Galley Bay Resort & Spa

Shhh… don’t tell anyone! Galley Bay is one of those rare places that feels like a secret you want to keep to yourself. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, everything about our stay was perfect. The Team – Outstanding Hospitality First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to the entire Galley Bay team. Every single member of staff was warm, welcoming, and consistently smiling. They made us feel like part of the family from day one. While there are too many wonderful people to name, a few truly stood out: Reception & Guest Services: Dante (who kindly drove us to our room several times), along with the lovely Elisabeth and Alec, were amazing. Bars & Restaurants: Friendly, calm, efficient teams everywhere. Special thanks to Samantha and Pearl for their kindness. Housekeeping: Always ensured our room was spotless and inviting. Gardens: A huge mention to Curt, the head gardener, and the entire gardening team who maintain the stunning grounds and grow the vegetables and greens used in the restaurants. True farm-to-table freshness. Arrival & Check-In Our pre-booked taxi ride from the airport was fun and gave us a great first glimpse of the island. Arriving at Galley Bay, we were welcomed with cold towels and a glass of champagne—perfect after a long flight. Dante gave us a quick tour en route to our room, pointing out key areas such as the lagoon, dining room, and bar. We stayed in Room 88, located at the far right end of the beach near the Gauguin restaurant. The room was spacious, beautifully air-conditioned, and the view from the balcony across the entire beach was simply breathtaking. The Beach & Grounds The beach at Galley Bay is spectacular—long, peaceful, and used only by guests. Even when fully booked, it never felt crowded. Each villa has its own sunbeds, and the setting is serene and unspoilt. Although we had a few red-flag days (the sea can be rough), safety is prioritised and well communicated. We preferred lounging by the Barefoot Grill as it was close to food and drinks. Dining – Fresh, Delicious & Varied Food at Galley Bay exceeded expectations: Seagrape Restaurant: All meals were excellent. Breakfast offers a combination of à la carte dishes with buffet extras. Lunch and dinner were consistently delicious with plenty of healthy, fresh options. Portions were perfectly sized—satisfying without being overwhelming. Gauguin Restaurant: A lovely alternative for lunch or dinner, with a more intimate atmosphere. Barefoot Grill: Great for relaxed lunches—tasty sandwiches, burgers, and the most addictive plain or Cajun chips. Coffee Shop: One of the hotel’s gems. Open from 7 am–10 pm, offering coffee, snacks, overnight oats, fruit, homemade cookies, and even ice cream for 15 hours a day! Heaven. We enjoyed lamb, chicken, fresh fish, and wonderful desserts throughout the stay. The garden-to-plate vegetables were a highlight for me. Activities & Excursions We did several activities and highly recommend them: Captain Sean Sunset Cruise: A fun, memorable trip with strong rum punch, cold beers, and Sean’s delicious chicken with rice and peas. Don’t miss this one—he’s often around the bar for bookings. Barefoot Antigua (Shared Trip to Barbuda): An unforgettable day with stunning beaches and BBQ lobster for lunch. Absolutely worth booking directly—Yensa is fantastic. Island Taxi Tour: Organised through the hotel, our driver Ronnie was brilliant and gave us a great insight into Antigua’s history and culture. We had lunch at Roti King in St John’s—authentic and delicious. Relaxation & Final Thoughts The last few days were spent unwinding on the beach and by the pool, enjoying fantastic service, great food, and perfectly mixed drinks. Galley Bay is just the perfect side of perfect. We truly hope to return and become part of the Galley Bay family once again.

Galley bay is that perfect collision of laid back charm with superb service. The food is wonderful and can I just give a special mention to the salads! Grown on their own site they are delicious as was everything else. Menus change daily with lovely fish and meat specials across all restaurants. Big shout out to Sea Grape, it’s the main restaurant and the food and service has been wonderful. We had a deluxe room on the beach, private patio and sun loungers which gave us the opportunity to just chill. No sun bed wars here, plenty round the pool and on the beach. Live music nightly too. Just also to say the staff here are amazing. Every single one of them. From the restaurant, bar, housekeeping, grounds staff (gardens are beautiful) Spa staff.

