We returned from a week at JBR on March 26, 2004 (4 adults, 2 kids, 7 & 4). This was our 10th trip to the Caribbean (9 islands) plus Cancun & Hawaii, so we have a good basis for comparison. At JBR, you get what you pay for. It s billed as a 3-star, and that s what it is. If you go expecting more, you ll be disappointed. Antigua is a beautiful island, with plenty to offer to anyone. Positives: The resort is clean & safe, and has a spectacular picture-postcard beach, with water so blue words can t describe it. It s located on the west coast, and the sunsets are wonderful. It s about a 30 minute drive to the airport, and 20 minutes to downtown St. Johns. The beach is really long, and only crowded right in front of the bar & pool. There are two pools, and three bars (open at different times). The drinks are middle to bottom shelf quality, but strong real strong. There was nightly entertainment (steel drum & jazz bands), but nothing sensational. There is an activities desk, and you can arrange many excursions there, or from the beach vendors. There are vendors set up right next to the pool, and others patrolling the beach, but they don t hassle you like on some islands. Negatives: Much of the staff seemed a bit miserable, but a few were very pleasant (Charlie at the pool bar). We always tried to be as polite as possible to everyone, but some still seemed like you bothered them just by being there. Check-in was disorganized, and took much too long. Since check-in is at 3:00, if you arrive between 3 & 6 pm, expect a wait. The food is average at best, but there is a variety. Lunch at the beach grill is really good, but the service is slow. There is one buffet restaurant (breakfast, lunch & dinner), and 3 ala cart dinner restaurants (Italian, Seafood, & Indian). We thought the surcharges were unreasonable, so we only ordered items from the all-inclusive plan. There is afternoon tea & snacks at 4 pm daily. Please note, we didn t feel it was a true family resort (like Beaches). There was not much food for the kids to choose from. The rooms were average, and the supersaver rooms were really, really small (no drawers and a 3-foot wide closet). We stayed in a supersaver one night, then upgraded. Overall: It s a good value for the money. Nice resort, decent food, good drinks, beautiful beach, average service, average rooms a 3-star resort that is priced just right. We had a really nice family vacation with many good memories.


(3 votes) 

(21 votes)





