We returned to Paridise at Hawksbill Resort, Antigua and confirmed that we will be returning for many years to come. Many improvements, great staff, and the best beaches we've seen anywhere.

Richard and his staff have already made some improvements since our last trip in May of 2004:

Food - The food is good...not great overall, but they prepare their meals well. New Year's Eve dinner was excellent...as good as any resort or cruise that we've been on. Breakfasts are buffet style and there are some new offerings (fruit and pastry choices, Johnny Cakes or pancakes or French toast) each day. Lunches are at the beach BBQ grill, although they also offer a restaurant style pasta, sandwich, soup and salad bar. They variety at lunch is very predictable, which isn't too bad since what you really want is to get some quick lunch and then back to the beach. The grilled fish of the day was always the best and Sherridan and Millie ware always friendly, attentive and made sure we had the drinks and lunch things we needed. They offer a light English Tea Time with little sandwiches and cake, tea/coffee. Dinners were better than last spring...more variety (always some fresh fish, some type of chicken, the meat was often pork or lamb, and they had a vegetarian dish, as well), wines are good, and good desserts. Dinner presentations were nicely adorned...you could tell that the resident chef was making great strides...and hopefully they continue.

Accomodations - This time we stayed in one of the Delux A/C Club Rooms overlooking Honeymoon Bay...facing away from the main resort beach, which provided a nice private and quiet view toward the west and the setting sun. Excellent little room with screened windows and doors and a ceiling fan that really did the trick...we only used the A/C a couple of times. These rooms have private balconies where we could sit with our drinks, read books and play cards and not be disturbed by anyone...very nice, comfortable bed, nice walk-in shower, and the maid staff (Brenda) did a great job for us.

Beaches - The BEST! They have four beaches, each offering a little something different...water sports, lots of lounge chairs and shade protection, play areas more for families (not many kids, though), more secluded sections for topless bathing (mostly at Honeymoon Bay), or clothing optional at Eden Beach...the most beautiful, private (can only get there through the resort) with the jungle hillside behind it for a 1/2 mile stretch of beautiful yellow sand to stoll at your liesure, and very friendly nudist bathers (only about 15-20 on this whole beach) from all over the world to chat with and exchange travel information. They have security personnel that circulate throughout the grounds and beaches...very nice! The surf was a bit rough at this time of year...last spring we enjoyed more water activities, but this time we just enjoyed the sandy beaches.

Grounds - More improvements...well cared for, including groomed beaches each morning, well tended gardens, and a wonderful new addition: a gazebo-like structure just above the beach for outdoor massages (privacy bamboo curtains allow privacy as well as shade). They also have the Wellness Cottage for other spa-type treatments...excellent masseuse (Naokala sp?).

Great to see Richard the Manager out and about, along with the other managers and senior staff, greeting guests, and directing the staff to make everyone's stay enjoyable and personable. Some people have complained about treatment from the staff...not us, we thought we were treated well, respected, cared-for, left alone when we wanted to be...all-in-all, very well treated. Most of the guests are English (UK) (sometimes a bit stiff and not as friendly generally) but made friends with severral, and there were also many guests from Canada, Germany/Switzerland, France and Itally.

So...everyone has their favorite vacation places and travel needs...we've found a place where we felt safe, enjoyed meeting people and the staff, were well attended, food was good (getting better), and had the most beautiful beaches anywhere. Yes, we're already making plans to return!

My husband and I just returned from our first anniversary trip to Antigua where we stayed at the Hawksbill Resort. We had a Beachfront Cottage. The location was EXCELLENT. The accommodations were less than stellar. If you hold them to American standards, it's pretty sad. Rudimentary furnishings, poor plumbing, and ants were just some of our complaints. These weren't enough to cramp our style, but we weren't exactly thrilled. The food was actually not too bad. Lunch was by far the best meal of the day. The fish and chicken were delicious. Breakfast is tolerable. Dinner is more challenging. After awhile you get tired of not having options. We finally starting going into St. Johns for dinner and enjoyed ourselves much more after that. The hotel staff was also hit or miss. We had some be down right rude to us (and I swear we were not being "ugly Americans." But others were very pleasant and happy to help.

We took a snorkel trip and were able to see more of the other island resorts and talk to their guests. I think if I had it to do again, I would pay the extra money and stay at Jolley Bay. The Hawksbill wasn't bad, I just expected better. And they could have done better. We'd definitely go back to Antigua, just not Hawksbill. But if you're really on a budget and aren't picky about your room, food and service, then you'll like it just fine.

We stayed at Hawksbill Beach Resort for 10 days returning on the 6th Oct 2004.
Never have I visited a place that has such friendly staff. The bungalow concisting of a private balcony bedroom and very nice bathroom ( air conditioned) was fine overlooking the 2nd beach, and was always kept immaculatly clean. The food was good with plenty of choice , and there were several special meals ( international and Antiguan ) during our stay. In particular the breakfast Omlette chef was superb. We were made to feel very special, and will return at the earliest oportunity. The beaches were also extremely good and barring the second beach close to the pool and bar were all very quiet. Infact many times we found ourselves completly alone. Everyone we meet both on the Island and in the hotel were extremely friendly, we were never hassled to purchase anything, no jet skies to annoy us the sea was warm and clear. I cannot recommend the Hawksbill enough. Role on out next holiday there!

My wife and I stayed at the Hawksbill Beach resort 20th -27 October 2004 for our silver wedding. It was the best weeks holiday we could remember. The hotel and grounds were beautiful and spotlessly clean. We were upgraded to a superior room on arrival which overlooked the main beach. The staff couldn't have been more helpful and friendly- nothing seemed to be too much trouble. We had never been all inclusive before and were a little worried beforehand but the food was 1st class from day one, with loads of variety, the watersports were good too, and the motorised ones were reasonably priced. The beaches were beautiful and not crowded, the best ones being the 2nd and 4th ones. Would definately reccommend Hawksbill to anyone and look forward to returning.