The Verandah Resort & Spa

Visited over the Christmas holiday week with three adults and four older teens (16-19). The Verandah was a great choice for our family. We enjoyed all of the options for activities and also found plenty of time to just enjoy the views in peace and quiet. At times we enjoyed the main pool along with the music games and activities and we found plenty of quiet pool time at the infinity and waterfall pools. The various watersports options at Lovers Beach were plentiful and our group enjoyed sailing kayaking and SUP. The accommodations were spacious and clean with wonderful views of the cove. There were many food options although as a large party we had difficulty getting reservations earlier than 8pm even though we tried to make reservations first thing in the morning and as early as we were permitted to do so (2 days in advance max), this was disappointing. Overall, we enjoyed Sails and Tails most. The only other issue we had was gaining access to Pineapple Beach which was advertised as a great option but we again could not get a slot for our group despite our early attempts. Overall the staff was wonderful. They were very friendly and helpful and we didn't have any difficulty getting drinks food or assistance when needed. This and the fact that we didn't have to chase down real estate (chairs) at the pool or beaches made our stay all the more enjoyable.

Excellent authentic resort. Fabulous Caribbean vibe, it’s a slower relaxed pace, beautiful weather, stunning location and grounds. If you want 5* luxury Dubai type service, this may not be for you. The beauty of it all is the ambiance, laid back and relaxed. The staff here are amazing and work extremely hard, if you visit and immerse yourself in it, you cannot fail to have a fabulous time. It’s true the beaches at the resort are not the best but Long Bay, at the sister resort, Pineapple Beack Club, is 5 mins out of the main gate to the right, is stunning, one of the best on the island. You can request to visit Pineapple Beach, you do have to book at guest services to do this and they do limit the numbers, they have to to be fair to the guests there. It did get busier over Christmas and perhaps harder to book but this was not our experience, we booked usually a day or so in advance and thoroughly enjoyed our visits, great food here and again lovely staff, very welcoming. Even if it is not possible to book, they already have the maximum visiting on that particular day, just walk over to the beach, enjoy the public end of it, it’s stunning. We could not believe some guests at Verandah did not visit. Food/restaurants at Verandah were ok/good. Pizzas restaurant - very good Italian - good Main buffet - smoothies at breakfast great, the food in general ok but I’m just not a buffer fan. Would like to say a special thank you to Theodore who worked here at breakfast, such a nice guy, interacting with everyone, fab customer service. Sails and Tails - good Beach grill…. Best food, in my opinion, ribs incredible. Pools - loud and quiet, all lovely, pick the one that suits you best. Rooms - bathrooms really big, great showers, hairdryer surprisingly good, beds so comfortable, cleaned every other day and extremely well, more than adequate. The pelicans at Rasta beach just amazing The gardens, beautiful Transport around the resort if needed very good, there are some steep inclines be mindful of this Guest services book everything and were very helpful Resort shop, very good, lots of nice things and essentials, lovely pictures, I wanted to get a couple but foolishly left it too late and the shop was closed, Management, please let me know the name of the artist Mosquitos - we got bit, we used repellant, make sure you take some but the shop has some if you need it Car hire - we hired a car for 3 days, they drive on the left, stunning island lots to see, English harbour, highly recommend and Boom restaurant, Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, sunbathed at Catherine’s Cafe, they allow you to use sunbeds, just buy drinks etc from them Weather - lovely temperature, a few showers but that’s what keeps this island do green and lush, only short Visit- Shirley Heights, Thurs or Sun pm, we went Sunday for the atmosphere but so busy, feel Thursday would have been better Before we travelled there were some negative reviews, we considered changing hotel, thank goodness we didn’t…. Fabulous time, great Christmas away for a change. Antigua is a stunning island 🏝️ One comment, you only get one chance for a first impression. Reception and welcome could be better. Staff are somber, we were not given a welcome drink but observed others were, consistency. Not particularly smiley or engaging, this was a shame but in no way affected overall experience…. You could do with a little Theodore magic here management.

Pretty palm lined paved paths with some steep inclines. Nice breezes, some shaded spots. For those of you who want to experience Antigua's beautiful beaches- this may NOT be the resort for you (wish I had known/researched more). The two VERY small man-made beaches are murky. I am not swimming in either (and we love to swim). They say you can go to sister resort and use their beach (beautiful smaller strip of nice water and sand)- very difficult to get a day pass. I 'thought' we could just come and go- NO that is not the case. Good food and selection. No Baileys Irish cream or Kahlua here, not a big deal- just a preference. Nice service, laid back though. Front desk service was very cold and a bit rude (NOT a great first impression). Guest services and managers on duty- very nice and helpful!

