Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
4737 reviews
-
Mar 29, 2025It’s just “okay”
The hotel was not so great. Needs a major update. The one thing that is nice is that one side is the bay and one side is the beach. Intimate setting. Restaurants were not so great and they are never open at the same time. Not much food variety. It’s a good place to just sit in the water and do nothing.
-
Mar 28, 2025Need relaxation? Look no further!
I think reviews are obviously relative... Here's my take on St. James Club in Antigua. It's calm, serene and friendly. We're in the Royal Suites on the Bay side of the resort. (Iast full day tomorrow) It's fantastic! It's quiet (adults only) and you get the sunset outside your balcony, above the calm bay waters. The opposite side is the Atlantic Ocean side. It's equally gorgeous, but a different mood. At least in March, the winds are kickin' and the water is super choppy...and it's seaweed season. The crew cleans it as well as possible, daily. It's very obviously a neverending chore. Anyway, I understand that the breakers can be heard through your cracked balcony slider, and I'd find that lovely! In addition to the sunrise and gorgeous ocean views. Now onto the food... We enjoyed everything so much! Reviews talked of "bland" flavors, and boring options. We found it to be quite the opposite. But we tried new things! Enjoying our meals, as they were meant to be eaten....with the sauces and accompaniments. Everything has been delicious, good quality dishes. The breakfast buffet have been great as well (we do enjoy the omelet station). I think it's a matter of reaching outside of your norm...and taking in the tastes of your environment! Location... The resort is a bit off the beaten path. English Harbor is a 10 minute taxi...and the airport a 30-35 minute drive. But we were looking for relaxation... And St. James excels at that! There's a lot of tennis & pickleball happening....ping pong and corn hole as well. All sorts of water fun! (HobieCats, paddle boards, kayaks, etc.) Lots and lots of laying around on the beach...the bay is PERFECT for it!! The water is calm and exceptional for families with kids. Tons of palm tree shade, with many loungers under round tiki covers. The drinks flow heavy here as well. Those rum punches can really be sneaky! Undeniably delicious!! The point is...if you're looking for some laid back, paradise - living fun, this is where you want to be!! Staff are super friendly, food is delicious and vibe is definitely on island time!
-
Mar 28, 2025A enjoyable and relaxing holiday.
We had a lovely and very relaxing holiday. The resort was quiet so no scrambling for sunbeds. The non-motorized watersports were free, we used the paddleboards and kayaks. We went out on one of the small catamaran type boats and a shout out for Ken, he came out with us and gave us a lesson. The rooms were quite tired and dark but were clean and functional. We had a great sea view with large balcony. The food was ok, we are vegetarians and sometimes the dishes were not labelled so had to check. Most lunch times we went to the Beach Grill and the food was lovely there, Luenda and the team were always attentive and friendly. The entertainment was great at Dockside and there was a party atmosphere most nights. We only went on one trip booked through the hotel, this was to Stingray City and Laviscount Island, we were charged an additional fee of $70 for the transfer for 1-4 people, we presumed it would be individual taxis but we were on transfer with other people and it was full , felt we shouldn't have had to pay $70 like a family of 4 . Booked further trips with Antigua Chiama Italia Tours which were great. We met some lovely people and the atmosphere was really friendly. It was our first time in Antigua and overall we really enjoyed our holiday. Most importantly everyone must have a Mudslide Cocktail !!
-
Mar 25, 2025
Great if you just want to relax
This hotel is great if you want to stay within the complex. Many people appear to revisit year after year. I wish i'd known some of the things before going so I am going to add the main points of my findings rather than a full review as different people want different things. 1. The hotel is pretty much in the middle of nowhere so not really anywhere to go outside the hotel on foot. 2. There are 5 pools. 1 can only be used by royal suite guests, 1 is a small children's pool, 1 is in a quiet area but not much shade so gets very hot, 1 has a a waterfall and is more of a plunge pool and 1 main pool which you can have a decent swim in. 3. The beach is fabulous with an abundance of beds. 4. There are 5 restaurants but not all are open every day. 2 you have to book the day before which are inclusive of your AI package but not that many places, 2 of them you don't have to book at all though 1 has a limited menu but it is waitress service so you don't have to queue for the buffet and the final one Piccolo is bookable but you pay 38.50USD per person for that one. 5. There are 7 bars but again not all are open all the time. 6. A taxi to St Johns (45 minutes away) would cost around 75 USD and a taxi to English Harbour 45USD. 7. Trips are quite expensive for example a 2.5 hour sunset cruise is 70USD and a full day tour for 105USD plus 100USD for round trip taxi for up to 4 people. 8. There is a Resort fee of 24USD and 10USD tourism guest levy so 34USD per day which is payable at the end of your visit (this is the total we paid for a double room). There is also an optional 2USD per day to their local charity but this is optional. Hope the above is helpful. If you are still interested, here is a quick review of my stay here. We loved the beach and the beach bar. Always plenty of beds all day so no need to rush down (though you may need to move them round a bit to get the shade. Hotel grounds are well kept. Buffet restaurant was typical AI, lovely location and lots of variety albeit a little repetitive. Bathrooms in the rooms are a little outdated. Vanity sinks ok but toilet a bit old fashioned and on one occasion my husband had to reattach the flush. You get 2 bottles of water in your room which you can refill at the bar or water stations but apparently it is ok to drink. We boiled it just in case but had lots of ice in our drinks while we were there and had no issues. Coco and Rainbow garden restaurants are worth a visit if you manage to get in. Overall we had a lovely holiday and enjoyed the daily visits to the beach though we like to walk out and about and there wasn't really anywhere to go without taking a taxi but many other people return year after year. Bed in the room was firm and comfortable which I like and Junior suite was a lovely air conditioned room. Pool area is nice and the bar lady that was there for most of our stay was lovely. The one thing that I felt let it down a bit is that empty glasses do not get collected so as people vacate the beds and new people take them you are surrounded by dirty glasses which lets it down a bit. The restaurant staff were generally cheerful but the reception staff made you feel like a naughty schoolchild and you felt like you were inconveniencing them by asking questions. Photocopied map they give you when you arrive is useless as it has been photocopied in black and white and you can't read the numbers to see what is where. When you arrive you are really tired and they give you so much information you can't take it in. There is a tour each morning to show you around but the guide kept forgetting bits and was pointing ahead to where the restaurants etc were without actually taking you to them. You could do with having a leaflet so that you could read through at your leisure. There are some on the notice boards but it would be good to have a copy. Lots of people were taking pictures of the notice boards.
-
Mar 22, 2025
Great resort for families, especially the villas
We rented a villa on the Mamora Bay side of the resort through a private owner and had a wonderful experience. The bay was beautiful, with just a little sargassum during our mid-March stay, which didn't affect our enjoyment at all. We swam every day. The staff was excellent from the moment we checked in, greeting us with cold towels and drinks. We found the all inclusive meal plan, which we purchased for part of our stay, to be a great deal. Just avoid the grill at Docksiders for lunch - it's much too slow and was uncomfortably hot during our stay. Cover your plates and glasses at the Rainbow Garden restaurant at breakfast to protect them from the birds. No big deal. We loved the coffee shop and our dinner at Piccolo's (worth the upcharge). If I could rent the same villa (424) directly on the beachfront, I wouldn't hesitate to come again. This is a great resort for a family, with lots of pools and spaces to explore on the property. If you are a couple looking for a more private, romantic experience, I'd recommend some of the smaller all inclusives on the other side of the island like Coco's and Keyonna. For this trip with our teenage daughter, St James was perfect.