My wife and I just came back from St James Club - we stayed in a (REFURBISHED) Premium Room for 10 days. Right on a beautiful beach - fantastic location.

Here are our thoughts:

- solid 4 star hotel
- 5 star facilities
- 3 star food (except Breakfast and Lunch which are far better than dinner)
- 2 star service (very grumpy/rude staff, even by Caribbean standards)

You get what you pay for, and this resort is a little cheaper than Galley Bay and Carlisle Bay (the other better resorts on the island, both of which are more exclusive and genuinely 5-star resorts).

With all that said, the St James Club is a great place to stay - rooms are very nice, best location (near English Harbour, which is the nicest spot on the island with many nice restaurants etc).

If you are looking for a very nice hotel to spend relaxing time at, this is it. If you want 5* luxury - then you will be disappointed. The fact that Virgin Holidays uses it extensively should say it all.

THE ABSOLUTE MUST FOR VISITING ANTIGUA IS THE TRIP ON A SUNDAY NIGHT TO SHIRLEY HEIGHTS FOR SUNSET AND PARTYING - ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR AND FUN NIGHTS OUT EVER...

Just returned from a trip to the St James Club in Antigua after an absence of over ten years. Let me also say that I have travelled fairly extensively in the Carribean and have have come to the following conclusions which may help with interpreting different opinions seen on these message boards about the same resorts. On islands such as Antigua, Barbados etc, there is a fairly even mix of tourists from the U.S and U.K. Although we both speak the same language, we are different in our likes , dislikes and customs. Americans will complain that the beer isnt cold , our friends from the UK will think its just right. Americans will wonder why they have baked beans on the breakfast buffet and the British guests will polish them off as fast as they can be served. I find that this difference carries over to the expectations of the resort as well. The British usually stay for 2 to 6 weeks on "holiday" and are much more laid back,not letting too much bother them.(i dont think much would bother me either if i could get 6 weeks vacation in a row!!) Americans, on the other hand , are usually there for one week and want to make the most of it, and arent happy if things dont go perfect. (like me). Hey, no one right, no one wrong, just different. My advice.........when reading reviews, look at where the writer is from. Also, someone from a large U.S. city is likely to have different expectations than someone from a small town in the same country.
That being said ..here goes. We stayed in the Hibiscus rooms (not the Villas) The main problem was lack of on going maintenance......the place was OLD and really needs a refurbishing. Had a nice view.Bathroom was old, no vent fan. The floor was permanently marred and looked bad. The hallways were marked by rust wherever there was a metal screw. Doorknobs were rusty and old. The food was for the most part excellent, with only 1 or 2 dissapointments.The restaurants did run out of certain dishes of food fairly early in the nite, so if you came later you were out of luck
Service was very inconsistent with huge variations depending on who your server was. The nitely entertainment was very good and we saw no need to go elsewhere. People were for the most part friendly if reserved with some exceptions....and thats ok. Water sports were very good and the staff was helpful. Parts of the beach were very crowded and you had to hunt for a chair. They also ran out of beach towels at times. The main dock had loose boards and is an accident (lawsuit) waiting to happen.
My overall impression is that the resort is suffering from neglect. Many of the refurbisments only require some hard work ,not big $$ repairs, but no one seems willing to address it. Management should step up and do whats necessary to bring this place around. I feel that it has real potential to be terriffic as it was when I visited it years ago. Until then, I would question the category in which it advertises itself.

Arrived at the Beach Club on 11 Mar 05 and stayed 7 nights. The Virgin Atlantic twilight check-in is excellent for those staying at Gatwick the night before the flight.

We stayed in a standard room which are all situated on the first floor of the buildings that consist the Beach Club. The deluxe rooms downstairs are the same size but have a stocked fridge and direct access to the beach. However, the standard rooms allow greater privacy and allow you to sleep with the curtains open and allowing great sunrises to flood into the room. All rooms have a great view of the Ocean. Rooms were of a very good size and although the fixtures were well used everything worked fine, including the air con.

Meals are generally taken in Cocos beach restaurant and bar. Breakfasts and lunches are excellent but some of the evening meals were a bit below par. Service was good in the restaurant and bar and the vast majority of the staff were cheerful and willing to please. Other people who had meals at the other restaurants on the St James complex found the service in Cocos the best.

Evening entertainment was limited and low key. In my opinion the Beach Club is ideally suited to couples and those with younger children. Some teenagers would find the lack of evening entertainment boring.

There are plenty of water activities on the lagoon side of the complex but we found it uncomfortably hot, whereas the Ocean side where the Beach Club is situated always has a cooling breeze. There was always plenty of loungers and shade on the Ocean beach and although the beach was troubled with seaweed the staff cleared it in the morning and it really did not cause much of a problem.

If you want gourmet fine dinning and first class entertainment then perhaps the Beach Club is not for you. However, if want to chill-out with a good book and a bit of swimming/snokeling then you would not go far wrong for the price. Having seen some of the St James Club accommodation I would think twice about spending more money and booking at the St James Club itself.

All-in-all we had a really relaxing time.

Stayed at St James club Feb 26 -March 7. For our wedding!This is a very beautiful resort. the landscape is quite a gardeners dream. We stayed in the Hyacenda part of the hotel, room 116 ,2nd floor beachview, which was very close to everything. Our 3 adult kids stayed beach view 1st floor.
There was a mix up with the rooms and they gave our flowers, fruit basket, robes, & Rum to the kids room. But we fixed that real fast.
All restaurants were great , but desserts are not their speciality!, Piccolo mondo was wonderful, We ate there on the nite of the wedding. Superb! Don't forget to go to HARMONY HALL for free snorkling and the best restaurant on the island. It's only a 40 min cab ride($60) away.. Very Romantic.
Expect on spending $100-$150 for lunch, WELL WORTH IT!!!!
Loved the tranquility of the resort, great palm trees to shade from the Sun.
REFLOXOGY on the beach was great. Don't miss it. $ 40 for 30 min. I am a massage therapist myself , he knew his stuff. Would book this place again.
PS. If your looking for a fast pace resort, look elsewhere, Their motto is
LIVE SLOW<LIVE LONGER.......... J & A