St. James's Club & Villas

I agree with those who found the 'ordinary' hotel rooms at best tired, if not tatty. On arrival the bottled water in our room had been half drunk and the bathroom bin had not been emptied. The bath tap came away from the wall in my hands and the towel rail fell off the wall! Also the provision of towels was a lottery - sometimes too many, sometimes not enough. We too found the general service erratic, some staff were very pleasant, others downright surly. Just a bit of customer service training would solve this. The food was plentiful And the facilities excellent. Don’t understand why they have to fog the mosquitos at 4am with very loud machinery - especially as it is totally ineffective as everyone was bitten. Nobody’s fault but the mozzies. I echo other reviews of the beaches - not the place for crystal clear seas that we all hope for.

Whilst this is a beautiful location we found the holiday very disappointing. The general service for both the rooms and in the buffet restaurants was poor for the most part. There were some staff who were lovely and very helpful but overall it was begrudging. Definitely not recommended.

We have just had a fantastic and relaxing 10 days holiday at St James’ Antigua - a 5 star experience! The hotel is set on lovely grounds and is comprised of charming villas and rooms (both beach and garden views) and is not high rise either with multiple floors. It is the type of resort that is good for all ages and it was nice to see extended families of different generation’s enjoying a holiday together. Even though this a large resort, it doesn’t feel like that due to the extensive grounds and the personal touch given by the staff. We felt very at home at the resort! We were very well looked after by all the staff, who work very hard. All the public areas i.e. toilets by the pool and beach were kept extremely clean at all times, at no point did we see lots of sand or water. Other public areas were also kept immaculate. In terms of the beach, there was some seaweed which was cleared constantly throughout each day. There was also a beach buggy that came round throughout the day offering drinks and cocktails. We were staying in a 2 bedroom villa on an all inclusive basis, which had 2 generous sized bedrooms with king sized beds, one with a bath/shower and the other with a walk in shower. There was also a well equipped kitchen and dining area and a seating area, plus a big balcony with a dining table and sun beds. On a couple of nights we decided to have dinner in our villa, whilst room service isn’t available, we were able to bring a 2 course dinner back to our room and drinks. Our villa was cleaned immaculately every day with clean towels etc. We understand that the resort are renovating rooms/villas gradually. We found the resort was well lit at night time and very safe, and if you didn’t want to walk then there were buggies readily available to take you to and from places. We also observed that the resort caters very well for those with mobility issues and parents with babies. There was also a wide range of activities available at the resort including tennis, pickleball, a well equipped gym, water aerobics and yoga etc. You could also go for lovely walks round the ground. There are 4 restaurants available with the all inclusive, Rainbow Garden is open for buffet breakfast and buffet lunch daily and some evenings for a la carte dinner (by reservation only). Cocos is only open for dinner a couple of times a week, which is a la carte, and again by reservation only. Docksider is open for dinner each night with different themed buffets daily and 11/11 is open from 11am to 11pm, including drinks throughout the day. The food in all these restaurants was very good with an excellent choice. There was also a beach BBQ in the Friday night which had a huge range of food and drink available . Piccolo Mondo is the resort’s Italian fine dining restaurant which is charged at an additional supplement, and also with fine wines and champagne. We dined there one evening and this was a very special experience. We would like to thank some key people who made our stay extra special - Riann Thiart (General Manager), Kaisha, Omar, Eyka, Milton, Tushane, Joe Anne and Samori. Apologies to anyone we might have missed - all the staff are excellent, including maintenance, the beach guys, housekeeping, chefs, waiters/waitresses! We have travelled extensively and stayed in a lot of hotels not just in the Caribbean but elsewhere in the world too. We have never seen a General Manager as present and proactive as Riaan, he was there at breakfast, lunch and dinner clearing tables and working with the staff and truly led by example, and had clearly built an excellent rapport with the staff. We noticed that he was working in the busiest areas of the resort where the help was needed, instead of hiding away. He was very approachable to the guests and was keen to interact with everyone to make sure people were happy. His management style clearly has also influenced other members of the management team who also followed his example. In addition to being an excellent general manager, Riaan also has a wonderful sense of humour and we shall miss him making us laugh everyday. We hope to return soon! Thank you all for giving us a much needed stress free holiday, which we will never forget and will hold a fond place in our memory bank. P.S. you will need the immigration form/QR code (advisable to do online) when you arrive into Antigua and when you leave Antigua!

Currently here at St.James's Club. Our 11th visit. As per previous visits we are staying in the Royal Suites. Rather disappointing check--on due to the fact that a week b4 arrival I contacted Elite island resorts to request a certain room location. The Customer Service manager responded and said she forwarded our request, however with the caveat that this is not guaranteed. Totally reasonable. So at check-in I asked if my request was granted. The person at reception was unaware of this and looked at my booking and found the request. The area i requested was in Block 3 or 4, upper level. I received Block 1 ,lower level. That room backs on to the bar and across from the receiving dock so its very noisy. So, really, the complete opposite. She said she would see the manager when he comes in the next day. I followed up with same person the next day and initially she didn't remember us, but sees a lot of people I'm sure. She went to see the manager and after a few minutes came out and said "because it's rather a long stay (10 days??) it will be difficult to arrange". So essentially, because no one read my request, it was unfulfilled, and appears to be no motivation to correct this. Rooms renovated 2 years ago and top 2 dresser drawers won't stay closed,presumably has been ongoing since then. Safety issue in the dark (See photo)

Hays Travel selected this holiday for my wife's 60th. The resort is spacious with loads of accommodation. We started off in one of the apartments but got upgraded about 4 days later into a large villa. The staff are all friendly and the kitchen staff work hard. Disappointed with the 7Eleven restaurant but the others were good. Plenty of choice for all meals and plentiful. Freshly cooked eggs, omelettes available at breakfast. The resort boasts plenty of facilities from a gym, tennis and paddle board courts, water sports and we took advantage of the free kayaking. Although the resort was full we were never hunting for a sunbed on the beaches and even partook of the mobile beach bar that trundled along. It didn't appear crowded, not even at peak dining times. Could not find fault with all the staff throughout the resort always smiling and friendly. They are to be commended. Having worked in hospitality I know how difficult the general public can be.