Keyonna Beach

My boyfriend and I returned from a one-week stay at Keyona Beach Resort during their low-season in July. The resort doesn’t include airport transportation. You’ve got two options: let them organize a private transfer for $90 USD one way or arrange yourself a shared taxi option for $50 when you exit the airport. We chose the shared taxi option because they group you with people heading to nearby resorts, so it is not much slower than the private ride. It took about 45 minutes to get from the airport to our resort. Both the check-in and check-out process was quick and efficient, thanks to Danesha and Sendy-Anne. Both were very pleasant and knowledgeable. They use QR codes to connect you to the Wi-Fi and the connection was good throughout our stay. Aurelius took our bags and escorted us to our room. While we only had a chance to talk to him on the first day, before he took time off that week, he was very welcoming, funny and kind. There are rooms on the resort that have their own private plunge pool and those that do not. We chose a room without a pool, because we came to Antigua for the incredible beaches. Our room was quite a walk away from the main lobby, stretching all the way to opposite end of the resort. However, our room was right on the beach and steps away from the ocean. All rooms are opened with a traditional lock and key, so there is no fuss with a keycard. The resort claims they are a boutique hotel with “rustic Caribbean” rooms. That’s…an interesting way of putting it. The rooms are rough. Upon entering, there is a musty smell, which never let up. All the furniture felt sticky—clearly the result of a rushed lacquer job. The AC worked, but leaked constantly, leaving long, dirty streaks on the wall and dripping directly onto the luggage table. They opt for no television to encourage relaxation. The bathroom was the worst part of the room for me. There is no ventilation and lighting was very poor. The whole room was constantly dark, humid, smelled of sewage and a breeding ground for bugs. It connects to the outdoor shower and unless you put a towel to block out the opening that exists at the bottom of the door, mosquitoes would swarm in there. I am someone who really enjoys her nighttime routine and likes to spend a lot of time relaxing in the bathroom and I just couldn’t do that here. I dreaded using the bathroom. The outdoor shower was a novelty for five minutes—until the mosquitos showed up. Unless you stand directly under the water the entire time. The problem for me was seeing lizards in the shower. Absolutely not. Would you want to shower with a lizard? Speaking of lizards, when we came back from dinner one night we found one sitting on our bed. ON THE BED. I don’t mind seeing wildlife outside but in my room? Our doors were always shut so it was likely that it got in through the gaps under the exterior doors. The mosquito net over the bed isn’t an optional touch; it’s a survival tool. You need to use the OFF spray every night and make sure you spray your room with RAID unless you want to be devoured by mosquitoes at night. Lying on your back watching dead bugs clinging to the net above you was just so…cathartic. On our last night, we were woken up at 1AM by rustling and loud footsteps on our patio. I was pretty shaken so we tried to text the front desk for a security check but…surprise surprise…they do not operate at night. I was pretty freaked out and couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night. In the morning, nobody followed up with us regarding our message and we just assumed it was some sort of animal. But even so, the hotel claims that they have 24 security an it would have given us some peace of mind to know that someone could check in on you, or at least follow up - but nothing. If you carry electronics with you and would like to put them in a safe, please understand that you aren’t able to lock up anything larger than the size of an envelope. It is very small. We tried to see the charm of the rooms, but we never felt clean or comfortable. We rushed showers to run away from bugs, spent as little time possible in a bathroom that smelt of humidity and sewage, avoided unwanted lizards and animals that visited our patio in the night. This can all be tolerable if it was at a low price but we paid over 6 grand to stay here and at that price point, it completely missed the mark. The luxury of this resort comes from its proximity to the ocean. The beach is clean and quiet. There is no loud music playing from anywhere. Each room gets their own Bali bead and set of tanning chairs that have blue cushioning on them, so you never have to compete for a nice spot on the beach. The water is warm, crysal-clear and calm, perfect for snorkelling and swimming. You don’t need to walk too far into the water for it to reach your shoulders. Oftentimes, we did see some locals on jet skis that were zooming back and forth, which made some guests weary of snorkelling in peace. There were a few boats that were giving excursions that came by the beach and gave tourists a chance to swim on the beach. You could often hear them