We have just returned from a two week holiday in Blue Waters and I couldn't recommend it enough. We stayed in Deluxe Beachfront room and it was lovely. The food was as good as anything I have eaten in expensive restaurants, especially in Vyviens. The staff were so friendly and made you feel very welcome. We want to try out places all over the Caribbean but we would certainly come back here.

Be very careful. We booked this hotel for 02 Oct - 16 Oct with Going Places and were assured the booking was available. Then they contacted us to say otherwise. Annoyed with this travel agents error we booked again using Expedia which had clear availability in writing. Upon phoning the hotel's office 2 days later we discovered that they will not honour our booking due to no availabilty. Neither travel agents received full information on the booking stop from this hotel and we are now several thousand pounds worse off with nowhere to go on holiday next week. I am sure its lovely when you get there, but make sure you check your bookings before you go.

24 Aug thru 31 Aug

Changed booking to the last minute with BA having originally booked Halcyon Cove. This involved some tussles with BA but basically they told us on the Friday 19th that the main restaurant was closed and having read the appalling review of the Rex HC and the superb reviews of BW we managed to get a last minute reprieve.

My decision was based upon all the reviews I read here so it seems only fair to make a contribution in return myself in the hope that it will help someone else in the same position make a decision.

Firstly, we took a taxi ride to the Sandals and the Rex halcyon including room inspections etc - with regards to Sandals - a bit like Disneyland really but more importantly it's a No Kids hotel - if you are an aging Victorian who believe little children should be seen and not heard it's for you but personally it is something I vehemently disapprove of on principle alone, we were all kids once! and more importantly it states only Mixed Couples - I am happily married with kids myself but can't believe anyone one in these politically correct days can get away with this - whatever happened to live and let live? - as for the Rex Halcyon, well from what little I saw of it I would describe it as a cross between Butlins Skegness and Guantanamo Bay the fact that Hurricane Frances passed us by relatively peacefully on Monday night was spoilt only by the fact that it did'nt flatten the Rex halcyon Cove - the restaurant closure upon inspection was a sensible move - it looked in worse repair than the Brighton pier that collapsed a few years back and certianlyI would'nt of risked walking on the pier to it, let alone sitting in it. The rooms were dark, dank and musty, the buildings were as described above a bit like an Army Camp and well past their sell by date and the restaurant .... looked a bit like one of the many matorway service stations on the M1 - a pungent smell of stale chip fat permeating the air and follwoing us back to the taxi - I am perhaps being a little harsh and unfair but from the limited experience we had of the Rex, Blue Waters was starting to become very much more attractive.
If Blue Waters is 4 Star then the Rex surely shoulb be re-classified to 2-Star.

On to Blue Waters where we stayed for 7 nights ...

Taxi from airport to hotel - (included in the BA Prestige package) pretty dire - a clapped out minbus which barely made it up the hill, but we were'nt there for the taxi ride so it really was of no consequence - just a nicer car would have been in keeping with the overall package.

Initial impressions - good - nice architecture, beautiful colonial style decor, tall wood panelled ceiling, palm fronds and fans - large open arched hallways. Staff extremely welcoming and friendly - I was told that most of them had been there for many years and because Blue Waters is relatively small (100 of rooms I think) they all know one another.

Rooms - rooms were OK - they were certainly very clean and excellently maintained during our stay - I would say they were a little on the small size - we had a 9-year old child staying with us in a put-up bed and the bathrooms were a bit tired - the shower did'nt work very well, the loo was hard to flush etc, but overall acceptable just not what I would call 4-star in terms of decor and comfort - most importantly the Air con worked!
Having said the above we asked for a larger room and were duly moved within 20 minutes as the hotel was'nt fully booked - the next room had the extra space we needed (Beechfront deluxe) and the service was typical throughout our week's stay - we mentioned a broken light bulb and it was replaced within 15 minutes - outstanding ! I am told that around £20m is about to be spent creating a new larger pool area and refurbishing all the rooms - so perhaps the ropet bathrooms will all be re-done for next year's guests.

On to the facilities - we were All Inclusive.

I have never gone 'AI' before and it took some getting used to the fact that we could virtually drink Antigue dry if we wanted too and at Blue Waters there are no complicated and annoying restrictions such as only local brands etc , pretty well anything goes and the house red in particular (choice of two) was excellent.
Food was good in general and at times excellent - it was not what I would call French 4-Star standard but overall we really can't complain, there was a good and changing variety and almost every meal was appetising and properly cooked - I would be surprised if a higher standard could be found anywhere else on the Island. We all drank the water and regularly ate seafood with no dreaded side effects.

The GM took time out virtually every day to talk to us and virtually every other guest and appeared genuinly interested in our feedback - the hotel was at half capacity granted, so perhaps he had time to do this - I labour this point as a previous review I read stated he was elusive - in our case this could'nt have been further from the truth - maybe the other reviewer was'nt very approachable !!

All the grounds were very well maintained and there were regularly gardeners out every day - the pool was clean and there were plenty of chairs, towels etc avaialble - I should imagine that when the hotel is full it may become a bit crowded and I believe this is why they are building another pool - there is already a second pool for adults only (but non mixed couples are allowed!) which is tucked out of the way and has no bar - so no use to us.
The beach is fine - once again small, but secluded and unlike the beach at the Rex we never got bothered by a single Hawker - at the larger beaches at the Rex and Sandals it is a regular nuisance to be continuely hounded to buy things, rent a car, book a trip etc.

