Galley Bay Resort & Spa

Traveled to Antigua and spent 9 days on the island with my wife and two daughters- 18yo and 17yo. For the record, Galley Bay is as advertised- quiet, secluded and beautiful!   I was worried about the beach reading reviews, but it was awesome!  No seaweed, soft sand- some rocks but nothing to complain about.   The water was warm, and crystal clear.   We didn't find it too wavey, but others comment that it wasn't as calm as other Antiguan beaches.  Snorkeling included a wreck nearby that the water sport team can take you to and a reef of the far end of the resort that had great fish, octopus and lobsters. The rooms were HUGE!   Nicely appointed and well maintained.  Forgive me for not getting name of the house keeping crew, but they did a marvelous job of keeping the room stocking with drinks, towels and free of sand. (recommendation- we put a bath mat in from of the sliding doors to wipe our feet and keep sand out- you guys should look into some kind of permanent door mats) The experience of being able to literally walk out on to the beach directly from your room and have access to go into the room to use the bathroom or reapply sunscreen was amazing. And having your own personal beach loungers that you didn't have to fight for or reserve was stress relieving.   The staff was very nice, everyone was friendly and attentive- special call-outs to Cedric who greeted EVERYONE at breakfast, checked on them and wished them a fantastic day, Alaska, Julius, Sadie (my daughter called her "my Queen"), Annika (who is the absolute definition of guest services!) and Curtis. I am missing so many others, apologies- ground keeping crew always said good morning and stopped to engage you in friendly banter, housekeeping as mentioned before and those I will call the "golf cart guys"- thanks for running us up for taxi pickups!    The pool was great and contrary to reviews; we had access to plenty of towels.   For an all-inclusive resort, the food was above average.   We mostly ate at Seagrape (breakfast, lunch and dinner).    The menu changed every day, I would say that the lunch menu, at times, had better options than the dinner menu.  We had dinner at Gauguin one night, but did not feel it was special enough to worry about making reservations.   Drinks were okay, I couldn't find one I liked- but oh well.  Nightly entertainment was pleasant, the fire dancers was the best, he was a hoot. All was enough to keep you busy for couple of hours before bedtime (entertainment ended at 10:30p)     As mentioned, the crowd was very subdued- no one was rowdy.  Mostly mature couples with some young honeymooners sprinkled in.   Many of the guests were return patrons.   I can definitely see why.   Again, contrary to reviews, I did not feel like these folks got preferential treatment.  One very special moment, was that all the guests were able to witness see turtles hatching and going to the ocean (there was a research team supervising)- felt like a National Geographic moment!  All in all, I would strongly recommend Galley Bay to travelers looking for a quiet, beautiful piece of heaven on earth.

Wow, we could not have been more impressed with Galley Bay. My husband and I spent our honeymoon here and from the moment we were shown around by Alfred we were taken care of. The food was amazing, staff was awesome (special shout out to Pearl, Aaliyah, Vaughn, Alfred). Also, Cedric was welcoming, accommodating and a great host. We ran on the running trail every morning, used the gym, kayaked, laid on the beach, etc. We could not get enough of all the features Galley Bay has to offer. Mostly everyone we met stayed at Galley Bay before and we can surely see why they returned. We can’t wait to come back!

My husband and I just spent 2 beautiful weeks at Galley Bay Resort and Spa. Our second visit. You are greeted at reception with excellent rum punches (or 2). Our waterfront room was all that and more. A resort is just a resort, until you factor in the superb guest services on all levels. You can tell management personnel are hands on at every level. Culinary: A+. Housekeeping services A+. And then there is Alaska! We 1st met him when he was part of the management team on Palm Island resort before Hurricane Milton. We were thrilled to see him once again at Galley Bay. He is the epitome of all things a resort manager should be. Alaska: you made our visit so very enjoyable. I’m sure we’ll see you on our next Caribbean sojourn. And Pearl! Thank you so much for telling me just how to order poached eggs to my liking.. runny! You have a gorgeous smile and a personality that lights up a room. So many others provided us with an unforgettable adventure. Too many to name individually. Our advice… book your next adventure at this 5 star resort!