using an air horn to call tourists back on the boat or using a megaphone. But for the most part, the beach was incredible relaxing and a 5-star dream. I will say thought, going during the low season was really difficult if you’re not used to the BLAZING HEAT. It was so hot that you could have fried an egg on a beach chair. The beach service though…was OUTSTANDING! A big, big shout out to Tevin and Quinn who were constantly taking care of us, making fantastic drinks and handing them to us in a timely fashion. The beach service was probably the best I’ve experienced anywhere.They were working in the blazing heat and not once did they ever complain and we have major respect for that kind of work ethic. Tevin always had a smile on his face and was so gracious. Even when I felt frustrated about restaurant service or was not happy about our room, his energy and care really turned my day around. Every drink and snack order came out perfectly, every time. The drinks were always prepared with care and high quality. Tevin was just the absolute best and the real gem of this resort. Dining room service was…a hit or miss, depending on who was serving you. I will start by saying that the manager, Lyndon was so gracious and professional. On the nights he was working, we felt taken care of and accommodated. Our favourite servers were Kermisha and Sheldon. I was shocked to find out that Kermisha was new because her confidence and care made me think she had been working at Keyona for ages. She was always so bright and friendly. I was never afraid to ask her for anything or ask a question. I simply adored her. Sheldon, particularly during breakfast service was just as friendly and accommodating. He was always smiling and really took care of us. These two servers were really appreciated because for us, friendly conversation, a smile or positive energy goes a long way. That’s why we loved the beach service so much. But, other than Kermisha, Seldon and Lyndon, our dining experiences weren’t that great. When we were put with other servers we always got the impression that they were angry or annoyed with us, so we never felt really comfortable to ask for anything. Even when leaving tips, we just felt uncomfortable. Night after night, I was always nervous about who would be serving us and whether they would be in a good mood or just visibly pissed off. I tried to consider that maybe they were tired or it was hot…but even if we tried to be friendly, sometimes we were just shrugged off. We ordered simple things straight off the menu, with no modifications and around five times (in the week that we were there) things went missing or came out incorrectly. We never sent anything back because we don’t like food waste, but it happened so often it became a joke of whether we would get the correct meal or not. I didn’t mind the food. For me it was 3 stars. I really tried to be understanding because we were on a small island, but there were a lot of dishes that were misses for me. Appetizer portions are teeny tiny. Dinner menus rotate daily with occasional repeat, but we weren’t blown away by anything except of the lasagna one night. The safest option is to order the specials or local dishes that are similar to Jamaican cuisine. Interestingly, fresh seafood was limited. Red snapper and swordfish were the only fresh catches I was able to order that week. You could pay an additional $50USD for a lobster but…we really didn’t want to take a chance of another dining fail - especially for an additional cost. The beach grill is a different story. We actually loved everything we ordered from the grill, from the burgers, the quesadillas, the Jamaican patties, the salads…everything was great! My final thoughts: 
The “vintage Caribbean atmosphere” and “light environmental footprint” concept is a lovely idea in theory, but it cannot be used as a blanket excuse for neglect, lack of comfort, or inadequate maintenance. Simplicity and sustainability do not require guests to deal with moldy smells, leaking A/C units, or insect-infested bathrooms. Those are not “barefoot luxury” touches—they’re basic failures in hospitality. Room upgrades claim to target completion by November 2025, but that doesn't change the reality for guests currently paying premium prices for outdated, uncomfortable rooms. If you're going to charge top dollar, the accommodations need to meet that standard today. Mosquitoes and mustiness had a significant impact on our comfort. Tropical climate or not, there are resorts on similar islands managing this far more effectively. And finally, I understand this is a boutique hotel with a more laid-back philosophy, but laid-back should never mean lax. Guests can appreciate nature and handcrafted charm and still expect cleanliness, functionality, and basic comfort. If you're after truly rustic, unplugged vibes and are willing to overlook a lot for a pretty beach and friendly staff, this may suit you. But if you're expecting an experience that matches the five-star reviews, the price tag, or the marketing language—be cautious. Not every shortcoming here is about preference. Some are just problems.

