After reading some of the reviews on this resort myself and my wife were very close to cancelling and going elsewere, but we didnt and took a gamble.......... we lost.
We wish now that we had listened to the negative reviews ,which means we would of gone elsewhere and saved money.

Good Points :

1.Dave the barman, nice guy, only if all were like him......
2.Views
3.No kids

Bad Points :

1.Service is slow out the traps
2.Rude staff,tutting,rolling of eyes etc
3.Homebase shed for a room
4.Food portions (Will upload pictures) will not fill you up,how can you other reviewers argue with this ???
5.Drinks and the size of cups click link below

http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/060614110344s.jpg

Yes these are the size cups you will be drinking out of when you stay here,yet again other reviews seem to praise this, well gentlemen enjoy your 1/8 pint beers !!

You do not get what you pay for at this resort.
Please don't make the same mistake we did, save your money and go to another resort where you get more for your money.

good luck

Having read a number of Tripadvisor reviews, coming to a conclusion about this resort before you visit is hard. To be honest, I had debated whether to change my resort booking for my first visit to the island as part of my honeymoon a number of times based on the number of negative reviews I had read of this place, but decided to take a chance.

The reviews tended to be split between the 5 out of 5 “paradise found” and the 1 out of 5 “over-rated”. So it may come as some surprise that I am going for something in the middle of the two. Having had the fortune to stay at hotels all over the world, some amazing, some terrible, I think this is a fair rating.

The reason for this just-above-average rating is that the resort is not pure luxury, it is a secluded hotel set on a beach and hill that provides everything you need in a no nonsense environment. The locals describe Cocobay as the place you go if you want to get away from the tv, the internet, the phones, the kids – it shows you want its like to live in Antigua. If you are looking for bathrobes, air conditioning, room service, broadband internet and your own private butler, then go somewhere else, like Hermitage or Jumby Bay. This is the reason you see those 1/5 ratings, people come here looking for no-expense-spared luxury and you just won’t find it at Cocobay.

However, don’t be put off by this; the place offers a great deal in a picturesque location, in particular the food + drink and view from the pool and bar is probably second to none. We stayed here for 8 nights as part of our second week of our honeymoon in cottage 33.

Firstly the accommodation; there are three types of cottage available: (1) standard cottages, i.e. faces the car park, (2) superior cottages, which faces the sea and (3) sea front cottages, that are located near the beach (on a hill just above) and have their own plunge pool and air conditioning as standard. I’d recommend going for (2) or (3). All are within a short distance of a beautiful beach and pool (note that beach just out of the resort’s gate is the best, the one near the cottages is somewhat small). Number 33 has a great view of the sea and is definitely in category (2) even though I booked a (3), blame our travel company, not Cocobay. There is no air conditioning as standard in (2) but the fan in the room is more than sufficient and the fridge allows you to cool your water if you want. The cottages have wire mesh windows with wooden shutters so at night you do hear the creature noises which can be quite loud but probably gives you a unique experience of what Antigua is like.

I’ve read some stories about the cottages being a long walk from the reception and restaurant, again I don’t agree with this, it really shouldn’t be a problem, I’ve had to walk a lot further to my room at many other hotels before. You also get a wide range of different but friendly people here; most are from the UK and some “chavs” did check in late into our stay but as I’ve said before its you that makes your holiday a success, not the other people in the resort.

The food and drink is also excellent, I’ve read stories on here about dodgy food and watered down drinks, I’m sorry, but this just wasn’t the case for us. Evening meals were exceptional compared to what we had experienced in Florida the previous week and the drinks (especially involving shorts) were of ample strength. True, there is a queue for lunch on occasion but there is no shortage of food to go around, just pick your time to go with care and also don’t forget to book in for dinner on your way to breakfast as the list of times gets filled up quickly.

The pool of ample size and looks great, has amazing views and is very close to the bar and restaurant which is always a bonus!

Some of the staff can be a bit moody but that’s just their laid back way; just be polite and gracious for the service they provide and they will be more than fine. My experience of the excursions desk woman was superb; she was extremely helpful during our stay – make sure you don’t book trips through the guys on the beach as they are likely to take your money and not actually book you on excursions you want. We can recommend the catamaran tour around Antigua and the jeep/kayak safari, both were excellent value for money.

