After reading all the reviews of Jolly Beach before booking our trip, we knew exactly what to expect of the resort when we arrived. Jolly Beach is sitting on probably the most beautiful beach in Antigua and being that the resort is huge, we were very pleased with the resort's aesthetics, including the grounds and the huge splash pool. The standard room was bigger than I anticipated as was the bathroom and shower. We had a partial oceanview room on the 2nd floor of the Anguilla section of the resort and couldn't have been happier with the room. There are no dressers but a closet with ample space.

There are lots of chairs around the splash pool and "reserving" chairs is not necessary. You could get a chair around the pool at any time of day, which was a first. I wondered where all the people were. If you prefer shade while sitting around the pool, there are about 10 shade palapas. These were NOT available all day, so, you would probably have to "reserve" one early. The pool never seemed busy and the swim up bar was rarely busy. Music is played around the pool but never was blasting. It was actually a little boring, which leads me to another subject, activities.

Most resorts have silly games in their pools to get guests acquainted with each other. Jolly Beach had none. They did have the aerobics, water polo and pool volleyball, but, not the nonsense games that other resorts have. Because of this, it was a bit difficult for my husband and I to meet any other guests, who, were mainly large groups of family. The activities staff DID try to get guests involved in other silly games outside the pool near the snack bar (dance contests, drinking contests), but rarely would anyone participate. For as large as the resort is, I found this odd. The staff had to cancel many activities because of lack of participation. The water polo, beach volleyball and water aerobics were popular, however, and never lacked participation.

Make your reservations for the specialty restaurants when you first arrive at the resort. Make them in the Indian restaurant across from reception. I believe you can make them 2 days in advance. We ate at the Italian restaurant and Lydia's. Service was good in the Italian and I enjoyed the food. My husband didn't, so, you have to make up your own mind. I felt the staff, although very attentive, seemed a bit unsure of themselves on how to perform their jobs, so, it made me a bit "uneasy". We had high expectations for Lydia's seafood restaurant, which is located at the very end of the resort. The food was OK and the service was fair at best. Again, not bad service, but, I don't think the staff quite knew what or how to provide the service. I always felt the employees were trying hard and never encountered bad attitudes. I accredited the servers lack of knowledge to being either new employees or less than par training. I got the feeling that the employees who had been working at the resort for years did not take the time, nor did they WANT the "new people" to learn anything.

The buffet ( breakfast, lunch and dinner) was, again, fair. It was not that there was not plenty of food and a variety......the temperature of the food was never what it should have been. Food prepared on the spot, such as omelettes in the morning and burgers in the afternoon were very good. Any food pre-prepared, as I stated, was always cold. Did we starve? NO!!!! . I am not a big eater and this is the first resort that we have been to where the food became an issue for me. It just didn't do anything for me. The snack bar behind the swim up bar, which opens around noon, had great burgers, fries, chicken, etc.

The activities/shows in the evening were of typical resort quality and included audience participation. There is a huge bar next to the show where it is very easy to get a drink and the bartenders were attentive AND SEEMED TO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING! They were more entertaining than some of the shows. This bar was also a good place to meet people and carry on a conversation. Surprisingly, with it's location close to the entertainment, you did not have to shout. This bar also has seats or stoools and also a few tables which made it a friendly environment. This is probably the best set up bar of any other resort we have been to. Most resorts have a bar where you stand in line for a drink and everyone is pushing and shoving. None of this at Jolly Beach.

We walked to Jolly Harbour one night and, based on info obtained on TripAdvisor, took a shuttle to Castaways Restaurant, on the beach. Probably a 10 minute walk from the Harbour. It is an open air restaurant with great sunsets. The food and service was good and prices were a bit higher than what we would pay in the States, but, it was a nice experience. We DID walk back to the resort and it was fun looking at all the vacation homes and villas. We also ate in the Harbour at Peter's Steak house. THIS RESTAURANT IS A MUST!!! We went with another couple we met and agreed that it was the best steak we have ever had. Food is cooked on a barbecue grill outside, right in front of you. Prices were comparable to the states. If you are a shopper, there are gift shops in the harbour and it is also interesting to look at all the boats (yachts) in the marina. We visited the casino a few times for about 1/2 hour. Get your free $10 vouchers at the reception area of Jolly Beach and play $ 10 for free. Not alot of people there when we went, but, it was a nice walk from the resort and the casino was as nice as any casino in the states.

Before I forget, if you want a shade lounger on the beach, a couple that we met said they had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to "reserve" one, otherwise they were all taken. We are used to that, so, no big deal. Wear water shoes if you intend to go into the sea as there are lots of little shells upon entering the water.

