The food looked so hideous we didn't even try it (oh and one of the two restaurants was closed), the decor in both the rooms and elsewhere is tired and in places so old ingrained dirt was lodged in (including in the bathroom and the bedroom floor tiles you had to walk on). The services of the reception staff was ok in the circumstances, but some of the bar staff were frankly rude. The hotel is run on such a shoe string when the island had a power outage there was no one on site to start up the hotel's generator, so tourists, including those with families were in pitch darkness for several hours on one occasion. While we were there the amount of complaints lodged with the hotel that we knew of was incredible and we know of at least one couple who were moved to another hotel because standards were so bad. My advice - do not waste your money on this hotel, if its not shut down on health and safety grounds alone I'd be surprised. Also if you are thinking of taking children there I wouldn't bother - despite the adviertised activities nothing is really available so children are left to to a rather unappealing looking swimming pool or the sea (that we didn't go into because it looked and smelt like sewage was being pumped into it).

We have just returned from the Halcyon Cove hotel. As previous reports have stated, it is a nice hotel with good beaches, and the staff are very helpfull.
It was also fantastic that the hotel was Non-Smoking!
Our gripes are:
Transportation is limited and expensive. No busses or ZR! Only option is taxi, which is $12us (£6.50) into St John about 3 miles! ($24us round trip)
Bathrooms are in need of refurbishment! (They were always clean though with fresh towels)
Restaurant was unbearably hot! (No problem with the food)
If you are on Room only basis, we found food and drinks expensive! (Coffee beaker of beer $us3 £1.70 about £5.00 per pint! Breakfast about £11.)
Up grade to All-inclusive is $us80 (£45) per person per day. Both in room have to sign up! Min 5 days but we bartered to 3 days!

I have hust returned from staying at the Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts, and have to say that it was a great holiday. The staff were friendly, polite and helpful, the room was clean and comfortable. The food was good, and I could always find something I liked even though I am not a lover of barbecued food. Prior to going to this hotel, I had read reviews on this site, and wondered what I had let myself in for. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the negative reports were wrong.
Some areas of the hotel are being refurbished, but that does not remove the general care and attention given to guests.
Would I go back YES
Would I recommend it YES

We stayed at the Halcyon at the end of August this year. There were eight of us, two families of two adults and two children. One of the main reasons we booked the Halcyon was because of the kids’ club facilities, this was to prove disappointing. On arrival at the hotel we received an upgrade to a poolside room which was very comfortable and clean.

August is the end of the season and the hotel was quite quiet, but this suited us. On the whole the staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfast and evening meals in the hotel restaurant were of high quality and the menus did rotate over the two weeks were there so we didn’t feel as if they were repetitive. I do agree with other reviews that the restaurant was too hot and needs air conditioning.

The lunches at the pool side bar are more that just a BBQ, you can have fish, chicken and salads, as well as macaroni and other pasta dishes, if people choose to eat burgers and chips every day they could, but I don’t go to the Caribbean to do that, try something local like king fish, you wont be disappointed. At 4pm you also can tea, homemade cake and sandwiches at the beach bar.

The service at the beach bar was good and the local beer and rum-punch made the afternoons slip by in a pleasant haze!! Be aware that the beach bar doesn’t open until 10.30, we had children with us and if you want a drink after breakfast you have to go to the restaurant.

The beach is lovely, and if you do not want the beach vendors to bother you just a polite ‘no thank you’ will suffice. If you have a hat made from the local palms be sure to get Ragga-Muffin to do it, he is a great entertainer. Be aware that there is a lot of broken glass in the sea around the Warri Pier restaurant, we reported this to the management and they promised to have it cleared.

The evening entertainment wasn’t that great, but we were at the end of the season. The children’s club was a waste of time, the room wasn’t air conditioned, there were no structured entertainment plans and the kids were left to just draw or watch the T.V. This was a great disappointment to us as this was one of the main reasons for booking this resort. We were lucky in that we travelled with friends and our children played together. Shirley Heights on a Sunday is a must, as is St Johns and Nelsons Dockyard. Also, try Devils Bridge and Half Moon Bay.

Overall we had a fantastic holiday, some of the rants on this site don’t do the place justice, and I have tried to be balanced and honest. I wouldn’t go back but this is only because I have been to Antigua twice now and I will try other islands.