My wife and I stayed at Hermitage Bay between the 6th and 21st April 2007 as a belated honeymoon. Upon arrival we were met with breath taking views of the caribbean and a warm welcome from all the staff, who are absolutely fantastic. We had a hillside villa complete with plunge pool and the rooms surpassed our expectations.

Every guest is assigned a room ambassador, who, if they were anything like ours, Ruthlyn, will make your stay memorable. The rooms are immaculately kept with fresh flowers replaced daily and the mini bar is always topped up for use. The restaurant served the highest quality of food, and the chef was more than willing to remove ingredients, or add them to dishes, if something didn't quite take your fancy.

The bar and pool area were extremely comfortable areas to while away the days, while soaking up the sun and the beach had a healthy supply of loungers and a great drinks service.

We did find the energy on a couple of days to partake in some water sports and found that Devon and Janice the instructors were only too happy to take us out on the hobbie cats or let us loose on the kayaks. The caribbean is a perfect place to do the activities, calm and warm with great cooling winds to combat the sun. if you are prone to burning ensure that no matter how short your stay in the sun is wear sun protection. The cricket world cup was in Antigua during our stay and we went to watch the England v Australia game. Only a ten minute walk from the shuttle bus to a fully covered stand and my wife got burnt by the incredibly strong sun.

The only small down side to our stay was the fact that minor building work was being done on a couple of days. A pool shower was being fitted which, if we were honest, we would have expected to have been completed before the hotel opened. Also various hand rails were being built, work starting at 8.15am. No lie in on those days! The hotel keeps the biting insect problems under control, however this didn't stop me getting bitten 15 times in one night while asleep. Ensure you take plenty of repelent and bite relief, just in case they find you tasty.

Overall, a fantastic holiday and we would definitely return....already started saving up!

Hermitage Bay offers everything we're normally looking for:
- great bungalows with excellent design/ furniture
- magic view
- great beach and sea
- excellent food/ drinks and service
It's an absolutely fantastic place for couples and honeymooners.
The only thing that could be added: some gym machines...

As background, my wife and I are 29 years old and went to Antigua to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We were looking for a place to totally relax and get away from everything for a week.

We absolutely loved Hermitage Bay. After being torn between the Hillside Cottage for its plunge pool and the Beach Cottage for the proximity to the beach, we chose the Beach Cottage. You can't go wrong with either of these choices. I would say select the Hillside Cottage if the plunge pool is important to you and the Beach Cottage if you like to be steps away from everything and enjoy hearing the ocean at night. If choosing a Beach Cottage, I do recommend requesting the first row. There is a second row that did not seem as desirable.

The cottages are amazing with wood throughout. While they have an excellent flatscreen TV, we had it on for maybe 10 minutes during our entire vacation. We did utilize the Ipod dock each day, especially in the evening as the sun set. The large bathtub and outdoor shower were excellent as well.

The food was very good. The breakfast and lunch menus are the same each day while the dinner menu changes each night. The food was all high quality while I agree with the previous posting that more spices could have been used to add flavor.

The sunsets at Hermitage Bay are amazing and never get old. Our favorite activity was sitting on the front porch of our cottage with a glass of champagne and watching the sunset behind the sailboats.

There are certainly still issues as this resort gets up and running but none that should prevent anyone from visiting. While the road is rough getting out to the resort, it only makes you feel more secluded when you arrive. We took the water taxi over to Jolly Harbor and I would not recommend this unless you need items from the supermarket, etc. The mosquitos are certainly but did not create a major issue for us.

I could write on forever about the wonderful time we had visiting. It was amazing and we hope to return some day.

My husband and I wanted a great relaxing getaway somewhere in the Caribbean. When we found Hermitage Bay it met our standards as far as a beach vacation goes for now! There were some reviews that listed inconveniences and problems with the resort which did worry us a bit.
First, the road into the resort is not finished in the least. Really, not an inconvenience as once you are at the resort, there is no real reason to leave it; unless you take the occasional jaunt into St. John's or Shirley's Heights. The unfinished road is really due to the massive construction going on in Antigua generally. True, the resort is doing it's fair share of small projects but again, no inconvenience to us. Of course, while at the spa and once sitting at the pool we did hear an occasional car alarm go off which was unnerving!
Second, the mosquitos are a plenty! But, the resort is taking steps to alleviate the problem with an evening spray of some sort of pesticide. We did get bit up some, but nothing more than we expected being in the caribbean.
Third, the occasional electricity outages we experienced were few and not very problematic for all. Some of the suites on the hillside, I beleive, run on a different generator and had longer outages. It only happened twice for us.
Our arrival couldn't have been more welcoming. The staff were happy to see us, greeted us with a nice damp napkin and very delicious virgin mohito! We were shortly, thereafter, taken on a small tour as we made our way to our beach suite. We were sort of blown away at how the hillside suites were a little more expensive compared to the beach suites. Being right on the beach was a plus for us. But the plunge pools in the hillside suites are really nice and a great size! Although, if you are not a climber....these are not for you! Just getting to the spa was a small climb!
The cleanliness factor is huge! Each suite has an ambassador that is assigned to your suite for you stay. She will introduce herself and ask you if you have any requests. If she sees you around the resort she may ask you to see if you are doing ok and her work is satisfactory! From the bathrooms to the bed linens everything is attended to on a daily basis. Each suite is equipped with an i-pod docking station that has surround sound speakers! This was great to have as most evenings we spent on our porch with champagne watching the sunset! Gorgeous. THere is not one suite that doesn't have this incredible view!
The food is really great! Not as much of a fish selection as we thought, but everything was delicious. Each menu for dinner is different. The ambiance at dinner is fabulous. At least 3 nights we had live music. One, acoustic guitar; another jazz band and then a solo piano singer! The best experience, we thought, was eating on the terrace! First, you are under the stars and second, it is much cooler as you catch the breeze while eating.
The wine that was featured was amazing! Of course we are by no means wine connoisseurs, but we definitely enjoyed the house selections! The bar has an extensive list of island drinks, beer, champagne and virgin drinks as well. The bartenders tend to you poolside, on the beach or wherever you are!
The spa was also a great experience. I had the stone therapy massage which was invigorating (despite the sunburn!). I also received a mani/pedi which was very nice. At the moment when you book 3 nights or more, you recieve 2 complimentary 1/2 hour massages as well.
All in all, this resort is definitely one I would return to and recommend to friends/family.