Stayed two weeks over Christmas/New Year. Got a great room away from main complex around the corner which had far reaching views out towards Jolly Harbour and Tranquility Bay. As other reviewers have said, the rooms are set into the ridge and spread out well so there are some steps involved but you can either wait for buggy service or man up and just walk it with the legs provided by your parents. Small price to pay from my perspective for lovely, well tended grounds and space.

Stayed breakfast only, which as a buffet one could quite easily fuel up for the day on with a wide spread of juices, pastries, fruit, cereals, toast/muffins and hot items, including some Caribbean dishes like saltfish and chop-up. Hot stuff wasn't always all that hot, but then hard to keep a buffet hot for hours it's open.

Didn't feel the need to eat in the flagship restaurant, the Sugar Club food was pretty good on it's own. Just over the road is a cool little Fish & Chip double decker bus which I sampled one night, good value with some great tunes and a beer.

The Mosquitos must have been on holiday when I was there - came fully prepared with tons of bug spray but didn't need to touch it any point either in the grounds or out walking around the entire time I was there.

<geek alert>Wi-Fi service was good, although I found specifying a faster DNS server sped things up massively for me - something I suspect would be true of most connections on the island</geeking>

Loads of fearless birds (I had frequent visitations from Bananaquits, Bullfinches and hummingbirds) about to watch and tons of little lizards darting around the well kept grounds.

10 minute walk from the hotel gets you to the Jolly Harbour supermarket full of all the comforts of home. Waitrose biscuits, HP Sauce and all. 15-20 minute easy walk gets you to the beach via Jolly Harbour or the Cocos Hotel and if you're prepared to walk 15-20 mins further lots of other quieter Beach options like Valley Church, CoCo Bay and Ffreys. Tip the Northern end of Tranquility bay is much quieter if you can live without sunbeds plus there's natural shade from trees on the beach.

Sugar Ridge is about 30 minutes white knuckle taxi ride from the airport. Close your eyes and hold on, it will pass quickly then just relax.

Do stay if:
you don't want to be with the herds in the main resorts
you enjoy peace and quiet

Don't stay if:
you object to using your legs
you're a bad buggy passenger

Lovely secluded hotel; away from the tourist masses but still with access and deals with local beaches a short car ride away. Rooms clean and staff exceptionally friendly and helpful. Worth doing a few tours to experience the island.
Only criticism I would have had is that the minibar in room was not included on the all-inclusive plan, so no free drinks in room unless you went down to the bar to get them - but that is a minor gripe.
Overall a lovely hotel, lovely food and service and I would return again.

