Galley Bay Resort & Spa

This was our third visit to Galley Bay. we love having our room open immediately on to the beach; so convenient if you forget something! Be alerted to the fact that this is an adults-only resort; I expect one major reason for this is that the water rolls in pretty furiously at times. Even strong adult swimmers are challenged! Note that it's good fun to watch the massive cruise ships sailing into and out of St. John's; we prefer our room on solid ground! The rooms are spacious with a step down between the bedroom area and the sitting area; there's a corner where you can make your own coffee and tea; a small refrigerator holds wine and water/soft drinks and beer (the latter are restocked daily). The closet space is a bit small but there are lots of hangars which is a plus; the safe is in the closet and there is also a cupboard in which you can store things. The bathroom is large, nice big tub and two sinks with adequate counter space, good mirrors and decent lighting. My one complaint about the bathrooms is that only one towel bar was installed for 2 large bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 wash cloths! Maybe the extra $24 a day we are charged on top of a considerable daily fee for room/board could be multiplied by the number of nights we stayed (for us, that would be 10 X $24=$240) and a couple extra towel bars could be added! The major restaurant is The Seagrape. Breakfast is buffet (great croissants!) with a fruit bar, small hot selection, various baked items and cereal/juice are also on the buffet. Of course, cooked breakfasts are available and my husband very much enjoyed those. Service is friendly and pretty quick (better than the 1st 2 times we were here). Once a week The Seagrape has a barbecue; the restaurant is open to the outside, so service is within the restaurant, buffet style. At one end of the beach is a smaller restaurant called Gauguin. You may make reservations, early morning is best, on the day you wish to have dinner at this venue. Seating is within open air "grass huts". The food is on a par with The Seagrape and makes for a nice change. At the other end of the beach is what is considered the high end restaurant for Galley Bay; if you are a 2nd time or more visitor to the resort, there's no cover charge. It is $50 per person if you are staying at the resort for the first time. If you're a returning guest, there's a cocktail party and dinner in this restaurant you are invited to but be aware if you want to go to The Ismay again, then you'll pay $50 per person cover charge. The cocktail party we attended was pleasant BUT because we all were seated at the same time, service took a long time; my swordfish was dried out and the topping overdone. We decided to dine once more at The Ismay and went the last night of our stay; service was fair, meal okay but for the extra $100 charge, not worth it. We were nicely surprised by the kitchen presenting us with a special anniversary dessert - a nice, parting thought winding up our stay. I have been pleased to find that Galley Bay has an excellent hair stylist in Tracy; kudos to you, Tracy - hope to see you again! The staff of a resort can make all the difference in the world as to the overall experience. Nearly everyone we encountered were accommodating and friendly. My only suggestion would be that the check-in/check-out women at the front end of the resort put on a friendlier demeanor rather than being so very businesslike. We are, after all, on vacation!! Yes, we will most likely go again!

We had an excellent stay at Galley Bay and would highly recommend the resort overall with just a few minor issues. Rooms/Beach: Excellent. We stayed in a premium suite and the room was clean and comfortable. The beach is very large, not crowded at all and feels very private and secluded. The ocean was nice, we had green flags every day of the stay except one day with yellow flag. We were able to enjoy swimming in the ocean every day and it was not rough at all. Enjoyed snorkeling right off the beach near the rocks on the far right side of the beach. Saw alot of colorful fish. This was one of the best beaches we have ever visited. Tip: Rooms to the right of Guest services (premium suites 17 and higher) we felt like were more secluded and sit a little further back from the beach. Restaurants/Food: Very good overall. Breakfast at Sea Grape is very good and we enjoyed it the most. Had breakfast at Gaugin one morning and it was good but still enjoyed Sea Grape better. Lunch was hit and miss at both restaurants. However, the best lunch we had was at Gaugin. Dinner at Ismays was worth the surcharge and we would recommend it. Also, we really enjoyed the coffee/snack shop. They had fresh pastries and deserts everyday that were very good. We typically visited each afternoon for a snack. Our favorite was a chocolate/banana tart that was fantastic. The only complaints about the food was a lack of fish at most restaurants (except Ismays). They had swordfish one day but it wasn't great. I would have thought there would be more fish like mahi or snapper. Also, the grill was a big disappointment. The only food options were burgers, wings, fries etc. Nothing Caribbean and again no fish options. I had the chicken thigh sandwich which was not very good. This makes it difficult to hang out on the beach all day because you have to change to go to one of the restaurants for a decent lunch. The grill is just subpar. A few other thoughts on the resort in general. The staff were all really friendly and made the experience more enjoyable. They have bikes to use on the resort and we enjoyed riding, especially around the lagoons and farm. We would recommend a tour of the farm. Dave gave us a personal tour and were able to see all of the fruits and vegetables being grown which the resort uses in the restaurants. Very cool to see. The entertainment was decent but typically low key. The band was livelier one night and we enjoyed it. If you are looking for an adults only, very quiet and low-key resort, I would highly recommend Galley Bay.

This was our 12th visit to Galley Bay and it did not disappoint! The staff are amazing. While the location (the white sand beach and turquoise water is to die for!) and the amenities are phenomenal, the staff play a key role in our enjoyment and our desire to return again and again. The team is led by the seasoned and unflappable GM, Cedric. He takes the time to be visible and meet with the guests which is very classy. We very much appreciated the fact that our room request was honoured - the location is really important to us - thank you for making that happen! We had the opportunity to dine at all 4 restaurants (including Barefoot for quick lunches). The repeaters dinner at Ismay’s is a really nice touch. The food at all of the restaurants is creative, delicious and nicely presented. One of the other things that keeps us coming back is the quiet atmosphere. We are grateful it’s an adults only and that it is so peaceful. I enjoyed the morning yoga at 8am with Ivana - it was a great way to start the day. My husband was able to get out on the hobie a few times which he loved. We also went out with Captain Sean on Beats Workin’ (an experience not to be missed!). Tip: we used Natasha’s Taxi service to get to and from the airport. The service was friendly and reliable (and the vehicles they use are very comfortable). It was much less chaotic than taking the taxis and we thought it was reasonably priced. We would highly recommmend.

We stayed in a Superior Deluxe Beachfront Room for the Fourth Time and it was Great 👍 The food actually keeps on getting better, if that is possible. Some of my personal favorites were the yellow fin tuna, roasted BBQ Pork, all the fruit , and the pastries. The croissants & pain au chocolat were Beyond Excellent 👍 Each night for dinner I enjoyed a spinach salad, fish of some type & a Nice French Wine 🍷 The staff is Great and it was nice to see Chelsea, Tarick, & Michael our drink guy again👍 Only one minor issue… I wish they would bring back the Cajun Fish Sandwich for lunch at the Barefoot Grill.

Away from cruise ship people, Understated luxury, Quiet unspoiled beach, Food second to none, Ideal for a quiet relaxing vacation, We did two centre holiday along with Admiral inn Recommend both highly.