The Verandah Resort & Spa

I started this review halfway through our stay here and felt compelled to write a thorough review as we had been very concerned by the plethora of negative reviews prior to coming out to Antigua; almost to the extent that we wanted to change hotels. I am so glad we didn’t as The Verandah Resort & Spa is a truly wonderful resort and we had an excellent experience. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly and presented with a glass of rum punch before being taken by golf buggy to our Waterview Suite. The views from our room (room 165) were excellent and the room was spacious with everything someone would need for their stay at the resort. It is fair to say that the room didn’t have a “modern” look, but the style was in keeping with the resort, island of Antigua and the Caribbean in general. The bed was large and comfortable, the air conditioning efficient and water pressure in the bathroom shower strong. The room itself was spotlessly clean and tidy. Our room was cleaned every day by the housekeeping (we cannot understand the reviews mentioning housekeeping only attended once during their stay?!). The main pool had ample sun loungers in both shady and sunny spots and was a lovely temperature. We also saw, but didn’t visit for any length of time, the additional pool behind the pub, the waterfall pool and pool on the beach. These also had plenty of sun loungers and were not crowded. All looked inviting! At the main pool was where the entertainment team was primarily based. The entertainment team were all friendly whilst not being imposing (we tend to just want to relax) and we found Selena to be particularly funny and welcoming. The food and restaurants were a particular highlight of our stay. We dined at the buffet restaurant (Seabreeze) each morning for breakfast, as well as on a couple of occasions at dinner time. Each day had a different dinner theme. There was plenty of choice each time, and themed dishes made to order (for example a stir fry for the Asian themed evening and fresh fish and seafood grilled for the seafood night). The food was good quality. We then also dined at both of the included a-la-carte restaurants, Sails & Tails and Portofino’s. These must be reserved in advance (up to 3 evenings ahead) with guest services. We had no issues making reservations (contrary to what other reviewers have mentioned). Both restaurants were excellent and we enjoyed all of our 2 evenings at each of these restaurants (4 in total). Sails & Tails is also open at lunchtime and was equally excellent. We then also ate at the beach grill at lunchtime which again is a-la-carte and was particularly tasty: the jerk chicken and catch of the day options are to die for! We found all of the restaurant staff to be attentive and helpful, with a particular mention to the waiter Theodore at the Seabreeze at breakfast and lunchtime at Sails & Tails, alongside his front of house colleague, Gail. They really went above and beyond we found. We also were completely satisfied with the various bars and drinks options. We never had to wait/queue for long and the local beer was very drinkable! The cocktails were also very good and pleasant to drink. Again the staff were all polite and helpful and we are confused by reviewers suggesting staff were rude. We would note that as guests from the UK we are used to, and enjoy, polite but reserved customer service (which is exactly what the staff at The Verandah offer). We can imagine that if guests are used to perhaps more performative customer service they may interpret such service as rude/off-hand: in our opinion no one was rude or off-hand. The resort also has a good range of activities including mini-golf, tennis, and water sports all included. We enjoyed all of these. Given that this review is already very long I’d like to wrap up and summarise by saying that we really enjoyed our stay here and that it exceeded our expectations. We would highly recommend staying here and would love to visit again. A couple of comments/minor niggles. It is not clear if you should tip and how much to do so (if at all). We didn’t want to be rude as the staff are so friendly (not in a performative way either as mentioned above) and helpful. There were a number of visitors from the USA, where tipping is expected (demanded!), so this somewhat skewed our expectations. It may be helpful to have tip jars about so that the expectation (or not) is more obvious. We tipped here and there and hopefully this was sufficient! We also then settled a daily resort charge at check-out and wondered if this could/should be stated as going to the staff members who all work so hard? Room service as mentioned, was daily (not every other day or weekly as some other reviews seemed to assert!). However sometimes the service was quite late into the afternoon/evening. This wasn’t an issue for us per se, but I can imagine it might be an issue for those that wish to have an afternoon siesta/cool off in the room before dinner, as housekeeping might then interrupt you. We appreciate there are a lot of suites to attend to, so it is pot luck where in the order of the day your suite is located. Finally, we found the restrooms near the main pool were often blocked for some reason and perhaps could be looked at by maintenance. As noted these are minor niggles and us being ultra-critical here. None of these detracted from our excellent stay.

I have to say like many , some reviews had worried me , but after chatting to my cousin who had visited twice and my travel agent we went for it , and so pleased we did . What a fabulous place The resort has lovely spacious bungalows over beautiful manicured gardens , pools , 2 beaches and a local beach ( 2 mins walk ) golf buggies to take you all over the place if you don’t want to walk or can’t . And good pool side bar with day and evening entertainment . Beach activity’s too The food and drink for an all inclusive was top class , lots to choose from and nothing every gets crowed , anywhere , the resort was completely full but no rush for towels or sunbeds , and the Friday beach party is so much fun ( reminder to wear pink ) Lastly a few mentions to few people who went above and beyond , Dale, Theo, Leon ,Gail, olvis Kerry-Anne captain jack and bam bam many thanks to everyone for a great time , see you next year xx

I really cannot fault The Verandah. We've stayed here before and love the relaxed peaceful atmosphere. The villas, pools and two beaches are spread around the beautiful grounds so, even though the resort was nearly full, it never seemed busy. There were always plenty of sunbeds available at the pools and beaches (absolutely no need to put towels out early!). The food in all the restaurants has improved and is excellent. The Seabreeze buffet has been refurbished and offers a vast variety of themed dishes. What a pastry chef! The drinks are top quality and the beers are brewed on site. There are plenty of daytime excursions and activities available if you want them but the Friday night beach barbeque at Rasta beach and the silent disco at the main bar are not to be missed. The crowning glory though, are the staff, who were without exception, friendly and charming. You just need to engage with them. Naming some would be unfair on all the others but a special thankyou to Patricia for our anniversary surprise. The Verandah is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the laid back Antiguan vibe.

I don’t very often leave reviews, however I’m here with my wife at the moment and after reading a lot of negative reviews, we wanted to give our honest opinion. We were a bit apprehensive before coming here because of some of them, to the point where we wanted to change hotels, however we are so glad we didn’t!! We genuinely cannot fault this hotel at all, to the point where if it were kid friendly then we would come again with our children. The rooms are a great size, have been cleaned daily with fresh towels, shampoo/conditioner etc. The food has been great in every place that we have tried so far. The staff are great at helping to answer any questions we have or even any recommendations. The opening/closing times are very clearly communicated throughout the stay too, so we are never stressed or worried about where to eat. If you want a great holiday that has everything and you can soak up some Caribbean paradise (and some rum), look no further 👍 10/10.

Check in was very easy; we were told we could book restaurant reservations at guest services - which was closed for the night. There is a buffet for guests without restaurant reservations; we were pleasantly surprised with the variety and quality of the food. The next morning, we went to make a reservation (they can only be made for two days at a time); there were no open restaurant times for two more days. Of course, we went to the buffet and again, the food was good! The restaurant and bar staff were friendly and efficient! Our room was comfortable and service was provided every other day. Our screen door did not work properly, our toilet took a long time to refill and we had a problem with tiny ants in our bathroom. Both the toilet and ant issues were handled.