We are finally getting around to writing this trip report from our incredible stay at Hermitage Bay, a relatively new boutique hotel in Antique. Our visit was on our honeymoon June 18 - 24, 2007. Upon the reading the fantastic reviews at trip advisor, we decided to give Hermitage Bay a go. The only negative reviews we heard at the time were mosquitoes, which turned out to be a non-issue. Yes, there are golf carts that go by every evening, but you only hear them for 30 minutes, and even then, they are near your cottage for about 10 seconds. It is not a problem!

We stopped in Barbados the previous night, so we didn't arrive at the same time as the visitors from the US or UK. It took us about 30 minutes before someone came and picked us up, but remember it's the Caribbean, Relax!. The drive from the airport to the hotel was approximately 20 minutes. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but nothing to make you think twice. The setting of the hotel is phenomenal, a very secluded bay with a spectacular white sand beach (not a very soft beach, but beautiful) and a turquoise blue sea. Hermitage Bay had only been opened for 6 or so months, so there was still some construction around, but once inside, it wasn't noticeable.

Upon arrival, we were very impressed to walk into a bright and open atrium. This area is between the main dining area and the bar/poolside. We were met with the most delicious Mojito ever (Thanks Carl!) We had a few moments to relax as we arrived early and our room wasn't prepared just yet. However, they took our luggage and we went to the bar for another cocktail and to read about Hermitage Bay. While waiting, the general manager stopped by to personally introduce himself and asked us to get in touch with him if we needed anything at all. A very nice touch! Since we were honeymooners, we were upgraded to the hillside cottage, which was nestled in the hillside and surrounded by various tropical plants. We hopped on the golf cart to our hillside suite, which was a 2-3 minute windy ride up the hillside.

The cottage was incredible, words really can't do justice. Just view the pictures to see for yourself. The bathroom was extremely elegant, with the tub overlooking the Caribbean sea. We loved the outside shower area, it was very private and great for having showers together. It is true you can hear the sound of croaking frogs and chirping crickets, which is very soothing. One huge bonus of the hillside suite, was the private infinity pool. Wow was that wonderful. We had an issue with the water pump, but maintenance came almost immediately to fix the pump. Each cottage has an I-pod docking station and has an amazing sound quality. Our room was served by a room ambassador, who came by daily to replenish the mini fridge which is restocked daily. They get a sense of what you like to drink and try to keep the fridge stocked with what you want.

Breakfast and lunch menus were the same each day, but they offered a variety of choices. The one room for improvement would be for lunch, it would be nice to see an expanded menu for lunchtime. There was a different course each day for dinner. We were equally impressed by the quality of the food. The service provided by the wait staff was the best I have ever encountered, ANYWHERE. Constant attention to detail and everyone was extremely friendly.

The bar/pool area was fantastic with very comfortable couches and chairs all around. This was the busiest part of Hermitage Bay. Many folks eat here for lunch and have a cocktail before and after dinner. It was always very quiet however. All drinks are complimentary except for a few top shelf items. Don't be shy!

The visitors were approximately 70% British and 30% Americans visiting during our stay.

What was really special about this place was the friendliness of each member of the staff who all did everything they could to make us feel at home. We got to know the bartenders pretty well, Taj and Karl in addition to a few other folks, Michael especially for always driving us to the top of the hillside, when we felt lazy. Devon took us sailing and we had a great time. I know I am leaving a few people out, but everyone was just wonderful. The people of the Antigua in general are all very warm and welcoming people. We went into St. Johns by ourselves to the local markets and felt safe 100% of the time.

We looked at countless number of resorts all over the Caribbean and if you are planning a trip and can make it here, trust me come here, you will not be disappointed.