Quick review as we’ve been to a ton of all-inclusive resorts around the world. Good: Food was decent and acceptable. Really liked the salad, calamari, and lasagna at Italian restaurant. Buffet was pretty good overall. Very laid back for those looking for quietness and just relaxation. Went on a private land tour with Jerry (great guy) to tour the island. Beautiful beaches and beautiful island overall. Improvements needed: Service was spotty, exceptions sure but not staff overall doesn’t seem too interested in making your experience a great one. In their defense, I’ve read other reviews and they did try to have a waiter at the pool occasionally and cleaned up in late afternoon. Very hard to get reservations at restaurants during the busy season. Beaches more of a lagoon style but have Pineapple across road which has a beautiful beach. Very difficult to get more than a 1 day pass during busy season. Probably the craziest thing is the high grass in a lot of the areas. Lots of areas with knee high grass and not well- maintained in certain spots. This was surprising after reading the reviews. Overall a good place to stay if it’s just to relax with minimal all inclusive expectations during the down season.

Visited Dec 2024 as a family of 3. This is our 4th visit to this resort. We would describe the resort during our stay as being very quiet and at a low occupancy. First off, we will say that despite what I have written below, we had a good holiday. Weather was fantastic, food was (mainly) good and the service around the resort was, on the whole, good (see below for exceptions). The vast majority of the staff were fantastic, friendly and helpful. Worth a mention here are Andre and David the barmen and Theodore the waiter who was incredibly enthusiastic, friendly and a real asset to the resort. There were many I failed to take the names of who also did a great job. Our last visit in 2017 threw up some concerns (which we noted in our 2017 trip advisor review) but when we heard that the resort had become adults only and undergone a refurbishment, we felt we should revisit. First off there have been some really good additions and changes. The new pool at Rasta Beach is excellent. The main pool has lost its central fountain structure and now has a sloping “beach” with loungers in the water and fountains. This is lit at night and looks great. There are now new shady areas from which you can pull the loungers in and out of. The bar on Lovers beach is a welcome addition. The Pizzeria is new (more on that below) and there is now a tea and coffee / cake / snack shop which we used a few times and was very good. There is a new “pub” called the Wavy Wicket and we loved this. This was something the resort really lacked in the past. St James Antigua has the Jacaranda bar, St James in St Lucia had the Red door bar so this addition brings the resort into line. It’s great for a pre or post dinner drink or to retire to if the entertainment at the main pool bar, isn’t for you. It’s also air conditioned so when it gets too hot, it’s a nice place to be. Now onto our trip and reception. Check in was poor. Two families were checked in together, no niceties or personal touch such as “how are you?”, “is this your first time to the Verandah?”. They just went through the motions and hurriedly rushed through a few resort facts and we were on our way. You do get a rum punch though. On checking out? Very disappointing. We may have just walked out and not said anything. There no “have you enjoyed your stay?”, “come again soon?” Etc. just took the safe key and called us a taxi. Not even a goodbye. Rooms: We had booked an ocean view room. We got room 306 which is actually situated right in the centre of the resort and right opposite the waterfall pool. So its handy for both walking to reception / Rasta beach or the other way to the main pool, restaurants and bars and to Lovers beach. Despite booking an Ocean View, the actual view was of the villas behind and one of the resort roads. You needed binoculars to see the sea and even then you had to be standing up. We didn’t use the balcony once. The rooms decor was very tatty. Yes they have removed the dated baths (that we noted in our 2017 review) and replaced them with a walk in shower. But the standard of workmanship is atrocious. It just felt very tired and grubby. We expected more post refurbishment. Rooms are cleaned every other day and in the latter part of our week, there were bottles of water delivered. This was not the case in the first few days and one evening my wife was extremely ill (see below) and we literally had no bottled water. I know they say you can drink the water but in all honesty, it’s not that pleasant. So the arrival of bottled water was welcome. Now the Restaurants. Nearly all now have exactly the same decor. Any soul they once had has been ripped from them. Seabreeze is the buffet. The food was very good here at breakfast (the egg ataion could get busy but the girl working it was a delight. The one evening we had in there, the food was very good, However, the windows are all shut and ac is on full blast. They used to open all the shutters and windows so the “sea breeze” ran though it. Now it is a sealed room, with bright lighting and zero atmosphere. I understand many complained about the birds coming in but this is the Caribbean. Open air dining is what it’s all about. The birds come with it and have done in every open air Caribbean restaurant I’ve been in since we started visiting the islands in the late 80s. Service was very good in here though. What used to be Buccaneers is now an Italian