We have just returned from a weeks stay at Cocos in Antigua and had the most relaxing time.
The hotel consists of just 19 "cabins" stretching out up the hillside above a beautiful bay. It's worth paying extra to ensure a sea view as it's a really beautiful sight - enjoy it from your hammock on the balcony.
The birds are entertaining - put some sugar out, or let them help themselves to a sachet from the bowl in your room or the restaurant. Other wildlife includes small lizards, the occasional turtle and the odd (small!) scorpion. Take a good insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes hungry.
The rooms themselves are quite basic and don't have anywhere comfortable to sit, unless you want to climb under the mosquito net and crash on the bed. There's very little to do in the evenings after dinner, although this is unlikely to be an issue for the honeymooners and young couples at whom the hotel is targeted.
The staff are very friendly, helpful and cheerful. The restaurant is well known locally for its terrific situation and is open to non-residents although it was never crowded. The food, especially the fish dishes, are excellent.
Music from the nearby Jolly Beach resort was very intrusive in our room and kept going until quite late some nights. Jolly Beach Harbour consists of a smart marina with several shops, a supermarket, bars, etc. and is an easy walk from Cocos.
The "main" beach at Cocos offers some shade under palm trees and a convenient bar where snack type lunches can be taken. There are also loungers and parasols for the residents. There's a second very nice beach (usually deserted) within a very short walk of the hotel.
On the main beach you are likely to be approached by various "reps", for boat trips etc., but they do take no for an answer and are quite amiable.
Much of the land nearby is marked out for future building plots so visit before it becomes crowded.

We have just returned today from the best holiday ever. Cocos is very small so within a few days you will know most of the guests and staff. The staff will do everything in their power to make sure you are having a great time and will get to know your likes and dislikes. We stayed in cottage 7 for the first few days which was amazing. The view from the balcony was unreal expecially at sunset. For the last few days we stayed in cottage 1 which was just as comfortable but did not have such a great view. I would pay extra for the unbeatable view next time. There definetly will be a next time and I would encourage friends and family to go too.

The food is the best we have had on any holiday. Although the portions are not big everything is very tasty. We only went off the a la carte menu once to try the local lobster.

As others have said they only downside is the mosi and sand fly bites. Although we use deet spray, sun spray with insect repellant in, after sun with insect repellant in and a mosquito electric killer at night we were still badly bitten.

OK so if you want aircon, 24 hour room service etc. go to Vegas, do not come here.

If you want true Caribbean, peace, relaxation and getting away from it book here!!!!

Lets cover the downsides:
- No aircon
- Steep walk to rooms
- some noise from Jolly Harbour Hotel ( you MUST book a sea view room).
- It felt expensive, but as my first trip to the Caribbean I think was fair for Antigua.

Right now the good bits!
We stayed in November 2006 (apologies for the late posting of the review fellow Trip Advisorers!).
All staff really good and the focus here is on doing very little!
Room was excellent, we had a 200 degree panaroma of the sea and a huge balcony.
Food- excellent but all inclusive menu is limited, staying more than a week I feel you will get bored of it and need to pay for the a la carte.
Location- beach is wonderful, sea was warm, sun was shining.

It was a long way to go (from the UK) for a week, but we returned completely relaxed!

If the above review ticks your boat- go to Coco's- just keep it our little secret.

My wife and I were on honeymoon and booked this hotel through Thomas Cook signature.

First impressions were fantastic, we wanted to stay somewhere more traditional and thats what we got. Lovely little cottages stuck on an outcrop into the sea. The place looked idyllic and the people seemed really freindly.

As our honeymoon continued I found certain things annoyed me especially the restuarant. One night we sat for 20 minutes before taking our orders. (As you have probably seen in other reviews if you are all-inc you have a choice of 3 starters and 3-4 mains with 1 dessert). Some of the staff were abrupt and slightly rude. One night I asked if we could be sat by the edge of the restuarant as we had been put in the middle for a few nights in a row. Helen looked at me like I had asked her to elope with me back to cold wet England!

You have been warned - you need to tell them in the morning where you want to sit at night for dinner. Which they dont tell you to do when you arrive.

The best part of the hotel is definately the sanctuary of your room and the beach. We stayed in Room 16, quite near the top with amazing views over to Monserrat, Nevis and St. Kitts when its clear. The rooms were rustic and traditional however the only shower was outside on the balcony and it wasnt that private as it looked over another beach. We didnt mind that much but some might.

We also had a floor standing fan which was essential when it got really hot in the afternoon often over mid-thirties.

The beach had the best barman on Anituga, his name is Acari and he truly made us smile, singing, smiling and dancing was pretty much all he did .... and serve drinksof course!

The beach was nice and while we were there they put some umbrellas on it which helped as the sun can be fierce. The pool was nice too but very cold even in the heat!

Also if you have excursions booked that leave from Jolly Harbour then you need to speak to the employees at cocos on how to get there as the security gaurds at the Jolly Beach hotel dont like non-Joly beachers, they might let you through but good luck getting back in to get to Cocos!

In terms of food at night the main courses were served on big dramatic plates and it was really tasty, dessert was a bit of let down (you are offered extravgent fish dishes and then coconut cake for dessert ????)

Lunch times were quite informal and breakfast was nice with a choice of food as well as cereals, fruits and juices. All canned though which was a bit strange.

My final gripe was the day before we left and I wanted to send a fax to check in for the flight the following night. I asked for it to be done asap in the morning and it wasnt until lunch that I was handed a page to say it had been done; perhaps I was asking too much on a carribean island however it is still a hotel.

The excursions were great we would highly recommend going on Eli's Eco Tour, reasonably priced and they take you around the western side of island explaining about the wildlife. Janey, Louis and Tommi were great hosts. As too were the guys on board Treasure Island Cruises who took us around the whole island. One of the guys looked exactly like Busta Rymes and a similar personality too, it really made it memorable.

Overall I think that £4000 for a 2 week holiday at Cocos was a bit too much and I certainly would stay somewhere similar but better such as Hermitage Quay just down the coast a bit. Some people go to Cocos year in, year out but it will be a while before we go back there, mainly to see what other places Antigua has to offer.

One thing you must definately not miss is Shirley Heights on a Sunday, it has the most amazing atmosphere and the steel band are excellent. Food is a bit pricey but well worth it. I do belive that they are shortly increasing thier admission prices from $4 to $8 but I reckon its still worth a try. Bring the kids too as they will love it.

Cocos, an amazing location but not so amazing service. Its dissapointing but with a little training and attention to detail this hotel would certainly make a name for itself.