Just returned from a week at JBR 11-18 Feb with my wife and two 14 year old boys, and was VERY impressed, both with the resort and the staff.

Before booking I read all of the reviews on Tripadvisor to decide what to expect, and, after several mixed comments, arrived at JBR with the attitude that "you get what you pay for".

Well, at Jolly Beach Resort you get MORE than you pay for - this must be the best value all-inclusive in the Carribbean. Beach is gorgeous, water is a stunning shade of blue, and the gardens were spotlessly maintained. We had two "Standard Rooms" on the ground floor which gave us a small ptio area with chairs and a daybed to relax on, the showers were fine, the room size could have been bigger (and you could have paid a lot more for it somewhere else!), and yes, there weren't any drawers and the dressing table and bedside units were made of concrete (see previous moaning reviews) - although they are pebble dashed and painted white and are totally in keeping with the rest of the decor, but they were everything you need to enjoy a relaxing holiday.

As for the food in the various restaurants, the Italian was far better than I expected with large portions of good quality food and an excellent antipasti bar, the Indian restaurant served great dishes, beautifully presented, and of a type that would have been acceptable at any "big city" Indian restaurant. Hemispheres, the main restaurant, provided a consistently high standard of food, served buffet style and with several different themed evenings, we were particularly impressed with the BBQ and Carribbean nights, while the kids thought the breakfasts were brilliant! The beachside grill is well worth checking out for lunch as the burgers and Jerk chicken proved to be a favourite during our stay.

Each evening there were various types of entertainment provided by the resident staff which were thoroughly enjoyable as were the many bands that played during our stay. Worthy of special mention are some of the Entertainment Staff - Alburn, Anne Marie, Maria, Glen etc who seemed to have mastered the art of combining enthusiasm and effort to keep all of the guests as invoved as they want to be - whether participating or just watching the various activities! The various sporting activities offered, both organised and water sports, were great for both us and the boys.

As for the rest of the staff at JBR I have nothing but praise, they were ALL pleasant, polite and happy to help - we had a light not working and a tv remote missing in one room, after contacting reception a maintenance man appeared within 15 minutes to fix everytihg!

For those who compained in previous reviews about some of the staff, here's a tip from someone who works in the service industry - talk to staff as if they are human beings, when dealing with them try picturing your son or daughter in their position, would you be happy with the way some guests act? A pleasant manner from guests is far more likely to receive prompt attention than a petulant complaint. We listened one day to two couples on the next sunbeds complaining to each other for an hour about the most trivial of issues - it got to the point where my wife had to restrain me from telling them what I thought of them. The last thing I want to do is spend my holiday with a moaning moron in earshot!

To sum up this probably overlong review, the Jolly Beach Resort did everything I wanted in a vacation destination - it exceeded my expectations, rested me, relaxed me and entertained me and all at a price that I thought offered exceptional value for money. If it doesn't do the same for you maybe you need to get a life before going away again!!!!!

We just returned from a week at the Jolly Beach Resort- 2/7-2/14. It was a great vacation spot! The rooms are basic, especially the bathroom/shower area, but you don't spend much time in your room.They are more than adequate. The beach is just beautiful and there's a good variety of water sports to choose from. We took out a Hobie Cat and also the kayaks. The two pools also offer a change from the ocean. Food was good- not great-and there was a decent variety. My advice is to make reservations at the restaurants early in your stay as they book up early. I liked the Italian and Indian ones- Lydia's ( seafood) was so-so. There are plenty of tours to choose from - if you're interested. We did Eli's Eco Tour from Adventure Antigua and loved it. Small group of people ( 28), good info on the local culture, ecology, with some snorkeling and exploring. You get a discount by booking with them directly on-line. We skipped Shirley's Height's on Sunday night and did a 5 hour day tour, combining Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights and some shopping time in St. John's. One or two outside things are enough- enjoy the resort. You can't beat the beach!!! We would definitely go back.

just got back from jolly beach what a fantastic setting i'm not realy a fan of ai but there was a choice of restuarants (i found the food in the buffet best) and there was no problem getting drinks (they even had a self service pina colada machine with a bottle of rum by the side so you could add to taste) the rooms are what youd expect from a three star hotel, i found the shower a bit tricky to set to start with but fine once i got it figured out. i would have liked a fridge in the room and i think they could do with a few more sun shades on the beach otherwise a very pleasant couple of weeks ps. if you sit on the right hand side of the airplane you'll see jolly beach as you come in to land and if youre not staying there you'll wish you where

I have just returned from this resort and find it difficult to believe it was the same one the previous reviewer visited. Sure the room wasn't that large, but I didn't go there to stay in my room!!. Our shower was great. The choice of food in the various resturants was great and decent quality. Throughout our stay we were made to feel very welcome and the staff were always friendly and polite. We completely chilled out.....no place is ever completely perfect, but if you focus on looking for problems....guess what? that's right, you'll always find them. If you what to chill out and not have to pay a fortune for it..I will always recommend this place.