We got married at Galley Bay just over two weeks ago and the wedding and whole holiday/honeymoon experience was wonderful!

From the moment we arrived (where we were greeted with a much needed rum punch and the instruction to 'stop working now'), we felt like we were in paradise. The staff are welcoming and friendly, the food and drink was amazing, the location beautiful and every day we had to pinch ourselves when we woke up and stepped out of our room onto an amazing beach in front of a dazzling turquoise sea!

Our wedding day was wonderful and completely exceeded our expectations and Ernestine, the wedding co-ordinator took care of everything for us. After the ceremony and photos, we enjoyed a bottle of champagne on the beach while watching the sunset, then ate at the best table in the Gauguin restaurant (not that any of the tables are bad!), ending the night by dancing to a steel band! Perfect!

It is impossible to explain to someone who has not been there what is so amazing about Galley Bay, but so many of the people that we met were on their second, third, even tenth visits, so I guess that speaks for itself.

We really can't think of anything negative. The sea was loud, but it was a background noise that we loved just like the crickets! Service was occasionally slow, but we weren't in any hurry!! The building works were discreet and hardly noticeable. And while we appreciated that the rooms were not equivalent to a UK/US style rating, we thought they were lovely, clean and comfortable.

And the appearance of a huge leatherback turtle on the beach on our last night summed up the whole 12 nights...absolutely amazing!!!

My wife an I stayed at Galley Bay for a week and a half, to celebrate our 11th anniversary. I have to say it really was fantastic. We were in one of the Gaugin cottages, and it was just perfect. The effort that these people put in, to keep the resort looking spotless, is incredible! If you get up early in the morning, you'll find an army of people picking-up dead leaves, pressure-washing everything in sight, and brushing the sand back onto the beach (I kid you not)! Luckily they'll all vanish long before breakfast time. Ah ... breakfast. The food was great- the menus were pretty varied, and there's a choice of restaurants. Staff were efficient and friendy. The beach was perfect (and the colour of the sea!), the pool likewise. Honesty, I'm struggling to find anything bad to write about Galley Bay, it was a wonderful holiday. Go there! Now!

This is the BEST beach we have ever visited for many reasons.

1.) PRIVATE/SECLUDED- Not a lot of people at all and lots of space on the mile long beach. No locals bothering.
2.) WAVES- very little when we were there.... meant you can go right in and within a few steps be at 4ft deep and be able to stay.
3.) NATURAL LOOK - You see sand and water
4.) EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE - People who visit have been there several times and understand to be nice, be quiet, and enjoy.

Galley Bay does beach vacationing right. We love when a company aviods placing a big hotel on a small beach and understands places like this should be like a Corona commercial. The rooms are right on the ocean, great views, and kept clean. Everything you need is there and when you need them to restock the mini, they do ASAP.

Faults - Well, if you had to find some you could say the food could use a little Jalousie Plantation (St. Lucia) kick! It was OK, but nothing amazing. A few of the folks working there don't act like "Disney" employees, but no one was rude. Most were very pleasant!! You also smell, around 4:00AM, the daily burning of the island trash near by. Doesn't last long I promise. The Coco Locos are a great drink and the weekend BBQ was the best of the week. If they wanted to add a star, beachside bar service could be a big plus.

If you are trying to find a beach vacation after seeing a Corona commercial, this is the place. No doubt!

HonestBC

Bryan & Collette

We spent 10 nights at Galley Bay in early March (our first visit to Antigua), after deliberating over brochures and Trip Advisor reviews for weeks.

Our premium beachfront room was well worth the money, it was newly built (although it didn't have a safe - slightly annoying to have to get your jewellery etc from Reception every day) and the view of the sea, beach and palm trees was pure paradise. The room itself was very spacious, and the sunbeds on the balcony are bliss, particularly in the evening to watch the sun go down. Bathroom was huge, with a double shower, corner bath, two sinks and vast amounts of towels. Minibar was free, and stocked each day, but only with water, Coke, Sprite and local beer.

The food at the 2 restaurants was outstanding (and I have to say, we never had slow service - in fact, there were times when we wanted to linger more over our dinner!). The menus changed daily at The Seagrape and the fish was always excellent. The wine was surprisingly ok too. The Gauguin was also good, but we found it lacked atmosphere - even the romantic one it was trying to create. Breakfasts were the best - yes, there were a lot of egg dishes but you could have a continental breakfast if you wanted. Eggs Manhattan was our particular favourite, poached eggs and smoked salmon on bagels - fantastic! And the french toast. And the pancakes...

We tended to go to bed early, and get up early as the lure of the beach was to much to resist, but some may find the lack of nightlife a bit boring (didn't bother us). You could always find someone to sit and drink with in the Teepee Bar, though!

The sea was a little rough at times - the waves were fun though -but we were able to swim every day. No sign of any jellyfish, and yes, we did get bitten by mosquitoes and sandflies but no worse than on previous European holidays.

The staff were very friendly, and always willing to chat. We can also vouch for Sean, who arranges boat trips etc on the beach - he took us out on a speedboat for snorkelling, and he is very entertaining and knows the island well. We also went out on a jeep safari with Happy Trails, again I would recommend them - we had a very enjoyable day and a whistlestop tour.

So would we go back? You bet!! Just as soon as we can afford it again...