Having just returned with my wife from Hawksbill Resort in Antigua I felt compelled to write a review. This is a stunning location: one of the most beautiful hotel sites you could imagine. Through both circumnavigation boat and overland island tours we glimpsed some of the other hotel sites Antigua had to offer. From what we saw Hawksbill beats them hands down. The lovely beaches and well maintained tropical garden setting are the absolute strengths of this resort. We stayed in October. This month is in the low season and the hotel was generally very quiet. Some mornings there was scarcely another soul on the beach - a fact we found astonishing. Despite this the hotel provided a good range of events and entertainment and on the last day there was a local Antiguan wedding but we did not feel excluded or left out because of this.

Our room was on the first floor of a two-storey wing of accommodation. We had a panoramic view of the sea partly obscured by mature tropical palms and other trees. When we arrived the ceiling fan was not working but this was due to a loose plug which I quickly spotted and sorted out; although I would accept other less resourceful folk might reasonably have found this more hassle than it was to us. The room was pretty basic – but we had expected this and were not unduly disappointed or surprised – although the room (especially the shower room) would have benefited from a makeover. Also it was unwise to sit on the balcony after sunset due to mosquitoes – again we had expected this and took precautions. As is common in the tropics birds were hanging around for scraps of food – but this was never a nuisance. We also had a largish green lizard for company living on our balcony – but he kept himself to himself most of the time.

Meals provided as part of the all-exclusive package were pretty good. I’d read reviews suggesting an unacceptably wide variation in the quality of food. We did not experience this. Evening meals were well prepared, well presented and tasty. We were introduced to the chef on the second day meet-and-greet party. He appeared capable and enthusiastic. Similarly with the staff and service some reviews I had read before our holiday at Hawksbill were negative. Again we did not experience this. Their personalities – albeit slightly quirky on occasion – enhanced the charm of our first visit to Antigua. At a time of computers and obsession with customer satisfaction and feedback it was a pleasantly refreshing change to stay in a hotel where the staff appeared - in the main - genuinely friendly and engaging. For example on our last day when we had to check out of our room by lunchtime everyone helped to make this as straightforward as possible – we held onto our room, beach towels and access to facilities long after we had officially checked out. Not all hotels in my experience would have been so accommodating – even in the low season.

I’d also read about goats invading the beaches. Sure – we saw a few goats roaming freely on Eden Beach – but this beach is the furthest away from the hotel buildings – and the three main beaches were spotlessly clean and tidy. Also compared to other tropical resorts where we have stayed there was an absolute minimum of hassle. Even the few intrepid hawkers who visited were low key and in the case of one lady - quite charming. There is no hard sell at Hawksbill and we gratefully accepted this as part of the Caribbean experience.

To sum up: to look at Hawksbill is to experience a small slice of paradise on earth, and the warm and sometimes idiosyncratic people we met helped convey a little to us of the Antiguan approach to life. Hawksbill is just about the most laid-back relaxing and beautiful place you could choose to stay.

My wife and I just returned from the Hawksbill. Whilst we booked in the full knowledge that this was not a five star resort we (and most other guests) were surprised at the quality of the rooms. There is no doubt that the location is fantastic but rex resorts are falling down badly in making the best of the property. Although the public areas are fine, the bedrooms are pretty grim with many guests complaining that they had problems with mosquitoes, ants and cockroaches. This didn't bother us too much as we always carry our own supplies of repellant.

For the most part, the staff are very, very nice and we therefore overlooked many of the problems we experienced; eg:our bed linen was not changed for EIGHT nights; we had to ask for the drain in our shower to be unblocked and when it was, the gunge they dug out was left in our waste basket for me to remove; hot water supplies were very intermittent.

During the first week of our stay the food was extremely good but deteriorated badly in the second week for some reason. One night it all went badly wrong and guests were left waiting a very long time for food. Our watress even asked if we would mind eating our main course first followed by our starters as these had not been cooked yet! We declined and said we would wait for the starters to be prepared, but subsequently found that my wife's main course had just been put to one side and was then presented to her stone cold. Although she did not make a fuss, she politely explained that she was unwilling to eat it. At lunch time the next day she was asked very sarcastically by the waitress if the food was hot enough this time!

The final straw was one evening when I asked reception for some bug spray as we had run, out and our room was full of ants. She responded by saying "you had some already - I don't have any more". I pointed out that this response was not acceptable, even though I had borrowed some previously, this time to rid our room of cockroaches. Quite remarkably she managed to find a can under her desk within seconds.

It really is a magnificent location and the people on and off the resort are warm and friendly. An effective management team and investment in maintaining the rooms would make a huge difference.

This place was "rustic" at best. Goats and
pigs roamed freely all over the resort grounds and you could not go *anywhere* without stepping in their waste. One of the beaches smelled so strongly of feces that I could not bear it.
During meals, birds swarmed the tables and of course left their waste everywhere.

When booking the trip, we were misled about the activities,
entertainment, and dining options offered. There were very few
activities, and those that were advertised often did
not take place. There were only two restaurants (not
three, as was advertised), but still we had no choice
of where to eat our meals - breakfast and dinner at one, lunch at the other. While nightly entertainment was promised, this was not the case.

The staff were at best average and often dismissive,
giving us incredulous looks if we asked for
something extra or informed them that something was
wrong (such as no cab driver available or their store being
closed during posted hours of
operation).

We would not recommend this resort!

So many hotels to choose from, which is right for you? Relax this hotel is in the best spot, a peaceful haven far from noise, crowds and the usual distractions of life. Good quality hotel food excellent, beaches fantastic -you won't be disappointed. This is my second visit. first came 1992.