The resort has internet access in the reception, charged at $0.50 per minute. You can pay for excursions using travellers cheques and can exchange them at reception up to $50. Otherwise it’s a trip down to the bank (10 mins away). Also make sure you book taxis in advance, i.e. if you want an evening taxi, book it in the morning.

Overall I was satisfied with the experience I had for the money I had paid, and hence the 3/5 rating seems fair. I would certainly recommend this resort to others but not without mentioning the above to make sure it is what they want. If you are not necessarily after 5+ star luxuries but are after a unique experience in Antigua then certainly keep Cocobay as a destination option.

Altho there are areas for improvements in the resort - after 24 hrs there - they didn't matter. As the Brits say - "It was FUN-TAS-TIK!"

It was hot one nite and the 'no-see-ums' moved in a couple of evenings (slept with the mosquito netting)- but even that couldn't change the overall relaxing connection that the resort gives you to nature and the real beauty of the flowers, birds, water, mountains etc.....

The staff was wonderful and very accomodating. Choice of beaching it (beautiful) or pooling (elevated - even more breathtaking) or the many excursions they offer. The food was buffet/cafeteria style for breakfast & lunch and sit down casual-elegant for dinner.....all was exceptional.

The units are sparse - but all you'll need once you adapt (some have private dipping pools - others a/c at a price). Just having the doors open 24/7 and feeling the breeze while still experiencing privacy is definitely worth a return trip.

We loved feeding the birds on the deck railing and "Teaga"" - the wonderful resort kitty that adopted us while we were there...wish we could have brought her home. Awesome place - everyone polled would return.

We stayed at Cocobay in April 2008 and it was absolutely amazing - the best holiday we've ever been on. We were a bit worried about the holiday before we went after reading some bad reviews on here - we were especially worried about being moved to another hotel - and we should have been because that was exactly what happened! Basically, upon arriving at Antigua airport we met the rep outside and were told that we would have to be moved into Hawksbill for one night only because there wasnt space in Cocobay. It was a bit disappointing but the Hawksbill was really nice and to be honest, because we didnt get there until around 4.00pm on the first day, and then travelled over to Cocobay the following lunchtime it didnt really impact on our holiday at all. O'Neal - the manager at Cocobay - couldnt have been more apologetic for this, and they more than compensated us for the problem by putting us in a fantastic room (no 1), put champagne in the room and paid for us to go on a catamaran trip. In a way, it was quite nice to see another of the islands hotels - and although Hawksbill was really nice, it was nothing in comparison to Cocobay.

Cocobay is just absolutely fantastic - the views from the bar and restaraunt are amazing and the beach and pool are both stunning - the best on the island! Our friends cant believe our pictures because it looks so beautiful it doesnt seem real. The service is really good and the food is great (I have no idea why people complain about the portion sizes - we ate loads and there was always plenty!), the drinks are delicious (again - not sure what size drinks some people expect?!) and there was never a problem with queing at the bar or anything like that. We got great service the whole time.

Would definitely recommend booking a seafront room as it was really nice to cool off in the plunge pool after a hard day of sunbathing!

One of the nicest things about cocobay is that it feels really intimate because even if its full there arent loads of people around you - also really nice not to have kids at the hotel!

We really had no complaints at all about this place and are recommending it to everyone and anyone! It was such a relaxing break we didnt want to come home! Few handy hints and tips! -

1) Shoes - dont bother bringing your stilettos! I brought some and didnt wear them once - it was impossible to walk around in them because the bar/restaraunt areas are decked and the heels kept getting stuck in the gaps between the boards!! So bring your wedge shoes instead!

2) Mosquitoes and sand flies - werent a massive problem but we used deet twice a day so definitely recommend using it!

3) Catamaran trip - definitely worth doing, was really good fun and Cocobay is the first stop on the trip so you can get the best spot! Also a good way to check out some of the other hotels on the island!! We came back convinced we were in the best one!!

4) Sheer - we ate there one evening and it was a fantastic experience for a special occasion - the location is amazing. It cost around £100 for two courses incl wine and an aperitif

5) Beware of the guys on the beach who try and sell you aloe vera! If you dont want any aloe vera (we really didnt!!) just pretend to be asleep! The moment you say hello they come over and wont go away!

All in all an amazing trip - dont believe the bad reviews - this place is paradise.