Very nice location for this hotel. The beach is superb and very quiet and the surroundings are wonderful. We really enjoyed the view and the room (suite 25, very convenient because not to high up on the hill so easy access to restaurant, pool and beach)
We stayed for 1 week and agree with most of the previous reviews:
- Very romantic and relaxing
- Superb suite with swimming pool. Nice design & colours + Ipod station + TV + DVD player.
- Good water sport facilities.
- "Room Anbassador" takes way too much time to clean the room (2 hours !!!)
- There were 3 or 4 visits a day in our room (clean the room then come back to fill mini-bar then later clean again, and at one moment two guys came in to spray insecticide while we were in the room...etc). Lack of privacy.
- Restaurant staff of inequal training, but very friendly.
- Hotel standard will deteriorate quickly due to poor construction quality (leaks from the roof while we were there).
- Didn't notice any sandflees or jelly fish.
- Very good overall but can't be considered as "Luxurious".

What can I say about the wonderful hermitage Bay other than it was heavenly!!!!

I booked to stay at hermitage bay back in Feb 2007 when it was a newly opened hotel. My husband and I had been looking for a place to marry abroad and had been extremely put off by many other carribean resorts based on the carousel of brides that you tend to get at some of the lower class resorts. We stumbled upon hermitage bay and finally decided upon it based largely on it's appeal of being a small retreat nestled into a cove with fab food and staff.

My wedding was beautiful, Jolie, the wedding co-ordinator was fantastic she made my life so easy. I was the most laid back I have ever been in my life and literally just stepped into my dress on the day of my wedding. Walking down the beautiful beach and saying my vows in front of the most amazing glistening blue sea I was nothing but 100% sure I had made the right decision to stay at hermitage and I am sure I will never ever experience such a wonderful day ever again largely made up by the efforts of Hermitage Staff.

I loved the staff at this resort. They welcomed our 15 strong party as though we were family and unbelievably I actually cried when we had to leave. The food is amazing, the location is amazing. Hardly any mosquito's, not one jellyfish and with the exception of one bad room in our party we were all 100% happy.

We did have an issue with a room that basically did not have a view but after speaking to the general manager he was only too happy to move us. I can understand some of the other reviews on this site that say they were ignored when they complained but I don't think this is the case. I simply think it is the laid back carribean style and that you need to be persistent if you are unhappy.

I love this resort and I love the wonderful wonderful staff. We will be back for our anniversary. I hope that this resort doesn't have too many guests because I want to keep it's charm all to myself.

There is definitely room for improvement at Hermitage Bay.

The hotel pitches itself at the upper end of exclusivity and service (and price), yet does not always reach these standards.

We generally had a few issues on each of the 5 days that we stayed there. Most of the issues were small, but as they were constant, it became an annoyance and disappointing. Without going into the details of each issue, some examples are:
• Substandard food on more than one occasion.
• In the restaurant, main courses being served whilst we were still busy with our starters. This was on 3 occasions, the last time even after we had reported it.
• Not all restaurant serving staff knowledgeable on the daily special or soup being served.
• Poor quality wines (except the Italian bubbly), as part of the all-inclusive offering.
• Being offered (without requesting it) more food by a staff member during dinner, only for her to return a few minutes later stating it would cost an additional $15.
• Maintenance issues reported not addressed and had to be reported again.
• The water sport staff members were not keen for you to use equipment after 4pm even though they only closed at 5pm.
• Although most of the staff members were very friendly, there was a lack of service consistency between different staff members.
• There are more examples.

On a positive note, the location is fantastic and also quite secluded. You can laze on the beach (a bit rocky, coral/shell strewn if you’re looking for pure powder but it did not bother us as we enjoy a bit of beachcombing) or go for a long walk on the adjacent property and explore its deserted, sandy beaches.

On another positive note, the one part of the hotel that saved the day, each day, after a string of disappointments, was the bar staff. Each and every member of the bar staff was fantastic. They were wonderfully friendly (without being in your face), very knowledgeable and delivered excellent service. Hats off to them.

So, did I report this whilst we were at the hotel? Yes. We arrived on Sunday 9 Dec and by Wednesday 12 Dec, there were just too many issues and disappointments to overlook so I met with the general manager. I listed most of our issues and he wrote them down, stating he would look into them and come back to me. We left 2 days later without him even speaking to us. This was the most shocking service of all and certainly not what we expected. A complete let-down and not how we wanted to end a 3 week Caribbean trip that had, up to that point, been fantastic.

At the price charged and the standard of service it is pitched at, Hermitage Bay leaves a lot to be desired.