We stayed a week. Straight away there was a problem with our room. Nice room but very close to the Sugar Club (good) and gym (bad). The gym has a very noisy air conditioning unit which mercifully only ran for about 10 minutes every hour because it was really noisy - surely it could be silenced or changed? We requested to move rooms and were offered an upgraded room at the top of the resort which we judged too far away from the amenities - we would have needed the internal transport both ways - so we were stuck. The hotel seemed empty but they said full with long lets - the crew from a reality TV show being shot locally. They had the best rooms despite being out at work and their presence restricted the room churn and hence the opportunities to move. The pools are small - no chance for swimming but the gym (open to non guest members) was well appointed but very under used. The staff were nice, friendly and reasonably efficient.…
My husband and I have been to Antigua twice before on cruises and spent two days from our cruise ship around the island. It has been on our travel list for a couple of years. What perfect timing for Aveda to offer this deal using points! We extended the trip to total 9 days and I am SO glad that we stayed here the entire time rather than moving to another place. Sugar Ridge gets a 5 from me because of the excellent & friendly staff. Just to name a few that we routinely interacted with and LOVED include Marisa at the front desk, Cindy Ann at Sugar Club and the entertainment director, Carlene at the main pool bar, Joanna at the Aveda spa, and others who took care of us like Coffe, Gordon & Ariel. Everyone was great and I left many names off so I apologize! This is a super relaxing resort with 3 pools. The plunge pool at top of hill at Carmichael’s is amazing. The shuttles to the beaches are convenient. The grounds are lovely and filled with lovely flowers and other tropical vegetation. We stayed in villa #14 (ground floor units have even numbers and plunge pools, upper floor units have odd numbers and a nice balcony, but no pool). I loved the sweet little plunge pool, however during our stay the pool light was NOT working and the pool pump was very weak (yes, I reported that). Our roomy balcony had a great sunset view, but rocking table needs leveled. Our room had a very comfortable bed. The light bulb in a lamp by our bed was flashing for half of our stay but finally got fixed. The bathroom amenities and shower were great. Beware if you have any mobility issues or are out of shape since there are LOTs of stone steps to and from the rooms. Overall, I would stay here again and recommend the resort.…
The hotel is in a lovely location with hills behind and great views of the coast, but it is a 5-10 minute car ride to the 2 main beaches. The hotel is very obliging with providing shuttles and lifts wherever needed and has connections with the beach bars that enables people with all-inclusive, or other deals, to get drinks and food at no extra cost. They also have staff on duty to help the hotel clients whilst on the beach. Staff all very pleasant and there are lots of them, especially since the bars, restaurant, pool were all very quiet. Some seem to spend their day doing very little, although those in reception, the drivers, room staff & gardeners all keep quite busy. They have many roles and systems for everything that can be perplexing, and are often messed about with so they don’t really work as intended. Also, the lack of activity means that some get into chatting or their own thing so can be less than attentive when needed, in contrast to the busy staff who were delightful. Everything is pretty well set up - clean, nice surroundings, plenty of space, big gymnasium, spa, a shop. Car shuttles run to the rooms which are spread through the estate, some high up the hill. The main bar is usually empty and the main restaurant only busy at breakfast and mid evening. There is a second, up-market restaurant at the top of the hill called ‘Carmichael’s’ along with an infinity pool and fabulous views over Jolly Harbour. Our room was spacious, clean and very well set up with a very comfortable bed with a full mosquito net. This was comforting, but not essential as they spray the area with vaporised diesel to rid the estate of mosquitos and flies 3 times a week: something done across much of the island with very mixed outcomes (see below). We had a big balcony with lovely views over sea, hill and harbour. The menu in the main restaurant is rather restricted and unchanging: ‘catch-of-the-day’ was mahi-mahi for the 4 nights we were there. There are lots of shrimp and steaks on offer, good vegetable soup, and another vegetarian option. The quantity is ample, but the quality indifferent to quite good. Strangely for the Caribbean, fruits and salads seem to be in short supply so there’s lots of lettuce, which comprises 90 percent of their ‘signature’ salad. The wine list is small, but the wines quite drinkable - mostly chilean. Breakfasts are of indifferent quality, with a very limited free choice of bread, buns and cereal in the buffet, and an identical offering every day: again, this seems lazy. Only golden shred marmalade is openly on offer, but they do have honey if you ask for it. The fruit bowl ($9) contained only melon (not very ripe) and pineapple: tinned fruit would be tastier! Cooked breakfasts are prepared to order and not exciting: I had an omelette and some ‘pumpkin pancakes’ which were horrible - they seemed uncooked, being gooey inside. Prices are in US dollars and, to my mind, very high for what’s on offer. I was glad we were on an all-inclusive deal while the service is unpredictable, and not greatly helped by the multiplicity of staff. Carmichael’s restaurant is in a glorious position and a different proposition, with a more interesting menu and first-rate service. It is expensive, but prepared to a high standard and with great flavours on offer. The view from the infinity pool is amazing. In the main concourse is a small normal warm-water pool and a much larger long thin pool of extremely cold water which no-one swims in, although it seems only good for lengths. The pool and bar area was usually empty, and the 6 people was the most we saw: everyone is down at the beach or exploring elsewhere. The grounds are extensive and, where cared for by the team of gardeners, closely manicured. There is lots of bourgainvillia, hibiscus and other tropical flowers. The variety of wildlife is restricted by the spraying for mosquitoes (3 times a week) which kills almost all insects and affects heaven-only knows what else. There are also roaming cats and the mongooses, imported from India to eliminate snakes, but between them, these two predators must clean up any small mammal or invertebrate that might feed a more diverse biology.…
