The Jolly beach hotel is a fantastic all rounder hotel. The staff are always friendly and helpful and on hand when you need them.

All the restaurants offer good variety and there is always something different to try; however if you are staying for 2 weeks, you may get some repeats.

The rooms are basic and provide exactly what you need, somewhere to sleep, shower and keep your clothes. If you were able to up grade to a standard room I would recommend it, as the supersaver room is very small.

The beach is idealic, and although you do get locals selling goods, they are all friendly and good-natured, they can even be helpful if you want to experience local Antigian nightlife!

I got married at the Jolly Beach and would not have changed if for anything, I loved it so much; I had booked to go back next year within a week of returning to the UK.

Go with an open mind and you will be pleasently surprised

Nearly changed the hotel after reading some reviews but so glad we didnt.
your booking a 3 star hotel, but what you get is 4. The beach is amazing, people friendy, food perfectly addiquate. The rooms however are tired if they were up to scratch it would be a 4+. we were in a superior room but many people who checked in an ordinary standard room were dissapointed and upgraded. but for the amount of time we were in our room they were fine. cleaned every day with fresh towels. Everyone was so friendly i cant understand comments by other who say different regarding the staff. The jeep saffari was worth every penny well $90 really. please go on it dont just sit by the pool or beach you will see every bit of the island. The antiguans are really proud of their island and righly so its beautiful. Also book for the Sunday lunch at Lydias much better than the sunday roast at home! All in all its good value remember your not paying 4+ prices so you pay for what you get, but on the whole its good value.

I really did enjoy my weeklong stay at the jolly beach hotel. People were generally jolly indeed, besides some here or there. Here's my take on the Pros and Cons of this resort:

PROS:
-There are more restaurants than just the buffet including Lydia's which is beautifully located right on the beach (a nice change from the buffet), an italian restaurant (which I didn't try because it has a required dress code) and an indian restaurant (which I also cannot comment on due to my distaste of indian cuisine). There is also Coco's right on the side of the resort but I will put that as a con.

-The beach is magnificent, with aqua blue water and jetski rentals right there. Enough beach chairs for all and permanent shade for when one burns (but one must arrive early to get one, otherwise they are all taken up).

-Decent rooms, not the nicest ever, but generally not bad.

-Generally friendly staff, as mentioned above.

-Music and low-quality shows at night. But hey, at least there is something going on.

-Casino within walking distance away, that is generally empty.

-They use the american dollar and EC, so one need not bother change the US$ into EC.

-Cleaning lady arrived at 11 a.m., a good time (I believe to get the room cleaned).

-Do it yourself drink service, including making your own rum-blended pina coladas and daquiris (or have them made by bartender if you prefer).

-Excursions available. We did the snorkeling one, defenitely a highlight of the trip.

CON:
-When you arrive, there are a lot of $ DEPOSITS you must put down up front. Like 10$ (US) per person per towel, for safe something like 50$ (US) and it is really unorganized and ineffiecient when you CHECK IN and CHECK OUT. You'll find yourself standing there for nearly an hour both times because they are just so unorganized and do not have a good system.

-There are not enough shady areas on the beach because people leave their belongings under the shady areas, hogging it up for nearly the whole day. One must get a spot early in the a.m. and keep their stuff their until their ready to leave.

-The CASINO slot machines did not properly work. Many of times I found myself sitting having to wait for the manager to come and fix the machines. And that SKETCHY RAINBOW GAME does exist in the back of the casino.... DONT PLAY IT

-I Nearly got eaten alive from all the BUGS. Between the Sandfleas, the ants and gnats, I now have more bug bites than i have ever had in my life. I am covered from head to toe, especially around the ankles. AND (we rented two rooms) both were infested with bugs that bite. EVEN MY BED had bugs in it, i slept in a long sleave shirt tucked into my pants which were tucked into my socks to stop the bugs from eating me from the feet up. SERIOUSLY, THE BUG PROBLEM WAS MY BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THE RESORT. BUGS EVERYWHERE, even at the tables in the buffet area.

-Don't eat at COCO's enless you want the worst service ever and have four hours to spare. Although it is a beautiful location, it is hot as hell (with no fans or air producing technology what so ever) and the bugs again were a major issue. It took four people, 4 HOURS to eat dinner, with just an salad and an entree. It was so bad, a pregnent lady (who was there just as long as we were, got her food and had to leave), the heat, the bugs, the service and the duration of time spent waiting was UNBEARABLE. One of the worst dining experiences ever, and when the food finally came it was just so-so.

-You cannot see all the way to the bottom of the WATER. Some local said that it was because it was a harbor or something, I don't know. Although the water is goregeous with an awesome temp. and color, it is not clear. Somewhat cloudy.

-NO FOOD whatso ever AVAILABLE after 11 p.m., and forget about bringing it to your room, because the bugs will get at it.

-No elevators, just stairs.

It was my first time to Antigua... I stayed at Jolly Beach Resort from Aug 12 - Aug 15. When i got there, my first place to visit was the beach, i have heard of the blue water and the white sand... The beach was marvelous.... I had a great time in the water, and I did not forget the pool, another nice place.

I visited two of the restaurants, the Indian and the Italian, the food was great. The Italian was great, I love the ambiance and the atmosphere in there... nice setting.

I must compliment the staff and the people in Antigua, very friendly and the service was great all round.

I took one of the Safari Tours, that was excellent, since i visited some of the high points in Antigua e.g Nelson's Dockyard, Betty's Hope, Shirley Heights and others...

A standard room is recommended for your comfort on the 4th floor, this is where you can see that oceanic view and that 6 o'clock sunset, what a sight... Beware of the casino.... Oher than that great vacation....