Curtain Bluff trip report
 

Hi there: Just wanted to let you know what a great time I had at Curtain Bluff. The setting and service is spectacular. We stayed in their "standard room" and it had everything we needed. It is a real treat to be able to access both Caribbean and Atlantic beaches. The food was very good.
The resort had a nice intimate feel to it. People were friendly but not overbearing. We also took some great excursions -- including a day trip to Montserrat. The only minus was the weather which was rainy most days but you can't control that.

Thanks for that report. I was looking into Curtain Bluff for my upcoming 10th anniversary and I heard someone was very unhappy with it. Overall I have read more positive than negative.

I'd like to hear more specifics regarding the ameneties, your room, the ambience, the desserts, and the beaches at Curtain Bluff. Would you mind elaborating?

EJ: The room we had was a "deluxe" room which is the standard room. It had a king bed, balcony overlooking the beach, nice bathroom, no AC (which didn't bother me) and no TV. It was simple, classy and comfortable. As I said, there were two beaches. The calm one (which was like a lagoon) offered the watersports and swimming. Also, this were lunch was served. The other beach was rougher and nice for strolling but not swimming. You could also use watersports equipment such as kayaks at the calm beach.
The hotel offered nice touches such as afternoon tea with cake and/or scones. The meals were very good so most nights we had to pass up dessert but they did offer some things like sticky toffee rum pudding, mango cheesecake and a selection of cheeses with port.
We rented a jeep and explored a bit. We went to English Harbour and St. John's (which was too busy in my opinion). We also had one dinner off property at Coco's which was very good. The ambience was one of quiet relaxation. The only drawback was the weather.

IslandGrl. Glad to hear you had a nice time at CB. Unfortunately, our experience was not the same. Didn't fine the atmosphere as relaxing as we'd hoped (too formal) and we were disappointed in the swimming beach. We were there in mid May and found the water to be quite murky, seaweedy and not the bright blue that we had anticipated. What were your thoughts on the beach?

I thought the beach was really nice. I don't get hung up on the perfect colour because one of the nice things about the Caribbean is that there are many shades of blue! I also think you mean seagrass, as opposed to seaweed and that is common in the Caribbean. Still, we enjoyed it.

Glad to hear you had a good experience. CB has been highly rated by many, but it just wasn't for us. We weren't hung up on the colors of the water or on finding anything perfect, but in comparison with other sections of Antigua (Dickenson Bay) as well as Jumby Bay, we thought the beaches did not compare.

Bosco, very interesting reading your comments about Curtain Bluff. I have always wanted to try it, as I have read
how they have set standards in the caribbean. I have heard the staff is top notch. We always go to Jumby on Antigua, we love it. We recently tried the new Carlisle Bay, not far from Curtain Bluff. We enjoyed this new hotel-but were disappointed about
the water colors, sand of their beach. Nice calm waters, but as soon as we got over to Jumby the colors jumped out at us.

It comes down to personal preference. To me, the service, the peacefulness and the setting were great. I agree that there are prettier beaches in Antigua but I was certainly glad to stay at Curtain Bluff for the overall experience.

I understand that the same is similar for Galley Bay -- a fabulous resort but some people feel that the beach is not perfect.

Bosco's experience was not a fluke. I also find CB highly-overated. An extensive wine cellar doesn't make up for an overly stiff and very Greenwich country club attitude, esp.from the owners. We also left after one night and dinner.

Tivertonhouse: Thanks for your comment. I thought I was the only odd one in my experience at CB.

Penny: My impression of Jumby was the same as yours. Huge difference in comparison. Thanks again for all your previous posts on Jumby. You helped us make a quick decision.

I had a great time at Curtain Bluff and have no complaints either. I get suspicious of people who leave after one day for no good reason -- they are probably not easy to please anywhere.

I am not all suspicious of people who have a large investment in what sounded like a rare luxury vacation and they leave because they are very unhappy. I believe they made a wise choice to move on and change to a resort more to their liking. They were very happy at Jumby so obviously they can be pleased in other settings. I would have done the same if I had been in their shoes. Threehearts

I'll chime in to support bosco's opinion as well. We really like Jumby Bay but don't care for much about the part of Antigua where Curtain Bluff and Carlisle Bay are located. The beaches there are not all that great, that part of the island is a little seedy, it rains a lot more there than many other parts of the island, and since we're REALLY picky about room quality, the Curtain Bluff rooms just aren't our style.
Had we blindly gone to CB then found an alternative we liked better, we'd have left too.
Why stay somewhere that doesn't fit your expectations (especially when you're paying premium $$)?

Threehearts and travleis: Thanks for your support. I was hesitant to post a negative report due to the response it might get, but I was hoping it might be helpful for others. Although we don't have the opportunity to travel that much, we've never had the experiecne of leaving a place because we were unhappy. We're basically down to earth, relaxed, easy to please people but don't like stuffy, clubby atmospheres. We learned a lot from CB and from everyone on this board. Thanks again.

Honestly and personal opinion is what this board is all about! What is a perfect vacation for some may not be for others, that's why all the detail and anecdotal info on this board is so useful. Thanks for your good report, I have crossed Curtain Bluff off my list due to your input because it doesn't sound like my cup of tea. However, Jumby is still near the top of our wish list! Someday . . .

It's interesting. All these years later, I recently stayed at Curtain Bluff and it is one tough act to beat. I can't think of anything I could complain about. Imagine not worrying about finding a spot on the beach, not worrying about who to tip and how much, not worrying about meals -- that was my experience. The staff were superb. It's a classic experience, more traditional West Indian, and I understand that some people may not like that but I can understand why this place stays among the top places to stay.