I too read mixed revues about this resort before we left and was a little unsure what to expect. I now understand peoples concerns that the resort is a little tired, it is, and that the basic rooms are just that. This doesn't take away the outstanding location (which is superb with the most stunning aqua blue sea and white sand) and general high standard and friendliness of the JBR staff which more than tips the balance.
Three of us stayed for 2 weeks Jan/ Feb my husband and I, and 3 year old. It was a busy time for the hotel which was fully booked throughout our stay due to the hotel accommodating a large number of the Stanford 20/20 cricket tournament teams.
Despite this our holiday was not affected in anyway. However I did hear various parties were rather upset they couldn't upgrade their rooms to superior.

Refreshing drink on arrival and smooth check in.

We had a superior room, ocean view which although a little damp smelling, was more than adequate, good size, clean bathroom, TV, coffee maker, fridge and plenty of storage space. Air Con, Iron/ board and hairdryer. Maid came everyday except sundays and towels were changed every time.

As I mentioned the staff were so friendly and made us all including my little girl very welcome. Nothing is a problem as long as you remind yourself you are "chilling" in the Caribbean. Usual to wait until they finish their chats before they serve you at the bar but it is no problem when you are equally chilled out.

Restaurants great, lots of choice but Italian restaurant has strict dress code which seems inappropriate on a chilled out hot holiday. Bookings need to be made in advance for Seafood, Indian and Italian Restaurants, never a problem. Buffet Restaurant where breakfast is served is also open for lunch and dinner with lots of great choices. Table staff great and take you to your table and will bring drinks and there is also self service top ups. All restaurants have a children's menu option but we didn't find out until 5 days into holiday when my little one wouldn't eat very much. You need to ask about children's meals and activities not very clear on arrival.

There is a children's club available weekdays but not very structured I felt my 3 year old was too young for the activities security not very high on list although don't feel there would be any problems. Evening events are available for kids, pizza night, hawaiian night but at the club away from parents.

Evening entertainment for adults every night, little for children in view of parents around the bar/ stage area. Could do with a children's disco. Daily sporting activities, water polo, water aerobics, beach volleyball & cricket. Tennis courts available.

Pools fabulous and very clean. Beach towels provided $10 deposit and they can be changed as many times as you like during stay.

Bars very basic decor and all outdoor (not good in the tropical storms) but lots of choice especially daily cocktails.

Water sports great kayaking, boats, pedalo and more. Jet ski's available extra charge.
Beach traders but don't be put off they do not hassle too much.

Supermarket 5 mins walk in Jolly Harbour stocking everything you need inc Pampers nappies, wipes etc so you don't have to pack your case full of nappies for little ones!! Little else to spend money on maybe local art, jewellery, sarongs, t shirts on beach. Lots of trips available from your rep or hotel. Dollar Car Hire at reception. No Bureau or ATM but St Johns has lots of facilities.

All in all a fabulous, relaxing holiday. Little for under 3 year olds other than pool, very friendly staff to play and chat with and the opportunity to run around the stage to steel drums. However, we still had the best holiday and would definitely be back if given the chance. I would personally give this a 4star rating.

My husband and I booked with Air Canada Vacations and spent a fabulous two weeks at Jolly Beach Resort Hotel between January 26th and Feb 11th, 2008. It is a great place for a vacation with many more "positives" than "negatives" but to be fair, I will comment on both:

The Negatives:

The rooms are old and rundown - in much need of renovations. We had a "standard" room" - very small - the decorating reminded me of furniture that you would see on the Flintstones - concrete furniture molded right into the walls. The bathrooms were not very nice - grubby tiles in the shower area (no tub), but we went to Jolly Beach knowing all of this, so we were not too disappointed. Our King-size bed was very comfortable and we never spent much time in our room anyway.

Noise from the outdoor hallways at the back of the Hotel: Guests who talk loud and drag suitcases while walking to their room can be heard by everyone inside their rooms, as the bathroom windows are permanently open (screened-in) and the sound carries. We were woken up many times one night by a cricket team that was staying at Jolly Beach, yelling and slamming doors.

There is not much shade around the large "fantasy pool". We sat mostly under the palapas by the small pool, or on the beach. We never had any trouble finding a chair or sun bed.

Our return flight was delayed and eventually cancelled due to a snowstorm in Toronto. The unfortunate part was that we had to wait hours and wasted a lot of time in the hot airport for news of what was going to happen. The great part was that Air Canada Vacations took care of us with vouchers for meals and taxis and finding a hotel at Long Bay for the night. (Jolly Beach was fully booked, due to a West Indies Cricket tournament, so returning there was not an option) Thank you Callie Friesell and Wendy!!!! I will say more about our Air Canada Reps later in this review.


The Positives:

Beautiful beach – very large and quiet compared to Sandals or Halcyon Cove or Pineapple Beach Hotels in Antigua. The water is a beautiful aqua blue.

Nice Pools – older, but nice – one very small and quiet, one very large and noisy with lots of music and activities. The aqua-fit classes were fun at the large pool every morning.