If you intend to go into St. Johns, take the bus, not a cab. I believe the bus cost $ 3.00 each way. The bus will make stops picking up people going to work in St. John, but, is much more economical than a taxi, which I believe was about $ 20.00 one way. 3 cruise ships were in St. John the day we went and the town was extremely crowded. We tried to stay away from the area where the cruise ships were docked, but, apparently, the street across from the cruise ships has the best shopping, so, if you are a shopper, head to the cruise ships. Many people told us they got some good deals on jewelry.

To sum it up, Jolly Beach is a decent resort, definitely more for families than singles and couples. We knew this before booking this trip, but we had always wanted to visit Antigua and didn't want to pay $2,000 extra to stay at a resort with a grand reception area and marble floors. We are in our early 50's and found the resort a bit sedate for our liking, but, we had fun and that is definitely what a vacation is all about.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Our stay here left a lot to be desired. Here goes:
We had to change our room after the first day. The base of the toilet leaked which caused water to be on the bathroom floor. The bed in the first room was terrible. They moved us out of that room into a another room where the bed was just as bad. It was actually 2 twins strapped together, with a 'foam gap-filler' between the two mattresses. It was not comfortable at all.
Mosquitoes (or some kind of biting insect) gave us a problem. My wife's legs were filled with bites after the first night. Bring insect repellant with you.
Pool chairs are at a premium and the pool ran out of beach towells on one day during our stay. The beach was nice and the water was crystal clear. We spent several days on rafts out there just floating the day away.
Dinners were good (not great). The Italian restaurant was the best. The breakfast buffet was great as well. We took a cab one evening to another resort (CocoBay Resort) to have dinner. Their Sheer restaurant was out of this world. It was a bit expensive, but well worth the extra money. What a view of the Caribbean ! Highly recommended.
The Casino down the steet was small, but it served the purpose. Stay away from the Rainbow table...it was the primo-rip-off.
Leaving the Resort was the worse experience ever. We got into and got out of no less than 3 shuttle buses before we actually left the Resort. I'm not exactly sure how it worked. It was just an inconvenience.
This could be a very nice resort if they would just put more money into it. If you just want a cheap getaway and you're not too concerned with 'nice' accomodations, this is for you. If you're looking for something else, this ain't for you.

Just returned home today, May 3rd 2006, had no complaints about our vacation. Weather was very sunny and hot, apart from a couple of refreshing showers early in the mornings.
Staff were very polite and helpful.
My wife Cath and I had a trip into St. Johns on the local bus, Number 20, you catch it just past the security gate, it was an experience to say the least.
We had a taxi driver take us on a trip to Shirley Heights, Nelson's Dockyard, and a trip back through the rain forest and along the south coast, by Boggy Peak then back to the hotel. This cost us $100 US and there was only the two of us in his air conditioned taxi so we were well pleased. Think his name was Peter, does a lot of work for Alexander Parrish and can be found at the front of the hotel most mornings, he is about six feet four and skinny with glasses on and has a wealth of knowledge.
Anyway one tip for you lucky people who are going to eat at Hemispheres, the main restaurant,MAKE SURE that you give your room number to the Staff standing at the desk as you enter the restaurant and wait to be seated or ELSE! You will know what I mean when you get told off by the Headmisstress!
All in all the food was excellent, the beach and views stunning and the staff helpfull. Don't expect a nice photo of the sunset though, as the Monserratt volcano is still spouting so much ash and cloud, that the sunset was obscured each night!
Enjoy your stay in paradise!

Returned from Jolly beach after spending Easter there. Upon arrival we were greeted by very friendly reception staff and transported to our accomodation at Cayman block (which are the Superior rooms with a superb ocean view) by shuttle bus. The room was clean with a fridge and usual wicker furniture, it had 2 queen size beds and a reasonable bathroom with clean white towels everyday. The shuttle service operates all day around the extensive resort until 12midnite and is outside your room within 5-10 minutes of calling reception. The resort is set on one of the rated top three world class beaches and is breath taking. The grounds of the resort are in need of some renovation - so the 3 star rating for the place is perfectly accurate althou' the beach is 7 star!!! Within 5 minutes you can walk to Jolly harbour and the shops, restaurants and Casino. If you are looking for a beach holiday to rejuvenate after a busy year this is the place for you. The restaurants are good and have lots of choice, we had to wait to be seated quite often but we were there during the busy Easter period. It takes 20-30mintes to get to the capital St Johns for some retail therapy! Excursions by sea are a must if you can bare to leave the beach at this resort.