This was our third time here as I am an Aveda Pure Privilege customer and get free stays every year or so. We thoroughly enjoy all aspects of this location. Room is beautiful, comfortable, and has a fabulous view of the harbor. We stayed in #5 this year. This resort is definitely for adults who prefer a quiet, low activity environment. The beaches are just a 5 minute drive in the resort jeep and the staff are very accommodating regarding when one cares to return. Nest beach is nice though can be crowded if ships are in town. Food is good there too. Bogo beach was amazing as more controlled access and the restaurant there had outstanding Indian food. I would recommend eating at the restaurants (2) at Sugar Ridge (Wednesday night great 2 for 1 value) but also be sure to visit those at the harbor (Melini's) and on the road just outside the resort (Miracle's (home cooked Caribbean)and Big Head Lobster (Pizza or Lobster). If you like Yoga be sure to visit the Shed on site for a class- had an amazing instructor and the view is spiritual in the morning. We'll be back regularly for sure!…
I want to make this review in depth about a few things others haven't covered extensively. Yes, it's on a hillside and there's some hiking around involved and it would be difficult/impossible for a disabled person to get around I think. When we arrived, I was surprised. The room was exactly what was in the photos, but it was much smaller than it looks--that's careful photography. Some things in the rooms are showing wear and need attention. At first, that's what I saw. The bed is also quite firm, like a futon on a slat platform feeling. We had a long travel day, so we walked into town and had dinner, and then came back and went to bed. As I lay there, listening to little frogs peeping vigorously all night long, I thought about what I had seen on the drive from the airport to the resort--extreme poverty, like I have never seen in real life before. I thought about the fact that I was staying in conditions that the overwhelming majority of Antigua residents would never see let alone live in--and I decided to calm down and enjoy myself. I let those little frogs peep me to sleep. The next day I was refreshed and ready to enjoy myself. The bedding and towels and bathroom amenities were wonderful, and the shower was hot with excellent pressure (room 6). We had a plunge pool which felt rather deluxe. We walked down to the restaurant, where Chef Gregory had made us some vegan breakfast options--the coconut oat porridge was lovely, and they brought us a smoothie to go when we left! We stayed at Sugar Ridge on our Aveda points, and then we moved to an AirBnB for our remaining four nights. Given the price of SR, I'm glad we did this, but I don't want to downplay how much we enjoyed SR. Over our three night stay, everyone was very, very polite and kind to us, and accommodated the things we needed. Had I been paying full price, I might have asked for a few other things, but I wasn't, so I tried to be humble. You can't let yourself get annoyed that people are hustling for tips--hustling is their day job! I relaxed, tried to be generous, and loved my time here. The pools are LOVELY and we sunbathed a couple of times. They're not over chlorinated which is nice. Then, there's the INFINITY pool up high, which you need the shuttle to get to. Carmichael's is closed one night a week, and that's a good time to go up there. It was incredibly warm and beautiful, and gave us an incredible view of the Caribbean in the distance and the sunset. A magical evening! We loved this resort and our time here. We never heard another guest in their room; we couldn't hear anybody unless we went to the pools or the restaurant. We heard froggies. Cute! We met a few kittens, but they were shy and didn't bother us. We saw tiny lizards everywhere, which were so cute and they scatter so if you're scared of things like that, don't worry. Explore the beautifully manicured grounds and enjoy the gorgeous flowers and special birds. We love and miss you, Sugar Ridge!…
My wife and I spent a week at Sugar Ridge and had a very nice time. We paid for the all inclusive package and it worked out very well. The resort is not on the beach but is very close to several and the resort will take you and pick you up at your leisure.The resort is built into the hill and has a lot of steps. If wet they can be very slippery so be careful. If you are young or in reasonable shape they should not be problem. The pools are nice but we spent most of the days at different beaches. Turners beach was very nice and with the all inclusive you got lunch and drinks at their restaurant. Other beaches you could request a custom lunch to take with you. We ate most meals at the main restaurant and the food was excellent as well as the service. One night we ate at Carmichaels at the top of the resort and the food was excellent and the view magnificent. They offer very good yoga that my wife enjoyed each day, and the gym has lots of options for a quick work out. It never seemed very busy which was nice. The best views are from the higher numbered units on the top floors, but lots more steps. They will shuttle you up and down if needed. We had the small plunge pool, but we did not use it that much as it was a little on the cold side. Overall a great vacation and I would give it five stars. …
The resort is ok but not on the beach and they nickel and dime you for everything. I had a 3 tiny work out shirt laundered for 36 dollars. Basically the customer service is ok if you have green. And not overly friendly!!!!
