we had booked a fortnight in the Bahamas 14 months ago but at the last minute it had to be cancelled due to hurricane Frances. the only other place in the carribbean that could be booked at such short notice was the Rex Halcyon in Antigua. We went fully inclusive for 10 days and it was wonderful. i was a bit worried having read some of the reviews here before we went, but they must have been staying at a different place to us.

the rooms were very clean, the maid even picked up and folded our clothes which we felt a bit embarrased about so kept our room a bit tidier after that. All of the staff were so friendly and helpful, we had clean towels every day and could borrow huge towels for use by the pool or the beach.

The beach was fantastic, very clean and safe, no one felt nervous about leaving their belongings by their sunbed while going for a swim, even going for something to eat. the food was very good quality, but it was all quite the same and you did get bored of it after 10 days.

The resort was mainly couples, with me and my friend being two of the only single people there at the time, but all the waiters and men who worked there paid special attention to us. i can't understand it myself as there are plenty of women to go around with a ratio of 1 man to every 7 women on the island.

we saw most of the evening entertainment, which was ok for the older audience but not quite lively enough for the younger people. there were hardly any children when we went which is good if you dont want screaming children around.
one of the best nights was a steele band and a limbo dancer that turned into a fire eater. he became a little scary when he kept dropping the fire on the carpet, especially when he jumped up on our table looking like he was going to set my nylon lined dress on fire with one quick blow, but after screaming so loud as i feared for my life he soon jumped off our table and went back to doing some weird dance and dropping his fire stick on the floor again. it was so funny i haven't laughed so much for ages, especially when we kept remembering it as we were meant to be going to sleep. the funniest thing was when people said to us after that they had seen us scream at the fire man and thought it was hilarious too!

the resort can organise lots of trips for you which is good. one of the best that we did was a trip up to Shirley Heights on a sunday night. it is on top of a cliff with fantastic views, with a barbeque, steele band and a live band as well, playing reggae music. for those looking for a bit more life that the resort it was wonderful, we felt so alive, we danced all night and even bought some maracas to join in!

we also went on a jeep safari around the island, into the rainforest, kayaking through the mangroves to a private beach where we had lunch, then snorkelling to find a baracuda! it was a fantastic day, especially when we were talked into kayaking under a pier and we got stuck!!!!

we had a wonderful holiday here, definately one to remember and would recommend it to anyone!

I was unfortunate to stay at the Rex Halcyon Cove hotel in May of this year. I work in the Travel Industry and as such have travelled extensively. This hotel rates as one of the worst I have stayed in. The room we were shown on our arrival was basic to say the least and at the top of six flights of stairs (no Lift). As soon entered the room the porter told us immediatly that we could upgrade at a cost of 10usd per person per night. I had already been told at time of booking that if it was available I would get a free upgrade, it seemed it was available but not free. We had not alternative but to upgrade as the room was awful. On talking to many of the other disgruntled clients I found out they too had been shown this self same room and told they too could upgrade!!! What an interesting scam. The staff were rude, I was shouted at by one waitress for asking a fellow guest where he got his tea jug. The facilities were old and tired, some fellow guests were on their 5th room in 7 days, the reception staff arrogant and rude, there were no contigency plans for bad weather, all the bars where closed during extended rain storms, excellent value for all inclusive guests and the pier restaurant, it's a wonder it's still standing. The pillars holding it up are almost eroded away. I thank god I was only booked for one week. On my return I sent a letter detailing my complaints, along with the compulsory guest survey to Rex resorts and didn't even get a reply. This is one place and one Company I will not be recommending to my 50000 client base.

Lets be honest now, you booked through virgin and got a £600 discount and still expected 5 star luxury, attentive staff at your beck and call and fine dining???
My wife, four year old daughter and I stayed here first two weeks of july and had a good holiday with plenty of memories to take home. We met some great people, hi allan, rita ,rachel and chris and tina.
The truth is as most reviews state the rex is in need of some TLC and a bit of investment to take it in the direction of what it could be.
The staff on duty all try hard and we never found them to be in anyway unhelpful or rude and they all were fantastic with the many kids that were around the resort.
We found the food to be of a reasonable standard but were dissapointed that you were tied to times for meals which isn't ideal with kids who dont always want to eat at set times, the selecetion of food was also not very kid friendly but we were made aware on the 12 day of our holiday there is a kids menu you only have to ask!!
The warri is great for lunch and we found it to to very good for dinner, on the night we visited we had excellent lobster and steak.

We booked a superior room which was large, airy and comfortable and any issues we had were dealt with in the usual carribean way i.e. it got done eventually but we did hear a few people complaining that the standard rooms were of poor quality.

The beach is fantastic with clear water and also the way it slopes we were happy to let our 4 year old play in the water on her own as we always had an undisturbed view of what trouble she was up to!!
p.s. kids club great according to ellis

Highly recommend the dolphin fantaseas visit but book it yourself by phoning their number and you will be able to get younger kids for a better price than offered at the hotel also book for the first group of the day as we had only 6 people in our group whilst the next one had in excess of a dozen and also at that time it starts getting very hot and there is limited shelter.

If you venture in to St Johns banana pizza is great for lunch and hemmingways on the verandha is great for a bit of people watching, visit the market behind the bandstand for some souvenirs to take home.

Would we go back to be honest as a last minute discounted deal yes, as a save up all year holiday probably not, having visited Barbados on numerous occassions I feel that once is enough for Antigua.

feel free to email any questions

We just returned from a wonderful stay at the Rex in August of 04. The staff was very friendly and we had no problems. The food could use improvement, but I may not be the best to say as I am pregnant and picky about what I eat now. The beach was amazing, absolutely beautiful!!! The room we stayed in was great, it was a superior poolside room and we never saw the standard room. We had a mini fridge under the TV in our room and I think that comes with that room. Over all I would definatly return to this hotel it was a great experiance, Antugua was wonderful,