Carlisle Bay

We stayed here for our 4 night stop in Antigua. We were greeted with friendly smiles and nothing was to much trouble - even got a late breakfast having travelled from Barbados on an early flight. The suite was magnificent with a split level lounge and balcony - bedroom and the fantastic bathroom overlooking the rain forest. The only criticism would be that we were not told that the hotel was closing at the weekend for seasonal renovations which meant that staff were not as attentive as i presume they would normally have been. Nevertheless the beach is perfect for swimming and strolling along and we had a fantastic time meeting lots of interesting people. The hotel grounds were beautiful with lots of lush plants and a perfect pool. This hotel has quite a few different eating places including an italian, asian, caribbean and beach bbq. Its a bit out of the way on the south coast so you need transport.

Really good service, very good spacious accommodation. Not sure if the right thing to go with kids, fortunately we didn't, as they'd be bored. Food is nice, not super diverse but fine. Asian restaurant is a bit of a flop. Beach is great, so much that we didn't even get close to the pool. Water activities staff could be a bit more helpful. Distant from old town, but do yourself a favour and take the local buses/vans, which are inexpensive and take you all around the island - avoid taxis, which are expensive and drive like madmen. Hotel is not cheap. Oh... Flying insects alert!! But I don't think he majority actually stung but are a major nuisance. The minority who do sting... they get top of the ranks for them! (use repellent!)

Everything about this hotel is perfect and laid back yet quality. The pick up transfer via the hotel is a must. We stayed at a seafront suite and it had amazing views to the sea. My husband was very ill and the team and manager John were so lovely to him and went out of their way to help and assist him. This hotel appeals to everyone: children are kept on the other beach which was great, as it's not cheap and sometimes you need space away from noise. The bay is heaven. Food is outstanding. We loved it so much rebooked for next year. Truly a little hidden gem!

We stayed in august 2017 fab weather. Don't trust those weather apps the sun shone all the time hardly any rain locally known as liquid sunshine. Food was really good lovely breakfast on our veranda We also had a boat trip and picnic with Marvin and his team Beautiful evening sunset with great rum punch We had a family suit right on beach our 2 older offspring 21&19 loved it great mix of people to chat to lovely friendly staff

We visited Carlisle Bay beg of July for 2 weeks with 2 young children. It's worth noting that this is regarded end of season in Antigua and in August to mid Sept resorts close down as hurricane season. It's a small (80ish) room low rise resort, lovely small feel to it and staff get to know you quickly. Level of service high throughout resort (bear in mind it was less than 50% capacity). Rooms: We had an Ocean Front Suite with patio doors opening out onto private terrace and beach. Beach couldn't be better, amazingly safe waters for our young children, clean beach, very comfortable loungers and half empty. I have rated Carlisle Bay Average as we had a number of issues: We arrived to a room that was dirty and in need of refurbishment. We were moved to an alternative room a few hours later but this was after most of unpacking had happened, so this messed up the first afternoon in resort. The bathrooms basically need ripping out (they are very tired, grubby and in need of updating), the cleaning teams need to stop using only a broom and mop and be furnished with hoovers then a mop , there were black hairs over floors in places, pillows were covered in black hairs inside pillow cases, security safe was hanging off the wall in 2nd bedroom.... The hotel took the complaint seriously and once they had moved us they did all they could to remedy our concerns. Manager Kevin is extremely personable and reactive to any concerns throughout stay. The new room we were moved to had same tired bathroom, but bedrooms and bedding all fine. Patio door handle fell off a week in as patio sliding door too stiff to open and toilet leaked over floor three times... Again all fixed but hassle you don't expect at over £1K a night.... Go for top floor Balcony ocean view rooms as you won't hear the constant noise of dragging chairs and furniture travel down when you are in bed trying to get to sleep. Restaurants: This was a disappointment as they advertise 4 restaurants... one is indeed adult only (jetty) so that left us 3 to use, one of them is the pizza place next to pool (excellent wood fired pizzas I must add) but not open in evenings (one night only till 8pm I think), so that pretty much left 2 others East and the main restaurant... East was only open 3 nights a week you have to ask when it's open as not published anywhere, so that leaves only the main restaurant.... which is good quality food with great service but not worth the price tag. It overlooks the beach and has ceiling fans so no air conditioning, so with 101degrees recorded temperatures whilst we were there and 85% humidity, we struggled in heat to eat in there, especially at lunchtimes and one evening we were all overrun with flying ants, so we retired to room for room service. Be aware for room service you pay the usual Tax and Service Charge extras but they also slap on a $10 tray charge (!!) so not cheap. Pool Area: only one pool, but nice size and empty a lot of the time... our kids and their friends loved it.. Kids Club (for under 7's): complimentary, nice activities you can dip in and out of, nice caring staff, air conditioned indoor room, outside big climbing frame and paddling pool for youngens... our kids enjoyed crab hunting and racing, hobey cat sailing, turtle watching on a boat and scavenge hunt in grounds :-) Complimentary Extras: very nice touches include afternoon tea on a tray free of charge wherever you are in resort, bar service on beach (but some days we were only asked once, although they bring fresh fruit round every morning and fill up a cool box with chilled bottles of water for every sun lounger), complimentary snacks in room, soft drinks and water every day (most 5 star hotels charge for all of this!). Summary: despite criticisms above, Carlisle Bay and it's Manager Kevin work very hard to ensure every member of staff are friendly and helpful... and it's consistent across resort. It is very family friendly and a great layout. One of the few resorts that offers a Suite with a small 2nd bedroom with twin beds (ideal for kids) for most 5 star resorts you would have to book a 2nd adjoining room or 2 bedroom suite costing more. Just choose the time of year you go (Dec to Feb is apparently best), it was too hot and humid when we were there and I must stress my husband and I got bitten badly by mosquitos and sand flies, as neither Deet sprays or the one they give you in the room worked! other guests had some lovely bites too ! The limited restaurant situation was a spoiler. If they rip out and replace bathrooms, do some maintenance on rooms where needed and re-think daily cleaning process, the resort would meet most expectations of a 5 star resort in tropical setting with beautiful beach and lovely staff.