Just back from 11 night stay at Galley Bay which we chose having read the reviews on tripadvisor. We wanted something special as we were getting married and we could not have chosen better. We had the wedding at the resort and were the only wedding that took place while we were there. Jennie was the wedding coordinator and she was terrific. The day could not have been more perfect. The resort arranged everything including photographers and dvd.

We stayed in the New Premium Beachfront apartments which as the name suggests were directly fronting the beach. These were spacious and of a very high standard (flat screen tv-100 channels) but just short of luxurious.

All three restaurants were outstanding in terms of quality and choice but perhaps a little short on top quality service. It was always service with a smile but just occasionally things did not arrive or took some time, but this is the caribbean where everyone is laid back and it just doesn't seem to matter.

Entertainment was laid on at all three restaurants everynight and varied from full steel bands (fantastic) to one man and a guitar but all added to the ambience and atmosphere.

The resort was all inclusive and you could have champagne from breakfast till the bar closed at night if you wanted. Apart from three meals a day at any of the restaurants there was a limited afternoon tea served and the shop served snacks and ices.

The beach is fabulous and has to be one of the best in the world. We never went to the pool once.

Overall the resort is very very quiet with no kids allowed (except Christmas). The peace and quiet is wonderful but probably only for a limited time. If you want some nightlife then taxis are always available as is car hire at around US$70 per day.

Overall a fabulous resort on a fabulous island.

We have just returned from our 3rd visit to Galley Bay Resort. The first time we stayed was on 2002, then again in 2005 and this hotel never disappoints.

I will start with the food, in charge of the kitchens is Andy the British Chef - the food that is produced demonstrates Andy's management and training capability - in all three restaurants the quality is excellent. Your food order is taken at the table and delivered to you by smiling waiters for breakfast and lunch and for dinner 6 nights out of seven. One evening per week there is a barbecue.

The setting of the hotel sandwiched between the Caribbean Sea and a freshwater lagoon is beautiful and with lovely well-kept gardens. The staff are friendly, couldn't do enough for you and treated you as important guests. As it was our third visit Mr Foreman (General Manager) upgraded us free of charge to one of the new Premium Beachfront Suites but we have also stayed in a Deluxe Beachfront and all the rooms are spacious and comfortable.

Two weeks in the Galley Bay is a little bit of paradise and we will be back.

We have just returned from a wonderful ten days at Galley Bay, and recommend it highly. We really appreciated Trip Advisor reviews before we went, so wanted to write a detailed review to help others decide whether this is the resort for them.

We booked with Virgin Holidays, which was great. On arrival at Galley Bay we were welcomed, as has been much described in previous reviews, with a rum punch and cold flannel. Then we were driven with some other arrivals to our accommodation. We'd thought very carefully about what kind of accommodation to have, and had settled on the Gaugin Cottages because of the extra privacy and the pool. The whole time we were at Galley Bay we kept thinking how very glad we were to have made that decision. The cottages are lovely; spacious, interesting, private ... and the pool was the very best bit of staying there. Great to have a dip late at night after dinner, or to cool down first thing in the morning. The fact that the bathroom/dressing room was separate was, we found, a good thing - all the stuff that usually clutters the bedroom was in a separate rondavel, and it was really spacious. If we return to Galley Bay, we'd certainly stay in a cottage again.

The main pool was wonderful - I really don't understand those reviews here that complain. It was wonderfully clear, and the waterfall was lovely (with a seat right underneath!); despite the fact that the resort was three quarters full, we never had any trouble getting sun loungers by the pool (nor on the beach). And it was very close to the bar, which was handy for the mid-morning cocktails.

The beach is, as the pictures show, beautiful. As some of the reviews here testify, the sea nearest the Gaugin Restaurant is very rocky indeed. But the stretch of beach from in front of the Seagrape Restaurant up towards Ismays is wonderful for swimming. We did some watersports, particularly the Hobie Cat, and found the staff friendly and helpful.

We are discerning diners and eat out a lot in the UK and were very impressed with the standard of all the meals we had at Galley Bay. Breakfast was terrific - an enormous selection, always cooked exactly as we'd asked. Lunch, too, was varied; there was ample choice, from a changing sandwich of the day (salt beef/hot dog/special club) to wonderful salads, to fresh fish or pasta. There really is something for everyone. The same can be said of the dinner menus. We ate at the Seagrape mostly, because we were so impressed with the menu, service, and wonderful location. The Gaugin was lovely for its private tables right by the sea (and we particularly liked the fact that they were open til 5pm every day for lunch) and great sushi appertiser, and Isamys, the newest restaurant, had a really wonderful ambience for dinner, being right on the beach with gently swaying palms trees lit from below. The food was great, too.

Cocktails were plentiful, with generous amounts of top-brand spirits. We each took an amaretto back to the cottage at the end of the evening, and it was very generous! Our only gripe is with the quality of some of the wine. For white, one could choose between chardonnay (ok) and sauvignon blanc (ok, too, though a bit tart), there was a rose that was nice at lunchtime, but the reds (merlot or cabinet sauvignon) were pretty much undrinkable. This was a real shame, particularly as there was quite a bit of beef on the menus, and it was always delicious. It would have been ideal to have a some red wine with it. The sparkling wine was fine, and made a refreshing aperitif.

On our last full day, we each had an aromatherapy massage; this was blissful, in a double treatment room high up on stilts with no sounds but those of the birds from the lagoon - highly recommended!

