After spending six nights at Jumby Bay as a gift to ourselves to celebrate our 25th anniversary I think that there is some truth in all the postings here. It just depends on your individual idea of what makes a great or not so great vacation or resort and your attitude. Yes, there was construction on the island that looks as if it will continue for many years to come but the bulk of it was on the opposite side of the island from the resort. Yes, there were times when we could see the planes or hear them quite loudly from our verandah depending on the flight paths for that day but they were few and far between and could be counted on one hand. Yes, some of the staff was more friendly and conscientious than others. Yes, the air conditioning in the room was inadequate, we were devoured by mosquitoes and YES, we had a great time. We maintained a positive attitude, open mind and got the relaxing, easy going, casual, no stress trip we wanted in spite of a day of rain on our first full day there and pouring rain during our anniversary dinner.

All transportation to and from the airport was timely including the special arrangements the hotel made for our early morning departure of 4:45 a.m. to catch our flight home. We had booked a Rondeval room but were taken to a courtyard suite upon arrival; seems we were the lucky recipients of an upgrade. The room and amenities were lovely and both the indoor and outdoor showers were great. The bed, pillows, robes, linens and towels were the best in comfort. The ceiling fans and breezes gave the room a “tropical” comfort level which was cooler on some nights than others but authentic with what a place on the beach really is. If you want fake go to Las Vegas.

We did the meal plans at Caneel Bay and Little Dix but this was our first time at an all inclusive resort so I was a little apprehensive regarding the quality of the food and drinks; for no good reason as it turned out. The food was excellent and creative at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are generous with the champagne, wine and drinks which are quite yummy if you like exotic tropical concoctions and the martinis are also well done. Since we were there on Election Day several of us ended up in the TV room to watch the returns after dinner. We stayed well past closing time but were given a bottle of wine and champagne to keep us going after they had locked up the bar. We went once to check out the afternoon tea and it was not worth the effort in our opinion, but who needs four meals a day anyway.

One of the things we found most rewarding on our trip was meeting some wonderful couples from England and Switzerland as well as New Jersey and Texas. The resort was at full capacity while we were there but because of its small size you see many of the same faces day and night. We’d meet up at the beach bar in the afternoon, before or after dinner for drinks, on the snorkel trip or just hanging at the beach. Every one of them were having a fabulous time and thoroughly enjoying the resort as well.

We cycled around the island, had in room massages, and my husband learned to water ski on his second day of trying because of the instruction and patience from the water sport guys. We did not make a trip over to the main island of Antigua based on recommendations from our NJ and TX friends we’d met but we were not on vacation to go shopping or gambling anyway.

I think the greatest compliment to the resort came one afternoon when we were sitting in our room resting after getting showered and cleaned up before dinner. My husband simply said to me “we should go on more vacations like this”. He thanked me for putting it together and apologized for not taking more of an interest when I was doing my research and homework in trying to pick the “most perfect” place I could for our celebration.

The afternoon before our departure the bill was left in our room for review since we would be leaving the resort so early in the morning. The last two nights of our stay were charged at $150 per night more than the previous four nights and what my confirmation stated. I brought this to their attention before we left on the sunset sail and by the time we retuned it was cleared up but without an explanation of why it happened in the first place.

I withheld giving the resort a perfect score because there are some imperfections and I am extremely critical. However, none of the imperfections would prevent me from recommending it.

We spent our honeymoon at Jumby Bay 8/24/04-8/31/04, and we loved it! We truly felt like it was a paradise. We stayed in a courtyard suite which was well-appointed and spacious. The grounds were all well maintained, Jumby Bay beach was beautiful, and overall it was a relaxing and enjoyable week. There is no nightlife on the island (other than dinner and a nightly movie), but you can ferry to the mainland. However, we appreciated the peace, quiet, and privacy at Jumby. Overall we were pleased with the service...some staff have more attention to detail than others, but overall we were not disappointed with Jumby Bay. I'd highly recommend it and I cannot understand the negative postings here in the past. As someone else said, if you aren't happy with Jumby, you likely won't be pleased anywhere. It was a delightful piece of heaven and a fabulous place to start our marriage! We miss it!

My husband and I recently returned from 5 days of pure bliss at Jumby Bay.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport we were greeted by a representative of the resort and ushered into an awaiting cab and taken to Jumby Bay's private catamaran. We enjoyed drinks on the five minute ride and were picked up by the assistant manager in a golf cart on our arrival at Jumby Bay.

We were taken to our Rondavel room, which was amazing! We saw the other rooms on the resort and highly recommend the rondavels for their privacy and lush amenities. The outdoor shower was heavenly.

Throughout our stay the food, staff and grounds were amazing. This was by far the most inovative and delicious food (and drinks) we have enjoyed at an all-Inclusive resort. Although the island did not have bananas for the duration of our stay so we could never try their signature Banana Pina Colada.

I highly recommend visiting in off-season (summer) because the resort is very quiet and the service is even more personalized. Although keep your eye on the weather forecast. Our second five days in Barbados were cut short because of Hurricane Ivan.

Our highlights were the bikes (be sure to tour the whole island by bike), the in-room massages (heavenly!), the sunset view from our private patio, and the Beach!!! We also had a great afternoon at the casino on Antigua, but anything else you would need is all on the island.

Our thanks go to Jumby Bay and their staff, (especially the chef) for making our honeymoon a trip we will not soon forget.

On the 22nd of July 2004 a very true and fair complaint was posted on this site. We had the same experience but with more problems. I would love to have contact with the complainer since we are very happy people and not demanding travellers but have seen what there is for sale around the world and the prices related to it. This was no paradise. If your looking for paradise I have many suggestions for you. Paradise is not defined by snob appeal of other guests but by the way staff know how to interact proffesionaly with guest without being stiff. No way Jumby Bay! is our slagan these days and we have had a great vacation since that awfull experience for slightly more in price but incredibble more SERVICE or should I say incredibble SERVICE compared to NO service at all. For now we have closed this file - the Hotel would not comment to us concerning our complaint - and are very happily moving on towards a same vacation in the same great resort that we experienced this great vacation! Honeymooners you only go on honeymoon once choose the right place!
Good luck!