I stayed at the Halcyon between 22/8 and 5/9 with my Wife and 2 kids aged 4 and 9, booked through Virgin holidays. I was impressed as I'd read a lot of bad reviews about this place and wasn't really looking foward to going but as soon as we arrived in the airy reception and handed a fruit punch I forgot all about the reviews and made up my own mind about the place. The pool was ok but needed a lot more cleaning during the day and not just at night or early morning. We stayed in a beach front room which was excellent with 2 rooms and 2 tvs!! food was good apart from the lunchtime BBQ which was the same day after day and if your all inclusive there isn't arywhere else to go. The Warri Pier is a great place to go and have breakfast feeding the fish with bread as the kids did on a daily basis, didn't go there for an evening meal but would had liked to. Beach is just beautiful with lots of watersports to do or just soak up the rays looking out to sea. Our only problem was the pool/beach bar ran out of beer/sprite/coke and a few others during luchtime and none of the staff seemed worried or bothered about this happening. The 'guest services' chap called Fenton was a real top guy, really funny and great with the kids, he seemed to do everything from bell boy to evening entertainment.

Me and my boyfriend (both aged 19) stayed at the Rex Halcyon Cove in Antigua for 1 week and it definately wasn't long enough. We had a fantastic stay! Dickenson's Bay was beautiful and the hotel surpassed our expectations.

On arrival we were given an ice cold complimentary rum punch which was delicious and as it was my birthday we were upgraded (free of charge and without even asking) to an executive suite which had a sea view, we found the reception staff both helpful and friendly.

We were all inclusive and so ate in the hotel for the duration of our stay, we found the food to be great and there was a cook there called Orland who would could your eggs at breakfast however you wanted them, they were perfect everyday!!! I would recommend, however, that you go for your meal as soon as it opens and then all food is piping hot and there is lots of choice because it hasn't all been eaten! We did eat on the Warri Pier Restaurant one night and found it quite expensive but we really enjoyed our meal. We found the waitresses very polite and helpful, I feel that if you are nice to them then they will treat you with respect also and we personally found them very friendly. They gave me an excellent tip of wiping cold beer on to my mosquito bites, as I had 30 (and yes I did use jungle strength bug spray which I applied several times throughout the day) I found the relief from the itching a God send!

We spent most of our time on the beach and a small amount of time by the pool. We also booked a trip before we arrived in Antigua over the internet with a group called Adventure Antigua and we booked Eli's Eco Tour, we had the best day ever, we got to snorkel and visit Bird Island and Devil's Gate which separates the Atlantic from the Caribbean Sea. All snorkelling equipment, drinks and dinner were included and the food was really delicious, I would recommend trying plantain which is a sweet banana that has to be cooked before eating. I would definately recommend this trip over the circum nav tour and the Wadidli Cats as on this trip they limit the numbers to about 20 so that you get a more personal experience. Erin, David and One Love (who took the tour) were all really friendly and very funny. We also went to Shirley's Heights on Sunday which was fantastic, the view was amazing and the steel band even got my boyfriend dancing, which is impressive!!! It is a must visit.

As we are both only 19 it took a lot of saving up to go to Antigua as it wasn't cheap for us but we certainly weren't disappointed at all, far from it. It was the best holiday we have had so far.

My vacation was ruined after someone from the restaurant staff stole my purse. I had left it hidden under the table while having breakfast and discovered I had forgotten it once I had returned to my room 10 minutes later. My husband immediately returned to the restaurant and much to our surprise no one had seen a thing....that is very hard to believe since it was close to the end of breakfast and only a few people remained in the restaurant. I may be wrong but I believe that the waiter scooped it up when she removed the table cloth. I reported the incident to the manager who promised to check up on me to see if I was able to replace my medication at the local pharmacy and haven't heard anything from him to this day....apparently my problem wasn't his. Antigua is a beautiful island to visit but sticky fingers always have the tendency to ruin vacations. I didn't expect to receive my cash money back but I did expect the thief to leave my car/house/office keys, medication, cell phone and drivers license somewhere to be found....he/she just took it all.

I had a wonderful experience at the Halcyon. The rooms were, clean and larger than most, with a balcony, closet safe, tub/shower, TV with cable, and excellent air conditioning. The floors, in the caribbean tradition are ceramic tile. The resort was on beautiful Dickinson Bay, right next door to the very expensive Sandles. So you get to use the same beautiful beach. There are several other hotels and and restaurants on this beach. But plenty of room for all. I prefered not to do the all inclusive because I wanted to sample other restaurants. If you do this be sure ot check out the Coconut Grove, about a 10 minute beach walk form Halcyon. I had my best dinner there of fresh tuna so deliciously seasoned I could have licked the plate. Another beach resaturant called the Beach is also very nice.

It is true the fixtures in the bathroom were a littel out of date, but worked just fine and I had PLENTY of hot water. A few years ago I stayed at the Rex, Hawksbill resort in Antigua. This hotel is rated 4 star while Halcyon was only 2 1/2. I can't figure this out as I think the Halcyon was much much nicer and not so remote, and better beach. Really this hotel should be rated higher then 2 1/2 stars.

Several evenings while I was there the hotel had a steel pan band in an area near the pool. Had a beach bar and plenty of room for dancing. The staff was exceptionally friendly and ready to help with any needs. They can even exchange US dollars for Eastern Caribbean at about the same rate as banks. When I was there the rate was one US =$2.67 EC, But you really can get by just fine using US. Almost everything uses both prices, including the taxi drivers. These are the nicest taxi drivers I've ever met. One that took me to town, even met me inside the grocery store and hleped carry the groceries out. One thing beware. There is a $20 departure tax that EVERYONE must pay before you board your plane leaving, so be sure you save enough cash to cover this as they don't take checks or credit cards!

I was a singel woman traveler in Antigua for a meeting. I felt very save and even walked Dickinson Beach after dark with some other ladies, getting to restaurants for dinner.
This beach, like most of the Caribbean are the best for swimming. Clean, clear, warm and beautifully blue!