The staff deserve a special mention. The vast majority are exceptional; friendly, professional, eager to do what they can to make guests comfortable and happy. Unfortunately - and I really think that this is Galley Bay's biggest problem - there are a few that are clearly unhappy in their work and really spoil things. This is bad for guests, but even worse for those excellent workers who do their job so very well. I must stress that these morose, terse members of staff are in the minority, but they can really put a damper on things. If this could possibly be improved, Galley Bay would be very close to perfect.

My wife and I went to Galley Bay for our honeymoon from June 14th- 21st and overall had a wonderful time! This resort is a BEAUTIFUL retreat away from the typical formulaic "beach resort" that you can find anywhere in Mexico, Florida, and even many other Carribean islands.

Let me first say that we researched this trip beyond belief, as we rarely take vacations and wanted to really feel comfortable with our choice for this special occasion. Very accurately, Trip Advisors reviews reflect the overall vibe of GB...it's visually stunning, accomodations depend on the type of room you choose, so that my vary. The food...well, it depends on your expectations and your current level of dining options in your home town!

Our arrival was relatively easy, however your least favorite part of Antigua will be the airport. It's pretty crazy there and the cab drivers are an interesting bunch of folks! Luckily, the time spent there should be minimal.

We arrived to rum punch and cold towels and were whisked away via golf cart to our suite. The premium suites are very nice, but be sure to request one on the north side (Ismay's side), as the beach there is nicer. We were in suite 19 (bottom level) and the view was spectacular from the room. We initially booked an upstairs room (the upstairs lead footers were a little noisy), but really loved the 15 second walk from the porch to the beach. Luckily, the windows are glazed, so no one can see into the rooms during the daytime...not so at night, so honeymooners...shut your blinds!

The room was very nice, AC worked like a champ and the fridge was a nice addition. There's no AC in the bathroom, but a ceiling fan cools it down enough. Our toilet had some minor issues, but these were not a big deal. The housekeepers did a fine job with the room (be sure to tip them, they will appreciate it!), although one day they just left the back door wide open after leaving! Luckily we were in the ocean right in front of the room, so we caught this.

Two minor gripes about the room; one was the non-functioning wireless internet...we use our computer pretty regularly (yes, I know, it's a honeymoon!). We called about it to the front desk twice, but it was never addressed or fixed. They do have a small room with 2 computers we used, but if they advertise wireless in the rooms, they need to make sure it works and at least respond to a concern!
Second was a water leak the last night....a water pipe broke on the second floor and water was pouring out of one the light fixtures in the bathroom....a major electrical hazard. The maintenance staff responded quickly to this, but I am glad we were just getting back to the room when it started. If the light had been on, a nice little electrical fire would have certainly done some damage!

The resort is very quiet, so if you're looking for non-stop entertainment and activity schedule, this is not the resort for you. Bring several books or your Ipod...lots of sunbathing, swimming and napping. The ocean was only rough one day out seven and the snorkelling off the north side is very nice....saw some sea turtles, squid, and beautiful fish.

I went scuba diving with "Big John" and would say that although he is very well versed in Antigua diving, the overall experience was less than ideal. Transportation to and from the boat was via rusted out van and took a LONG time to get back. The equipment was a pretty old and one of my regulator lines burst right before I went in for my first dive...good thing it didn't happen underwater! The scenic ride back was beautiful, but took a good hour and a half to get back. The quality of diving there is average, but John really knows his way around the reef and will spend time on his diving slate writing out interesting facts about your dive site.

Back on the resort, we booked the romance package, so we enjoyed a relaxing massage (beautiful spa), a wonderful sunset cruise with Sean on his boat "Mast Confusion," and also went snorkelling on the same boat with another honeymooning couple from New York...hello Dave and Christina! Wish Wii could have met earlier...Sean and his first mate are really nice...they serve up a mean "bun and cheese" sandwich!

The food and drink was above average by most standards, but I must say that this depends on YOUR standards. If you are used to having 4* dining regularly and live in metropolitan area that has great restaurants, you may not be "blown away." I thought the fish dishes were excellent, and I really tried every one they had at all three restaurants. Meat and poultry dishes are okay, but stick with seafood...it is really their strong point.

Gaughin has the most beautiful atmosphere, although their attempt to incorporate asian influences is hit or miss...if you book the earlier seating, you usually have the entire restaurant to yourself and can watch the sunset.

Sea Grape is old reliable and is closest to the bar and entertainment....wrestling your breakfast crumbs and sugar packets away from bold birds is just hilarious! Breakfasts there are really great....I love eggs and they have a great variety. You can always ask for things off the menu if you'd like. They also have a really nice continental breakfast with delicious croissants and fresh fruit.

Ismays is really wonderful...especially if you have front row seating. The island influence is probably most apparent in their cuisine and they have a great steel drum band that plays on Fridays!

The wine is drinkable, but oenophiles will probably be disappointed...heck, just have a cocktail or frozen drink, that is really Galley Bay's strong point. Be sure to try the Galley Bay coffee...it's really tasty!

Overall, we were very pleased with Galley Bay. The staff were generally very nice (Kerry, forever smiling) , Danita (my Sangrian princess), and Mike at the SeaGrape (a consummate gentleman and professional). Be sure to bring bug spray and plenty of sun block...you be will thankful you did!

Be sure to book though LuxuryLink.com. as we were able to book for much less than Galley Bay's website. We actually cancelled the reservation we had initially made through GB's website and rebooked through LuxuryLink....it saved us about 20% off their "sale rate."

If you are looking for a beautiful resort with peace and great, excellent service, and the convenience of an all-inclusive package, this is an excellent choice for the discerning traveller! I WANT TO GO BACK!!!