From the time we greeted with Rum Punch till we left a week later the staff was amazing. Quaint and romantic adults only resort, beautiful landscaping with plenty of tropical flowers and bushes. Lunch menu changes every 2 days and dinner menu daily, good variety normally 3 appetizer choices and 4 dinner as well as 3 desert. Beachside grill offers same menu as does breakfast. Have to try the Tevin Special named after its creator and bartender, great frozen or on the rocks. Plenty of privacy and assigned Bali beds and lounge chairs on the beach. Plenty of tropical birds, lizards and the local mongoose all friendly. They fog every other day and provide bug spray in the rooms. Mosquitoes are common in the tropics. Taxi’s and private car fees are set by the govt, Taxi’s are nice and owned by the drivers. Private cars are usually luxury SUV’s. Taxi fees are $95 airport transfer. Resort to St John $50 round trip and to Stingray Island is $95 round trip. Taxi’s are cash so take plenty as no one does cash apps or credit. Resort, excursions and stores take credit. Small market shops are cash only.

This was a tough one. I can see why people like the resort, but I'm also quite confused by the overwhelming amount of 5 star ratings. For context this was our first time in Antigua - we've previously been to the more mainstream all inclusive destinations (Mexico, DR, Cuba, etc.). To start, the country itself is full of beautiful beaches. The beach on the property has the best water we've experienced bar none except maybe Anguilla. Almost no waves at all for the entirety of our 1 week stay in the Summer, and crystal clear throughout. Arriving: The resort doesn't offer any bundled transport to or from the airport. You can either have them arrange a private transfer through SMS for $90 USD one way, or opt for a shared taxi for $50. The taxi makes much more sense since they'll optimize the groups such that everyone in one taxi is going to neighboring resorts, so it really doesn't take much longer than the private transfer. I did attempt to arrange the private transfer before arriving, but to no avail - it seemed that I'd get a different person responding to the SMS every day that had no context whatsoever on what was discussed the day before, so I just gave up on the private transfer from the airport. Check in was smooth and they used QR codes to get you connected to the wifi. Connectivity was good unless you were at the outer edges of the dining area, where it'd drop regularly for both of us. Accommodations: The rooms are less than stellar. We had one of the newer cottages without a plunge pool (we came for the beach) but with an awesome view of the ocean, and the room itself was quite spacious. Those are really the only good things to say about the room unfortunately. I see a lot of reviews describing the rooms as "rustic". That is being extremely generous. They are barebones, old, and musty. We aren't picky and we tried really hard to love it, but it's just not what you expect for the price. I understand that maintaining beachfront cottages in tropical climates is no easy task, but I can't say the accommodations met expectations even for a 4* resort. After entering the room we quickly noticed the shocking number of mosquitos, both dead and alive. The bed has a mosquito net on it which is absolutely necessary to avoid being devoured - although when laying on your back in bed you'll see a bunch of dead mosquitos resting on top of the net. The room itself smells musty and all of the wooden furniture feels sticky, with visible lacquer drips from hasty application. The AC unit is fixed on the drywall and does a decent job of keeping the main room cool, but it is constantly leaking condensation on the drywall which over time has left staining streaks down the length of the wall. Coincidentally the luggage table is positioned right under the AC unit, so it'll get "rained on" as well. The room has no TV and this is spun as "promoting relaxation", but after visiting I really think it's more of an issue with maintaining electronics in such an environment. There is a safe but it is the smallest unit I've ever seen. You absolutely will not fit a laptop or even an iPad in it. It's solely for money, documents, jewelry, etc. It is accessed with the backup key instead of the code even though it has a pin pad. The bathroom has a door that connects to the outdoor shower. The bathroom is essentially a mosquito sanctuary - dimly lit, extremely humid all the time, and a good 10C hotter than the bedroom at any given moment. The ceiling in our unit had 3 pot lights, but the one at the rear was out of order, seemingly due to the visible water damage around it. My wife and I spent as little time as possible in the bathroom as it was extremely uncomfortable to be in, and we had to regularly spray it with the provided Raid bug spray. It also always smelled strongly of sewage. This really did not jive with the idea that you come here to relax and take care of yourself, when you can't even do a skincare routine or even brush your teeth normally without bugs, heat, and the smell of urine all engulfing you. All of the doors have sizable gaps underneath, which makes me believe that the heat and mosquito issues in the bathroom can be attributed to