We have recently just returned from our 11th visit to Galley Bay Resort and Spa, and to no surprise, it was as lovely as ever. After initially first going there for our honeymoon in 2014- we knew this will always be our go-to ‘R and R’ place where its hospitality-team remembers your name and always greets you with a smile. The resort’s beauty, wonderful and accommodating staff, relaxing rooms, made-to-order meals, and fabulous drinks- always have my husband and I coming back year after year, to which we feel, it deserves the highest of praises. I wanted to share some tips and a few photos from this recent trip, particularly for those that are considering booking, or have a planned upcoming stay for the first time. Due to the resort having less than 100 rooms- it has never seemed crowded, but with enough guests to give some fresh faces to meet and chat with at the main resort bar, should you want to mingle a bit. The resort is not too small and not too big, and can provide you variety for your week or several weeks stay. On all our trips to Antigua, we have always felt safe should we want to do some excursions and activities off the resort. However, Galley Bay Resort and Spa, does a great job at giving you plenty of activities to do onsite, should you decide you do not want to venture out. A majority of these resort activities are shared with you upon arrival, as well as posted at the Guest Service’s desk for reference throughout your stay. Examples of their planned activity options are; the Caribbean BBQ luncheon, Manager’s cocktail hour on the rum-shack greens, Caribbean cooking lessons, garden and floral tour, yoga classes, a romantic movie night on the beach with individual wireless Bluetooth headsets, and live local nightly entertainment. Other activities you can enjoy are; free paddle boarding (which my husband always enjoys), sunfish sail boating, kayaking and snorkeling, (we like to bring our own snorkel masks as our own personal preference), a peaceful walking trail around the resort farm and gardens-where a majority of the resort’s fresh produce comes from for its onsite restaurants, the adorable air-conditioned café for cappuccinos, tea sandwiches, fresh baked cookies and ice cream (the rum-raisin ice cream is out of this world!), fitness center, and the bespoke spa with wonderful massage and couples massage options for an additional way to spoil yourself while you are staying here… there are so many special touches that GBR offers to its guests, I won’t tell you all of our favorite things- you’ll have fun discovering those on your own. You will most undoubtedly be super impressed with the lovely staff- who will make you feel like family, and will look to try to accommodate any special requests you may have. If you go, please, please, please- be respectful to the service team here. This is a resort that has some staff members that have been there over 10 and 20 years- they know how to make you feel special, and like so many other GBR guests who are known as ‘Repeaters’, we choose to book Galley Bay Resort and Spa- because of the fabulous staff that work there. It has been lovely over the many years we have been visiting GBR, to also be greeted by the newer staff coming up under the guidance of the other tenured team members. For most of our stays, we have opted to book the second floor Premium Beachfront suites, enjoying the sounds of the ocean at night since they are directly on the beach but also having the option of relaxing on the lounge chairs on our balcony and having a glass of champagne with the water views. Some additional guest tips you might want to know if considering booking GBR: There is a very good sized safe in the closet- large enough for two to three standard laptops or more items, if you need. With that being said, we have never had any concerns of crime while there, but since I can work remotely and usually travel with my laptop, I just always appreciate the use of a safe in a room for additional peace of mind. The guest rooms are stocked up daily with local beer, wine and bottles of water with option for more, upon request/need. There are ice-machine stands along the walking paths to the rooms, that you can readily help yourself to. The room has a wet bar with nice sink and decent sized refrigerator- which can store plenty of beverages and different sized bottle types. Although we liked to go for a morning walk to the resort café to get some cappuccinos to-go, there is a small coffee/tea maker with coffee and teas in the room too. The rooms do have an ironing board and iron in the closet- which comes in handy if you are traveling with linen clothes. The bathrooms also have a hairdryer if you need one, and use the same voltage and electrical outlets as the USA (for anyone traveling from the states wondering about compatibility). There were also USB plugs on both sides of the bed as well- always a nice convenience and we never had any issues with the wi-fi in the room being slow or unavailable. High-quality full-size body wash, shampoo and hair conditioner are also provided in the bathroom, so you can opt to not bother packing those items. You will not have to get up early to claim your beach chairs and shade umbrellas- as all are allocated and clearly marked with room numbers. I recommend bringing aqua-sock shoes for wearing in the ocean. You'll be glad you have those to walk out around the coral right in front of some of the beachfront. Additionally, there is an adequate gift shop on the resort, that does have miscellaneous OTC travel items, snacks, gifts, some beachwear, resort branded clothing, hats and jewelry etc. *Don’t forget to bring your preferred insect repellent AND a bug-bite hydrocortisone cream. GBR will do nightly fogging about 2 times a week- however, this is a tropical island. Expect to get some mosquito bites. If you are prone to get bitten by mosquitoes a lot, with proper planning and a little diligence on your part, you can still enjoy your stay. We were there in late May/early June and got only a few mosquito bites as expected- but we also always sprayed insect repellent on ourselves when going about the resort after dusk. I also recommend packing a medium sized purse or small tote bag you can bring with you to dinner (something bigger than a clutch purse), because I always find it handy to have one to throw in a small travel sized bug repellent spray, my husband’s kindle, card game, phones etc.– that way after dinner, we would already have those items with us and could just head over to the central resort bar and stay out and not have to go back to the room for those things. Don’t forget to pack a strong sun screen with a high SPF (ie, 50), if you don’t want to buy it at the resort’s sundries store and definitely put on sunscreen- no matter how much you are used to being out in the sun. If you are new to traveling to the Caribbean, I recommend being cognizant of the amount of sun exposure you are getting in or out of the water- particularly in your first few days. I have literally seen people jaw-droppingly red and sun-burned from head to toe on their second day of their vacation- and can only imagine how unpleasant it must have been for them to have to stay in their room for the rest of their trip. Just be smart about protecting yourself from the strong Caribbean sun, even on cloudy days- better to safe and build up your vacation tan-glow slowly. Galley Bay is a very romantic resort and it’s nice to see all couples and guests welcomed. We have met couples that have been there well over 20 times and they still light up when sharing their stories of coming to Galley Bay Resort and Spa. Most guests I would say, are over forty years old, and all seem to cherish the tranquility the resort offers. We are so glad we found this special paradise that has remained on our favorite destinations list over the past decade, and extend our appreciation to its wonderful staff and management-and wish them much continued success!

This was our eight visit to Galley Bay and and the resort just gets better. The food once again was wonderful and seems to improve year on year (but as always been excellent). The staff are always attentive and nothing is too much trouble for any of them, there are too many too mention but a big thank you to everyone, it is you that make the resort so enjoyable. We stayed in a beachfront room so literally 20 metres from the sea, the room was kept spotless throughout our stay with the fridge topped up everyday. Once again a huge thank you to everyone at Galley Bay for another memorable stay.