Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - I hated Antigua!!!

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Caribbean Islands (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/)

- - I hated Antigua!!! (https://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/i-hated-antigua-38968/)

I hated Antigua!!!

February 11, 1999 Karen Musumeci 22 Mulberry Circle Staten Island, NY 10314 Liberty Travel 23-15 Richmond Avenue File # 006-79-1824-1 Staten Island, New York 10314 Attn.: Elaine Logelfo Office Manager Dear Ms. Logelfo: Please accept the following as a detailed account of my bitter travel experience at the Royal Antiguan Beach & Tennis Resort. While deciding what resort to choose, I presented my travel agent with several basic preferences. Among these preferences, was access to tennis, a quiet beach to relax on, and a clean well kept facility to stay at. In addition, I requested that my travel agent phone the Royal Antiguan to inquire about the availability of a safety deposit box. Having been assured that all of the above preferences were to be expected at the Royal Antiguan, I booked a vacation. We arrived at the Royal Antiguan on February 5, 1999 after 4:00pm. We waited forty minutes for a room. Once in the room, we took the opportunity to look around. The room we were assigned to, was not the room represented by the photo in the travel catalog. (Please refer to the attached list for details). When we learned that room 721 was not going to be a room where we would be happy, we called the front desk to request a room change. We were told that the resort had no vacancies at that time. Having spent a lot of money for this vacation, we resolved to try to make the best of a bad situation. We decided to go enjoy the beach. Before going to the beach, my fiancé and I stopped at the front desk to request a safety deposit box. We were told that there were no boxes available; we were then put on a waiting list. We immediately requested a meeting with the hotel manager on duty. Mr. Richards listened to all of our complaints. He assured us that we would be bumped up to the top of the security box waiting list. In addition, he informed us that the problems in the room would be taken care of promptly. During our meeting with the manager, we reiterated our request for a room change. We had paid for an ocean view room. The room we were assigned to had limited, if any view of the ocean/sea. Again, we were informed that no other rooms were available. Mr. Richards informed us that a room might be available on February 9. As we were departing on the 10th, this offer was less than helpful to us. On our way to the beach, we were quickly solicited by numerous sales people for various restaurants and day trips. We demonstrated some assertiveness by informing the various sales people that we preferred to seek out our own reservations. We were without success in deterring the local sales people who continued to harass us on the premises of the resort. In addition to having to ward off sales pitches, we had to contend with construction going on right behind the beach (also on resort premises). Noises such as hammering and drilling interfere with my idea of relaxation. A day or two later, we decided to play tennis. To our dismay, we found yet another problem. The tennis courts at the Royal Antiguan were being used by local children for a tennis tournament. We inquired with the sports coordinator, who informed us that the children were granted permission to use the private courts. This was disappointing and inconvenient for the paying customers. A number of other significant problems exist at the resort. On February 9, at approximately 7:00pm, I discovered that a piece of jewelry had been taken from my hotel room. I immediately notified Mr. Jeffers, the manager on duty. Hotel security and the local police were called. I provided both parties with a detailed account of the incident along with a description of the item. The local police were surprised to learn that a safety security box could not be provided. Before leaving our valuables behind in the room, we would ensure that all doors were secured. On our daily return from the beach, we would learn that the terrace door had been left unlocked by housekeeping services. The Royal Antiguan Resort was negligent in maintaining what minimal security we had. The guest room terraces are directly connected. Several seconds are more than enough time for a neighboring occupant to trespass into my room. Again, the police were surprised at the lack of security with regard to terrace accessability. The police's officers who filed the report informed us that they planned to speak with hotel administration about better room security. On February 9, I made arrangements to be picked up in the front of the Resort. I called the Alexander Parrish Company, and a representative instructed me to be outside at 1:00pm. At 1:20pm, I began to be concerned. I asked the front desk to call the company to inquire about a pick up. After making an unsuccessful call, the front desk attendant informed me that Alexander Parrish was in the process of dissolving operations. She instructed me to give my voucher to a taxi for transport. She further warned me by saying that I would have difficulty being picked up by a taxi because cash paying customers were preferred. We were refused a ride back to the airport by a dozen drivers. Ultimately, I raised my voice and started to draw attention. We were granted a ride at 2:05pm. I might have felt a little better about my experience at the Royal Antiguan if some effort had been made to correct the various problems which were reported to management. We were assured that they would be addressed and they never were. A fellow disgruntled vacationer suggested that I post my experience with the Royal Antiguan Resort on the Internet. Before I do so, I'd like to afford all parties the opportunity to provide some compensation for my horrendous experiences. When available, you will be provided with a copy of the police report which was filed on February 9, 1999. I have taken photographs of various problems in the room. Please contact me at the above phone number if you require copies for your investigation of this resort. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, Karen musumeci Major Hotel Room Complaints 1. Loose tiles on the bathroom floor and around the shower. 2. Old damaged furniture throughout the room. 3. No VCR; Ocean View rooms were to be equipped with a VCR. 4. Small bugs were seen all over the room. Large insects were observed near the ice machines Additional Complaints 1. There were flies all over the food at The Lagoon Cafe, and Beach Grill and Bar.

