We stayed at Galley Bay in December for 14 nights. We flew from the UK with Virgin Altlantic who were excellent (take advantage of the check-in chill-out at the end of your holiday). Immigration was a bit slow but no worse than other similar destinations.

The transfer took twenty minutes as advertised. We were met with cold towels and a rum punch. Check in was very smooth. Our cases were taken to our room and we were taken to the main reception on a golf buggy. We received a lovely welcome from our driver Daryl, who explained where everything was before taking us to our room. He asked my husband to cover my eyes as we walked into the room as it was so nice. The room was fab and stepped out right onto the beach. We booked a premium beachfront suite (room 19) which was virtually brand new. There was a massive bathroom and open plan bedroom and living area. We had double glazing so we weren't disturbed by the sea during the night. The wet bar was stocked with beer, water, Sprite and Coke and was restocked daily. We had a chilled bottle of Champagne waiting for us in the room with a little message congratulating us on our recent marriage. It wasn't named brand champagne but champagne it was.

I cannot believe that NatsUK stayed at Galley Bay at the same time as we did, as I disagree with almost all that is described in the review.

The beach was large, beautiful, clean and spacious with white powder sand. Whatever time of day you wanted to sunbathe, loungers were always available even around the pool area. The sea was rough at times. We stayed from the 5th Dec to the 19th Dec and had five red flag days. Sandflies were a pain.

The food and service were great. Lunch and dinner menus changed everyday in the Seagrape Restaurant and you had lots of choice at each mealtime. The Gaugin was also excellent (booking required for dinner). Mike and Heather, the restaurant managers were exceptional. On Wednesday evenings the hotel held a managers cocktail party. On Thursday evenings there was a Caribbean BBQ.

The Teepee bar and the Seagrape Lounge Bar were very well stocked with branded and top shelf spirits. Wine was served by the glass (not the best but the Cabernet was drinkable). Nola, behind the bar made a very wicked bloody mary!

There was entertainment each night in the form of live music. It was a relief not to have an animation team mithering you all the time and be surrounded by civilised people who enjoyed nice food, drink and conversation.

Dress was smart casual (no jeans). Men wore trousers and shirts with collars after 7pm. Ladies can wear most things.

The spa was small but very good. We had a complimentary massage and I also booked a French pedicure.

Guest Service were very helpful and efficient. We used them to book an excellent boat trip with a local boat company called Wadadli Cats who stopped on the beach at 08:50 most mornings to pick up passengers.

One thing I must warn people about was the boat trip to Barbuda. The excellence power catarmaran was big, spacious and beautful with an excellent crew but boy was the crossing rough. I have never been as frightened. The passengers were literally clinging on for two and a half hours. Not for non-swimmers or people who suffer from sea sickness. Warning signs should have been picked up from a local taxi man who took us the the port in St Johns but I didnt pick up on the clues - perhaps just as well. Barbuda was stunning but sadly the crossing was too much for me (and I dont suffer from motion sickness).

Antigua was a beautiful island with friendly people. Feel free to hire a car and explore if thats your thing ( be careful around St Johns as its quite busy at times). The off road island safari is good if you want to see the interior, but I would recommend the classic tour if you like history.

Shirley Heights was a little over rated but worth a go.

I would definitely return.

I'm very concerned that guests going to Galley Bay would be as uspet as we were to find that there is no glass in ANY of the rooms other that the top superior quality ones!!

This meant that our room, which badly need a complete overhaul, had all Gods creatures flying in and out through the slats and biting us!!

So beware, dear traveller, ASK IF YOUR ROOM HAS GLASS IN ITS WINDOWS!!

We stayed at Galley Bay in December 07. I was a little worried about going all inclusive, but reading these reviews on the food I was quite excited. I also booked the premium beachfront room so was expecting great things all round.

When we first arrived at the resort we were greeted by a great host who really made us feel welcome. Our bags were taken from us and we were given our first rum punch of the week (was addicted to these by day two).

The room was great, very big with a fantastic bathroom (walk in double shower and a bath the size of a small pool). The only problem was that although we were right on the beach we had a second floor room so could not walk straight onto the beach and had no direct view of the sea due to lots of trees. Also, half way through the week our toilet flooded, not fun at 2am! This was fixed, but in true 'go slow' caribbean style.

My main disappointment was the food. Having been to Barbados already this year, I should not have expected the same as those restaurants. The breakfast was ok, but the menu was pretty much all eggs. The lunch in the main restaurant was the best meal of the day as you did have lots of choice. However, the evening meal in both restaurants was terrible. The menu was very limiting, and the actual food was very bad. We even paid extra for the lobster one evening, but the thermador came with a mushroom souce.. bizzare!

The staff we very nice especially Nola at the bar. The sea was very rough so you could not swim in it. There was also not much of a beach so you had to be careful that your sunbed did not get washed out to sea! It was also very windy in the bay so you were subjected to the odd sandstorm.

Overall it was ok. I would probably try a different resort and hope for a better meal or just do BB and eat out.

We stayed at Galley Bay from December 9 through December 15. Our stay was very pleasant and we recommend this resort for people seeking to unwind and relax. We thought the rooms were nice and the staff was excellent. Very pleasant and accommodating. The food and service is very solid. My advice is to enjoy the resort and do not seek to compare it to a 5 star resort (such as Four Seasons/Ritz Carlton). If you do so, you will be disappointed. Kudos to Mike Matthews at the Seagrape, Nola who does it all and Ian who is the duty manager. Everyone is pleasant and believe you will not regret your choice if you decide to go. Please remember to bring bugspray with Deet and understand that the sea is often rough. You can swim in it but cannot float on a raft.