We booked the holiday before seeing the reviews so were horrified by what to expect. The reality was we had a fantastic holiday and will definately return.

Yes, the hotel is not brilliant but very adequate. The re-painting in brown does not help and there is not much atmosphere, but we had a nice (superior)room air conditioned with balcony and sea view which was clean with a very comfortable large bed. The bathroom however was bad with rust stained bath and leaking taps.

The location is fantastic and the staff lovely. Great value for money, better beach and it had shades which Sandals didn't. Dickenson's Bay is probaly the best location because of the great beach and the facilities it has to offer and is close to St John's.
Most of the other hotels are on isolated beaches without anything around and Taxis are very expensive. 20USD each way to St John's which was only 10 min drive.

By going room only and paying for breakfast (which was good), we had the freedom to eat out and are glad we did. Both 'The Beach' and Coconut Grove were great restaurants with good food and atmosphere and the 10 min stroll along the beach in the moonlight was a joy.
The restaurants are quite expensive but it still worked out less than paying for all inclusive with much better food and atmosphere and an evening out. OK you don't get 'free' drinks all day, but you have more choice and the bar on the beach serves great coctails and the guys who work it are great fun.

Antigua and it's people are lovely and so much nicer than Barbados. It is worth hiring a car and seeing the island which can be done in a day and Nelson's Dockyard / English Harbour is a must. As all the other reports suggest, Shirley Heights on a Sunday evening is also a must.

Despite it's shortcomings, we will return to Halcyon Cove for a good value holiday on a superb beach on a beautiful island with lovely local people. If you enjoy water skiing as I do, you can't do better with a 2 mile stretch of flat water, a good boat and good driver. Terry at the Halcyon Cove watersports centre is excellent. Other guys who deserve a mention are Marvin who organised our Shirley Heights trip and Marley at the beach bar just down from the hotel.

My wife and I have been very fortunate to have travelled extensively both with my work and on vacation to places that include Mauritius, Seychelles, Bali, Barbados, Phuket, Thailand, Goa / India, South Africa, Madagascar, USA, Hong Kong, China, Australia and most European destinations but Antigua is the best!

I have just returned from a week at Halcyon Cove with my girlfriend and had a very pleasant stay.
It is not perfect but very good value for money. As everyone says, the beach is one of the best on the island with good watersport facilities. We kayaked and sailed a catamaran (for an extra charge). Small dingy sailing was free.
The food was excellent, either the usual buffet with different themes or the daily lunch barbeque by the sea. Dinner was a barbeque on Saturday night also. We met North Americans who were unhappy with no choice of restaurants and the lack of burgers, fries and pizza. If you are looking for that kind of diet then this is not the place for you. The truth is that it was excellent fresh, healthy food with plenty of options. The fresh fish barbequed to order for lunch was a highlight - delicious ! I think '8 ball' was the really good fish chef.
The Warri Pier serves dinner some nights but on the night we tried they were less than welcoming. the food was ok and the setting good but the attitude of the staff off putting. We did experience similar in the main restaurant when we ate a bit later, maybe finishing after 9:30. The staff are obviously keen to get home and service drops off somewhat. Most people seem to eat around 7:30 so would not experience this problem and it wasn't bad enough to stop me revisiting. Most times the staff were polite and helpful.
After moving from a room with a connecting door which was noisy with the TV from next door, we were happy with the room and view we had. Fantastic big comfortable bed and it was very quiet at night, which as a light sleeper is important for me. No need to use the aircon, just leave the veranda door open and enjoy the night breeze. All in all a happy stay with the beach and beach restaurant areas the highlights (see pictures).

My beloved and I went to the Rex H C from March 4 to Mar 11. I too was wondering what it would be like after reading some of the reviews, but two things persuaded us to try this place - - a special price cut for beachfront rooms (all inclusive) and the photos of the beach. The beach is only steps away (no steep grades, long walks, etc.), fairly wide and beautiful, one of the best I've seen in the Caribbean. Not only did we have enough chaises, tiki shelters, etc., but we even had surf enough to ride some waves...nothing like the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but still interesting. The food was excellent. It was totally different every day (except for breakfast, which still had great choices and the omelettes cooked to order was really quite good!). The food was hot, prepared well, diverse, interesting selections, and really quite good. The quality was definitely a cut above most buffets. One night there was a seafood buffet and it was really quite good, even had oyster rockefeller and clams casino! Lunches are available at the beach - - fresh tuna, kingfish grilled, hamburgers, veggies, dessert, etc. Drinks were good IF you asked them to go heavy on the rum, or whatever you were drinking. Towels for the beach were plenty and plush. The staff were outgoing but not pushy; they were ALWAYS helpful and quite willing to do what they could to make the vacation a good one. Several staff were extraordianry and should get raises! (Yes, I told the mgt.) So the reviews I had seen concerning all those things seemed like they were really wide of the mark.

If you are thinking about going all inclusive, I recommend it. We had never done that before, but it was very convenient. Taxi prices and car rentals are pricey at Antigua, and all my wife and I wanted to do was chill out on the beach for a week, so all inclusive worked out really well. You can't beat just walking off the beach and getting drinks any time you want them.. . or pigging out on desserts or having 25 oysters rockefeller.

The only thing we ran into which was not great was the room itself. It was like an aged franchise motel room, quite satisfactory but bordering being basic, not as basic as a room at the French Garden in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka (that's basic! good, but basic), but still adequate. furnished adequately, with acceptable plumbing (no fancy shower heads, etc., everything functional). The AC ran wide open all the time and was barely adequate but would be completely inadequate in the summer. I would not go to the Rex H C in the summer unless you get some advance assurance from them about the AC. The king bed survived and actually was quite comfortable. Housekeeping did an excellent job keeping the room clean, free of sand, clean towels, etc.

I absolutely recommend the Rex H C so long as you do not expect the room itself to be a 5 star room.

My Girlfriend and I have just returned from a great week at the Rex. After reading the reviews we were both a little nervous about what to expect. On arrival the staff at the front desk were very welcoming and provided a welcome glass of fruit punch while we checked in. we booked a superior room which was comfortable, spacious and kept very clean. The bed was huge and very comfortable. The air conditioning did seem a little old and noisy but it did a good job in keeping the room nice and cool.
The beach is simply stunning while the beach vendors are polite and a simple "No Thanks" does the trick. There were always plenty of available beds and shaded areas around both the pool and the beach, and the gardens were very well kept.
We stayed on an all inclusive basis and found this to be good value as the prices of both food and drink listed in the different bars and restaurants seemed pretty high. The standard of food we found to be very good, its all buffet style in the Arawak Restaurant but a la carte is available at the Warri Pier for an extra charge. I must give a special mention to Chef Orlan who works at Breakfast and not only makes great omelette's, but seems to really enjoy serving people and makes you feel very welcome!

All in all I would say that the hotel is indeed a 3 star, and as long as you arent expecting 5 star Sandals style treatment and accomodation then you will have a great time.