Royal Antiguan Hotel is NOT Antigua. It is most unfortunate that you had an unhappy stay at one hotel in Antigua, but that has happened and obviously you are trying to seek recourse from Royal Antiguan. The vast majority of visitors to Antigua have a very enjoyable vacation experience!

Earlier this year I visited Antigua on business and made reservations to extend my stay into vacation after my business was completed. It was a mistake. Even now I feel as I were being granted a favor to be there. I was uncomfortable with my treatment to the point that I did not stay my entire two weeks. The island could have been a good place to vacation. But what Antiguans need to know is that each person there – each taxi driver, each hotel person, each street vendor, each shop keeper, each restaurant person, each driver, each person on the street represents a part of the “pie” of Antigua. I am in customer service in the states, and I know that if over 90% of contact is unfavorable, word of mouth will kill your business. In my experience, from the restaurants I entered to the places I swam, I was not treated nicely; at best. Being short changed was the practice of the street vendors (even when dealing in EC money), and being ignored was the practice of the majority of the businesses and getting information about anything is about as easy as finding a streetsign. Being harassed with horns and shouting at my car was a continuing factor when you were in a “green” tagged rental car. Mine was not isolated to just my resort, mine was from Shirley Heights to English Harbor, to St. John’s, to Devil’s Bridge. An especially disturbing factor there was when I was directed down a dead end street from a local’s directions and then he stood in the exit laughing when I turned around. I had to wait until he chose to move before I could get out. If more feel as if I do, the ripple effect of the lack of tourism on Antigua will be felt shortly and should be a growing concern for each person, whether in direct contact with tourists or not. Antigua proved to be a very expensive place to visit. I lost something in Antigua besides the material things that were taken from my car – I lost my innocence of thinking that I could visit another country, meeting and talking with natives and having a good time learning from them about their lives and their country. I cut my losses and left early realizing that Antigua was not going to offer the warmth, security or charm to convince me to stay or convince me to return.

I am sorry to hear about those who hated Antigua. My husband and I have nothing but good memories of our visit there. Many of our friends and family have also visited with very positive experiences. We found the people to be very warm and friendly, willing to go out of there way to make our visit a memorable one. At no time did we feel we were treated shabbily. As for being short changed by street vendors, that is something we have experienced in every country we have visited, and certainly do not let that bother us. Incidentally, we stayed at Pineapple Beach, a fabulous resort. Sometimes, however, I have to wonder about the behavior of those who visit a foreign country. I can't help but wonder if poor customer service is directly related to the demeanor and behavior of the one requesting the service.

The first time we visited Antigua was a day trip on a cruise. The merchants ignored us and were very rude. The taxi driver we had, his name was Ben by the way, was so mad because there were only 3 of us on his tour that he gave us a 4 hour tour in 2 and refused to stop anywhere. I came away with bad memories of the place.

Karen and other posters: I have been to Nassau as a child and an adult, Aruba twice and have lived in Jamaica some years ago. I have my personal "list" of places in the Caribbean that I would hope my wife and I are to visit. Right or wrong, Antigua will not be on that list. A visit such as this requires too much time, money and effort to even allow something to spoil it. A chance I cannot afford. We, as travelers, should take every opportunity to express our satisfaction or concerns to our fellow travelers. We become a more informed traveler that way and this is the perfect forum for that exchange. Keep the information coming. Your trip will not have been in vain if it helps one person make a more educated selection.

I visited Antigua in April of 1997. I stayed at the Hawskbill Resort - it was beautiful with 4 beaches, one clothing optional. I took a tour one day to Shirley Heights, Devil's Bridge, and around the island. It seemed like a friendly island and I had no problems. Really liked the Hawksbill and will go back again. The water was fantastic. Going to St. Martin this year and staying at the Blue Bay on Orient Beach. Hopefully I will enjoy this place just as much.

