I have just returned today from this hotel.

I had read the reviews before arriving, so sort of expected a below standard hotel. One thing I would not have been able to cope with was cold water and luckily for us we had hot water all the time we were there. We had two rooms one for us and one for my son. Housekeeping came every day to change our towels, but our pillow cases and bedding was not changed the whole week we were there. We saw towels thrown down in corners in dirt in the hallway on the ground floor from the housekeeping staff, which was far from impressive. The room was dated, but generally clean.

We were on the breakfast plan. We had breakfast at the Arawak Terrace every morning and was happy with breakfast. Our first night at the hotel due to it being late we had dinner at the Arawak Terrace at EC$77 each and thought it was too expensive as we only had a main meal. The next day we decided we would go into St Johns and check out some of the cheaper restaurants and if they delivered to the hotel. We found the Big Banana and the Food Court, but was not overally impressed with the Food Court, their food was a bit tasteless. At the beginning of the holiday we arrived on 28th April the staff at the Arawak Hotel were quite helpful, but gradually by the weekend and the Monday when we were leaving the staff had changed and were far from courteous and very slow in clearing our tables.

We only ventured to the Beach bar a few times in our stay there, probaly four times in total as we tend to buy all our drinks at the local supermarket 'Brisons' which was more value for money.

We had a bad experience with a taxi driver who took us to Shirley Heights, driving like a maniac the whole way and then when we pulled him up for overtaking he became very aggressive. We made a formal complaint to the guy in charge of the taxi service, who said he would speak to the President of the Taxi Association whom they all belonged to. We previously had been using a guy called Cole who was excellent and would have used him for Shirley Heights if the Hotel had made it clear that they would be using the taxi guys around the corner to take us all.

Generally speaking most of the Antiguans were friendly as we did take note of one website which said they all expected a good morning, good evening etc., We came across a few that were rude, the lady in charge of the toilets at Shirley Heights was very rude and the taxi driver who took us to Shirley Heights also.

We went on a Catamaran the Wadadli Cats which was excellent and found everyone associated with the crew absolutely fantastic and friendly so if you ever go to Antigua you must get in contact with that company, that was definitely the high-light of our holiday. The Captain Sheldon and the Crew and another guy whom we got his card Mario were fantastic.

There were vendors on Dickenson Bay beach, which we did not have a problem with as we've travelled in the Caribbean before and used to that, but found that a firm no, would suffice. We did have one problem with the Coconut Guy an older gentleman who used to hang out not far from the Beach Bar on the beach. We had to move and sit elsewhere as his mouth was foul, he did not seem to care that there were guests all around him and some of the things he was talking about was definitely not appropriate for that time.

Dickenson Bay beach is a pretty beach, but unfortunately the Halcyon Cove section was really dirty, the hotel staff did not take the chairs in, tidy up bottles, glasses etc., at the end of the night. Even the lounge could have done with some sweeping up.

The Hotel reception staff we found them all very helpful and nice, Ron, Heleen and there was another girl, lovely and very helpful.

We will definitely go back to Antigua again, but would not choose to stay at Halcyon Cove, we will definitely go for a higher star hotel. We met people from Galley Bay and The Verandah who said the service was impeccable at those hotels. Obviously whoever owns Rex Resorts has made his/her money and not concerned about making anymore, hence the poor standard of the hotel. We have plans to visit a few other Islands on the Eastern side and definitely will not book with another Rex Resorts after out experience in Antigua.

Also, it may do the Antiguans well to try and be polite to their guests as with all of the Caribbean Islands without tourism most of them would not survive, so a little courtesy and politeness and acknowledgement would not go a miss and this goes out to everyone who is in contact with tourists on a daily basis, assuming they wish to all stay in work.

