Let me start off by saying that the bad reviews on this board are absolutely bogus. I was apprehensive after reading them but got a good deal and decided to take it.

The staff was FRIENDLY and HELPFUL - full stop. Do I detect tones of racism in others' remarks? Here's a thought to those complaining: be nice and people are nice back to you. I smiled the moment I came in and they recipriocated with a free upgrade and first class service throughout the trip and lots of smiles.

Insects, there's a few. What does one expect in the middle of nowhere, 90+ degree heat and a beautiful remote location. In fact, I was actually quite impressed by the lack of insects in the room and dining areas compared to similar places in other countries. I will say that in some corners of St. James's, you will find a lot of ants due to dropped or swept away food.

Prices: unbelievably expensive. Breakfast will cost you $22 per person, dinner upwards of $60 pp if you drink wine. Small drinks for $7. The food was good and in some cases excellent. However, I didn't get the all inclusive plan since I was there for a week and wanted to try the local restaurants. You'll be able to save about 33% on food by dining out and there are some very nice places nearby. Getting to them is an issue, I rented a car which was quite helpful and allowed me to explore the land and meet the locals.

Beaches: ok, this is the weak point and the reason I won't give 5 stars. The Atlantic side beach was a big disappointment, lot's of pebbles, broken shells and seaweed galore. Mamora Bay was more to my taste, with the abundance of water sports and much clearer water. You'll find some very nice beaches near Johnson's point but I didn't get to explore it in depth.

All in all a fantastic vacation. Solid 4 star resort. A great place for families or people just looking to relax and separate from the modern world.

I wouldn't suggest St. James's Club for young persons looking for an active nightlife. I heard the Casino was pretty weak too, but I don't gamble so that was a non-issue.

We have been there twice in the last 6 months, once with our then 1 year old baby, Cameron, and then with our now 18 month year old and his 84 year old grandad. The staff were fantastic to us (and no they did not expect a tip) and Cameron loved all the attention, especially from Pearl, his favourite. We agree that the main beach could have been cleaner but then it was only sea weed so what is wrong with bit of natural vegetation. The lagoon was great for sunbathing, gentle water, playing with the baby and swimming. The drinks trolley was very welcome. We flew with Virgin and the "Check in and Chill Out" service made the last day tolerable.

We have travelled quite widely and the Hotel represents good value and high standards. People who expect upgrades are usually those who like to "try it on" or the sort who would never be satisfied. A pity, the secret in Antigua is to stay cool and relax, settle into local pace and chill.

We ( two adults and an 11 year old) have recently returned from a two week stay at The beach Club and had a wonderful time.

We stayed in a light and spacious room facing the ocean, you might want to try and request a ground floor room as the steps from the balcony lead straight onto the beach.

The Atlantic side is breezy with wonderful views, its fairly quiet over this side, so if you just like to lie dozing on your sunbed its the place to be.

Mamora bay over the other side, less than 5 minute walk, is busier with activities to keep you busy.There are Kayaks, Hobbies, pedal boats etc to take out (free). Beach volley ball at 4, don't miss it. Daily snorkelling and fishing trips, go to the watersports hut and ask.

There are lots of fish in the bay and they are very friendly ! they will take food out of your hand, just sit down and wait.

You can also grab drinks and food from the outside grill area, check out Marys chicken burgers !

The beaches are cleaned every morning but the seaweed on the Atlantic side does build up again during the day.

We mainly ate at Cocos, really nice, they have a mixture of buffet style and al a carte throughought the week.
Dont rush to breakfast things dont get going till around 8 am
Book early for dinner especially when eating at docksiders, and be prepared for a wait. You might need to ask for seconds as the portions aren't that big. Rainbows do amazing puddings.

The majority of the staff are really friendly, but you do get the odd grumpy one, as you do anywhere.

If you get the chance do the helicopter flight around the island, it was amazing, it only seats 4 + the man flying it ! I sat at the front and as we were flying low over the water we spotted a turtle.

There are loads of trips you can do, we had a great time doing the offroading and kayaking trip, the water isn't deep so those who are scared of water (like me) can have a go. The same goes with the swimming with dolphins trip, as you only go waist deep.

We would highly reccomend this place if you are looking for a chilled out holiday especially if you enjoy watersports. A word of warning, there is not much nightlife so if you like partying til dawn this is not the place for you.

My girlfriend and I stayed at the St. James Club Antigua fo seven days in August 2004. We went All-Inclusive. We can honestly say this was an all-around wonderful experience. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were greeted warmly and offered a rum punch to take the edge off the long flight. Check-in was simple and easy and the staff was courteous, kind and thoughtful. They booked out dinner at the Rainbow Garden upon arrival at the hotel.
HOTEL ROOM: We found the hotel room to be very nice, spacious and immaculately clean. Cleaning service was good and done once daily. The view from our private patio was incredible.
FOOD: The restaurants and service are definitely hit or miss. Docksiders was the best restaurant. The staff could not have been more accomodating. The service picture perfect. You never had to ask for your drinks to be refilled and the food was superb. We did elect to pay the $15.00 per person upcharge a couple of times in order to have the Surf-n-Turf, which was great. The view from the Docksider is spectacular. The only down side is the lack of a breeze. Rainbow Garden is also a wonderful restaurant. The service is very hit or miss. For dinner the service is wonderful. For breakfast and lunch, it was another story. Most, not all, of the staff appears less than happy during the lunch and breakfast times. The advantage of Rainbow Garden is the nice breeze you get. Also, they had entertainment on Saturday night which was great. Coco's is horrible and I do not recommend wasting your time eating there. The staff is rude, curt and completely awful. We went there once for lunch and would discourage anybody from going there. We found it to be an aggravating experience. Not exactly what we needed to deal with on vacation. We didn't dine at Piccolo Mondo.
DRESS CODE: A lot of people complained about the dress code in their reviews, but we found it to be a nice touch. Men's dress code is strictly enforced and I had no problem wearing long pants and a polo shirt during dinner. For one thing, the bugs will bite your legs quite a bit if you wear shorts. (Note: You can wear shorts on Thursday and Sunday). The dress code kept the aura more elegant as well.
CHILDREN AND OTHER GUESTS: No complaints here. I have to say that the British know how to raise their children extremely well. No screaming kids or kids running around like you deal with constantly in the United States. Frankly, we in the states, could learn some lessons from our friends in the United Kingdom. Most of the guests were of English descent, which was fine with us. I played sand volleyball with them and had a great time. After seeing how nice people from the U.K. are, we have decided to visit England within the next two years.
BEACHES: You have two beaches to chose from. The calm, humid side which is Mamora Bay. you also have the windier ocean side of the Caribbean Sea. We spent time at both beaches, but enjoyed the Ocean side much more. The breeze was nice and the drink cart came around quite often. Also, the sand is soft and beautiful.
ENTERTAINMENT: Well, there isn't much of that. However, we came to Antigua to unwind and relax and not to travel all over the island or party up a storm. The casino is nice if you like to gamble. We won some money at roulette, which was nice. We went horseback riding on the beach twice and had a great time.

All in all, a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend the St. James Club.