Here are the pros on galley bay:
great beach - quiet, white sands, blue waters
good location - close to airport, town, etc
friendly staff
nice rooms

Here are the cons:
disgusting beach/pool chairs
lousy pool
bad food
bad service
overpriced

Now I'll go into detail. My husband and I stayed at galley bay for one week in Nov 08. We stayed in a deluxe suite, situated on the second floor. The room was huge, clean, nicely decorated and right on the beach. There was a huge bathtub, a satellite TV, a balcony and overall we were very pleased. The staff was all very nice, but you could tell that they were either underpaid or did not like working there because they took no pride in their work and showed no desire to offer good service. At meals it was nearly impossible to ask for water if you needed it, order a second drink, or basically get anything that wasnt automatic. The food was decent at best, we certainly had some good meals but by the end it was about 50% good 50% bad. And although I do not have a huge appetite, I found the portions to be alarmingly small at dinner. One night my husband ordered an appetizer and it turned out to be one wonton. I got the impression that they were in a constant battle to cut corners - either with the entrees, the bread, the drink, etc etc. The waitstaff seemed overwhelmed most of the time and trying to get water or a second drink was literally a mission impossible.
Now the facilities. The hotel grounds were clean but unkempt. The landscaping was overgrown and neglected, however, near the premium suites it was well manicured. The pool was small but I guess adequate considering the size of the resort, but the chairs were moldy and many were broken. Gross at best. The same chairs were on the beach. There is no waiter service on the beach or at the pool, so dont expect any. The unmotorized watersports staff was friendly but they seemed very lazy, often caught napping on the beach. One day my husband wanted to take out a catamaran, it was 2pm and we were told they would be leaving soon. Well at 4pm they were all still there and my husband could have been out and back on the catamaran. Another day they told us that the second catamaran was broken, but we suspected they just didnt feel like putting the sail on. Just instinct but we just sensed that they didnt care. What we found most annoying about the hotel was that at dinner, men are required to wear pants. Now I could understand this at a fine dining establishment, but fine it is not and wearing pants was comical in this setting. On most caribbean vacations I've been on, the vibe is always casual and we found this rule annoying and pointless. They also need to tell you this when you check in as he only brought one pair with him. Needless to say they saw a lot of use. At the "cocktail hours" where food is promised, there is usually one chafing dish of food, usually garlic bread, pathetic to say the least. If I'm paying $600-$1000 a night, I expect great facilities, great service, and good food/drink in abundance. I would not recommend you stay here. You'd spend your money better at a 4 seasons, the ritz or any other luxurious hotel in the caribbean. I am truly baffled by all the positive reviews.

just returned from the superbly located Galley Bay. I can certainly endorse many of the excellent reviews confirming that the food is of a very good standard for the Caribbean, the drinks are all brand named, and beware the Wadadli beer; at 5.6% its strong!

The only area in which Galley Bay is lacking is the water sports. They often had only 1 sail boat available for which there was often a wait and no booking system.
The only other criticism I have is that very few rooms have ipod player alarm clocks.
All in all, if they can upgrade the water sports and inject some management into this area, its a great resort.

All the good things said about Galley Bay Resort are true. We just returned from a week's stay in one of the new premium suites, next door to Ismay's Restaurant. The lodging was fantastic, we felt truly pampered for the week. The drinks and food were fantastic all around (although there really is a limit as to how much a person can eat and drink and walk away comfortably). We did a lot of lounging around, reading, snorkeling, kayaking and using the Hobie Cat. The resort feels private and the grounds are lush and attractive.

Galley Bay Resort is very quiet and peaceful and as others have mentioned, if you desire a busy nightlife, it is not the place for you. We were glad music was offered in the evening but a bit disappointed it was not more native music (steel drums were not present every night).

A word of advice -- renting a car allows you to see the island, however, the road conditions are not good. We were unfortunate enough to hit a pot hole, causing a flat tire while without cell phone service. This could have been an issue but we were luckily in a populated area and my husband is handy. Still, we drove for miles looking for a tire repair shop! Next time, we would use the shuttle into St. John's that Galley Bay offers.

This was our second vacation at Galley Bay. The staff is incredible and certainly help to make a great vacation. They remembered us from the year before and welcomed us "back home". Some of our favorites are Stuart, Mike, Keri, Natasha, Bobby, Richard, Julien, Mr. Lane, and so many others.

My husband and I wondered if Galley Bay would be as special the second time we went. It was just as beautiful, charming, and relaxing as our first visit.

The addition of Ismay's was a great choice. The food throughout the resort was wonderful. Drinks were strong. Music in the evening was a lot of fun.

We stayed in a new premium oceanfront suite. It was beautiful. Nothing better than waking up every morning to the sun and ocean.

We highly recommend this resort. We will return again next year and hopefully for many years to come.