St. James's Club & Villas

Relaxing on our last day at this resort. Been able to enjoy the brand new coffee shop and ice cream parlour which are a huge bonus! Can’t fault the effort in this resort. We were upgraded to a huge villa presumably to keep us away from the smell of sargassum on the other side of the resort. They work tirelessly to clear this and I was able to go for a swim that side on a clear beach. Memora bay has seaweed on the floor but a clear beach and most days no smell. Also enjoyed the shuttle to pigeon beach. Special shout outs have to go to Torri (she does the tours), Elvis the top Barnan, Chris in the docksider and Ozzie who kept the entertainment going! But all the staff are fab! Food fab. Resort fab. Can’t complain about anything really but little improvements would be to provide drinks including extra water in the rooms and a bit more evening entertainment as most nights were a bit dead. Appreciate the resort is quieter as out of season but magician and quiz nights were good! Thanks all at St James!!

We have just come back from a really special two weeks away. We have been coming to St James's for a number of years and it seems to be getting better and better every time. You can tell there has been continued investment into this resort that is keeping it modern and ever improving. From the facilities on site to the fabulous hospitality and service of the team working there I cannot recommend a visit enough. We were staying in the reef suites which were beautifully decorated and spotlessly cleaned every day and have previously stayed in the villas which are great for larger groups or families. Would give more stars if we could! Thank you St James's for an unforgettable Fortnight!

Went with our family of four (two adults and two teens) for five nights in July. Knew the sargassum would be a problem going into the trip, and for the price we paid, was hoping for the resort to be close to perfect otherwise. This was sadly not the case. No major problems but a ton of minor disappointments that totaled up to a stay we would not repeat or recommend to others… •Our two bedroom villa offered great space but had lots of rundown qualities. Peeling paint on the deck, loose faucets, hair dryer hanging off the wall, etc. •Very disappointed in the food options. The dinner buffet was essentially inedible. Specialty restaurants were much better, but had limited menus and were not always open on any given night. 24 hour coffee shop/cafe was being renovated with no advance notice or alternative replacement. •If you want a frozen drink, you have to ask what kind of “smoothies” they have at each bar on each day. If they have strawberry, then you can get a strawberry daiquiri. If they have pineapple, you can get a pina colada. If not, you’re out of luck. Seemed odd for a large all inclusive resort. •Main pool was very small and had no wow factor. We actually preferred using the “children’s pool” as it was always empty and quiet. •Lots of things seemed in need of a refresh. My kids asked to borrow snorkeling gear and the staff had to struggle to find even two sets for them to use, one of which was broken. The activities list offered beach volleyball and when we showed up, the staff were trying to find a ball to blow up because the other had popped or gotten lost. Towels at the pool were not always readily available. Etc etc etc. •Staff was quite unfriendly. They were “fine” but not at all the level of friendliness and service we’ve come to enjoy at other resorts we have stayed at. All in all, we made the best of our trip, especially thanks to the off property excursions we went on. Obviously all at extra cost. For the price we paid, this resort was nowhere near the luxury or all inclusive feel that we were hoping for.

Family of 10 stayed in two villas in July 2026. Overall it was a negative experience for the total cost of $14k per villa (inc flight) Positives: villa had plenty of space for all 5 family members with a bathroom in each of the three bedrooms. Drinks were good and strong. Tori Ann at the excursion desk was a highlight and was the most helpful during the stay. After complaining about the cleanliness / toilet issues of the villa we were comped for a meal at their additional cost restaurant Piccolo Mondo which was another highlight. But costly in an already costly resort. Negatives: There are so many to list but I will try to name as many as possible. TO start let me discuss the villa. Upon arrival to the villa, two of the three bathroom toilets were clogged, the tile floors were so dirty that when we wiped up water with a towel it blackened the towel, we found bugs in the kitchen and dirty glasses left from previous guest and best of all we found women’s dirty undergarments peeking from under one of the beds. The two beaches were unusable due to the smell and black water. Also, the water in the bay seemed unsafe to swim in and we overheard someone at the desk saying they would not recommend swimming in it. LIsted amenities: 24 hour cafe was non existent with no replace and no note during booking. The food some nights at Docksider was inedible.Italian and Asian food nights were especially bad. Our first two days, the ECO kayak tour then sailing lessons were cancelled (we stopped trying) because of lack of staff. After complaining, they did run the lesson. We booked a private full day excursion on the resort’s sailboat from the desk. An hour into the trip, the boat would no longer start. We waited at least an hour before we sailed to the next stop of the trip. They said we could not continue and they transferred us to a party boat which was not the vibe we hoped for a family of 8 including children. Only after complaining about the time lost and the additional 4 staff tips required for the second bot did they refund $72 per family (2) of a $1500 trip. Management said we shouldn’t have tipped, which felt wrong since the staff was working hard.

Ugh what an awful experience. Given a room on cocos beach the room stank, the beach was loaded with fermenting seaweed the smell was unbearable there was a bottle of urine by the patio. Moved to a villa which was nice but this meant no filled minibar so we had to buy drinks and carry them the long walk back to the villa. Toilet blocked 2 days in. Only had clean towels and sheets once. Mamora beach is just a brown bog of seaweed if you went in you need to wash the smell off straight away we only went in the sea once. There was bird poo on every single lounger I had to clean them myself. You go to the Caribbean for the sea so this was incredibly disappointing. Cocos cafe was closed there was hot tea and coffee in flasks and pastries left in the heat these were not always available who wants a coffee and sweaty pastry in the heat why not move this into the jacaranda or rainbow room. You couldn’t do any watersports because the water was brown and murky. The staff are trying but they are fighting a losing battle. There is a shuttle to a different beach but there are no loungers not much shade they brought some grim sandwiches and left them to sweat there was only a few beers and soft drinks this is not all inclusive. We had to pay for a taxi to get us back early because it was so miserable $50!! My daughter and I started to feel ill we both had a headache that wouldn’t shift I think from the smell. My daughter was crying and wanting to fly home. We caved and booked another hotel an extra expense we didn’t need. I think this hotel should be closed until they sort the seaweed issue it’s not fair to advertise is as a beautiful Caribbean beach resort