All the good things that have been said about this hotel, in previous reviews, are true. So I will just add that my family and I enjoyed our stay here and we were very pleased to see that the hotel provided lots of caribbean food options. Everyone at St James was friendly, the facilities clean and spacious and the Dive centre well run. There is only a little occasional noise from the building work, but it is still continuing, so you may want to check your room is not close by when you check in.

We stayed at St James for 10 days in late February. We were pleasantly surprised by the facilities and overall quality of the food. Although the all inclusive price was expensive eating around at the different restaurants withentertainment on most nights was fun. With a two year old granddaughter in tow the buffets on several days were great. We found the staff pleasant and accomodating. Maintainence of the beach and some of the outer walls which needed some paint were noticeable but not a big deal.
This is not a Four Seasons and one must be prepared for that but it was a great location with two different beach experiences and we wound up buying a timeshare impressed with the people the location direct flights and a European clientele of over 50%.

Lew Sears

We have just returned after a two week stay at the Beach Club.

We had a great time and the hotel itself is very nice and its great to be part of St James Club complex although we hadn't realised how big the complex would actually be!

We stayed in the Pineapple rooms which are closest to Coco's bar restaurant. The rooms were very well kept and cleaned daily with fresh towels provided. A great bathroom with great shower and huge bathtub big enough for two! The rooms have a great size balcony overlooking the beach directly with lots of plam trees.

The only difference about the superior rooms is that they are on the ground floor, have a stocked fridge (once a week) and have another small sink in the room as well as the bathroom.

Both beaches were very nice. The Beach Club side was very breezy so was lovely but had a lot of seaweed (but was cleaned away often by staff) and Mamora Beach had hardly any breeze so very hot. Lots of sun tan lotion needed!

The dive centre is great with wonderful staff. It was my first time scuba diving in Antigua so I was very scared by felt so comfortable with the instructor Gavin that I went ahead and what an experience! If you would prefer to just snorkel then Antigua is ideal as the water is very clear and plenty to see.

Staff at the watersports hut on Mamora Beach are equally as friendly and helpful with plenty to choose from.

There are plenty of excrsions to choose from including various different catarmaran trips, jeep safaris, 4x4 etc.

If you have some spare $ then I would suggest visiting the casino for a little flutter. It's great fun with the slot machines and various tables with free drinks provided.

We truely had a great time and wouldn't hesitate recommending this hotel.

It was useful going to the welcome meeting as you found out all the necessary info about the hotel and also about the excursions.

We found we were also able to have free drinks from the Mamora Bay Beach Bar which is by the adult pool whereby the rep said we would be charged. Free drinks included are from Coco's, Mamora Grill, Mamora Beach Bar and also in the Casino.

Arrived to poor weather at the beginning of February 06, which dampened our spirits, literally! Surprised at the strength of the wind off the Atlantic side of the peninsula which blew for the whole two weeks we were there. The sheltered beach in the bay was much appreciated, though in the second week, which was in the school holidays, it became a little crowded. Sand was excellent though and despite crowds sunbeds were usually available somewhere. Beach grill facility could have been better, but you can get a proper lunch in two of the restaurants. However, a pina colada from the beach drinks buggy soon put things to rights!

Sea in the bay was rather murky and not too pleasant to swim in and sea on Atlantic side very seaweedy and choppy. Water sports OK, but beach staff were a little indifferent and any instruction patchy in quality.

Rooms adequate, but nothing special. Though everything was in working order, our bathroom did need rennovating. TV channel options limited. Soundproofing of rooms was excellent. The bed was very comfortable. Everything was cleaned well - but we were never left the correct number of towels after room service and had to call housekeeping every other day for the missing towels. They came quickly though and with a smile, so no lasting damage done. If hotel full, shower early for dinner, as water pressure can all but disappear by 6pm for about half an hour or so.

Not much to do in evenings, some entertainment during mealtimes (Good singing and combos). We didn't enjoy the nightclub/casino - too smokey and in need of some loving care.

Food very good - especially liked Docksiders, where staff very friendly and professional - great atmosphere. Also liked Coco's at lunchtime. Rainbow Garden was too large and impersonal. You need to book early every day to get the restaurant of your choice at a time of your choice.

We liked the wildlife - lots of birds - diving pelicans in the bay, a frigate bird that would come over every pm to buzz the seagulls, and lots of nectar loving tiny birds around in the garden areas. Saw plenty of fish around the bay - and on one day we saw a stingray there. We didn't have too much of a problem with Mosquitos/sand flies, though we met people who had been bitten. We think the wind must have blown the pesky critters elsewhere!

Building work going on near to main swimming pool on atlantic side of hotel, but it was not intrusive at all. When completed it will make the area a little too crowded in our opinion, and possibly may spoil some of the views of the Atlantic.

Hotel is a little isolated. English Harbour is nearest tourist area and is about 5 miles away but well worth a visit. Taxis not cheap if less than 4 people sharing. Hired a car to explore island, but apart from a few happy finds, such as Pigeon Beach at Falmouth Harbour, didn't find too much of interest on the island. Need a good map, as there are very few road signs.

Can recommend the boat trip round the island organised through our Virgin Holiday rep. Obey boat crew's instructions when sea is choppy to avoid injury - Atlantic Ocean is unforgiving! Someone on our trip taken off with injured nose. Loved the snorkelling and the lunch was good too. Cheery crew made the day even more enjoyable.

Overall we felt that the St James's Club was a friendly and pleasant place to stay for two weeks in our Winter, however in our opinion it is not what we would call a 'luxury' hotel. We did see some other hotels which looked better, but would be far more expensive.

We had originally thought of staying at Sandals, but are glad we didn't, having visited the site. the building work is massive. The beach was very crowded, as cruise ship passengers are taken there by taxis when ships dock for the day at St John's.

One last point. Airport facilities are very poor. Not enough seats, loos, or eating places. It can get very overcrowded.