Jolly Beach, Antigua

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.

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.

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!

Emilee Pratt

Let me start with the positives- 1.The beach was beautiful. The water is amazing and great for swimming, even in January. 2.The pools were equally as pleasant and are fresh water. So no chlorine! Yay!! 3.The resort is clean, considering its beach front, there was not a lot of sand or other types of dirt being trailed through the resort. It’s well manicured & the grounds are clean/ trash free 3a. The resort looks exactly like the photos on the resort website. 4.Yolanda, the masseuse at the spa is an absolute angel. She’s easily the best member of the staff. 5.Margaret at the reservation desk was also exceptionally lovely and helpful. 6.There are lots of fun seashells To be found as well On the flip side- 1.I found the staff, specifically the staff at the coconut grill to be very rude. They only half listen to your order and they got my wife’s lunch order wrong 3 of the 5 days we stayed here. 2.The amenities available were rather disappointing. Examples: The pizza factory is reservation only, and only open for dinner. You have to be in line by 630-7am to even get on the reservation list, mind you the desk doesn’t open until 730. The coffee shop ran out of coffee by 8am every single day. All of the bars, except for 1, close at 4:45pm. 2a.If you get a reservation for dinner at the pizza factory, they will not seat you even 1 min early. We arrived one night for our 8:30 reservation at 7:55 & they refused to seat us, even though there was a ton of open tables available. 3.The beaches are open to the public, even the resort beach, and we were approached 4-5x a day (and that’s being nice) by local venders trying to sell us “experiences” on jet skis and such. 4.If you are a same sex couple, like us, be prepared. It’s not super accepted here. We were asked by staff members “what changed us” and were told “two girls is fine, but two guys is not okay” …so just be mentally prepared for comments and questions and for them to refer to you as friends, regardless of how many time you say “we’re actually married”. Overall, my wife and I had a really lovely time, but we spent most of our time on the beach minding our own business. And I would say only about 25% of our interactions with staff was a negative experience. Don’t expect anything above 3 star service, you will be sorely disappointed.

Kirstie

Excellent value for money - staff are all very friendly and accommodating. Rooms are basic but clean, and the beds are comfy so you will sleep well which is the main thing! Beach is right on the doorstep and there is an outside bar/ pool bar. The food is actually quite decent - way better than I originally thought it would be, which is great! Its close to rhe harbour and supermarket too, in case you want to venture out. Really enjoyed my stay here and will definitely return :)