We honeymooned @ Galley Bay between 11/9 - 11/16/04 and after the trip we were happy with our choice. I would recommend not going during hurricane season, the weather was OK but we had overcast skies for most of the trip. The mosquitoes were bad and seemed to really nail some of the women. The entire staff’s performance was overall good; there were some that were spectacular (Natasha) and some not so good. The facility was generally well kept, the rooms and common areas were good, but the employee quarters and brush along less traveled paths could have been maintained better. When we initially arrived the drive up to the resort is horrid (bad conditions, high poverty), and we were wondering what was in store at the resort. The reception area is nice, but the pond in the middle is not and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The food was good, but you will be bored with it by the end of your stay. The wait staff was good; unresponsive/slow at times, but we had no issues at all. The Gaugin restaurant is by far the best feature in the resort. The private huts make for a romantic, private dining and a very pretty view right on the beach. A wonderful breeze comes through and the feel is that of an exotic lunch/dinner. The Sea Grape restaurant is good but the ambiance is that of a cafeteria, not as spectacular. The beach is very pretty and not crowded; solicitors do roam the beach and can be annoying, the resort needs to do better job of keeping them out. I would only recommend the top-notch room, which we stayed in, the others are very small and would not stay cool, no windows just shutters. Ours was very spacious with huge bed huge bathroom, and huge living area. Housekeeping did an excellent job and seemed like they cleaned your room for half the day. We met some great people and had a lot of laughs. Median age of guests was about 45, which initially put us out of place, but even still had a great time. Mostly people from UK and North East US. It is all about what you make it as far as the social scene is concerned. You can keep to yourself, which half of the people did or make friends. Do not waist your time buying internet access, slow and hard to get connection at times

Galley Bay was an overall good resort and worth the money. I would recommend the visit and imagine most will be very happy with it.

We had rough seas so could not swim or snorkle. The sand flies got to be tiresome in the evening. The entertainment was luke warm at best. Our room was stunning; huge bathroom and wonderful bed and very spacious sunken livingroom and large patio. Everything new and good quality. Maid service top notch. Staff in general could not do enough to please. Internet card worked half the time. Food was good and very good by Caribbean standards. The moon, the waves, the band, the rum drink on the deck..who could complain? I would go again; this time I would take 4 books instead of 2.

Where to begin ... Start with the positives
1. Beautiful setting. Right on the beach. Exactly what you would expected from looking at the brochures

2. Beach was perfect. Soft sand. Warm, beautiful, clear water.

3. Relaxing. If you want to be relaxed and laid back, this place definitely fits the bill

4. Service was good. Sometimes you felt like maybe the staff was a little slow, but they always got what we asked for (except for one case, explained later). Most were friendly and smiled for us.

Now the not so good ...

5. Food was only good. For what we paid, you would expect the best. Most meals were bland, lacking that certain something to make them great. On the weekend it felt like the cook had the time off as some of the meals weren't up to par. Somewhat disappointing

6. We had a deluxe room on the beach. Room was ok, but there are only screens on the windows. A/C was a waste of time. None of the noise was filtered out. At night the surf was loud and the chirping wildlife was in full force. The lighting was awful. Always felt like it was too dark.

7. October is during their rainy season. It rained every day we were there. Only one day was a complete washout. We got soaked to the bone one evening walking to dinner. We got pretty wet on another when it rained into the open air restaurant.

8. With the rain comes bugs. Flies were everywhere during meals. To combat this, the resort was fogged the last three mornings we were there. We didn't have any windows to close so at 5 AM we got a full dose of whatever insecticide they used (I have done a little reading and DDT is still commonly used in Antigua). Paradise indeed!

9. We had a first floor room. Easy access to the beach. Also at the mercy of whoever is clomping above you. Reminded me of living in a cheap apartment building where you hear everything.

10. Avoid the shops in St John. There are no deals to be had. It is a very poor country and Americans and UK folks stick out like a sore thumb. If you don't like being mobbed by desparate vendors, don't go.

11. Not a lot of activities. We can only relax for so long. Maybe we are a little too uptight for such a laid back place, but figured we would share our experience.

12. Staff not available at off hours. Ran out of toilet paper at 5 AM. Called to get another roll. Was told by the desk person that he was the only one there and could not bring it. We would have to wait until house keeping showed (which he didn't know when that was).

It was a nice resort. Not worth what we paid for it. I would not reccommend going during the fall as it is their rainy season. If you can stand doing nothing at all for your time there, you won't be disappointed. If you expect to be pampered, you will be disappointed. This was our first experience in the caribbean and at an all-inclusive. Neither really lived up to the hype.

We spent 2 weeks in August here and we could not find any faults, it is such a relaxed place you fall under the spell very quickly. The service was very good, the food was excellent, the drink (all branded) could not be better - drink champagne 24-7 it's in the price!!

We have travelled to many places in the world and this is the first place we will be going back to.

Don't bother with St. Johns just go to the south its much better - also go to Shirley Heights on the Sunday night.

We could not have wished for a better Honeymoon.