This was booked as a timeshare exchange through RCI. I ended up paying to change my room from the booked and already paid for RCI exchange of a studio to what is considered a one bedroom. Supposedly there were "no other studios" in the timeshare area. The problem with the studio room was not the size, but the condition of the room. The bathtub was so rusted out that there were holes in the liner of the tub - not patched spots, not rust stains but literal holes. The grime and mold surrounding the tile work in the shower were just beyond what I could take. I know its the Caribbean and I know that dampness and moisture are issues, but this was just over the top. I paid $175 USD additional for the week for the new room which still showed the signs of age and lack of care but was at least clean enough to not freak me out. Still mold in the shower and rusted out tub but not to the point of not getting in it. The room had 2 double beds which appeared to be be fairly new and had clean linens. The AC worked well and we had hot water which I understand had been a problem for the last couple of months. I would guess the unit had been painted within the last year or so but the walls hadn't been cleaned before the paint so it looked like a half-hearted attempt at tidying the place up. But the place where years worth of dirt and grime showed the worst were the bathroom - especially the wall area around the toliet/sink where cobwebs were inches thick around the plumbing and in the corners. The kitchette area had a new coffee pot, an older microwave, and a small dorm size refridgerator. They had tons of cooking dishes and large plates which I didn't understand as there was no stove top, but no knives (sharp or otherwise) or can opener or drinking glasses. It was a strange mixture of kitchen things. The room had a couch which is supposed to fold out but is really more of a day bed or trundle style and would be difficult to sleep older kids on. The other thing that was really odd in the room was that the bedroom had no light other than one small dorm style light. Kind of made for a dark room - especially if more than one person wanted to read. The one bedroom did have a new looking wicker dresser, shelf space in a closet type area (a curtain over shelves) where as the studio did not have a dresser. There was a TV but I didn't watch it so I can't speak to whether or not it worked.
The hallway to the room was directly off the lobby. I can't believe I'm writing about a hallway but the condition of the hallway and carpet was so bad it deserves mentioning. The same piece of dental floss was on that carpet the entire week which goes to show it wasn't cleaned but it looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in over a year.
Some staff memebers were very pleasant (The Corner store) and some were downright rude. I usually don't comment of staff or rudeness as I know that it is subjective and certianly how one approaches a staff member can make or break an experience. I always start with a "good morning or good afternoon" followed by a how are you and waiting for a response before I launch into my request or question. I don't usually have a problem with rudeness, in fact I usually have staff who are very friendly to me as I am to them. But this time it wasn't the case. I'll just leave by saying that eye rolling and mumbled name calling were directed at a guest (not me) while I was waiting to check in and it didn't stop there. Not a great first impression. It was difficult to get a drink at the bar if more than one person wanted one and I never paid the same price twice even though I drink the same thing.
The pool was nice and they are working on the area. While I was here, they tore up the tile decking around one end, I assume this is to replace it. I'm sure it will look nice when its finished. There were also enough beach chairs and they were in pretty good condition, but we were there off season so I don't know how it would be if the resort were full. There are a lot of vendors on the beach the will ask you look at jewelry, hair brading, horseback riding, etc, but for the most part a polite "no thank you" was enough. I didn't like having someone come to the glass door of my room to "collect donations for the school".
Overall I was just very disappointed with my stay and I haven't mentioned the blatant drug use on property which I'll just say was open and obvious. I knew this resort had problems from reading other travel websites prior to going. But I'm not a fussy person and chalked the reviews up to unrealistic expectations - was I ever wrong! Antigua was a beautiful place and I wouldn't hesitate to go back - but not here.

We vacationed at the Halcyon Cove in February and before our trip we were a bit nervous because of all the bad reviews the resort had received. After returning from a week in pure paradise I couldn't disagree more with the negative comments.
I found the staff to be very friendly and warm - the location incredible - and the food was abundant and wonderful every day. The hotel needed some updating - but you could definately tell they were working on it and our bedroom was one of the updated ones. The bathroom was gorgeous and the bedroom was spacious with a king size bed and a fridge. We did experience a few luke-warm showers - but after a day in the sun it was actaully quite welcome.
We also must recommend that you rent a car and drive around the island one day. There are so many beautiful sites to see and many incredible beaches that are stunning. Our favorites were Coco Bay and Half Moon Bay.
I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel and Island to anyone looking for a Carribean vacation - but just remember if you don't like something about the hotel or area just remember that you are in the middle of paradise and just enjoy that you are lucky enough to be there.

The rooms at this place were last refurbished circa 1960, and although the brochure stated "recently refurbished", there wasnt much evidence of it.
Food restricted to a buffet that seldom changes, greasy chips for lunch, Pier restaurant closed most of the time.
Only one bar is open, a dilapidated structure next to the beach. Poor selection of drinks, every night there was something missing, e.g, draft beer, cranberry juice, martini.
Hotels anti-smoking policy is confusing. Manager told us we could smoke next to the beach bar, but when we did, were harassed by the (extremely rude and hostile)bar staff who told us it was not allowed anywhere except the beach. (We heard one American complaining about smoking on the beach!). When we returned to our room, we were constantly disturbed by violent arguments in a room upstairs. Most attempts to find the manager, or duty manager, or a senior person, were fruitless and frustrating.
There were numerous smokers gathered around the trees next to the toilet block!
Also on the beach, there are lots of beggars asking for money, cigarettes etc. Security people ignore them.
Although we went all inclusive, after two nights we ate out, and drank out, most of the time. I can recommend "The Beach" for good food and drinks. Note to Halcyon managers; visit this place to see how it should be done. Also "Putters" a great friendly bar with golf, pool and kids activities, great music and food.
In town, Coast and Hemingways are good places.
We like Antigua, but will not be going back to Rex Resorts, it is obvious that penny pinching by the management has resulted in poor quality food, lack of drinks, outdated and dirty decor and fittings, no hot water much of the time, the poorest quality of service I have ever seen, and a hotel that needs rebuilding. My advice; avoid Rex hotels if you can