Cocobay Resort

Needed a getaway for the hubs and myself. We splurged and reserved a beachfront cottage with a plunge pool. First, let me say this property is absolutely AMAZING! The property is well maintained with gorgeous grounds; full of flowers of all colors which attracts birds of all varieties! Upon arrival, we met Janine, who was FABULOUS! She quickly made sure we were taken to our cottage. We stayed in Calypso, which had an amazing view of the ocean (which is actually on the bay, so you see sunrise, not sunset). We had an issue with ants, spoke with Janine, and she quickly had maintenance spray. The ants remained victorious so Janine moved us to cottage Sour Sop, which was only two doors down. Through conversations, Janine also learned I had a favorite wine. She made sure she ordered several bottles for me!! The beach was beautiful, drinks plentiful, and most of the staff was friendly. Rene, Jermaine, Saskia, Sasha, all provided exceptional service and were extremely friendly. This property checked all of our boxes and was just what the doctor ordered!

My husband and I went to Cocobay on our first summer holiday since our honeymoon last year. It is a brilliant location and Antigua is beautiful, but for what we spent I did expect more. I may have high expectations, having most recently been to the Conrad Maldives, but I certainly wouldn't call Antigua or Cocobay paradise. Cocobay is a quaint place which is doing really well given that I don't think it's part of a chain. The room was fine. The bed was really really comfortable - one of the best I've ever slept in - but the mosquito net (which was definitely necessary) was a bit of a faff, and it was annoying that you couldn't sit on the bed without fully getting into the net. My husband is 6'3" and his feet were forever getting tangled up in it. The decor in the room was sparse. A big cupboard for clothes, and a chair which wasn't too comfy. A rather noisy fridge in the corner (though it blended in with the crickets/birds at night) which was sometimes filled up and sometimes not - you do need the water so they do need to be on top of that a bit more. There was a rail hidden behind a curtain for a wardrobe which felt a bit basic. A safe which was fine. The bathroom was quite dated, old tiles and a basic shower, and the products weren't luxury - definitely bring your own if you're particular. The deck was nice, and I enjoyed the hammock. It had great views over the sea. The curtains are sheer so you wake up very early. We kept the sheer curtains closed at all times to try and stop mosquitos coming in as there was a small gap between the glass doors. If you dry your stuff on the deck make sure you tie your things to the chairs as we lost some of our things off the balcony into the greenery below and only just managed to get them out with a coat hanger. It gets dark early, so we went to bed early and got up early. There is no TV in the room so expect to make your own entertainment! The electrical outlets were in really inconvenient places - don't bring double plug adaptors as they won't fit. We mostly used the one in the bathroom which we didn't feel was very safe! The food was good, but not brilliant. There was a limited choice at dinner, when they do an A La Carte menu. We were able to choose from the supplement menu as we booked direct with the hotel, and my husband really enjoyed the lobster and beef. However, each night was variations on a theme. The dress code is a bit ridiculous; long trousers, collard shirt and covered shoes for gentlemen - lots of people didn't do it as it is far too hot for that. It seemed rather arbitrary, especially as woman just had to be 'elegantly casual' whoever that means! The buffet at lunch and breakfast were fine, but not a patch on the bigger hotels we have stayed at, meaning the choices weren't brilliant and again the food was a variation on a theme. However, I did ask in advance for special dietary requirements and they were able to cater for me each night without any trouble, so I was pleased with that. The drinks were plentiful, and they had loads of spirits for cocktails. You can literally have as much as you like from 10.00am onwards. I thought it was rather cheep to serve drinks by the pool in plastic throw away cups though. You only got glass if you were staying in the bar. The main infinity pool has brilliant views over the sea, however, the surface is pebble dashed rather than tiled and I hurt my feet on the bottom a few times. There were very often not enough loungers to go round, especially in the shade, and that ought to be addressed. Cold towels and sorbet is brought round once in the afternoon which is a nice touch - they could do this more often. The sunset pool was quite murky and the surroundings were not that nice so no-one would hang out there, meaning the loungers at the main pool were always taken. If they smartened up this area they could easily alleviate the issues with the lack of loungers at the main pool. The beach was nice, and there were loungers and brollies for shade which you can use for free. Sometimes it is hard to get a good spot, but generally we were ok on that front. However, you will need to bat away people trying to sell their wares - the lady going down onto the beach is persistent in selling her souvenirs - engage with her at your peril, she is best ignored - and the guys selling jet skies can be annoying. We even had a guy trying to sell us a massage. This was all quite off putting and made us not want to go down to the beach a few times. We used one of the three kayaks for free which are based on the beach and that was a fun morning, but we were only allowed it for thirty minutes. We took a trip into St John's one day, which was around $20/$25 US per couple for the taxi, and it was so worth it. At times I felt a bit hemmed in by the resort, and going into the town felt liberating. We visited the Cathedral which was being renovated, and we were invited into see the repairs. We spoke with the workmen, and other locals, including our cab driver. It was great to see the 'real' Antigua. We didn't do any other excursions as they were expensive and we didn't want to spend too much. The staff were hit and miss. Some were absolutely brilliant, and could not do enough for us. However, some were quite moody, which I wasn't expecting. More consistency is needed in this area. We had to check out at 12.00 noon, and we weren't due to leave for the airport until 5.00pm. We were able to stay around the pool and have drinks, but they cut our wifi access off straight away which I felt was unnecessary, and the 'Courtesy room' to shower and change in before leaving was a bit of a joke. It was a wooden shack on the way down to the Sheer Rocks Restaurant, made of branches, with lots of gaps in between and you could easily be seen by people going to sheer rocks, or by those in the small plunge pool area. There were no clean towels in there, even though the staff said there would be. It left a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth. They would do far better to just keep one actual room free at all times to be the courtesy room. Overall, the views are stunning and the Caribbean is a great place to visit. The hotel was good, but it wasn't perfect by any means. I may have had expectations that were too high, but I thought given the price, that the experience would have been more luxurious. I'd still recommend going to Cocobay, but get your expectations right before you arrive, and make sure you don't spend too much on it.