I hope Antigua is better then above messages. Before I booked my honeymoon to Sandals Antigua I saw mostly positive reviews and now there are more negative and some still positive. I hope my May Hoilday in Antigua is a great one!

I don't know anything about Antigua. But I do know that you don't leave jewelry in a hotel room -- anywhere, anytime. I love jewelry, but a simple pair of earrings and my wedding band are the only things I wear on vacation. And I've been told even that can be too much in some areas.

Mike, I'm sure your honeymoon will be fabulous. Go there with positive thoughts and an open mind. You won't be sorry. And, congratulations!

My husband and I had a wonderful time in Antigua last summer, and are already looking forward to a return trip. We found the locals to be very friendly and polite everywhere we went, and they were always very interested to tell us about their island. We absolutely loved Shirley Heights and English Harbour, and we recommend these to anyone who is going to visit Antigua. We did do some research onthe island before we went, so we were not expecting a five-star resort like in Jamaica. We knew what we were paying for, and we were not disappointed. You were definitely mislead by your travel agent about the quality of the Royal Antiguan. Even the locals will tell you it is not a good place to stay. We saw the hotel from across the bay at Fort James, and our guides kept commenting on how out-of-place the high rise building was, and how it wasn't very nice inside, and how it had no beach. We never even considered staying there before, and we certainly would not after seeing it. As for the jewelry theft, that is unfortunate. When I travel, I also only wear simple jewelry that rarely comes off. Antigua is not a formal place, so lots of jewelry is really only a liability there. To the couple that is going to Sandals- you'll love it! We stayed next door at the Rex and had a wonderful time.(And we never saw ANY bugs!) The beach and sea there is beautiful. Be sure to take the BoTours jeep tour for a day to see the other 3/4 of the island, including Half Moon Bay, the most beautiful beach on the island.

As are as jewelry in Antigua (or anything else) I can't fault anyone who makes arrangements for a safety deposit box for their valuables, whether it be money or whatnot. One was not provided for us either, so we also were in the delima of whether to leave cash, travelers checks, camera, diving equipment in our room or carry it with us in our car. We chose with us, but that too was a wrong choice. So, cash, jewelery, camera equipment and even credit cards are a high commodity among the islanders. We too, were promised a deposit box, and upon arrival - none were available. I would be interested to hear alternatives on what to do. Thanks -

Having travelled extensively through the Carribean including Antigua, I find the problems you encounter can be attributed to lack of knowledge. Most people who are seasoned travellers will research the Island and resort before booking the trip. We have stayed in resorts that range from 3 star to 6 star. In Antigua we stayed at Club Antigua and although only a 3 star we really enjoyed; beach was good and food was fine. Also we had been in Antigua when our cruise ship stopped and experienced no problems. Its all about what you make of it! Remember your in another country and you must always use caution, don't expect the same as you attitudes and paid for services you get in the U.S.. Also don't travel with jewellery - you are just tempting people who do not have as much as you.

K&C, Thank you for your response. However, I too travel a great deal, as I freelance for a travel company. I am within the Caribbean a minimun of two weeks a year, and elsewhere outside of the United States at least one week a year. Nowhere did I encounter the problems as in Antigua. I do considerable research on where I am going, where I stay and where I eat. I did not carry jewelry, however, the top on our jeep was slit and a camera bag taken in broad daylight while we ate at the Lobster Pot (one of the highest rated restaurants). I also don't quite consider it a lack of taking adequate measure of protection when my credit card number was stolen after having used it at a national rental car agency. Actually that was protection, as my credit card agency put an immediate fraud on it when the first charge was for $37,000. The alternative could have been that we carried travelers checks or cash and had them "relocated". I am a veteran traveler but now I have been "seasoned" with incidents in which there I had no control. Never has this been so profound as in Antigua - not Europe, not Asia, not even Africa.

My husband and I traveled with another couple to Antigua in March 98. Although we found the island beautiful (lots of nice beaches), we too had problems with our hotel (Rex Halcyon Cove) and found the service there less than acceptable. My husband and I were without a toilet in our room for 3 days and had to go down to the lobby to use the facilities. The hotel was booked solid so we could not get another room. The day we finally had the toilet repaired, there was no water! Our friends's bed had springs poking out of the mattress and returned with scars. Breakfast was very unreasonable - $40.00 Cdn. per person, $20.00 for continental breakfast (toast and coffee). We expected some sort of compensation for our poor accomodation - such as rebate on our bill(we prepaid our accomodation) or food vouchers but no such luck. We will not go back!