the connected outdoor shower. This was an interesting novelty for about 5 minutes, but it's entirely impractical. I'm sure some people enjoy it, but it was not for us at all. It is roofed, but there is a single light bulb dimly lighting the area while simultaneously attracting an army of mosquitos. As long as you stay under the water you probably won't be bit, but it's not exactly relaxing. We also had the occasional lizard join us in the shower. Aside from the bugs, we did find a lizard on our bed on one occasion, even though we were extremely cautious about leaving doors open, so it likely squeezed in through a gap in one of the 4 exterior doors. The room overall gets a 2/5. The view and patio are the saving grace, but it was not a comfortable stay overall. Both of us could never get to the point where we actually felt clean all week due to the state of the bathroom. Arriving home and taking a hot indoor shower was a major relief, which is not how we expected things to play out. Honestly the room is something I'd expect out of Cuba where a week stay will run you $1400 CAD all in flight included, so at least it can be rationalized. Not a $6000 CAD stay during low season just for the hotel. Service: The beach drink and food service was top notch, probably the best I've had anywhere. The two servers we had never made any mistakes with our orders, although it was low season with only 3 couples on our beach, including us, at any given time. Still, the servers were excellent and I don't know how they do it in the extreme Summer heat. The drinks themselves were good and seemingly less diluted than at more mainstream resorts in other countries. I could actually feel the drinks after 2 or 3 vs 5+ elsewhere. Service in the main dining area was a totally different story. It ranges from good to poor depending on who is serving you. We have never had so many orders forgotten or otherwise messed up ever before. This is forgivable on occasion but it got to a point where we were outright expecting something to be missing or incorrect. Both of us made very simple orders throughout with no special customizations - straight off the menu, a maximum of 5 items total. Yet time and time again we would either have dishes entirely missing, or get the wrong dish. Most often during dinner, but it happened at least once for all courses. I don't know how this is possible when they use an ipad to punch the order in (although some servers did it off memory). I never sent anything back as I don't like wasting food, and I'm sure they would correct the mistake if I brought it up, but it really shouldn't happen as often as it did in the first place. Front desk service is friendly, we didn't interact much with them beyond check in/out. They did help point us to the free Wednesday shuttle to Jolly Harbor - which is really just a large car not a bus as it may sound - a pleasant surprise but ultimately not free considering the tip. Tipping: Tipping is expected, in EC or USD. Beware that very few people in the country seem to be willing to break bills into smaller denominations besides banks. The front desk doesn't do it (they seemingly don't deal with much physical cash). ATMs do not let you choose denomination so it's best to order EC or USD before you arrive. The resort has no ATM, so you need to take a ~10 min drive to Jolly Harbor to withdraw money from an ATM should you need it. If you have spare EC you can almost certainly find something to burn it on at the airport. Property: The resort itself is set in heavy vegetation, with winding sidewalks throughout to reach the rooms. They do a good job of keeping the vegetation as tidy as possible. The only places on the resort with AC are the rooms and the gift shop - the main dining area is totally open concept which is very picturesque, but it can lose its appeal in the summer with the low winds and scorching temperatures. It got so hot a few times that it was hard to keep an appetite. We were completely drenched in sweat when checking out and waiting for our ride to the airport in our travel clothes. Half of the beach is a smooth transition into the water, while the farther half (cottages ~50+) has a deep ~3ft trench right before the water line - not an issue for us but may be a consideration for those with lower mobility. Food & Drink: Although it's all inclusive, all of the food is served a la carte either at the main dining area or the beach grill for lunch. Generally speaking, the food was decent for a 4 star all inclusive resort on such a small island. Their traditional local dishes are very similar to Jamaican dishes, and those tend to be executed the best. One surprise hit was the lasagna that was served for dinner one day. The dinner menu changes daily, although you will see the odd repeat here and there. We were not particularly blown away by anything, but it wasn't bad. Per typical Caribbean guidelines I'd stick to seafood and local dishes rather than upscale dishes like steak, which really just aren't economically viable in an all inclusive setting especially on an island. On one of the many occasions where my order was messed up, I received a steak instead of a seafood pasta - and it was better than I expected, but really not comparable to what you'd get in a normal