Have just returned from the St James's Club Antigua & was very impressed with the hotel. Not sure why it had received bad reviews? I travelled with my husband and 12 other members of his family and we all had a great time there. The complex is nicely set out, and the rooms clean and very spacious. The 4 restaurants (one of which - Piccolo Mondo - you pay a surcharge for even if all inclusive), are excellent. We found the menus varied and the food to be of a very high standard. We were not sure whether to try the Piccolo Mondo, as had heard from other guests that the food there was really no different, but were glad we did and enjoyed another excellent meal. If I had to pass one negative comment, it would be that at times the staff were not overly friendly, but we didn't let that spoil a wonderful holiday! And if you are planning to go there, my husband & I would recommend the Island Safari (and kayak trip) & especially the boat trip around the island aboard the Excellence - fantastic days out & the lads on both trips were great fun!

My new husband and I just got back from St. James Club and it was an absolutely amazing honeymoon. The views of different parts of the island were stunning.

We wanted to relax and enjoy our trip with as little decision making as possible so we chose the all-inclusive option. It was well worth the extra money. The food in the restaurants was truly wonderful. Our favorite spot to eat was the Docksider which overlooked the bay but all the other on-site restaurants were also great. My only food complaint is breakfast...no variety. Every morning for 7 days I ate the same meal.

We had a room in the Papaya building. It overlooked the Atlantic Ocean which was lovely but a bit windy. Extremely quiet though since most people (w/ children) chose the bay side as their beach. Room was clean, vaulted ceiling, 2 lounge chairs on the deck and a honeymoon champagne toast upon arrival.

While in Antigua we did take 2 excursions, we went snorkeling on a Wadadli Cat and visited Shirley Heights on Sunday. Snorkeling was fun but we were told that Hurricane Hugo had destroyed many of the coral reefs so they were only 17 years old. Still worth it though and the crew was very friendly. Shirley Heights was wonderful however I wouldn't recommend it on Sunday. The views from the top of the mountain are great but on Sunday's they have a BBQ party that was a bit too noisy and crowded for my tastes. The bar and restaurant (we later found out) is opened on other days of the week. I would have preferred going on a different date without the crowds.

Being that this was our honeymoon we could have dealt without so many children but overall it was a fabulous vacation and I would love to go back!

Out of all the resorts in Anitgua we visited, St James's was the best- the staff are really friendly, the food was excellent- particularly the steaks- and the hotel itself was well maintained.

We stayed for 2 weeks which was just enough. Whilst there is a lot to do in the hotel, it is worth renting a car for a few days to visit the island's other beaches and St John's.

The evening entertainment is of a very high standard, but if you fancy a change you can always head down to the bars at the English harbour- Shirley heights on a sunday is also a must!

The other guests were really friendly- no snobs as in other resorts we have been to. The beaches are not 'picture perfect', but they are still both lovely. The so-called 'windy' beach was fairly windy for about 7 days of our stay, but the rest of the time was calm and the water was very warm. The Mamora beach is really calm and pretty, and good if you have kids and for watersports.

The grounds are spotless and well managed. The restaurants provide a lot of variety and the food was fantastic- particularly and rainbow garden and docksider- they use a lot of locally-produced organic foods which was good.

The only complaint is that the hotel lacks recycling facilities- so many plastic cups and newspapers go to waste every day, and guests are not encouraged to reuse their towels. More could be done to enforce the hotel's environmental policy.

Otherwise, the hotel was fantastic and we would love to go back.

Just returned from an amazing holiday to the Beach Club in St James. We booked through Virgin Holidays which were great. Virgin have their own reception and Rep on the resort which was excellent. Joy, the rep, sorted everything we needed including any excursions. The beach Club rooms were very large and extremely well appointed (right on the beach!!). The view of sunrise each morning through the patio window was breath-taking!!!! The whole resort was extremely clean and very well kept. We ate in Cocos restaurant most meals which was also of a high standard. The staff were very friendly and there was something for everyone. Plus as part of the deal we could eat at 2 of the other restaurants twice a week which were also very good. Watrersports were amazing and also free!!! The Cocos bar staff were very friendly and would make any cocktail you wanted! This resort is definately for a reasonably quiet holiday however there was evening entertainment each night. The best excursion we did was a helicopter trip around Montserrat! Just be careful with the taxis... although a very efficient service they can be very expensive! All in all an amazing resort on an amazing island!!!! Our best tip is to book the beach club with Virgin (upgrade to a ground floor room with steps off the patio to the beach).