The Verandah Resort & Spa

I just finished a week stay here with my partner. The resort has some real strengths: beautiful scenery, a spacious room, stunning beaches with plenty of available sun loungers. The buggies are a fun and convenient way to get around, and there’s a great variety of water sports and activities which are free with all inclusive which is unusual in my experience. Both breakfast and dinner offered a wide range of options and the food quality was excellent. Overall, the vibe was quiet and relaxing and we did have a nice break in the main. However, the experience was quite inconsistent. Service in restaurants, particularly over lunch, was often slow, and on multiple occasions we had to ask for the whereabouts of our order and got no apology or urgency from the staff. It's a shame because some of the staff were really fantastic and so welcoming. Others gave us the impression we were an inconvenience to them and they didn't really want to be there. There seemed to be no middle ground. In all resorts I've been to over the years the buffet restaurant was open for all 3 meals. Here it was closed for lunch which might explain why the staff struggled to cope with the footfall at the other restaurants. Housekeeping was also hit and miss. I'm not fussed about having my bed made every day but a fresh towel and a clean around the bathroom so I didn't have to worry about mess when I was supposed to be enjoying my break would have been good. They tell you housekeeping come every other day, that wasn't our experience and when they did come it was late in the day between 5-6pm. We were resting before dinner at the time so asked them to come back another time but they just didn't bother. Our room got cleaned once in the week. The mini fridge only had water in it, the restaurant schedule we were provided with at the start of the trip was wrong, several sunbeds on the beach were damaged and the floats in the sea for guests to sit on were quite dirty and only cleaned towards the end of our stay. Some noisy guested affected the relaxed atmosphere one day, playing loud music and shouting. The hotel staff did nothing to address it and one of the guests had to go over and ask them to settle down in the end. The resort has great potential, but the lack of consistency in service or attention to detail ultimately let it down from my perspective. I was surprised to see other recent reviews with 5 stars which suggested our experience could have been a lot more positive.

I love this resort. It's the perfect place to get away and relax. The resort is beautiful. The bungalow style rooms are adorable. And i love that each one has their own name. Because the resort is so big be prepared to walk a lot, bring sneakers. On the bright side there are shuttles that will take you around. The staff were warm and welcoming. The food was amazing, perfectly seasoned without being salty. The only downside was the pizza. But I am a New Yorker, so I am hard to impress when it comes to pizza. The grounds are spotless, well maintained and visually stunning. The one thing that impressed me the most is their sustainability efforts. They have a huge plot of land where they grow their own food. And their is an abundance of fruit trees on the resort. This cuts down on the amount of food they have to purchase, and give more jobs to community. They have banana, plantain, papaya, mango, and coconut trees. I've been to many resorts, this is the first time I've seen this type of effort. All the more reason for me to return, and suggest it to my friends. I'm already planning my next trip!

It was 5 of us for a girls' trip, with the primary goal of relaxing. Four of us stayed in the Plaintain bldg and loved this layout and naming convention of this property! The rooms were the most spacious I've ever stayed in. A bonus was a.m. sits on the patio with my coffee bird watching. The food, staff, and entertainment, especially water sports, were fantastic. I never order Pina coladas, but they were so tasty here, i had them daily. I loved that it wasn't a big chain hotel, and really felt more engulfed in the local culture. I give Veranda a 10/10. Note, I'm not sure if it's crickets, frogs or what, but they are very loud from about 6p-6a. My group either put in ear plugs or adjusted to it as if listening to the nature sounds music channel.

Amazing and relaxing holiday. Wonderful location and friendly staff. Rooms were large and clean with great views over the bay. Staff were always smiling and friendly, nothing seemed to be a problem. Food was good although I can see how some people may find that the choice becomes a little repetitive by the end of two weeks. Restaurants needed to be booked in advance but we had no problem with booking the one we wanted on any particular evening. The theme nights for Halloween and Antiguan Independence Day were particular highlights and the staff clearly put a lot of effort into setup. The beaches almost made it obligatory to sit under a palm tree with a rum cocktail, very relaxing. Met several people who were retuning to the hotel, in one case for many years and I could see why. Could not fault The Verandah.

Great holiday. Lovely spot. Food, service, and entertainment a little mixed. Highlights were the beach party and watersports, particularly the Hobie Cat trips with Lennon.