This hotel is difficult to rate because the main problem here is INCONSISTENCY: Some staff made you feel valuable, while others were so surly in their attitude that you wondered if Antigua is becoming spoiled by all the eager tourists so willing to visit and spend their hard-earned dollars! For example, meal service at both restaurants could be quite good to downright dismal; room service was generally prompt, but one service didn't even speak to my husband when he said hello, while another service amazed us with his dedication, appearing at our door, with huge platter in hand, after walking up (and on a rainy night) from the Sugar Club (since no carts were available) Amazing work, Glaive!; shuttle service was often abysmally slow (we would call and frequently receive no pick-up, and at times the drivers were curt and reckless; service at the front-desk was often slow and of poor quality - requests we made for various excursions were completely ignored at times. On the other hand, kudos to Janine who was always warm and concerned with our needs, asking us if everything was alright. The greatest inconsistency was in the beach shuttle service: a times this was ok, but there were several occasions where we were left waiting at various beaches for upwards of an hour, and at the end of the day, in wet bathing, suits, tired and cold. When we were in the shuttle, the driver often ferried us to our respctive destinations at breakneck speed. My husband happened to notice that the speedometer read 80km (in a 40 zone) at one point. No doubt the driver was pressured to deal with all the passengers, but really whose fault is this? We actually watched the sunset at one beach waiting to be retrieved. We had to push back our dinner reservations as we were so late returning to our room.
The good side of this last experience was that the general mananger, Keith listened respectfully to our complaints. In fact, it is largely because of Keith's intervention in this and other matters relating to our stay and our being, that I am giving the hotel the rating that I am. Thank you, again, Keith!
I echo some of the complaints of other reviewers who indicate that at these prices the hotel service should be better, and I absolutely concur. And another concern (and which we discussed with Keith, who was very amenable in dealing with this) are all the extra fees. Yes, we understand the nominal fee for room service, but we were taken aback by all the dishes on the Carmichaels' menu for which a supplement must be paid (we were all incluvsive). Lobster is a standard "extra", but scallops, and steak as well?! In addition, for Christmas dinner, we had no choice but to pay of supplement of either 25 or 30 U.S. per person at either restaurant..and the irony was that the food wasn't that special nor that plentiful.
Overall, the food was fresh and tasty, but there was a dearth of variety in the dishes if one was eating mostly at the hotel, and staying for longer a week....two weeks or more and the choices were repetitive.
The hotel itself is in a beautiful location, with gorgeous landscaping, some nice facilities (didn't use much), and generally stunning views. The steep incline meant that walking was awkward (can do a number on your joints), and waiting around for golf carts can drive you around the proverbial bend toward which you're heading...plus one is always telephoning for service....rather than just walking out the door. We were constantly asking for something, such as ice, which should have been readily available but was not.
The pools are conveniently varied in size and purpose, but do take note that the infinity pool is barely larger than a plunge. Another concern, perhaps becuase of the location, and certainly not the hotel's fault, is the mosquitos....lots of them. The bed netting was useful.
Some reviewers raved about the bed, but I found it terribly hard and uncomfortable; however, I don't fault the hotel for this, as it is a personal choice. They did try very hard to accommodate my needs (Keith again) to make me happy.
The room itself was somewhat Spartan with only the most basic of furniture, and without a seating area or desk. Reading in bed was problematic, as the two table lamps did not throw adequate lighting. Plus they were covered by large, light-diffusing shades...nice for ambience, but not terribly functional. The mini fridge was useless for keeping any items adquately cold. A staff told us that it was really just a "cooler". The bathroom was small, and a little pokey without a lot of room for a couple to leave their respective toiletries. A "high" point to the rooms is the spacious verandah, with fabulous views of Jolly Harbour. We spent many hours simply watching sunsets and spotting wildlife.
The proximity to some brilliant beaches, and the ability to choose which location we wished to visit was a great option. Unfortunately, one of the beach service and lunch providers, Jaquie O's pulled out of the arrangement with the hotel, for a portion of our trip. We were offered no explanation or comparable substitute (other than the other two choices which were already existing). We found Frys beach to be a great alternative, but our all inclusive fee did not cover sun lounger or drinks' costs.
The mosquitos/sand flies were dreadful at all the beaches; we had to purchase bug spray at the hotel gift shop. I was a bit taken off guard, as our last Antigua stay was on the south-east side where we received hardly any bites at all. The hotel did fog for insects thrice weekly, so attempts were made to control infestation within the hotel grounds.
Overall, some great points about this resort, and if the "bugs" are worked out, could be deserving of full marks.

Good points
>>> Staff excellent nothing to much trouble. Swimming pools and area by it very roomy
>>> Bedrooms good size with king size beds and
>>> soft pillows Only drawback only showers no baths .
Bad points
rooms have air conditioning but very noisy.

we took half board and took this to mean you could have either lunch or dinner. this was not the case - hotel said it meant dinner only- i explained that is not what is meant by half board.
>>> restaurants food ok in Sugar club.Gourmet restaurant says gourmet but not the case
>>> food ok. They even charged supplement for lamb and duck.their answer was lamb expensive .
> Even charged supplement for Xmas dinner which was ok certainly not
> worth any extra
>> Entertainment was okay but almost ignored by the guests mainly
>> because hotel make no effort to promote any event so most people go
>> to bed after dinner Main problem is the manager who you hardly see
>> during your stay . I left him message to contact me ,he made no
>> effort to contact me to discuss my issue with supplement being
>> charged.
If planning to stay do on bed and breakfast and try local
>> restaurants as food good in them .