sanctuary, so be prepared to hear the birds at all hours. The hotel is right on the street so expect some traffic noise, but it is not unbearable. The seating area in the lodge is limited, the only real place to sit if you have a group is around the pool or in the dining area. If its raining, your limited to the dining area. They have WiFi available if you need it. There are no TVs in the rooms, but there is a small TV in the Bar area that is conected to a Direct TV dish, so you can keep up on current events.
The rooms are adequate, beds varied between really hard and really soft. Rooms have A/C and the usual hotel furniture. Our first room had an A/C and water leak problem, but the staff had no problem getting us changed to a new room. Bathroom was average for a hotel room. Cleanliness was an issue though.
The food was really good. the cook staff did a great job for us. The coffee was an issue, coffee was usually made once and reheated until it was empty ( it was obvious when it was so concentrated and burnt the owner had the staff change it)
The dive operation was above average. The dive masters / instructors were attentive, and went out of their way to take us where we wanted to go. I have dove with many dive operations, and feel that they were among the best, safe and professional. Boats were adequate and their captains safe and helpful. We dove with Sean, Tigger and Marvin and had a good time. The diving here is advanced due to the unpredictable current so be prepared.
Not much of a beach, the hotel is located across the street from a sand / pebble beach, because of the current use caution swimming. There is a small stream / pond opposite the hotel that was a breeding ground for KILLER Mosquitos, bring the deet!
Speyside is a small fishing town, not much in the way of nightlife or bars, but most people come here to dive. There are a bunch of great local places to eat. Highly recommend trying them all, I highly recommend Jemmas and Bird Watchers.
If you want to see the rest of the Island, you will need to rent a car. We used a rental company from Speyside ( Top Ranking Auto Rental) and got screwed, the van had no breaks and when they finally went out we waited 2 hours for them to be fixed at a local shop on the other side of the island, then the transmission died on the trip back to the Hotel. Company offered no compensation and actually blew me off when I asked to speak to the owner. I wouldnt use them unless you have no option. I recommend test driving the car before you accept it. This was not the Hotels fault though.
Overall this is a nice Hotel / Lodge that has a good dive shop, good food and a decent friendly staff. Could be a real gem with just a little atention to detaIL by the staff.