We stayed at the Hawksbill in March 2008 and loved the hotel and Antigua. First let me say that the hotel is not a luxury hotel, so if you go expecting 5 star luxury or tons of activity choose some other place. This is a very small quiet relaxing hotel. They do not have too many rooms a great plus according to me. Overall the food was decent, the rooms were decent and the staff were great. I say decent because it was not luxury but we expected that. But the beaches and the natural beauty of this place gets it 4 starts for sure! More detaisl are below -

Beaches -

So the place has 4 beaches, the first is open to the public but is very empty, it never gets crowded and has tons of spots. This is the first beach that you see when you drive into the hotel. Not the best beach to swim as only the water closer to the cove does not have rocks, the rest is very rocky. The next beach is the Sea Grape beach, this is the main beach and has the restaurant and the water sports kiosk. This gets the most crowded as all the hotel rooms are directly behind this beach and also due to the restaurant. But this is the best beach and has the best swimming too. Off this beach they have roped off a part of the water and that is where you will find the best snorkelling and corals not near the dock! Swim out to the ropes and snorkel there and you will not be disappointed. Then there is the Royal Palm beach, we hardly spent any time there so do not know much about it and finally there is the Eden beach, the clothing optional beach, this is the largest beach, it seems to streatch for miles! Did not spend any time there.

Food -
They have 2 restaurants. The main restaurant in the main house where they serve breakfast and most dinners and the Sea Grape restaurant where they serve lunch. Breakfast is a buffet with a station for egss any style you like and panckaes. Dinner is mostly buffet but on some nights they have a a la carte menu. You can make reservations for dinner on 2 nights a week at the Sea Grape restaurant on the beach, we did that, it is the same food with a few sea food extras on the menu but the service is very very slow. Lunch is always served on the Sea Grape beach and there is a a la carte menu and a grill menu, I really enjoyed the lunches, they were great. Overall the food was above avergae but remember this is not a Sandals!

Rooms -
We stayed in a beach club room on the first beach. I think these are the best rooms they have. Very private and seculded on that first beach, and you have your own terrace. The rooms were average, spacious but nothing luxury. I have to note that the water pressure was a problem in the shower, others have noted it too, I live in a 100 year old brownstone and so am used to not great pressure, but this was something else! If you can afford it, then stay in these rooms, they are great, much better than the normal rooms that they offer.

Water Sports -
They offer free non mechanized water sports. But the water sports are out sourced to a different business and therefore the employees at the kiosk are not hotel employees and can be rather rude. I got along very well with these guys but I can see why some other people may not be that happy with them. They have kayaks, wind surfs, snorkelling, sun sail boats for free.

The Island -

Loved the Island, definately drive around the island to better underdstand the people and the culture. There is so much beauty out there and so many beautiful beaches all over the island!

My husband and I just got back from the Hawksbill and I don't know what people are complaining about, I think they must have gone to a different resort than I was at. The people couldn’t be friendlier or more helpful. The food was delicious and plentiful and nothing seemed to be too much trouble.
We had originally booked a garden view cottage, but as the windows do not have glass (mosquito mesh and slats) you can hear everything. We were close to a farm? at the back and unfortunately the roosters didn’t seem to know what time it was & were very noisy all night. In the morning I went to reception & told them of our dilemma, to which they apologised, and asked if we would like to be moved into the main building. This room was larger and also had an ocean view. They didn’t charge anything for an upgrade, just wanted to make sure we enjoyed our stay.
I would not hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone unless you are looking for large swimming pools (who wants a pool when you have 4 beaches) wild night life (no discos) and not much to do for young kids and teenagers.
We met a great bunch of people there and had one of the best holidays we’ve ever had (and we travel quite a lot). I just came home yesterday & can’t wait to go back.

