Antigua Honeymoon
Sep 9th, 2003, 10:41 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,870
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There are lots of places in Antigua, but you'll need to tell us a little more about what you're most looking for while there. What types of activities interest you most? Do you want lots of sports to choose from? Something quieter? Large and bustling, or small and intimate resort? What time of year do you intend to honeymoon? (That will affect prices drastically). Does your nightly cost of $320 include all meals and drinks? Or is that for room only? Do you think you'll rent a car?
I love Antigua and will be glad to share any number of suggestions with you--just give a little more info to go on first.
I love Antigua and will be glad to share any number of suggestions with you--just give a little more info to go on first.
Sep 9th, 2003, 07:35 PM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not sure what the rates are this year, but we stayed at Galley Bay, Antigua in June 2000 for our honeymoon and it was perfect. The rooms are very private and on the ocean. They have thatched roof cottages that are very nice and clean inside and feel tropical. We stayed ina suite, but will stay in a cottage when we go back because they looked so cool- we made friends with another couple on their honeymoon who stayed in one. The food is amazing- it's all inclusive- B,L,D. Highly recommended...We toured the island and saw most of the other resorts (at least 5-7 of the others) and they all looked really nice, but we were glad we stayed at Galley Bay.
Sep 10th, 2003, 04:23 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Going in May next year, don't want to do too much really, just relax and enjoy the beach. We are going to LV and San Fran first of all so Antigua will be our relaxing second week. We would like somewhere ALL-Inc Preferably, on the beach, romantic, maybe with some watersports. We probably wouldn't rent a car.
Hope this helps. Thanks
Hope this helps. Thanks
Sep 10th, 2003, 04:56 AM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,870
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Galley Bay is one of the nicer all-inclusives on Antigua, but generally their rates are closer to the $450-500 per night, which is significantly higher than what your budget is. Galley Bay is on a peninsula on the western part of Antigua that affords beautiful sunsets. The beach there IS gorgeous and the resort feels very secluded. And the lowest-priced rooms there are little free-standing thatched rondavels that look very romantic.
One AI in your budget that I could recommend for a honeymoon is the Grand Pineapple on the east coast. It's a nice mid-range AI with nice facilities on a lovely beach with a reef just offshore that provides good snorkeling. The rooms are fine but nothing special, but some rooms are only a few steps frrom the beach, so the location is nice.
Another option might be Cocobay. Their
rooms are all free-standing cottages on a hillside overlooking a beach. They offer reasonable AI rates and the infinity pool there looks gorgeous. They also have a spa. Cocobay is also on the west coast, a little bit south of Galley Bay, not far from the Jolly Beach complex.
Other AIs are Sandals (WAY overrated and overpriced, in my opinion), the Royal Antiguan (nothing special, at least not for a honeymoon) and Jolly Beach (ditto). There are, however, lots of nice midrange hotels that offer meal plans (breakfast & dinner, MAP) that might be a good choice for you if you don't mind NOT doing AI.
If you don't want to rent a car and you want to be able to freely leave the resort for shopping, site seeing, meals, etc, you might want to consider staying in the Runaway Bay-Dickenson Bay area, where there's a wide variety of restaurants and it's not far from St. john's. If you stay anyplace else on the island, you're looking at a roundtrip cab fare MINIMUM of $25 to go anywhere, and up to $40. Talking with the local cab drivers is part of the fun for me, plus I don't have to worry about drinking and driving on the left side of the road, but lots of people woild prefer not to have to cab it.
One AI in your budget that I could recommend for a honeymoon is the Grand Pineapple on the east coast. It's a nice mid-range AI with nice facilities on a lovely beach with a reef just offshore that provides good snorkeling. The rooms are fine but nothing special, but some rooms are only a few steps frrom the beach, so the location is nice.
Another option might be Cocobay. Their
rooms are all free-standing cottages on a hillside overlooking a beach. They offer reasonable AI rates and the infinity pool there looks gorgeous. They also have a spa. Cocobay is also on the west coast, a little bit south of Galley Bay, not far from the Jolly Beach complex.
Other AIs are Sandals (WAY overrated and overpriced, in my opinion), the Royal Antiguan (nothing special, at least not for a honeymoon) and Jolly Beach (ditto). There are, however, lots of nice midrange hotels that offer meal plans (breakfast & dinner, MAP) that might be a good choice for you if you don't mind NOT doing AI.
If you don't want to rent a car and you want to be able to freely leave the resort for shopping, site seeing, meals, etc, you might want to consider staying in the Runaway Bay-Dickenson Bay area, where there's a wide variety of restaurants and it's not far from St. john's. If you stay anyplace else on the island, you're looking at a roundtrip cab fare MINIMUM of $25 to go anywhere, and up to $40. Talking with the local cab drivers is part of the fun for me, plus I don't have to worry about drinking and driving on the left side of the road, but lots of people woild prefer not to have to cab it.
