St. James's Club & Villas

We had a fabulous week with our teenage children after getting married at St James Club 20 years ago. The hotel and facilities were even better than we remembered. We loved the paddle boards, hobbie cat sailing boats and played pickleball together every day. The Mamora cafe was a very welcome addition and we enjoyed a barista made coffee after a morning walk around the club every day. The staff were all exceptional and the manager Riaan made our stay very special. Naomi helped us book a boat trip where we were able to swim with turtles which was magical - her knowledge of the island and tips on what to do was exceptional.

After being recommended by a good friend we have just returned from our first visit to St. James Club. From our arrival at the airport we were sold on the people of Antigua. From our taxi driver to all the resort staff no request seemed too much. Our freshly refurbished Beachfront room, we were the first to use it, was immaculate with newly refitted and retiled bathroom, new flooring throughout and redecorated of course. We were unsure of the limited a la carte eating options but shouldn’t have worried as the buffet options were above and beyond anything we had experienced elsewhere in the Caribbean. Whether it was Snapper, BBQ’d Short Ribs, Jerk Chicken or roasted Jerk Pork we were never disappointed. On the two occasions we paid the small upgrade to eat in the Picolo Mondo we were more than spoiled, the Ribeye was simply delicious, as was the Lobster. It was also nice to be drinking premium spirits, Tanqueray for me and Grey Goose for my wife always welcome before dinner. Certain areas have a fun atmosphere during the day but as a couple of ‘oldies’ there was also plenty of quieter pools and beaches to relax at. Plenty of trips available including the Pink Safari Tour and Shirley Height’s Party Night on Thursdays and Sundays is a must do !! We had a couple of issues with noisy neighbours, not serious, during our first week but General Manager Riaan did everything he could to alleviate them and continued to look out for us for the rest of our stay. We are already considering our next visit and will probably upgrade to the Royal Suites and maybe go a little later in the season. As the refurbishments continue this resort will certainly flourish! Thanks again St. James Club, hopefully see you all next year.

Just returned from a 2 week holiday at St James club in Antigua. THE GOOD BITS - Weather was great over our two week stay (mid Oct to start of November) - just a few downpours mostly in evening and they didn't last long - Staff at the hotel were very welcoming and all very friendly - Hotel wasn't that busy - lots of sunbeds, no lengthy queues for food, etc - Choice of 2 beaches - the Atlantic side was less crowded and often breezy with waves in sea. Staff cleared any seaweed in morning, We dint find this to be an issue and we spent most mornings on this side of the resort. - The other beach (approx 2 minute walk away) is more contained but also gets hotter and is more busy. Loads of sun beds available and water sports - Drinks trolley frequently turned up with refreshments to your sunbed (Both beaches) - We went on 2 trips. Pink Panther tour was very good. Gabby (our tour guide) gave a good overview on Antigua and took us to Shirley Heights, Devils bridge and the wonderful Pigeon point beach. Second trip was on a catamaran which went to green island . Good trip if you like snorkelling (lots off fish to see, turtles and some stingrays too) but the first 20 mins sailing up the Atlantic coast was quite an experience (ie very wavy !) - Choose of 3 or sometime 4 restaurants within the AI plan (ie although you pay a 35 dollar pp supplement to attend the Piccolo Italian restaurant (opens 3 times per week). A manic of some a la carte and some buffet meals available - (some sample menus attached) - We had one of the more basic rooms at the hotel which was spacious. It was cleaned every two days with beach towels readily available to change when needed THE NOT SO GOOD BITS - Food is generally good but not great. Limited choices started to became an issue over our two week stay - We visited the Piccolo restaurant one evening - In our opinion, food wasn't that much better than other restaurants and disappointing that we were only couple in the whole place - 2 more people arrived before we finished our dinner - Entertainment is provided each night but it is quite low key - generally a band or singer but often not that many people in bar watching the entertainment - The house wine served under AI deal isn't great nor is the local beer served at the hotel. Other options are available including prosseco, A wide range of cocktails that they do prepare with premium brand labels. You can also purchase bottles of wine starting from approx 20 US dollars OVERALL VERDICT Having read some of the earlier TA comments, we were quite apprehensive about the hotel. We very much enjoyed our 2 week stay at St James and believe it is a great value option. The staff are brilliant and a good reason to consider this option for your trip to Antigua !

Great family holiday. We visit every two years staying in one of the villas. This year we saw some welcome enhancements in facilities and activities. The new Manager (Ryan) and his team were very focused on listening to customer feedback as they evolve the offering. The new themed evening activities such as Chocolate evening brought customers together for a fun evening. There was sine refurbishment going on while we were there and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of that in a couple of years. We like the option to use different beaches m, e as t in different restaurants and enjoy different pool settings. Staff are friendly. We hired a car for a week and explored the island.

absolutely gorgeous beaches and pools aswell as some delicious food the staff were also all really lovely and great to be around