I consulted this site before making our reservations so I feel I owe it to all to post our experience. We have stayed at numerous top of line places before this (Las Ventanas twice, Broadmoor, Homestead, Greenbrier, etc) and this place just falls short and particularly when you take into account the rates they charge.

The devil is in the details and they just were not able to put the finishing touches on the experience. First, the transportation to and from the airport is a beat up van and nothing like what you get at Las Ventanas. On the way back to the airposrt they put 12 people on a none air conditioned van. Thankfully the ride is short. The boat ride over to Jumby Bay is pleasant with great rum punch. For all those with balky sea legs there is nothing to worry about here. The boat is big and the ride is smooth and short. The greeting at the dock is first class. There is no formal check-in. A golf cart simply picks you up and takes you to your room and your luggage arrives shortly thereafter.

We stayed in an Oceanview Courtyard Suite which was wonderful in many ways but also problematic. These suites are more like cabins or bungaloes scattered among the tropical foliage overlooking the beach. They have unobstructed views of the beach but are set off the beach by at least 100-200 yds. The rooms have a nice sitting area, the bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom was nice. On oddity was that the rooms do not have locks on them. You are not provided keys and simply close the door behind you on your way out. Also the walls of the room are primarly made up of floor to ceiling screens covered on the inside by shutters the you can control. This is a neat touch with some drawbacks. First you can shut the shutters but that will in no way keep out the noise. Thankfully the island is pretty quite but any noise (golf carts, maintainence vehicles, or thunderstorms) will sound like they are coming through your suite. Second shutting the shutters will eliminate the cross breeze and your unit will get warm but the only way to change clothes anywhere in your room is to shut them.

The big problems:

First, it DOES rain at this resort (stayed for seven days in early November 2004). It rained hard every afternoon from about 1:30 until about 5 or 6. Now rain is not the fault of the resort but in a tropical setting does carry with it consequences. The rooms are not air conditioned and they rely on ceiling fans and cross breezes to cool the rooms. For these prices they NEED air conditioning. This is not Vail or Aspen, this is a tropical island where it is humid and the temperatures reach the mid-80's and 90's. It really makes sleeping somewhat uncomfortable. This is not something you should have to be concerning about for $800-1,200 per night. But here is the biggie. Because you do not have air conditioning and the rooms are "open" mosquitoes are a huge problem. The nets on the bed are not decorative. For those who think I may be exaggerating this just take a look in the closet of your room. They provide you with a huge can of Bop Insect Repelent and multiple candles and coils to burn in your room to fight the mosquitoes. Our first night we went to dinner at the Estate House and got eaten to death. You must bring Off to wear out out at night. This is not optional. The stronger the sea breeze the better the mosquito problem.

The food was a mixed bag. We generally do not stay at all-inclusive places but decided to give this a try. The breakfast was good. They had a serviceable buffet and many quality choices on the menu including Waffles, French Toast, and Eggs Benedict. The lunch was the best meal of the day. There are a variety of choices and all were good. The only problem with lunch was the service. They were understaffed and getting drinks was like pulling teeth. The dinner was where they fell short and it was not for lack of trying (while we were there our only choice was the Estate House for dinner). The service was great at every dinner. The are attentive, polite, and ever present. The food was the problem. Suprisingly the fish here is not at all the way to go. In most cases it is not fresh. The other no-no was the veal. It was not good at all. The best bets were the filet and the lamb. You should not feel like you are steering clear of items in a setting like this. Some of the best options were the salads and appetizers. The pear and goat cheese salad was great. By the fifth night we were dreading dinner because the options for the main course were so limited. On the good news front the house wines are serviceable and the cocktails in the lounge and at all the bars were terrific. You can order drinks with top of the line liquor at no extra charge. I highly recommend the banana daiquiris while sitting on the beach. Cigars seemed popular and probably helped with the mosquitoes.

The beach is beautiful and the water is gorgeous. (Men and tall women beware of the stationary wooden umbrellas at the beach. They are at the perfect height to knock yourself out. Guy we met did it three times and I did it once and drew blood.) Flooting on a mat in the ocean water was by far the highlight of the trip. The pool is a complete afterthought. It is almost impossible to find and there is no service at the pool.

