We have just returned from a fabulous holiday over Christmas and New Year at blue waters. After reading your reviews we were worried about what we had let ourselves in for! We were pleasantly surprised.The rooms were nice - we had 2 interconnecting beachfront rooms in the 500 block. The bathroom was a bit too small.

There were always sun loungers available throughout our 2 weeks there. The food was delicious in The Palm - we ate once in Vyviens but did not like the atmosphere. The menu changed every day and was of a very high quality compared to other hotels in the Caribbean.

Some of the staff were fantastic - especially carolyn and all the bar staff, and the duty managers and managers were all very friendly and helpful.

The restaurant staff are either extremely friendly or distinctly unfriendly.

The reception staff are generally inefficient, unfriendly and unhelpful. My advice is that if you have a problem, go straight to the managers office. We were irritated by the late maid service each day - often our rooms were still not cleaned at 3.00pm. The maids could not give out fresh towels at turn-down.

Each morning you have to collect your towels from the activity desk on the beach. Whilst this was not a far walk, you also had to make sure you took the dirty towels back to exchange for fresh ones. They were not happy if you left them by the pool at the end of the day.

We met some really lovely people there. The crowd seemed to be predominantly British. There was a mixture of families with young children, teenagers and some couples. If you go in the school holidays expect a little noise - the hotel staff seem to love children and many staff members knew the kids by name.

The rooms have apparently all been refurbished recently, but the chests of drawers have been very poorly designed and it is impossible to open a drawer wide enough without it falling out on your feet!

Overall we had a fantastic holiday and would recommed the hotel.

My friend and I stayed here for 16 nights in Novemember. We had a Deluxe beachfront room, I have to agree that the check out arrangements are not as good as they could be, we flew with BA and did not depart until 9.20pm, which meant leaving the hotel at 7.00pm, we were lucky to be given another room in the 800 block, like another reviewer, I would not have been happy to have had to stay in it, however most people we met who stayed up in this area were more than happy, perhaps we had just been spoilt by our lovely room.
The food was excellent, we tried Vyvien's twice but found it very couply and not being a couple we felt like we were intruding, as The Palm restaurant was very good, we decided to stay and eat there. The staff were absolutely wonderful to us (male and female) particularly Carolyn, Clifford, Sandra, Rosalind and Garilyn, Diane and Pepe. Having travelled throughout the Caribbean, I have found that you need to give to them,talk to them, don't demand and snap fingers, they are people and deserve respect, they take a lot of **** from a lot of clients, particulary our American friends, who can be so rude and demanding (sorry but that's true), so be nice to them and you will reap the benefits. Also please remember that 5 star Caribbean is not 5 star in the UK, USA or Europe, it is the Caribbean, that's why we like going there, because of things like taking it easy, not having to rush about, having the electricty go out every day, it's unique!! Don't spoil it and turn it into another Disneyworld.
The beach is small, however the hotel was at full capacity whilst we were there and we always got a bed and space. I don't think they need 3 pools and they could try to do something with the 3 separate beach areas, e.g.extend them or link them.
The water was fairly murky, but there have been an inordinate amount of storms this year, we were still able to see fish swimming about, yes there were jellyfish (I myself got stung), again they were being washed in by the storms, they were not dangerous stings, some folks just like making a fuss.
The only criticism I would have against this excellent resort is to please, please do something about the sand flies, I have never had so many bites and spent a fortune in the gift shop buying "Off", as this is known problem and as fumigation doesn't seem to get rid of them, complimentary sprays would be nice.
Don't let it put you off, this is a well kept and well run hotel, with a staff who are all proud to work there. It is the most wonderful place to relax and get away from it all (which makes not having anything outside so nice, although I have to say a couple of local bars would have made a nice change), the evening entertainment varied but it is something that could be improved upon. Catamaran trips and Adventure Antigua pick you up directly on the beach.
By the way the book exchange in the shop is excellent, if I had known that I would not have taken so many with me!
Finally a comment was made about it being a de luxe hotel and it was felt that 75% of guests did not fall into the de luxe catefory, well sorry to have to disagree, that's pure snobbery, yes there were a few rough diamonds, but each to their own, the world has opened up and as long as we can respect each other and that people not classed as de luxe can respect the de luxe places they stay in, we should all be happy!! Nothing is perfect, one man's meat is another man's poison, if you don't like it, find a deserted island to stay on.

Loved the hotel. We had a beach front deluxe room. However, although a mini bar and LCD tv, the room was quite basic. On our departure we requested 4 days beforehand to keep our room, and we would pay full whack. The reception said they did not know until day of departure whether we could keep room or not. Yet when I mentioned to our B.A rep, she got back to me on the morning prior to departure to say our room had been booked so it showed that reception knew but were not going to let on. With a check out at 11.45a.m. and a take off at 21.20 who wants to share communal toilets, showers etc - not for us. The hotel should respect and look after people who pay top whack.
After a lot of stress we finally got a room, but had to be moved into the 800 block which I would not want to have.
However, the hotel itself was very nice, staff were excellent.
Food, well, as a special birthday my husband ordered Lobster (from the UK) gave them the details of how would like it done, i.e. mine cold, his thermador. It was tough. We eat in Viviens and you felt like you were in a restaurant, not in a luxury Caribbean restaurant. Palm Restaurant was lovely.
Overall, staff very good, very friendly, except the reception staff. Could not even change EC or Dollars.
Beach is far too small, water cloudy, and the Jelly Fish, well forget it. Too many of them spoilt my holiday. Also I felt that the Blue Waters being a de luxe hotel, 75% of the people certainly were not "de luxe people"

My husband and I searched the internet for a destination location and came across Blue Waters. We were hesistant at first to formalize a location without ever being there but decided to take a chance, especially after reading the great reviews on trip advisor. When we got to the resort, we were very, very pleased with our choice. We had decided to get married three days after being at the resort to relax a few days prior to the big day. The wedding was beautiful and we stayed another seven nights for our honeymoon. The food, location, weather, staff, room, drinks, and atmosphere were exceptional all eleven days we were there. We paid for the all-inclusive plan and I heavily recommend this if you love to eat and drink throughout the day. I used the gym nine days out of the eleven and even though the gym was small, I still got to work up a good sweat. My husband and I are 100% sure that we will be returning to Blue Waters. We did go during "off-peak" season and are glad that we chose that time. Living in Boston, we are glad to get away to a location that we have our own personal space and don't feel crowded or fighting for tables and staff attention.