I'm thinking of going to the Hawksbill Beach Resort in Antigua for my August Honeymoon. Anyone have any reviews of this resort. We really want to be at an all-inclusive and some of the most important things for us are great white sand beach, nice pool facility, good food/drinks and some entertainment.

Also, I heard the Jolly Beach Resort was not a good honeymoon spot due to it being very loud and busy, is that true?

Also, how difficult is it to leave the resort in the evening for entertainment?

I saw this hotel during a site inspection a few years ago and one of the things I remember (and just looked up again to confirm it) is that only deluxe rooms have A/C units. Every other category of room has a ceiling fan, which means if you're going there in August, the heat in the rooms is horrible. In addition, there are no TV's or radios in any of the rooms. And ... only deluxe club rooms have telephones in them.

I wasn't there in the evening, so I can't tell you about the entertainment. Sorry.

I stayed at Hawksbill a few years ago before it became a strictly AI place. I'm not certain that it will fit your needs. In August, I would definitely recommend springing for a room with a/c or staying elsewhere--the regular hotel wing style rooms AND the smaller club rooms on the beach and in the gardens are not well designed for catching the breezes, in my opinion.

The beaches are beautiful and were the strongest asset to my visit--they are not white sand, however. Somewhere between ivory and a light tan--ecru, perhaps? The clothing optional beach is the most secluded and would require about a 5-10 minute walk from the rooms, depending on where you're staying.

The resort itself is very isolated and I can't imagine that during August it would offer copious amounts of nightlife. You'll have to take a cab or rent a car to get anywhere on night they don't offer live music.

The food was about average during my stay in 2002. Some was quite good, some left much to be desired.

The pool is more of an afterthought. If you're looking for a nice pool facility, you should look elsewhere.

I thought Hawksbill offered me a good enough value when I stayed there, but I have since found a place on Antigua that I keep returning to, so I would not got back there. Please let me know if you have more questions.

I think Hawksbill is now part of the Rex Resorts portfolio. I have not heard good things about Rex hotels so I wonder if Hawksbill is on a downhill slide.

While we generally are not fans of AI resorts we did go to the Hawksbill this past Feb. I have a medical problem and my MDinsisted I eat and drink in one place. I must tell you for the money my husband and I felt it was a terrific place. Do not go if you want to be pampered with beautiful marble bathrooms-turn down service- fine amenities. It does not have that. It has a magnificent setting with 4 secluded cove shape beaches- outstanding staff who really enjoy what they do - enormous amount of food nicely presented- lovely breakfasts with everything including made to order omelettes. The nicest rooms are the AC club rooms. If you go there ask for the rooms that face beach number 3. You will have total privacy from your balcony - a nice touch. The resort is isolated. We made friends with other guests and rented a car for 2 weeks. The island is easy to explore. Don'T MISS sHIRLEY Heights. They have wonderful musid on Sundays. There are some drawbacks that may be of concern for you. The pool is the sixe of a postage stamp. The manager told us that since Rex has taken over they will be considering building a new elaborate pool but it won't be built for awhile. The other thing you should know is that this hotel attracts a large group of visitors from England- many of them kkep returning. They generally are "mature' PEOPLE MEANING MANY ARE IN THEIR 50'S AND 60'S. There of course were Americanvisitors too. Some were younger-mostly East coast.We like one of the posrs mentioned were concerned about Rex taking over, but for what we paid we felt we received excellent value. The entetainment was lovely dancing under the stars most nights, but I do not know what they do in the ff season. See if you can find out about that. There was mention of Blue Waters and Galley Bay as possible alternatives. BW is more upscale but they have a small beach ant the people we met from tere complained about the mukiness of the water. We walked to GB. it is more upscale also but not nearly enough so to warrant the huge difference in cost. I tried to cover all bases for you as this is your honeymoon and I hope it is helpful. H ave a great time wherever you go.