The grounds are very nice – especially around the outdoor wedding chapel, not as fancy as some newer hotels that I have seen, but pretty just the same.

Restaurants:

The a la carte restaurants were wonderful. – We had no problems booking the nights and times that we wanted. They allow you to book two at a time – we never incurred any restrictions.

The Italian restaurant, the only one that is air-conditioned, is quite fancy and nice. They serve a six-coarse meal. Men: please bring proper dress shoes as sneakers and sandals are not allowed. My husband had to go into St. John’s, the capital city, to buy shoes to be allowed to eat there.

The Indian restaurant is less fancy than the Italian, but also very nice.

The seafood restaurant, Lydia’s is more casual. It’s a large wooden deck on the beach. We dinned there with a fun-loving family we met from England (A big hello from Canada to Lillian, Mick and Debbie) and we all agreed that this was our favorite place to eat. The atmosphere was quaint and the crispy red snapper dinner was amazing. Lydia’s has a brunch on Sunday with a steel band that we really enjoyed – so book a reservation as soon as you can.

Buffet Restaurant: Not a huge selection of food compared to other resorts. Breakfast and lunches were great. Dinner at the buffet was mixed – sometimes good, sometimes not. We did, however, enjoy the selection of cheeses served in the evening. In general, we found the quality of food was better in the a la carte restaurants.

Grill restaurant: We loved the honey chicken and fries in the basket. We also loved sitting up on the second floor deck – as the view over the pool and beach was really lovely.

We loved “afternoon tea” at 4:30. We sat in the open-air courtyard, under umbrellas surrounded by shrubs and flowers.

Dessert Lovers: Great crème caramel and cheese cake in all of the restaurants.

Fancy Mixed Drinks: Lots of variety in all of the bars at Jolly Beach! My absolute favorite was the “smooth nut” with nutmeg sprinkled on top at the bar at Lydia’s.

Helpful, kind staff: We found most of the people in Antigua, both inside and outside the resort, very warm and friendly.

Jolly Beach Resort is not as upscale as Sandals Resort for example, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Really, you get what you pay for!

It is important to mention that this resort is fully wheel chair and scooter friendly – lots of ramps for anyone with mobility problems.

We would like to extend many, many thanks to Callie Friesell, our Air Canada representative, who has lived in Antigua for the past four years. She is very knowledgeable about the island and is very helpful and enthusiastic with her customers. I would also like to mention Wendy, (originally from Tobago) our other Air Canada representative for departures, who helped us at the airport, after our return flight was cancelled and we had to find another hotel for the night.


Touring:

I would recommend Samuel George, our taxi driver who works out of Jolly Beach. He was an excellent driver and courteous tour guide.

The best views and the most famous in Antigua are from Shirley Heights – looking down onto Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbor. A “must see” in my opinion


Nightly Entertainment:

We heard some good music (steel bands) but we found that the nightly entertainment was not as good as some other resort hotels that we have stayed. (i.e. Dominican and Cuba)

The weather between Jan 26 and Feb11: Mostly sun, mixed with cloud most days and some rain off and on.

The sunset: Jolly Beach has beautiful sunsets, as it is located on the western part of the island. Bring your camera.

All in all, we had a fabulous vacation. I would recommend Jolly Beach to anyone who cares more about the outside facilities and activities than the beauty (or lack of) of their room.

Hope this review was helpful to anyone thinking of booking here!

Dawn and Ian from Montreal

We stayed at Jolly Beach from 6th to 16th Feb, family of 4 with 1 16yr old daughter and 5yr old son. We had a nicely located room in Hispanola block, which was clean and roomy enough (bathroom abit small). The maid service was great, cleaned every day and fresh towels supplied (a couple of times we asked for another set and this was never a problem).

Restuaurants were lovely. Wish they were all non-smoking though! but they did have separate sections for this. Buffet restaurant can get v busy particularly if you fancy eggs for breakfast!!! The Italian more than edible but in my view quite overrated. The Indian was lovely as well the seafood restaurant.

All staff very friendly, the only exception here being the front desk staff who can be pretty abrupt!

The pool/beach were excellent. My son spent most days running from one to the other with the numerous friends he made, and the kids club (we've never used one before) seemed pretty cool and he went on 3 different evenings and enjoyed himself. Lots of beach football, rounders and cricket. My daughter enjoyed herself too soaking up the rays, and although not many young people her age she still enjoyed the holiday a great deal.

All in all, we loved it! We made some really great friends and were fortunate to be in the hotel at the same time as alot of cricketeers who were there for the 2020 tournament. Some of them abit over friendly!!!

This was our third trip to jolly beach hotel, it seems to be getting better each year, yes the rooms are small, but not being in the rooms very long, they are just fine. clean towels, clean sheets. thats all you can ask for. it is not a 5 star hotel, but the food is good, the beach is awsome, and the people are very nice.The italian rest, make sure you dress as they will not let you in if they think you are not dressed right. We felt they wer a little snobby about this, had a denim skirt on, and would not let us in. no one was in the restaurant! other than that, a great and safe place to bring your family!