Jolly Beach, Antigua

Anna Vlasiuk

Perfectly fine if you don’t expect a 5* service from a 3* hotel! The staff is friendly and nice, a bit relaxed (Caribbean style), but can’t blame them! The food was good and quite varied. Has an issue in my room, and was moved to a much better one the next day. The main thing was the beach - one of the best on the island. Overall, I’m happy with my holidays there!

L T

Resort needs some tlc. Well priced resort for location. It's perfect for those that just want a clean room to sleep, beautiful sandy beach or pool you don't need to reserve early and adequate food and drink. The staff are nice but overwhelmed as place is understaffed. Expect lines at bars, grill and restaurant. We enjoyed our time as it was a jumping off point for exploring the island.

Holly

Absolutely exceptional if you remember you get what you pay for. This is not a 5* resort and the rooms are charming but vintage. Bear in mind a holiday here costs less than half of what most resorts in Antigua charge (some are much, much more). Positives: Staff absolutely amazing! Margaret on the tours desk is an absolute legend and all round great lady. Brilliana in the restaurant was also amazing! Aaliya on the bar also fab. The staff here work incredibly hard. Yes, you will have to wait for a drink (this place is busy) but all of the staff work incredibly hard to serve everyone as quickly as possible. All the staff I met here were fantastic. A very kind member of grounds staff stepped in to help me down the stairs with my suitcase (yes I should learn to travel light). If you are reading this, thank you 🙏 Drinks: plentiful and lots of options. Food: À la carte restaurant was good. Buffet also good but I would advise to get there early. The coconut grill was fantastic. Brilliant burgers. Rooms: Traditional and charming (somewhat stuck in an 80’s time warp). Yes, the sink was missing a plug and getting the balcony door open was a challenge. However, the bed was super comfortable, the shower was decent and the air conditioning was fine. All the essentials were covered and let’s be honest. No one here is going to spend loads of time in their room. Beach: stunning, always sun beds available. Yes, local vendors will approach you but all are friendly and will leave you alone if you politely ask them too. No one made me feel uncomfortable. The hotel also has security on the beach. Other guests: fantastic! Maybe I was lucky but the vibe was fantastic. Everyone was super friendly. Good mix of couples but also groups of friends travelling together and single travellers. Everyone was welcome. If you are looking for a luxury resort this is NOT the place for you. However, if you are looking for a beautiful place to relax and are mindful of the price compared to other resorts you will leave happy and want to return again. Lots of guests here are returning guests and that says a lot. Am I returning, absolutely. Yes, there are a lot of negative reviews. Just manage your expectations. My take on the negative reviews is that some guests are expecting more than they paid for. Remember this is 3* and bear that in mind. If you are looking for 5* book elsewhere.

geoff ghana

Just spent 2 weeks at jolly beach resort and had an amazing time. The staff are super friendly and couldn't of been more helpful. We were in room 3335 for the price we paid it was more than adequate and the view towards the sea was spectacular. Plenty of choice and a variety of styles as regards the food offering. All in all we had a wonderful time and would highly recommend.

Mello

The beach, the sea and the views are the reason to come here, it’s beautiful here. We were greeted by friendly staff and delicious rum punch drinks on arrival, check in was quick and we were on our way to our room, we chose to stay on a higher floor because we don’t mind stairs and like the view from a higher floor. We could easily walk to the beach, restaurants and pool. ( I wouldn’t recommend this for older persons who cannot easily climb stairs ) But they do have ground floor rooms. This beach is beautiful, perfect for long beach walks and a very relaxing environment. I do think they could add more of the in water rings that you can lay in and relax, because those do get busy and people tend to stay in them for hours at a time. I would also suggest having pool noodles and other items guests can enjoy during the day at the pool. ( no one wants to buy these items because you can’t take them with you) There are plenty of loungers and built in shade shelters, we never felt like we had to fight with others for a spot on the beach. ( which is the worst feeling when your trying to enjoy your vacation ) There are two pools, one shallow pool, the quiet pool for a cool down and reading area. Then there is the main pool with a swim up bar, fountain, hot tub, volleyball area and a restaurant right at the pool. The pool restaurant offers a few hot options during the day if you don’t want to leave the beach area for lunch at the buffet. The one thing I would recommend is that they offer fresh fruit as well at this restaurant because it would elevate the experience. The beach bar is busy, but the staff are friendly and service is fairly quick. I would bring a travel drink container with a lid ( Stanley Cup) so you can avoid getting sand in your drinks on windy days. Breakfast was definitely our favourite meal and they had omlet and pancake stations at the buffet to order yours with the toppings of your choice. My honest opinion is that if you came for the beach, you will love Jolly Beach!