We visited Galley Bay for the second time, staying for 10 nights from 16th April 08. Last year we had stayed 7 nights and this really wasn't enough! The place is so fabulous, that we are already planning to return next year for a longer stay!

This year we requested, and got, one of the new ground floor premium suites. We were warmly welcomed back and received a bottle of champagne in our room. We highly recommend the premium suites; they are simply the best!

We cannot speak highly enough of this resort, but the thing that makes it extra special is the wonderful people you meet there, from staff to guests. The staff are lovely, I could mention many, but those that stand out are Natasha, Levique, Kerrie, Kerrian, Quasian and of course, Ernestine. We met some wonderful guests and spent lovely evenings socialising in the bar!

The food was as always, excellent; we especially enjoyed Ismays; great service and lovely local food. The entertaintment was great , especially the steel band "Westside" - Simon Cowell, you had better get out there and snap them up!

The days we spent there will stay in our hearts for ever. Every time we look at our photographs, we look forward to our return. So many of the guests are repeat visitors that this must be an indication of how good the resort is!

I could go on - and on, but I'll finish by thanking everyone who made our stay so special; from Andy and Kathie who we met and spent time with, to Julia and Andrew who shared their anniversary champagne with us! And finally, thank you to the leatherback turtle who hauled herself up the beach to lay her eggs. A truly memorable sight!

Go there - you'll not regret it!

My husband and I recently stayed at Galley Bay for our honeymoon. We were there for 9 nights (April 28-May 7) and couldn't have asked for a better experience. We stayed in the new premium beachfront suites, on the first floor. These suites have all new upgrades and modern amenities - alarm clock w/ ipod docking station, flat screen tv's, a/c, ceiling fans, very comfortable king size bed, plenty of drawer/closet space, huge bathroom, double sinks, huge bathtub, double showers. Outside the sitting area is a small patio with 2 cushioned chaise lounges, and the beach is right off there. We never had a problem finding lounge chairs for the beach. People tend to move them (closer to the water or out of the shade) but they are returned nightly by security. Towels are provided daily by housekeeping. It was nice not to have to exchange towels each day or only be allowed one per person. The beach was beautiful. It was slighly rough on a few days (the red flag indicating the waters might not be very safe was up for the first 3 days of our visit as well as 2-3 other days during our 9 day stay). The waves crash right on the beach making it difficult to get in/out. Definitely try the watersports offered. The kayaks and hobie cats are a lot of fun and an instructor will out with you and help you get adjusted.

The food was great! The menus at Ismay's and Gauguin never changed, but offered a nice variety and the specials (i.e., soup of the day, catch of the day) did change. They both serve lunch until 5pm which was nice, allowing us enough time to digest breakfast without having to rush to lunch! Breakfast at the Seagrape was always cooked to order (with a buffet style offering of cold cereals, fruit, croissants, muffins, juice). They had a daily pancake special offered as well. All food was cooked to order and the wait staff was great about leaving certain ingredients out, or making substitutions. I feel like I gained 20 pounds...but it was definitely worth it!

We rented a car for a day, arranged by guest services, and chose to drive around the island and explore. The streets are beyond confusing, but it was really nice to go off on our own. I'd reccommend going into St. John's as well. They offer a shuttle for $20 US/couple that will leave the hotel at 9am and pick you up from St. Johns at noon. Plenty of time to shop and walk around and very convenient.

We actually got married at the St. James and had about 25 family/friends on the island with us. While in Antigua we had a private charter with Wadadli Cats - only $75/person for the whole day with an open bar and a great lunch. They were great and it is a fun way to see the island. I would definitely recommend this! At Galley Bay, the Wadadli Cat will pick you up right on the beach, so it is very convenient. We also did the Rainforest Canopy Tour (ziplines) and had a great time. Some people in our group were slower than others, but it was such a unique experience. If you do the ziplining, definitely do the challenge course that is offered (its a series of 9 ropes course type challenges but only offered if you're over 5 ft tall I think).

Many people have said a lot about mosquitos on the island. I had a series of bites only on my legs after our first nights dinner. They itched occassionally, especially after being in the sun, but went away after 4-5 days and I never got bit again. We did apply bug spray every night before dinner. Definitely bring your own because the gift shop is quite expensive (I think sunscreen was close to $20 US...so pack lots of that as well!).

The internet room was very convenient as well. There are 2 Dell computers with free internet access, both hooked up to a printer. We chose to leave our laptop at home (though they do have wireless internet as well), so it was great to be able to occassionally check emails.

Overall, we had a great time and would definitely stay at Galley Bay the next time we visit Antigua. If anyone has any questions about my review, or something I might have left out, I welcome you to contact me through tripadvisor. Happy Travels!!

We spent our honeymoon week at Galley Bay (April 20-27)after spending at great week at the St.James's Club where we got married with 18 of our friends and family joining us for the week.)We were in need of some alone time by the time everyone left...

We were greeted with a cold refreshing cloth and a delicious glass of rum punch upon our arrival.We filled in some paperwork and then we were off on a golf buggy .We were given a small yet informative tour on the way to our room. Much to our surprize we had been upgraded to a premium suite from the deluxe room that we had booked!

We were in one of the new suites on the second floor. We loved the vaulted ceilings! The suite was very spacious and the bathroom was huge-I used the soaker tub every night,it was fabulous to sink into at the end of the night.

We arrived to a complimentary bottle champagne and were shown around our room.About 20 minutes into our stay our phone started ringing every 10-15 minutes once and then stopping. We called guest services and in less than 15 minutes someone was there to look at it.Seems water had got into the line and a technician would only to be able to fix it in the morning. We told them we would unplug it for the evening and plug it back in upon rising.

We went for dinner and then on our way back to our room we asked at guest services if it was possible to get some bottles of juice put in our fridge. At this time we were informed that another bottled of champagne had been sent to our room for the phone inconvenience.We just started laughing, we had received a bottle at the SJC and had brought it with us so we now had 3 bottles to consume!

We went to Ismays restaurant twice during our stay and loved it! I had the paupiette of flying fish stuffed with crab and chardonnay cream sauce on our second dinner there, it was delicious! It was the Friday night and the steelband that played that evening was wonderful.

We enjoyed our quiet relaxing week.The staff was wonderful from housekeeping to the watersports staff( Hi Meiko!!)

We could not have asked for a better honeymoon week...

Spent 10 nights at Galley Bay from the 12 April 08 and it was wonderful. We had booked a premium deluxe room which had everything required and very comfortable.
We were very lucky in that the weather was lovely and for the most part the sea remained calm although you did have to time your exit and entrance from the sea due to a pull of the waves but it added to the fun.
Esme, the 3rd restaurant opened a few nights before we got there and although not especially to our taste quite a few of the guests preferred it to the other two restaurants. Maybe we picked the wrong dishes, The Sea-Grape and the Gaugin restaurants were excellent as were all the staff - continuously courteous and friendly, throughout the hotel.
Housekeeping was very good and everywhere is kept clean and tidy.On one occasion we had a problem with the toilet in our room, we telephoned reception and within 10 minutes a member of staff appeared to fix the problem.