restaurant called Portofinos. This is an A la carte affair and is supposed to present a different experience from the Seabreeze buffet yet the room is exactly the same. All windows shut, AC at max and bright lighting. Apart from the menu and the service? It felt the same as Seabreeze. Nicoles is a fine dining experience which has a supplement applied to eat there. We have always had at least one night in here on our previous visits. The decor was always plush and it felt up market. The lighting was always lower and it felt special. Guess what? It’s now exactly the same as the Seebreeze and Portofinos. They have removed all of it' previous character. The food was ok, my daughters fish was nothing special and the lamb virtually had no meat on the bone. No sign of Lobster either now as had always been the case. Despite excellent service here, it is certainly now not worth the additional charge. Now onto the dress code in Nicoles. We were under the impression that this was tailored shirt and long trousers etc. This was always the case. On this particular night, the Guy opposite had shorts on, several people had flip flops on and one woman was wearing a hoodie. We were stopped from entering Nicoles one year and I had to lend a friend some long trousers so he could be admitted. Which is how it should be if there is going to be a dress code. Obviously, standards are slipping. Sails and tails is the restaurant overlooking Lovers beach. Its a lovely location. We had one evening meal here where my wife ordered fish. Shortly afterwards she was violently ill. The waitress delivered our three different starters by just plonking them in front of us and trying to walk away. We called her back and asked her which was which. We had all been given each others starters. We also had lunch there twice. And the service was atrocious. On the second time, after initially sitting down and a very long wait, i actually went up to the bar and ordered our drinks. I ordered a salad and some fries. Salad turned up and when the fries didn’t show after 30 mins, Bridget replied “we don’t have any”. No offer of any further drinks so again I went to the bar to be told by the barman that i needed to give my drinks order to Bridget. After waiting another 5 minutes, i made a point of walking up to the pool bar and bringing drinks back from there. The new Pizzeria supplies excellent Pizzas but; I just don’t get it. There is no drink available so you have to walk next door to the above “sails and tails” and get them from there. After being advised by the Sails & Tails barman to give our waitress the orders on one visit, it’s now ok to go to the bar for drinks? The Wavy Wicket is great. Great cocktails by either David or Andre. It’s a nice place to be and a great addition to the resort. Rasta beach grill very good. The menu is simple but the service is excellent. The new Beach bar at Lovers beach is great as before you had to walk up the steps to what is now Sails and Tails for drinks. The girl running it was great but was let down on a few occasions with a lack of stock. One day she had no gas for the beer, no sparkling wine for say an Aperol Spritz and no sugar syrup for cocktails. I heard her say to one colleague, “please go and get me some sugar syrup as I don’t like disappointing my customers”. Proof to me that she wants to deliver a great service but couldn’t. Cafe 17 degrees is a great place to grab a coffee or tea. Wines. Rose was awful, as dark as some reds and just terrible. Likewise, the Sparkling wine is dark and again is awful. Pinot grigio and Sauvignon blanc whites are good. As are the merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Reds. Cocktails in the main were good. Beaches. Rasta beach is in poor condition. Sand is thin and felt like you were walking on concrete / mud in some areas. There was a broken / snapped sunbed that twice, i moved well out of the way so it couldn’t be used. Yet it just kept appearing in exactly the same place . Lovers beach is better but there is a big worry here. They are now extending Hammock Cove right round to directly overlook Lovers beach leaving it nothing like the current photos show. Hammock Cove does not presently have much of a beach to speak of, only a man made section with a few sunbeds. Does this extension mean that Lovers beach will become at best, shared with Hammock Cove (it simply isn’t big enough we feel) or at worst, be handed to Hammock Cove as their beach, leaving the Verandah with only Rasta Beach? Both properties are Elite Island resorts? We found that at both beaches, the sea is sadly, not great. Very slimy under foot and murky. Big tip. If you want to swim in the real Caribbean, walk to Long bay (about 2 mins walk out of the main gate). Main Pool area is nice but is noisy in afternoon. Waterfall pool lovely. But no bar. Water dispenser only. New pool at rasta beach lovely. The Resort has added some good assets. But the rest has declined to the point that our accommodation was tatty both internally and externally. A lot of the lower trellises hiding the foundations / stilts of the rooms in missing. Barge boards are peeling and tatty. The Resort now looks a bit sad when viewed from the beach or sea. We have been Elite Island Resort customers since 2004. We have visited the Verandah in 2009, 2011, 2017 and this time in dec 2024. Sadly both my wife and I feel that despite the refurbs and additions, the Verandah has lost its sparkle and that this will be our final time here. I hope that can pick it back up and improve what's needed for a resort to be classed as 5* but currently it just doesn’t cut it.