My husband and I chose Cocobay Resort Antigua for our honeymoon destination. From the moment we arrived at the airport, they exceeded our expectations. A private car was waiting for us as we exited customs, and drove us on a fairly smooth thirty minute ride to the resort. Once we arrived, we walked into the lobby and was welcomed by many of the staff members! The grounds are BEAUTIFUL and have so many tropical flowers and lizards throughout. We were checked-in and being escorted to our cottage in a matter of minutes. We booked a premium waterfront suite and were given a cute purple one called "Calypso". It is perfect for two people and gave us such breathtaking views right from our bed! We loved our private plunge pool and clawfoot tub. We used them the most out of anything! Although other reviews state the plunge pools are often cold, ours was the perfect temperature! We would come home from the beach and get right in for some relaxation time before dinner. The bathroom was spacious and had a double sink, which was great! The shower was awesome and if you open the doors the go out to the tub, you can shower with a view and not be seen. We did have a small ant problem near the bathroom door but this did not affect our stay in the slightest bit. The bed comes adorned with a mosquito net. This is a must! Keep it shut, because no matter how hard you try, mosquitos do find their way into your cottage. We kept ours shut during the day and slept nightly without getting bit. Breakfast and Lunch were fair, but dinner was truly our favorite. We had 6:30 reservations nightly and it was the perfect time to eat. We watched the sunset every night over the water. Their menu is spectacular! Their dishes are unique and delicious. There is also a supplementary menu that are listed at the bottom that comes with an extra charge. Because we booked directly with the resort, we were given this menu for free and it was definitely worth it! The spiney lobster was huge, the beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly every time and the shrimp was amazing! We loved Jasmine the restaurant feline! It was always nice to see her greet the guests at every meal. The beach was very clean and filled with so many unique shells! Get ready to snorkel because there is a beautiful reef right off the beach that is home to so many beautiful sea creatures; even star fish! We saw two! Do the Jetski's! We went 3 separate times during out trip and loved it! It was so worth it. We will definitely be back one day! Recommendations: - Bug Spray & lots of it! Wear to dinner as you will get bit if you do not. - Small bills, as the resort gift shop does not carry a great deal of change and there is no ATM. - Bring some snacks for the cottage.

My husband and I couldn't have EVER dreamed of a better spot for our honeymoon. To say this location is absolute paradise is an understatement. Yes, the beaches are the most beautiful, the water so absolutely beautiful, the resort is pristine, the infinity pools are to die for! but....what makes this resort the best in the WORLD is its heart - the people. The staff quickly became our friends and made our days full of smiles and non-stop laughs! Nasasha (oh hey girl!), Joy-Ann, Janine, and Tamara up front are the BEST and most welcoming people you'll ever meet! At the bar, Renee and Davern will give you smiles all day! Cheryl, Jermaine, Sonia, Sasha, Denise, Tiffany, Kathleen, Keva, and Darlene will be the best wait staff you'll have in your life!!! Kenisha as the host always gave us a smile at night before dinner! The managers: Cristof (restaurant) and O'Neal (resort) did everything they could to make sure their guests were always happy and comfortable!! Thanks O'Neal for taking such great care of us! The excursions we did proved perfect for a 10 day stay and HIGHLY recommended: (268 buggies, catch the cat catamaran, and indigo divers) - and the other days we hung by the pools, got amazing drinks, and took trips to the beautiful beaches around us. The food was 5-star!!!! WAYYYY BETTER than ever expected!!!! If you can find a complaint about the food at this resort, then please, do us all a favor and stay at home and cook yourself your own meals! The variety was absolutely incredible, they adjusted everything to your liking, and the 4-course dinners every night never left us wanting anything more! The lobster was the best I've had in my entire life!!! (and that same night we had: scallops, pasta, a small salad, and rum raisin ice-cream!) Make sure you book directly through the resort to get additional perks such as free upgrades, a taxi from the airport etc! We were SO glad we did this!!!! Lastly, as a young gay couple, we were treated just as any other couple was in the entire resort. Everyone was so sweet, accepting, and happy for us. There was a few other LGBT couples there, but no kids allowed, which was terrific for relaxation! :-) Cocobay - we cannot tell you enough how you made our honeymoon the best trip of our lives!!!! Our memories will last our entire lifetime. We are already planning on a 5 or 10 year reunion with some of our friends that we met at your resort!!! We all had a 7.1.17 wedding day!!! Shout-out to: Ro & Alec, Shannon & Drew, and Nicole & Dave!!! We'll be dreaming of the day we return there and will start counting down the days!!!! Thank you for the best trip of our lives!!!! Much love!!! Adam & Logan

