We stayed at the Jolly beach for 1 week, ( the wk before the easter hols) It was fantastic. Yes weve stayed at hotels with far more luxurious rooms etc. However we loved the jolly beach resort. We had a car for a few days to check out the islands beaches, we where suprised that ours was the best by far.Just down the road was Darkwood beach that was lovely too. The hotel was very quiet as the easter holidays hadnt begun, so we had our own piece of the beach, I guess it wouldnt be so good if the hotel was full capacity.

Myself, my now husband and our family travelled to Antigua for our wedding. The hotel resort is quite old and when we arrived in our room we were a bit dissapointed as they were very old and tired. Saying this though we had the most amazing time, our wedding was an amazing day, it was so much more than we expected. Anyone thinking of getting married abroad or even wishing to renew their vows I would highly recommend The Jolly Beach Resort. If you do decide to go to my one bit of advise would be hire one of the villas, yes they are more expensive but friends of ours could only get a villa for our wedding as all the standard rooms were booked. My husband and I were so jealous as the villas were stunning! Antigua as a whole is a lovely place, we went into the centre a few times and we never felt unsafe and we never got hassled. We would go back again. Also if you are travelling with children it has a kids club that all the children seemed to love and also the beach was safe. I would recommend you try all the restaurants but our personal favourite was the Italian, by Lydias the fish restaurant came a very close second. All in all a fantastic holiday destination, a warm and friendly hotel (especially Elvis one of the wedding planners) and an amazing place to hold your wedding.

My husband and I just got back from Antigua. We were told that this hotel wasn't fancy but we didn't expect it to be that bad! It was built in 1979 and I don't think it's been renovated ever since. This is such a pity because all the people working at the hotel were just amazing and extremely helpful plus the beach is just beautiful.
Though we got supposedly a better room - a junior suite - it was a dump, all the facets and piping were really old, air conditioning was weak and didn't do it's job at all, moreover it was quite noisy. Besides there were lots of tree frogs making annoying sounds at night. I know this is not hotel's fault but they should try to do something about it. Frogs were hiding in little utility closets on each floor and started "singing" in the middle of the night.
The main restaurant was pretty basic, no air conditioning, lots of birds during breakfast and lunch, repetitive food and not a very big choice. They also had 3 a la cart restaurants: Italian, Indian and Seafood. They were pretty nice and food was good. Once again - all restaurants' staff was just great, very pleasant and helpful.
Beach was very clean and had lots of lounge chairs, there were few vendors selling necklaces and offering aloe vera passing by. They were not intrusive and wished us a good day even if we didn't buy anything from them. One lady who was selling t-shirts and jewelry came up to me one day and asked me if I could go and get her something to eat from the main buffet (I saw her trying that with some other people on the beach) but I simply said we are not supposed to do that, there was a big sign saying that near the pool.
There was a spa in the hotel which was quite expensive, but my husband and I booked massages twice with Bernice, a local lady who had a little massage booth on the beach, she was very nice, experienced and didn't cost as much, I highly recommend her.
We booked one excursion with our trip - Classic Safari, it was very nice, our guide Marcus was very well read, obviously enjoying what he's doing and attentive. He takes you around the island in a big air conditioned SUV and there were only 2 other couples besides us. We saw all the main attractions - Shirley's Heights, Nelson Dockyard, Betty's Hope Windmill and lots of other interesting spots.
Anyway, I wish Jolly Beach' management would seriously think about updating the hotel cause it could have a lot of potential. We loved Antigua and it's people and would definitely come back but not to this hotel.

Stayed for a week end of June through early July for a conference. Was somewhat impressed by hotel on arrival, but noted staff likes things done a certain way. So long as you remember to follow their rules (not too burdensome), you'll be rewarded and really enjoy your stay. The beach was FANTASTIC. I don't like rough surf, and this was ideal for swimming -- either totally calm or with a gentle wave. Beware of the shells and the drop off, though. Even timid swimmers should be OK. There is NO snorkeling at all....never saw a single fish (though several did jump nearby). Tried the kayak - free and fun. Food was OK, not gourmet but certainly a good variety and edible. Drinks free with all inclusive and generously poured...watch for Neil the bartender -- he's a doll, very fun to hang out with. Rooms are good sized, but electric outlets a variety (one EU, one UK, and one US) so bring an adapter if you need to plug in more than 1 thing at a time. Nice pools (but with the great beach, who cares??) I would definitely recommend for single travellers as the staff is very welcoming and warm to those on their own, but also perfect for anyone of any age. Lots to do, great rooms, perfect beach, what else could you ask for in the Caribbean? Just beware if you arrive on Sat afternoon -- you'll spend HOURS getting through customs, especially if you land after the Virgin flight. Also, spa is GREAT, but it's a bit of a hike away from the main hotel complex. I would've visited again during the week but too annoying to walk there. I'd give it a miss next time due to the walk (at the far edge of the hotel grounds...not very scenic or pleasant walk). Oh, and bring earplugs for the room -- walls are paper thin.