My boyfriend and I just returned from 10 days at the Jolly Beach Resort in Antigua and are so sad to be back. Antigua is a paradise! We were apprehensive to stay at the Jolly Beach Resort based on some of the negative reviews on this site, but we couldn't be happier with how our vacation went! Keep in mind as you read these reviews that some people will find something to complain about even in perfect conditions! I will go through some of the major aspects of the vacation that might be helpful to people interested in the resort.

Check in: We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and there was one other person checking in in front of us. They greet you with punch (with a rum option which I suggest you take!) and a smile. I definitely recommend checking in on a weekday if possible. When we would walk by the front desk on the weekends, it could be a bit of a mob scene. Check in went very smoothly for us though. Just make sure you ask for towel cards. The woman didn't give us ours and we were a bit confused when we went to get towels and didn't have them. No big deal though!

The room: We stayed in 2073 which was directly above the Indian restaurant. At first I was concerned that it would smell like curry the entire time we were there, but surprisingly, it didn't! It turned out to be a fantastic location. We were close to both pools, the buffet, the gift shop, the front desk, the beach and, obviously, the Indian restaurant. We had a small balcony with a beautiful view of the pool and the ocean. We didn't see a single bug until my we left the balcony door open and a roach the size of a small rat tried to make a break for our room. My boyfriend just pushed him out and closed the door. Just keep your screen closed and you will have no problems! The room itself was pretty standard but perfect for what you need it for...sleeping and showering. No one stays in their room very much anyway in a place like this! We had two minor problems: two lights were out and our A.C. was leaking. We called the front desk and literally within 5 minutes, someone was up to fix both problems! Great service!

The food: The buffet was good. There was something for everyone's tastes. Dinner was great because if you went after 8ish, there was live music to eat by. Try to sit outside at the buffet in the evening. There is always a beautiful breeze and you can hear the ocean and the entertainment better! The snack bar by the main pool makes excellent cheeseburgers and fries. They also have jerk and honey chicken, hot dogs, and fish. Always good to take to the beach. The Indian food was fantastic. Huge portions and delicious appetizers and entrees. We ate at Lydia's on the beach for Sunday brunch. I am not a big seafood person so I didn't eat much there, but the steel band was awesome and the setting was beautiful!
A word of advice, if you are going to stay here and want to eat at the Italian restaurant, women must dress semi-formal and men must have slacks and shoes. We didn't really bring any dressy clothes so we missed out on the Italian...but we ate plenty everywhere else. :-)

The bars: The bar by the main pool makes really good drinks. Try the Jolly Beach Cooler. They load them with liquor but they still taste nice and fruity! There is a bar at the Indian restaurant that serves drinks in the evening. They make a mean Pina Colada over there! The bar by the buffet/entertainment area is usually crowded but it does not take long at all to get a drink. We didn't spend much time there, but the drinks we did have were good.

The beach: Absolutely, incredibly, amazingly beautiful. The water is the most gorgeous shade of blue I have ever seen in my life. The sand is white and clean. When you walk into the water it is just soft white sand. We had a small storm (a half hour rain storm...it didn't rain or cloud up any other time) that washed up a few shells. But other than that, the beach is perfect! If you like a more busy, happening beach, you can hear the music at the main beach by the pool. If you like a more quiet setting, walk down past the water sports area and you can have a quiet beach pretty much to yourself. Gorgeous views of hills and the other islands in the chain. There are vendors on the beach that try to sell you trips and excursions. If you are not interested, kindly say no thank you and they will leave you alone. We chose to do horseback riding through Sean on the beach. That cannot be missed. It was incredible. Our guide was fantastic. He told us about local culture and picked a papaya off of a tree for us to sample. It was the most delicious fruit I have ever tasted. He took us over some empty beaches with beautiful views. Do not miss this trip. We also used jet skis with Laurence which was so much fun. We dove through Jolly Dive which is located at the opposite end of the beach from Lydias. They were incredible. The guides are friendly and informative and we saw a TON of cool wildlife. We were uncertified (but dove in cozumel and the bahamas previously) so we had to do the discover scuba short course, but it was fun and well worth the 100 dollars a person.

The staff: Overall, they were incredibly friendly and helpful. We ran into a few cross people, but maybe they were having a bad day or something! You can't expect every single person to be friendly 100 percent of the time. Overall, they were wonderful.

Antigua: A beautiful country with wonderful locals. The beaches are incredible. The hills around the beaches are breathtaking. Make sure you get a view of the sleeping Indian...ask a local. :-)

We had a wonderful time at this resort. Antigua is the ideal place to relax and have a good time. If anyone has any questions, feel free to e mail me at any time! I hope this review was helpful!