My boyfriend and I just returned from a week's stay at the Hawksbill. We booked a Beach Club room and asked in advance (via e-mail) to be put in rooms 138-141 if possible, since we had read online that they were more secluded and had great views. We were given room 138, which is really the best of this group. Beautiful ocean views and no one walking past the room. The room itself was smallish but nicely appointed, with ceiling fan and air conditioning.

The beaches are all as uncrowded as other reviewers have said. During the afternoons, Sea Grapes can be populated with many people, but there's still plenty of room for everyone. It was our favorite beach -- the swimming there is just great, and there is a reef where you can see lots of nice fish. Honeymoon Beach is nice, but small, and a bit weedy on the bottom. It is very difficult to swim at Eden Beach (the clothing-optional beach) because of a rocky area that serves as a barrier between the beach and the ocean. (There is a small area at the beginning of this beach that's fine for swimming, though.) We didn't spend much time at Royal Palm Beach so can't comment on that one.

We both thought the food was delicious and well-prepared. I have digestive "issues" but with the wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and fish available at every meal, I actually felt in better health while at Hawksbill than I usually do at home! My boyfriend doesn't like seafood, and there was plenty for him to eat as well. On our last night, I had some Mahi Mahi that was some of the best fish I have ever eaten. The rotis served at lunch at Sea Grapes are delicious. The only thing we felt was lacking was a bit of variety in terms of location. Unlike other all-inclusives, breakfast and dinner is always served at one restaurant (Tamarind Tree) and lunch is always served at the Sea Grapes Cafe. The dinners alternate between buffet and table service. The Italian restaurant there is apparently closed, with no further information available. (We couldn't even figure out where it had been located.)

There are plenty of "repeaters" at this resort, most of them British, and it really gave the place a sense of community without making us first-timers seem excluded. We like to keep to ourselves, but I'm sure we could have made some new friends if we had wanted.

I find it unbelievable that some reviewers here complain about the staff -- I have stayed in lots of places and have never met more friendly and helpful staff. Ms. Bright (the hostess of the restaurants) was always super-friendly. The bar staff was also very friendly and courteous. The reception staff was perhaps a bit cooler but professional and helpful. Everyone always had a smile and a warm greeting for us. Since it is a smaller resort, I definitely felt by the end of the week that the staff recognized us -- they would ask how our day had been, how much longer we were staying, etc. It is a very personalized atmosphere. The manager himself went around to tables at dinner on our last night and we had a nice conversation with him. You just won't get that kind of interaction at a larger resort. We each had an hour-long massage on the beach which was wonderful. (The woman who runs the Wellness Cottage is a little weird, but the massage therapist herself was great. They offer all kinds of spa services there at fairly good prices.)

Our only complaint about the resort is with its grounds. Although the trees and bushes are lovely, the grass was completely brown, with cracked, dry earth showing through in many places. I know it is their dry season, but we felt they could have put a little more into upkeep of the grounds. It detracts from the beauty of the beaches to have them surrounded by dry, brown grass. There are definitely landscaping workers on the grounds every day, but it seems like they don't spend enough time watering the grass. Maybe it's just not possible to keep it green in that climate?

Overall, we had a great, relaxing time, and would definitely return to Hawksbill! For photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/hillary/sets/72157604466811533/detail/

Just got back today from Antigua, and couldnt wait to publish a good review of this hotel. If we had read the other reviews, we probably wouldnt have gone, and it just goes to show that everybody is looking for a different thing from a holiday.


Stunning beach front location, chilled out atmosphere and very friendly staff made this one of our best Caribbean trips todate. We could have said, no TV's, no phones, no kids club, no organised games, no gym. But this is exactly what we and the majority of the guests wanted. A peaceful, all inclusive resort, where nothing is too much trouble for the staff. Yes it's a little tired, and the rooms were basic, but the food was excellent and the rooms spacious, clean and comfortable.

In those immortal words - Location, Location, Location.

This is a very typical Rex Resort and matched our experiences of Rex in Grenada, Tobago and St Kitts. A winning formula which we will continue to support.