Our 2nd visit to Galley Bay ..and it was as good as our first. The accommodation is relaxing and beautifully done - the air conditioner is a godsend. Walk out your door onto sand and steps to the turquoise water. The food is good to quite good. The vibe is super friendly and professional. Everything has been thought of to ensure you have a relaxing and enjoyable getaway.

We holidayed at Galley Bay twice previously (and had a wonderful time) and had booked to stay there again. Unfortunately - because of Galley Bay's ridiculous policy of allowing people to smoke on balconies, in the bar, on the deck, etc etc, we have had to cancel our booking. We were so excited about returning to Galley Bay and bitterly disappointed to have to cancel but we cannot risk paying almost £16,000 only to be badly affected by smokers - as many trip advisor reviews bear out. On the first night of our holiday, I had an asthma attack as a result of someone smoking on the next table to us at the outside eating area of our holiday to Oludeniz in September, and then another asthma attack later in the holiday, again as a result of cigarette smoke. Having asked our travel agent to check on Galley Bay's no smoking policy with the resort and with Caribtours, they both gave contradictory replies. We then checked Trip Advisor reviews and were shocked at the number of complaints regarding - in particular - people on upper balconies having to keep doors closed because of smokers of cigars and cigarettes beneath their room. We therefore felt we had no choice but to cancel our booking. Statistics show that smokers are in the minority yet in so, so many places - including Galley Bay - they are better catered for! So unfair that health-damaging cigarette/cigar/vape smoking is allowed to adversely affect non-smokers. Constantly having to be on the alert in case a smoker sits near you, stands near you, or smokes on their balcony ramps up anxiety (especially for those with asthma!) and spoils the holiday. That non-smokers are made to feel that they are the problem if they say anything about being affected by smokers is so unfair. No doubt Galley Bay's smoking policy is all about money and not wanting to put smokers off from visiting. We are very disappointed! We are posting this review to help unsuspecting non-smokers.

What can I say as we are back to reality from our 5th visit since 2022. We always feel like this is going home and can't thank our Antiguan friends for the amazing time had. We stayed in one of the newly updated Premium suites on the Ismay's side of the property and loved it more than our last trip. It was quiet, comfortable and far enough to use the resort bikes to hop back and forth when we needed too. The property is always beautiful with landscaping everywhere you look. Due to some extremely high surf we had to cool off in the pool more than we wanted too, as we love swimming in the sea here, but the waves said otherwise. Even at their currently occupancy levels, no chair games to be had poolside. The pool was always open for lounging with great drink service throughout the day. I will note there were a couple entitled guests who thought they had the right to reserve chairs with only one pool towel and start a little squabble by the pool one day, but I assured them that the other 30 loungers open would work just as well. I think management got an ear full, but it was quite ridiculous. This was far from the regular clientele here, as we met some lovely guests during our week. The breakfast at Seagrape was delicious and fresh with the morning views of the Ocean in front. Lunch at the Beachside grill was always a treat, they are extremely accommodating. We say it at every lunch that we could sit and waste away all day at that view under the Tee-pee. We also thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ lunch on Thursday. What a treat! Dinners at Ismay's for the repeaters and regular nights are always a special night and it didn't disappoint. Don't miss the lobster. We unfortunately missed one of our favored meals the night before we came in and Chef Nathanial specially arranged it for us later in the week. Photo below!! We keep coming back here for the truly genuine staff of whom we look forward to catching up with at every visit. That initial golf cart ride over the bridge to the room immediately melts away the stress of the trip & the tranquil environment pulls you right in. A friendly "welcome home" from Alfred always helps too. This place is everything it advertises. It is the perfect mix of beachfront barefoot luxury, just enough activity if you want it, or nothing at all if that's what you need. We love the expansive property to walk & bike in the morning, yoga as well by the resident yoga instructor. I have to many staff to mention, but they all know who they are who make our trip to special from the moment we arrive to the sad last trip to the lobby. We will certainly be back. Thank you, GB!!!