Went with my son. Happy to save costs and share a room but expressly asked for single beds...of course we got a double and then had to spend the next 2 days of a 7 day break trying to sort out alternative.
Security do their best to keep you safe but you need to check the local paper [--] for whats happening there right now- 2 tourists robbed and stabbed on dec 24th at neighbouring jolly harbour and huge spike in gangland style murders.

Be Warned!

my wife and I have booked our 6th trip to Jolly Beach for March of 2008, which includes each of the past 4 years. I check these reviews now and again just to catch up on changes at the resort and have a difficult time with some of the reviews that are posted. Are we all not staying at the same hotel? I have gleaned some aspects of different posts and can objectively give a decent critique. Firstly, the customs and immigration can be slow, however, if everyone had their paperwork ready and filled out properly it would speed things up. Hotel check in can also be slow, keep in mind they are attempting to service many guests so be patient and enjoy the rum punch.
Book your restaurants early in your stay to ensure you get the seatings you want. The food is edible at all restaurants, including Hemispheres Buffet and you cannot be disappointed unless your expectations are to high. This is the Caribbean and everything is prepared differently so enjoy the culture change, it needn't be a shock. Many travellers complain about the Italian restaurant having a dress code. Is it too much to ask that for one evening you take off your shorts , tees and flip-flops and be civilized ? Do book Lydia's , it is a pleasant evening at beach side with decent steaks and seafood.
The rooms are basic, nothing extravagant. We have stayed in every room category and prefer the superior rooms. They are larger with tub and shower, mini-fridge and in a quieter area away from the main entertainment and dining areas. Standard rooms are small with stand up shower only, however you only use them to sleep and clean up right ?
The biggest beef I have with other reviewers is the complaining about the staff. I have never met nicer people anywhere. Slow down, enjoy, talk to these people. They have lives and perpesctives and are more than willing to have a conversation if you give them the chance. If anyone stood in your face and demanded immediate attention despite the fact there were ten people ahead how would you react ? Take the time to have a laugh with Janice and Neal at the bars, your evening and stay will be much more pleasant.
And lastly, the beach. I have not seen a bad review of the beach and rightly so. The sand and turqoise water are an amazing sight. The water is cloudy and not good for snorkelling,but is always calm, grab a drink and just float on the ocean for a while, very relaxing. There are vendors plying their trade, they are not , however pushy and a pleasant "no thank you" is all that's required if you're not interested. Don't be hesitant to say hello however they don't bite. Visit the crab hole , it has little shacks that vendors sell shirts and jewllery etc. Say hi to Patsy, she practically owns the beach.
In the many visists to Jolly Beach, we have never had an issue that couldn't be resolved, and there weren't many at that. I for one, will continue to visit the beautiful Island of Antigua and the lovely people of Jolly Beach Resort as often as possible.

We have just returned from Jolly Beach to the cold British weather!! I have to admit before we left I read some of the reviews about the resort and was very worried. I have therefore decided to write this review to put all the others in their place!! The resort was lovely. We landed in Antigua to be greeted by a steel band and soft drinks at the airport. We were transferred to the resort by mini bus and once there again we were greeted with soft drinks cocktails. We upgraded our room to a superior room as we definately wanted a fridge and iron etc. The room was clean and tidy and had more storage space than we could ever use!! The maids for the rooms are amazing and left the room spotless everyday. The airconditioning was really powerful and definately cooled the room especially when you were returning after a day in the sun! The view from our balcony was superb! Across the grounds and the beach. You could hear the waves crashing on the beach from our balcony. The grounds of the hotel are excellent, really well maintained, full of palm trees and other plants. The Beach was a 30 second walk from both our room and the main bar. We ate in all the restaurants at the resort. The favourite was Lydia's fish restaurant. We both paid the surcharge for the Lobster which was well worth it, cheap aswell at $22. The italian restaurant was very nice but quite formal. Be careful with this restaurant as you need to make sure that you have appropriate footwear. No trainers and even dressy flip flops aren't allowed so make your you pack some shoes! We ate breakfast everyday in the main buffet restaurant. It was great to have your omelette or eggs cooked to order. Full English sets you up for a busy day of sun bathing!!
I have to admit that drinking from a plastic cup did get a little annoying in the bar, although in the restaurants you did get served drinks in a glass. However if you were drinking cocktails through a straw it was not a problem. Definately recommend the 'Rum Punch' and the 'Passion Lady' cocktails. When we arrived we were a little worried about the drinks selection, as the brochure states it's only locally produced drinks, however the local lager was lovely and the cocktails are definately worth a try!
We ventured into Jolly Harbour. It's a really pretty place with a few small restaurants and bars. We had a drink at the bar of an Italian restaurant and decided, even though we were all inclusive, to go there for a meal. It was nice to have some food somewhere different. The Italian was called Melini's. It is run by an Engish guy. The shrimp for a starter was excellent followed by Pizza's and 2 bottles of wine! We almost needed to roll ourselves back down the road
Having booked through Virgin we took advantage of a couple of organised excursions. We went on an Island Safari, open Landrover site seeing across the island. This was followed by Kayaking and snorkling in the afternoon. The boat trip around the island was also excellent, got to see parts of the island that you would otherwise miss and also saw how the other half live with a glimpse of Eric Clapton's house on the cliff!
Lastly a helicopter trip across to Monseratt where the Volcano erupted in 1995. It was a bit disorganised and the company that run the trip has a contract with the cruise liners and unfortunately this does mean that they get priority! Also there were too many people in the helicopter so it was difficult to see at times! However it was an amazing sight the devastation on the Island caused by the ash and mud slides. Also the fact that the islanders have simply moved to the other side of the island and rebuilt their lives! The comparision in the land from the ash ruined side of the island to the lush green hillside where the locals live is remarkable.
Overall it really was an amazing holiday. If you want 5 star luxury go to Sandals!!! It definately was value for money in absolutely beautiful surroundings. All the staff were friendly and helpful and the resort as a whole was clean and well looked after. I would definately recommend Jolly Beach to anyone wishing to visit Antigua and we will more than likely go back there within the next couple of years.

I used this resort as part of my time share exchange.

You have to pay an activity fee to usee any equipment or even to get a drink. That is contrary to how a Time share should work. The Hertz rental car gave me a defective car and then when returned with a side view mirror damaged they charged $600 U.S.

Put this island with Aruba and St Marteen as tourist traps.