We loved our honeymoon stay at Sugar Ridge. When you first arrive, we were greeted with welcome drinks (our type of place) and they had our luggage brought to our room. The front desk was very helpful with getting taxi's/shuttles around the island and to the beach. They were also very helpful with setting up our excursions. We went during the slow season (Sept 2018) so there were not many other guests, upside is there was no kids - only adults! The food was always on point and we enjoyed the selection they offered. We are also athletes and the gym was very clean, and had plenty of equipment for a solid workout! The restaurant at the top of the hill has the BEST views on the island and the servers were seriously so nice. I highly recommend getting the all inclusive package. It's 100% worth it. We even had free drinks and food brought to our room when we felt like just chilling for the night. I have recommended this place to a few friends and I hope they consider staying here. One thing to consider, you are not on the beach, which is what we wanted. You are up in the hills and have a view of the beach AND the hills! OH YES, and the plunge/infinity pool at the top of the hill next to the restaurant was magical with plenty of places to sit. We are huge "VIEWS" people and this place had all of them.…
We spent a week at Sugar Ridge for our honeymoon. We wanted a romantic, quiet and unique hotel, which is exactly what we got at Sugar Ridge. Sugar Ridge is a lovely, small resort spread across a hillside that overlooks Jolly Harbour and the Caribbean Sea. We initially thought we would be spending every day at the beach, but we loved the resort so much we spent most of our time there. We asked for a room with a view and they gave us a room right at the top of the hill, next to Carmichael's (the fine dining restaurant) and the amazing infinity pool. The room itself was modest but very comfortable, and we loved the personal plunge pool. We were on the all-inclusive plan. On our first day, we thought that maybe the all-inclusive plan was a bit of a mistake because there are only two restaurants and two bars, but we quickly realized that the plan was far cheaper than going a la carte. The limited dining options didn't matter because the menus varied each day and we always found something new to try. The food was very good and the drinks were plentiful. The staff were exceptional, and went out of their way to help make our stay really special. One of the highlights of the trip was the hike up Mount Obama with Vorn (have you heard he's unmanageable?), which was not easy but very worth it. Just a couple of things to be aware of: The resort is built on a steep hill, and is not ideal for folks with limited mobility. The resort offers shuttles up and down the hill as needed, but if hills aren't your thing, we really recommend requesting a room at the lower part of the hill instead of relying on the shuttle. With respect to the beaches, the website says that there are shuttles to Turner's Beach and Valley Church Beach, and Sugar Ridge guests can get service at both locations. At the resort, we were told the shuttle service went to Castaways (in Jolly Habour) and Valley Church Beach, but not Turner's Beach. We found this conflicting information confusing and a bit annoying. HOWEVER, you can still ask the shuttle drivers to take you to Turner's Beach (we did) and you can enjoy service from the restaurant there (it was great).…
Booked two nights via Booking.com for $380 CAD/night. The night before checking out asked Receptionist to extend for one more night for the same room so I wouldn’t have to change rooms. The receptionist Trevor said I had to wake up in the morning and check then if that’s possible. I explained that the reason I was extending was because I did not want to wake up early. Trevor was rude and obnoxious. Asked him to contact the manager. Waited for 45 min at the reception instead of going to sleep until Trevor informed me that I could stay in the same room for an extra night, the rate would be $239 USD including taxes, and I had to pay in the morning. Double checked with Trevor that $239 was including taxes. He confirmed with the yes. Came down to Reception the next day to pay. The receptionist would not honour the rate and said I had to pay $369 USD. Had to escalate the issue up to the general manager out of principle to honour the rate which was quoted. That took 45 minutes of my time and added to my aggravation from the previous night. Other than the bad customer service, the resort is meh. Would expect more for that price. The infinity pool is tiny - more like a pond. Only drinks, no food/snacks available at the pool. The Carmichael’s restaurant onsite Carmichael’s (which is apparently fine dining) was a bad experience too. The food was not good at all. Will not come back.…
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