restaurant. The beach grill does everything well - I quite enjoyed their burgers which I did not expect. My suggestion is to opt for whatever their special is, or some form of seafood. While the seafood was good, to my surprise the only fresh seafood was fish. Swordfish, grouper, and red snapper during our stay. There was no squid, crustaceans, or anything else of significance served as far as fresh seafood goes. There was an opportunity to pay a whopping $50 USD for a lobster. I live 1000 miles from the nearest ocean and I could get a live lobster for half the price -- no thanks. They did serve canned baby clams and canned cocktail shrimp - shrimp especially were quite overused. It was a bit disappointing for a seafood pasta or chowder to consist primarily of tiny cocktail shrimp from a can while sitting on a tropical island. Cleanliness seemed good - I have a very sensitive GI tract and had no issues whatsoever with the food, having tried most of the items on offer. The main dining area had quite a stench wafting in the air likely from a dirty grease trap. I know that food waste is a tough issue at any all inclusive, and even more so on small islands like Antigua where most things are imported. But the portion control was really on the nose here. I've been to a la carte only AI resorts before like Excellence, and portions were never an issue. Here they really noticeably skimp on the proteins in some cases, which results in unsatisfying dishes. Since the dinner menu changes daily you never really know whether you need to order something extra to share or whether your dish will be enough on its own. Also I feel as though the grill could put together some more comprehensive dishes without having to spell out every individual component in your order. For instance, if you order quesadillas off the menu you will literally get 2 quesadillas in a basket and nothing else. If you want sides you must specify them, which complicates the order. Drinks were decent. I didn't get the impression that they were watered down at all, but the cocktails in the main bar were super inconsistent. I think I ordered a total of 7 margaritas during my stay and each one tasted drastically different, two times having a salt rim. The rum punch is the most consistent cocktail and seems to be the de facto house cocktail. The local beer is Carib Lager, and it was not great. On one occasion I was poured a very off smelling beer which had ice put in it... that was the last beer I had on the trip. I also experienced acid reflux for the first time in my life due to the amount of citrus and fruit juices in every one of their featured cocktails, my mistake but be mindful of that. Overall it was a good experience, and I'm mostly grateful that I got to visit the lovely island of Antigua, but I would not return to this particular hotel especially at these prices. I tried to rationalize some of our poor experiences as being due to the low season, but ultimately I don't know if that was the cause - what I do know for sure is that the stay was not satisfactory and I'll look elsewhere in the future. The outdated rooms are certainly not a function of how busy the hotel is. I was initially swayed by the overwhelming number of 5 star reviews but it felt like I went to a different hotel than what the reviews describe. Maybe things are better during peak season, or maybe the typical clientele of honeymooners are looking at things more rosy-eyed than we were. The redeeming factors were the beach, the service (for the most part), and the food (for the most part). If this hotel were not on a small island, my review would be 2 stars instead of 3, but they do an impressive job in many ways considering their limitations. The accommodations are in dire need of a refresh, and I would heavily advise against visiting in the Summer due to the open nature of the resort and inability to escape the heat.

Food quality outside of the outdoor grill was lacking. Variety lacking. Ability to get your order correct while using an i-pad is impressive as that would seem to be impossible. A general inability to keep a wine glass full or to fill upon request but instead chat with your buddies is also impressive. Fogging takes place without warning and due to outside showers prepare yourself for chemical burns. Which did in fact happen to us. Beach is great. Room is dated. Sheets are as soft as sandpaper and the pillows might be stuffed with cardboard. The doors have cracks so the air conditioning will be semi effective. We had stomach issues after most dinners. Portion control made me feel like i was at a weight loss retreat. Staff tried to talk me out of my desired meal choices. Strange place.

Well Keyonna you have surpassed yourselves again! Another wonderful stay with you all. Lovely to see old and new staff, all of you looked after us so well, it would be unfair to name any of you individually. Food excellent but as per one of my previous posts, I would mention that if you don't eat eggs for breakfast, the menu is slightly limited ! Didn't spoil our stay though, and it would be fine for a week's stay I'm sure. For anyone looking for a quiet relaxing holiday then choose Keyonna. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year for our 14th visit :) Thank you again.