Having read quite a few of these reviews since my return yesterday I am astounded by some of them.

Did those who have wriiten nasty or rude comments stay at the same resort as me.

Hemisphere Buffet has adorable staff they are as pleasant to you as you are to them and they are warm and welcoming. To name check them all would be impossible but Gail, lisa, Deon, Jonee, Subrina, Sylvia Egbert, Reginald to name a few are lovely, they have to put up with rude, impolite people who talk down to them do not say please or thank you, (americans pls note it is not hard to say "please may I have an omlette". not just "omlette" or "eggs over easy") The food is very good and you would have to be very fussy to not find something good to eat.

I would say my dining experiance was only spoiled by guests who think it is acceptable to eat wearing a bikini or do not take thier hats off to eat, who used mobile phones and who think that wearing cut off jeans and a string vest is correct attire for dinner!

If you are there and they have a karioke night get Heidi to sing.

Entertainment: well you can get as involved as you like in the daytime activities. Night entertainment is fun, the JBR dancers are wonderful, especially when you realise only Victor is a trained dancer, if those who watch with a critical eye could do better, then get up and show, don't moan!

Ann-marie, Terry, Victor, Shane, Kofi, and Maria and those I have not mentioned are warm, funny and Terry and Ann-marie are so "up" and happy to be there it makes you happy.

My daughter who is 3 and has been twice loves them and I think Ann-marie would have kept my baby.

Nikki, Janice, Neil, Louise and all the bar staff are friendly and even in the face of blatent rudeness keep going.

The kids club is run by Sharon who my daughter loves and refers to as "my Sharon" it is safe and fun.

I would say to people who have found the staf anything but helpful and friendly maybe need to check themselves. I saw and heard many people being rude to staff. I would also say Victor, Terry and Ann-marie put up with a lot of abuse from people and some unruly badly behaved children.

treat the staff as you want to be treated and you will find them amazing.

Also please remember it costs nothing to say please, thank you, and wear clothes when eating that: a, cover your body and b, are appropriate for the time. Do you eat out at home wearing running shorts for dinner, have some respect for the peole around you.


Susannah

As with some of the other people who have written reviews, we were slightly anxious about JBR not least because we had read some of the negative reviews posted on here. It was also our first experience of an all-inclusive package. We have travelled extensively but this was our first 'package holiday'.
However, we did lots of research and decided that overall it sounded like a good deal on what is an expensive island. A few reviews had said that is was worth upgrading to a superior room, which we did when we booked and were very glad that we had done so. The room was great - spacious, clean, lovely balcony and views and fairly modern. And you are right on the beach at this resort, which was just what we were looking for.

The beach was absolutely great (we hired a car and saw a lot of other beaches and were VERY glad that we were based where we were). Sea is lovely and clean and blue and the beach was cleaned on a daily basis which was great. Same with the pools - always clean. Good watersport facilities available all day (included in package).

The food was good - a massive choice and plenty for everyone. The only downside was the Italian restaurant which was really disappointing. The food was terrible (and you really don't expect it because you have to dress up to go in there!).

Evening entertainment was good, especially the steel band and the dancers.

I must admit, we did find some of the staff quite rude (and in response to another review, we were always very polite and friendly to all staff). Some of the staff just seemed to hate their jobs and/or the customers and really couldn't be bothered to be very pleasant. Some were very nice though. It could be that because it is an all-inclusive resort, they do not get the tips that they may get in other places. We left tips when the service was good, as we would anywhere.

Overall, we would say that the location of this resort is 5* and, from what we saw of the rest of the island, couldn't really be beaten (apart from a couple of exclusive places with private beaches) and we would definitely go back if we were to visit Antigua again.

Great value for money 3* hotel. AI good choices for breakfast, lunch burgers etc or buffet, dinner choice of 3 restaurants, Indian, Italian and Buffet. My friend who i was with has a dairy allergy and had no problems eating for the 10 night holiday. Great entertainment staff, good selection of drinks etc. Adults only pool bit small, large pool kept clean and tidy. Beach is ONE of the best that hotels in Antigua have to offer, our friends stayed at the St James Club, and were remarkably annoyed we'd paid half the price of them and had a better beach by miles!

In all you get what you pay for, its deffo a 3* property, and the rooms are a little tired, however, it offers everything you need under one roof and the beach makes up for any disappointment with the room. Plus you sleep in the room and thats it!

First let me state that my wife and I only go to all-inclusive resorts so this is actually comparing this to that level of stay. Check in was great, you get out of your taxi and they great you with a drink. When we checked in (around 3:30PM) there was no line. When we got to room (room 2214) was, as others state somewhat of a disappointment. While clean it was extremely small and dated. The bathroom door was a sliding door that could not be locked and was not a solid door (had slats) so if you are like my wife and need privacy in the bathroom forget it. When you check in make sure they give you your cards for the towels, our clerk did not. After we changed went down to front desk to get cards and asked about an upgrade. Was told it would be an extra $72 per night and when I asked if that meant we get an updated room she stated no, there were no updated rooms. Compared to other hotels the pool was nothing spectacular and for the first time my wife wanted to lay out on the beach instead. The beach itself is beautiful with excellent scenery. The food was acceptable but nothing great. We had dinner the first night we ateat the buffet and food was good with a good variety. We also ate here for breakfast and lunch (very good assotment of foods). There is also a snack bar by the pool which also had good food and i more convenient. Reservations are required at the 3 other restaurants. They will tell you what time they open open but get there early because there is a line. We were told that the Sunday brunch at Lydia's was very popular so we were told we were lucky to get reservations. When we got there however, the Brunch is basically the same food they serve at the buffet. The second night we ate at the Italian restaurant Ristorante Bocciolo, I never though anyone could ruin Italian food until we ate here. I ordered the calamari for an appetizer, which was overcook and they gave you no more that 5 pieces. My wife ordered the pasta with Alfredo and she said it tastes like the cream they used was spoiled. This was the only restaurant we had ever been to in all our travels that I would give a negative review to. Our last night there we ate at Utsav which is Indian cuisine. I was nover because I never ate Indian food before but was greatly surprised. The food was excellent and the service was great, this was one of the highlights of our trip. While the resort itself needs so large upgrades (including the grounds) the weather we had was beautiful, the beach was great and we found a way to have a great time there.