This hotel is is 2 stars on a good day. The staff is so rude and uncourteous no one smiles or is happy at all. There was never any drinking water available. The restaurants were covered with flies and mosquitoes, I cannot imagine how many my husband and I consumed. The rooms were dirty with dead bugs, poor air conditioning, and phones that don't ring. I have never stayed at a hotel where when you call the front desk no one answers and it was only around noon. This hotel is expensive and advertises as something much nicer.
The beds should absolutely have mosquito nets available and the hotel should fog for them as well. (Which they did not do the whole week that we were there.) There was continuously a shortage of beach towels and you had to walk about a half a mile to get them. Most of the beach is eroded from the latest hurricane and there is no service on the small beach either.
This is the first and last time that my husband and I will visit Antigua as an island. This is also the only all inclusive resort we have ever stayed at where we lost weight!! A combined 30 pounds!!!
Our advice is choose a different island altogether!!

After reading one of the more recent reviews on Blue Waters that gave the hotel a 1* rating we were a little concerned as to the standard we would find. We did not need to be, it is a lovely hotel built in plantation style. The rooms are not plush and a little shabby in places but the feel of Blue waters is relaxing and calm. The staff are typical of the Carribean so service is slow and steady but the more we chatted to the staff the more friendly they became, the food was good and the cocktails fab. I would recommend all inclusive as it could work out quite expensive to be on any other board basis as the hotel is a residential area so not within walking distance of restaurants etc.
We arrived before half term and the hotel was only 2/3 full but we will take our children back there as the bay is good for swimming and the non-motorised water sports that are included.
The only negatives I can give the hotel are the water in the bay is cloudy compared to other Carribean Islands we have been too and there are lot of mosquitos so take the strongest spray you can!
Overall the hotel is a very good 4*, not a 5 and there isn't a spa as we had been told. This did not spoil our holiday in any way.

Wow! we stayed at the new (opened late 07?) Cove Suites and what can i say? the rooms are spacious, bright and pleasantly furnished, with beautiful bathrooms, complete with free-standing bath and seperate shower unit, each with their own terrace/balcony. the blocks of 7 suites are 2-3 minutes walk from the main resort and each block has its own infinity pool, creating an ideal luxurious, peaceful environment, ideal for honeymooners or those just wishing ot get away.
allowing for the slower 'caribbean time' that you're living by in this resort, the service is good, polite and friendly. the food is of excellent quality in all the restaurants, and the facilites are good.
the management are attentive, as are the majority of the staff. room service can be a little slow, but the quality of food is still high. i'd recommend paying for all inclusive in advance, as this includes most drinks and your own in-room mini-bar, as well as 3 meals and afternoon tea!
we got a great deal through luxuryholidaysdirect, and are already planning to return!

Upon arrival, the hotel didn't seem as grand as we had expected it to be (based on photos and brochures we had received) but calming and peaceful, nonetheless. Check-in was hassle-free enough and once we entered our room (which was composed of one king sized bed and a large enough bathroom) it was about 2pm. During the course of our stay, we had seen other hotels, and in comparison the Blue Waters was definitely 5 star compared to the others.

We found out the first day that in order to go anywhere, you need to take a taxi (DEFINITELY would recommend renting a car if you plan on staying for awhile and/or you want to go into the main city to eat). Even though the hotel says it's in St. John's, it's really on the outskirts. We went to get something to eat locally (not even in town) but it was $12 US. To go into town, they charge $24 US, and to go to English Harbor (opposite side of the island) and back is $80 US. Apparently all hotels negotiate with taxi drivers a certain rate... so no matter which taxi driver you use, they will all charge based on which hotel they are taking you. Everything at the hotel is charged in US dollars... makes you wonder if they're trying to rip you off... make sure you know the conversion before you leave... It was $1US = 2.7EC when we were there but some people round it down to 2.6 or 2.5... when you're paying hundreds, it adds up.

Part of the reason we went out to eat for dinner/lunch every day was because at the time, The Cove (probably the best restaurant at the hotel) was closed for renovation, Vivyien's was only open certain days, and The Palms was average food. Breakfast was included which was pretty good. Along with fresh fruits, breads, hams, cheese & cereals, there is available hot foods - eggs all different styles & french toast and waffles. We had dinner at the Palms one day (International Buffet) $50US per person, and I would say it was NOT worth it. The desserts were good but that's about it. Meals only during certain hours so be careful. Breakfast 7:30 to 10:30, lunch probably 11 to 2, tea 4 to 5, dinner 6 to 9pm. Room service needs to be entered in a DAY before... and closes at 9pm.

In town, go to Commissioner's Grill (best carribbean seafood... conch salad, conch fritters, lobster). Coconut Grove wasn't bad either. Island Beehive for their grilled shrimp for a casual snack. Papa Zouk's has some amazingly fresh seafood (snapper was awesome) and some crazy rum punch.

Service on the other hand was amazing. Everyone's willing to help you. However, this may be because this is the low season and not as many occupants as they normally have. They mainly service people from the US and the UK but this season so far has been down... probably because of the economy of both these countries. My boyfriend & I were comparatively younger to a lot of the clientele and got a weird vibe from a lot of the older customers.

The beach is MINISCULE... a small cove area which is beautiful but I'm sure that during the high season (December through May) people will fight over spots... Didn't spend any time at the pools. The adult only pool isn't that nice... your average inground backyard pool that no one goes in. The other two main pools looked really nice.

Nighttime entertainment: every night they have some kind of entertainment (steel drum band, singers, DJ, etc.) but kind of on the slow-end... We ended up watching a lot of TV on the small screens that were available to us. A lot of the hotels have small screens probably b/c of electricity shortages (we had 2 during our stay), so that's probably normal. There were only about 7-10 channels available.

Daytime: sailing, kayaking, snorkeling are all included... We did the snorkeling with Phoenix... took us out to the protected reef area and we had seen probably 10 different types of fish.

We also participated in a lot of excursions: Adventure Antigua (Eco-tour) worth going on (hell's gate and snorkeling was pretty good), Scuba Diving at Halcyon Rex Resort (which you have to schedule yourself), chartered boat for full day fishing on Overdraft (out of English Harbor), taxi driver will take you on a tour (Betty's Hope Sugar Mill, Devil's Bridge, Pineapple beach, Half Moon Bay (which used to be the most beautiful beach on the island until '95 hurricane), $110US for 3-4 hours or you can take yourself if you rent a car... Definitely go to Devil's Bridge (east on the island). Harmony Hall is open but only during high season.

The only thing we didn't enjoy was an EMBARKATION FEE when we got to the airport... many people were as confused as we were there. No one tells you about it... Not even our travel agent or the travels guides I had read. it's $20 US per person.