In summary - if you intend going to Antigua I believe you would be hard pushed to find a nicer place to stay - as an overall package the Blue Water resort must be hard to beat- clean room, good food, friendly staff, exclusive beach and relatively small number of other guests - worth every penny of the £900 it cost us to upgrade from the Rex halcyon at the last minute - if and when we go to Antigue again we will definately rebook at Blue Waters. Holidaying in the Caribean is not a cheap affair so if you are going to do it you may as well go the whole hog.

Negative Points of the holiday >

1. Hurricane Frances - luckily/glady passed us by with very little effect - but it was a worry for a few days and we did get a warning letter from the hotel and the manager's party was cancelled - on reflection, August possibly is'nt the best month to go, but of course there is a price advantage it's also very hot regardless of whether there are cliuds or not - 32 degrees most days.

2. Horse Spiders - we did'nt actually see any but everyone else did - these things are the size of dinner plates and come out when it rains - as far as I know they are only mildly poisoiness though (like a bee sting) if you should get bitten - but big and hairy all the same !

3. Evening Music - I'm mid forties but I still would have enjoyed some lively local reggae music instead of the 'Over 70's' cruise ship musice we were provided with every night - the steel band on the last night was much more like it - shame there was'nt more of it during the rest of our stay.
Whilst we're on the subject and assuming the hotel reads this - it would cost a lot to upgrade the internet access facilites also - another PC and a faster connection would be very much appreciated by guests - at the end of the day it is an ideal way to communicate with people/(work god forbid) and also to get up to date info on things like Hurricanes - on top of which phone calls are exhorbitantly expensive - a six minute call to the UK came to around US$ 45.

4. Trips - in general extremely expensive and fairly dissappointing - but there is no alternative - the triple destinantion Cat trip on the Wadadli was OK but did'nt feel like $100 worth (per head) - the motor was used instead of sail on the basis that we would have more time on the beach at our lunch time stop, the beach was the thing we were bored of, we'd paid to go sailing on a catamaran - doh !
The snorkelling was'nt very impressive (some pretty coloured fish but that was all) and then having stopped for a couple of hours we finally set off again, this time with sail only to get off after an hour or so at our final destination - Nelson's yard was interesting though and Shirley's Heights is a must for a Sunday evening - an incredible view which has to bee seen if only once.
I am told the swimming with dolphins trip is an incredible experience but once again instead of the 2 hours suggested, you only actually get half an hour with them and also the trip to Barbuda a longish and very rough boat ride culminating in a fantastic view of a beach - don't get me wrong, all the trips are Ok but don't have high expectations and do be prepared to pay a lot for a very little !

Craig, Nick etc if you are reading this - hope you agree with my comments - nice to meet you all - maybe catch up with you again if you ever decide to holiday in Antigua another time.

My wife and I just returned from a five-night stay at the Blue Waters Antigua from the 7-12 August and it was as good as advertised in the many reviews I've read on this site. There are people who complain about the hotel and the staff but those are people that will complain no matter where they stay.

The first surprise came when we checked in, having booked a superior hillside room, and we were immediately and unexpectedly upgraded to a deluxe beachfront room at no charge! The other two couples checking in at the same time as us received the same deal! I would imagine this is because August is the slower season and if they can accomodate everyone in a better room, they are willing.

The room was wonderful. Plenty big with its own patio with an unimpeded view of the ocean. Sitting on the patio we weren't more than 100 feet from the ocean. From our door, down the hall and down the steps to the beach couldn't have been more than 30 seconds. The room was also air-conditioned which I didn't think we would need because a lot of places talk about being "cooled by the trade winds..." Don't be fooled. Especially in August, it's hot and it's humid.

The food was very good. I would say the food in the Palms was slightly above average with the fare in Vyvien's excellent. The full breakfast buffet, included in the room price, had the works with made-to-order omlettes and everything...even baked beans for the English types.

The beach is small by comparative standards, but the place only has 77 rooms so it's never busy.

One thing I did notice was that some of the staff, while not rude, certainly weren't brimming with excitement either. I will say that they warmed up considerably. They seem guarded at first, but if you show them respect, they are more than pleasant.

A final note on Antigua. My wife and I didn't do the all-inclusive plan because we wanted to try some other restaurants on the island. (HQ in Nelson's Dockyard and Le Bistro near St. John's were two of the best meals I've ever had). The only problem with that is that the meals aren't cheap (expect between $50-$75 per person $US) and you'll have to take a taxi to get there because the resorts are spread out, and they'll run you $20 round trip for the shortest route ($80 round trip to Nelson's Dockyard on the other side of the island). We aren't big drinkers, so we wound up spending about the same amount as we would have with the all-inclusive, about $100 per person per day.

One final thought was the Wadadli Cats catamaran trip we took. It picks you up in the morning, sails you halfway around the island, stops for lunch and snorkeling, stops again for a swim at a deserted beach, and sails you the rest of the way home. It even includes the cocktails! It was awesome! Just laying back and sailing around the island.

all in all a wonderful trip. Highly recommended..