WE WANT TO GO BACK! We stayed with Cocobay Resort the first week of July and it absolutely surpassed our (very high) expectations. Our anniversary trip was memorable from the very scenic tour we received from the airport to the hugs and warm farewells we received as we departed. I can't say enough good things about the management and staff at Cocobay. We had booked the trip online directly with the resort (I definitely advise...) and had requested a premium seaside suite - - and we found ourselves in a gorgeous bungalow - Warri! This cottage is an easy walk to the restaurant, beaches, pools, and bars, yet it is surrounded by lush vegetation and borders incredible turquoise waters...very secluded feeling and very private! We took advantage of the Creole Lobster Cruise lunch during our stay (again, pre-booked), as well as the Signature Couples Massage. We would definitely do both again! The lunch was a great opportunity to see the island by sea (going nearly 1/2 around to Great Bird Island). The hosts - Capt. Glenn and Travis - were very entertaining and very informative, stopping several times for excellent snorkeling and pointing out places of interest along the way. After we got to the uninhabited island where lunch was to be served, the two of us were able to explore and swim on the opposite side (a brief minute's walk). Gorgeous! Lobsters were grilled, great veggie dishes were provided (along with a chilled rum punch), and we dined at a picnic table with our feet in the water...heavenly! We had the couples massage located not far from the main pool, but what felt like an entirely different world - - a chance to relax together and to be treated to an hour of pampering. Both of us enjoyed the hot stonehes - our first experience - and the way time just seemed to stand still! There beaches are gorgeous! Yes there is one spot on one of the beaches where one or two jet ski operators is available and will ask if you would like to try one -- but definitely no hassles for us and we only were asked one time. After that one time the folks there were still very friendly and the people we did see trying it seemed to have a great time. Really, we were going to try it to - I mean, it's a fabulous location and very calm waters, so why not - but after riding around the island in the powerboat for the lobster lunch, we didn't feel a need. I do want to point out that there are wonderful palapas on the beach...plenty of shade, beautiful turquoise water, and very clean sand... When someone did take out a jet ski (which wasn't that often), they would head out away from the beach and swimming area and they didn't disturb us at all. We loved the bars - offering up different mixed drinks for all to try - a new one each day and different at each bar. We also enjoyed the drink of the day which was offered just off the main bar - very tasty and kept us coming back! My favorite experience was trying the BBC - - very smooth and satisfying -- and I kept wanting more! In fact, since returning back to the states, I have had several more! Our plunge pool had a lovely view and we used our outdoor tub on several occasions, along with the outdoor bed and hammock. So many great choices with absolutely the best view of any room we have had at the many resorts we have visited in Jamaica, the Dominican, etc...It was such a pleasure to shower with the doors opened to the outdoors! Some travelers have commented on mosquito bites? We may had a few - but nothing like what we have here at home! We saw a few ants on our decking, gave a few squirts of the repellant on the decking - - never saw any after again. The drinks were first rate. The meals were delicious. We caught the very beginning of the new season on lobster and shared that and another excellent entrée at dinner...just perfect! We cannot thank everyone enough for making this a memorable "Anniversary of a Lifetime"!! I will mention some folks, but will surely leave many more out...O'Neil greeted us and left us with of English Harbour rum (nice touch and we enjoyed our visit to the Harbour as well). Nasasha assured us that Warri would be better than anything we could have hoped for in a resort cottage (and she was right). Nasasha was very helpful and always had a "can do" attitude for anything we needed. Cheril served us quite a few times in the restaurant and she was always warm and courteous and inviting. We do encourage you to visit this heavenly resort. Believe the photos! Anniversary? Honeymoon? Simple getaway? Cocobay Resort is the place for you!!!