We, a couple, stayed for 8 nights December-January. The location is fine (with a car), good restaurants within easy reach, the quality of the accommodation is comfortable, modern and well kept. We could have had (and were having) a great time until the arrival of two brat families from Bristol, England - the brats were the fathers and the children. I didn't know adults could behave so badly and encourage the children to be noisy and disruptive. The plot was to drive others away from the pool. They largely succeeded and the management did absolutely nothing about it - they were permanently invisible. So you could have a good time at a pleasant venue but as the units take families and there no on site management don't risk unless you have boisterous kids too. For us the holiday was ruined.

Dickenson Bay Cottages (DBC) are budget loft-style apartments which are a five minute walk to Dickenson Bay, one of the nicer beaches in Antigua. We loved the location, the pool (usually empty of people), the full kitchens, and the air conditioning. The hotel was quiet when we there, with the one exception when the sailors descend on DB at the beginning of Sailing Week. The staff were nice and helpful. Be warned that you need to park your car on the street, the fridge in the kitchen is tiny, and the kitchen is somewhat understocked with cooking utensils and dishware. Further, there is no alarm clock, the cable tv had static and a broken remote, and the internet connection is dial up.

Antigua is very beautiful, but has its fair share of problems. The airport is a disaster. They should follow the example of Barbados or Aruba, which have great modern airports. ANU is not air conditioned, and badly needs renovation (witness the missing tiles in the ceiling with exposed electrical wires). Lines are long and tempers are short in busy times. There are few signs on the roads in Antigua , and roads have dangerous potholes. We tried to avoid driving at night for the latter reason. Stray dogs roam St John's and the beaches, and there is quite visible poverty in the city and smaller towns. Having said that, the people are friendly and helpful, and the beaches are as good or better than other islands we visited in the Lesser Antilles (eg St Martin, St Kitts). Restaurants are good but not too plentiful due to the all inclusives. Montserrat is a great day trip, although the situation there is sad since the volcano is still active and the economy is stressed. The only wat to get to Montserrat now is by plane, since the ferry was discontinued.

DBC is a good choice if you don't want to blow your budget on a generic all inclusive. There are a number of expensive resorts on the south west side of the island, each of which charging between 4 to 6 times the cost of DBC (even in low season!). We spent most of our vacation touring the island, visiting the endless beaches, so a fancy resort was not important to us. This is why we give this resort an above average rating and would likely return.

We stayed at the Dickenson Bay Cottages from 4th to 28th Jan and loved every minute.
Our cottage was set right by the pool and lived up to all expectations. Lovely comfy beds, clean and airy and spacious living area.
I would like to point out that there is a steep hill between these cottages and the beach. It wasnt a problem for us (except when we had a few rums too many!) but could be a major problem for the elderly without the use of a car.
We usually holiday in Barbados but decided to try Antigua for a change. We loved the island and the friendly people. We hired a car to see the most of it ... Ffryes beach is stunning and Fig Tree drive is a must!
Anyone wanting more info about the Cottages you can e-mail me.
Dickenson Bay Cottages was an excellent find and we would definitely return.

Keeping in mind that the rates are very low compared to beachside hotels, this is a pretty good deal. Our one-bedroom cottage (all the "cottages" are actually attached condo units, not freestanding cottages) was spacious, with a mini-fridge and 4 burner range/oven & microwave. Upstairs was a bathroom and sleeping loft with queen bed. The grounds were lovely, and it was a 5-10 minute walk (down and across the road) to the beach. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The negatives: the cottages are rather cheaply built, the bed not very comfortable, and the lighting abysmal (why do these places have to put 30-40 watt bulbs in the lamps?). But, considering the cottage was only $150/night, and the kitchen allowed us to avoid restaurants for breakfast & lunch, who can complain?