If you are looking for a vacation full of activities this is not the place for you. The pace is very slow and it is all about reading a book and taking naps.

Jumby Bay in not terrible it simply is not in the same class of the places that charge similar prices.

It has been several months since we stayed at Jumby for our honeymoon. We found most of the staff to be simply lovely and very gracious. There were a few staff members who were just uninterested, particularly at the front desk, which left us with a terrible first impression.We found the beach itself to be fairly average although the staff on the beach could not have been more helpful. The picnic for two at the more private beach was fabulous and an option that I would recommend wholeheartedly. We found that the island was in the midst of a lot of construction and it appeared to us that a lot of the landscaping was not being cared for adequately-an enormous disappointment because we had heard a lot about the beautiful landscape of the island. In addition, at the time we visited, there was no policy in place about young children in the more formal dining room and cocktail lounge. We loved the children at the beach but not at our 8:30 pm dinner when they were tired, cranky, and bored to tears. This is obviously something that the staff can not control. It is up to the management to develop some policy that would support their staff around this issue. Of course, resort guests might have the good sense not to drag their small children into a dining situation that could only spell torture for a 4 or 5 year old. (I won't even address the families dragging their children-including strollers-up to the cocktail lounge at the Estate house. Is this an expression of family values? ) I did not find the other guests-British or American-to be unpleasant in anyway, just too inconsiderate and too cheap to hire the babysitting service. I would need a lot of encouragement to return because Jumby just did not live up to the standards met by other resorts we have stayed at.

I agree with the postings that indicate that the resort is well above average. We spent 4 relaxing nights in early november. How can you go wrong, you are going to your own private island. The service was extremely friendly and the room ( a courtyard suite) was excellent. I agree that the planes were a bit noisy but they were infrequent. I did find it dissapointing that you are sitting on this beautiful empty beach (or swinging in a hammock) with a cool tropical drink in your hand looking over the blue waters of the caribbean, but when you look across the water, there is a power plant and some sort of communication company with a huge satellite dish.

Coming from New York, it is tough too meet expectations on the food. Breakfast and lunch were great, but dinner was mediocre. My wife ordered the swordfish and it was inedible, so it was sent back. However, the manger was quick to come over and get her something else. The desserts were very good and they served a good selection of house wines and top shelf liquor.

If you want to relax, be pampered and meet some nice people who are there to do the same thing, I would highly recommend it. The bottom line is would you go back and I would definetely say yes.

My husband and I honeymooned at Jumby Bay from August 30 - Sept 6, but stayed a few more nights due to my very unfortunate illness/surgery. JB was very accommodating, and helpful with our needs while off at the hospital.

I agree with everyone who says that this resort is beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. However, there are some issues I wish JB would take notice of. For one, the air conditioning, or lack thereof, was disappointing. For the money, we expected good a/c. We stayed in a Courtyard Suite (36) and the air conditioner that was in our room couldn't cool a closet, much less an oversized room. I can't complain because it is Antigua, and it is supposed to be paradise and tropical. My husband was having a tough time acclimating to the heat, so I called the concierge and they brought us a standing a/c unit. It helped ALOT...we put it at the foot of the bed, so we slept comfortably. The only other thing I was turned off about was having all of the food uncovered outside. The insects were constantly landing on the food, which may be a health concern for some. I noticed that they had the milk in a glass bottle, which presented nicely, but they didn't ever cork it. Flies were swimming in the milk. Needless to say, I didn't drink it, but some might have.

The food (ordered off of the menu) was quite good during lunch and dinner. Try the calamari and quesadillas! The choices were plentiful. The filet was amazing, as well as the soups. Due to my illness I didn't get to fully enjoy the food toward the end of the week.

We enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the island. We meet three other couples who were also honeymooning, so it was great to meet up with them for cocktails. The resort was at half capacity, so we saw our friends frequently! The beach was beautiful, and very spacious. The beach bar gets five stars!

Final thought...great resort, some minor changes would make it a fabulous resort. Just don't get sick on the island! The medical care in Antigua is poor to mediocre at best.

Happy Traveling!