What do u think u get when u are to cheap to stay in a five star resort. listen all u complainers u get what u pay for.. next time stop being such a mooch spend the money and go to sandals. it sounds like those bumbs on the beach u describe have moore money than all u complainers put together.

My husband and I stayed at the Villas 10/2/04-10/9/04. We were disappointed in the resort and Antigua.

Let me say first that the staff is first rate, very pleasant and helpful.

The villas are spacious and were once probably very nice, but getting a little shabby. The resort is too spread out for our taste--requires a lot of walking. We ate in a couple of times and found the on-site grocery store excellent. We enjoyed the restaurants at the resort expecially Melini's.

Maybe we were there at the wrong time of year. It was extremely hot with almost no breeze. Sometimes it seemed preferable to sit in our villa in the a/c rather than go the beach--not what we had in mind at all.

The worst thing was the flies, perhaps a result of no breeze. At all the restaurants, flies gathered as soon as there was any food or drink on the table. If a vacated table wasn't cleaned off instantly, it was soon covered with them. We were actually glad when it was time to come home.

I've debated about writing a review but decided that it needed to be done. I am a timeshare owner and I stayed at Jolly Harbour Villas July 25-August 1 2004 (it was supposed to be until the 8th of August-more on that later). First and foremost I was very disappointed in the people who work there (office, shuttle, and security) and the unit. I hate to say it but they seem to prefer white people and certainly made it obvious that they don't particularly care for blacks. Parking is a pain, as you can't park near your villa and have to walk about 10 minutes, unless you have a pass (which is apparently given only if you know someone). Maid service could have been much better, I found a live spider in my bed, when I decided to change the sheets myself. The kitchen was missing some items, it didn't even have a blender, and there were some kind of bugs coming out of the air conditioning unit. If you like music, bring your own because the villas don't offer even a clock radio. I was asked to move to Jolly Harbour Resort because they overbooked and needed my room. I agreed but was very upset that I wasn't asked until Sunday Aug 1st, the day they wanted the room. I had just gone grocery shopping and had to give everything away, as Jolly Resort didn't have a refrigerator. They didn't even waive the utility fee for the week I stayed in the Villa.

I travel yearly and usually only go to the Caribbean, so I am not a newbie, I have been to five different countries some more than once, and have encountered many different attitudes. Antigua is not a friendly country, and I agree with others that it is TOO EXPENSIVE. I don't plan to return to Jolly Harbour Villas, or Antigua in the future. On the up side, Jolly Resort was great. The food was delicious, maid service was exceptional, and the people were very nice, and yes there was a clock radio. My suggestion stay at Jolly Resort, less stress, and you'll be treated better.

We stayed at JHV between 10th and 18th August after 1 week AI in St Lucia. We wanted a total contrast and to find out if AI provides value for money!. We had a hire car for the duration of our stay which meant we could be very independant which was a good thing. As we were based in North finger the car proved very useful, you can get a pass which enables you to park close to your villa (not outside). JHV is too large a complex for my liking but the villas provided a good base. We upgraded to a superior villa which worked out at little over £100 per night, good value given that we would have needed two hotel rooms and had full cooking facilities (rarely used but nice to have). Reception was very helpful, we did not experience any of of the poor service previously commented on. The housekeeping was also excellent. There is a fair amount of maintenance/building work at present but it is off season! We usually went out for some of the day, Darkwood and Turner's Beach are much nicer than Jolly Beach, fewer people and no beach traders. As previously reported Mellinis is the best on site restaurant, we tried the Dogwatch but were not impressed with the service. To their credit all the restaurants were open even though it was very quiet. The lobster at Turner's restaurant is to be recommended! Despite being warned at how expensive the Caribbean is we found restaurant prices to be broadly similar or slightly cheaper than the UK depending on what you eat and drink (helped no doubt by the strong sterling/dollar exchange rate). From this respect AI is not essential. The Monserrat trip by helicopter is a must even though it is expensive ( 190 US) In summary JHV are are good choice for those who want to see Antigua rather than just a resort. TOP TIP - take a continental adaptor, our kitchen had some french sockets which meant we could charge mobile phones and batteries.