Cocobay Resort

Cocabay resort has the best location on the island. The staff is amazing. Everyone goes above and beyond to make the guests happy. The food is Delicious. So many beautiful beaches! Antigua is Paradise. Cocobay Resort is our home in Paradise.

My sweetheart and I decided to treat ourselves to a romantic getaway. We've never been to Antigua. It's such a beautiful island. We arrived around 2:30 pm.We had smooth check-in accompanied with strong welcome drinks. Not only was our room ready, but we received an upgrade. We were pleasantly surprised. We already booked a mid level pool suite. This upgrade makes it so much sweeter. This room also is a lot closer to dining and pool areas. The Waterfront Pool Suite has an amazing view. The beds were super comfortable. This cottage porch had a bear claw bathtub, hammock, sitting area, and a plunge pool. This is such a relaxing retreat. With no televisions in cottage, it allows for deep romantic time. We even indulged with a floating lunch at the Black Rock Pool. This is definitely worth the splurge of $120.00. We got complete privacy in our pool area. We received a bountiful basket of scrumptious food. It included salads, mac and cheese, chicken wings, wraps, succulent shrimp, an assortment of desserts, and your choice of wine or spirits. They serve it to you in your pool area, which consists of a table and chairs, and a daybed to relax with a dynamite view to enjoy for as soon as you wish. This was an immensely enjoyable vacation. It's worth the trip!!!

Our recent stay at Cocobay has left us wondering who has left these reviews and where they stayed? First the positive:  We stayed in a “deluxe pool room”. The view from the room and our pool was stunning! The beds were very comfortable and we enjoyed how quiet the resort was. For us, the room and the view met our 5 star expectations. Word of warning to future travellers - not all sea views are the same. Several “deluxe pool rooms” actually overlook an industrial park / desalination plant.  I’ve attached a photo of our view and a view from the neighbouring cottage.   The front desk team was pleasant and kind. Check in / check out was friendly and efficient. Kashari D was very kind and helpful and is a definite asset to your team. Pool / Beach towels were always available in the mornings which we appreciated.  The cleaning staff and grounds crew were top notch. Our room was always spotless and the gardens were absolutely lovely. Sandy W (housekeeping) was so pleasant and kind - we very much appreciated her friendly demeanour and positive attitude. Sandy, your cheerfulness was definitely a highlight of our stay! Thank you!  We had two massages and they were wonderful. It was a little awkward that there was no designated changing area, you just stripped in front of a large window. There was also no place within the spa area to place your clothes and belongings. This wasn’t the end of the world but leaving your personal items on the floor was far from luxury. The views from both common area pools were incredible but the loungers and the cushions were somewhat tired and could use a freshen up.  We had two dinners at Sheer Rocks. These were expensive (2 courses and 1 bottle of wine will run you about 400 USD) but the food and service was top notch. The views were incredible. Definitely worth the higher price point. Highly recommend. The coffee shop makes a great coffee (unfortunately served only in a paper cup) and has different pastries each day - all of which were very good.  Paninis at the beach bar were good. Service at the beach bar was also much better and way more friendly.  Now the not so great: The quality of food and service in the one “included” restaurant did not meet our standards. Everything was very cream based, bland or covered in a very sweet bbq type sauce. That being said, other people raved about out the food so it really is subjective. Guests were also not served at the same time. Ditto with table clearing.5 Star Service would see that guests are served and plates cleared at the same time. Drinks and water were also not refilled unless you specifically ask - they do not offer. Not necessarily a huge deal, but if you’re marketing yourself as a “luxury” all inclusive resort these details matter. I was not expecting Michelin Star but for us, the dining service and quality of the food was a big let down.  Pool side drinks are served in paper cups unless you specifically request plastic. There is also no bar service pool side, you need to go to the bar - which is fine, it’s not far, but it’s also not as advertised. If you wish to take a drink back to your room after dinner - this is also provided in a paper cup. When I asked why this was I was told that “guests steal the glassware” which is utterly ridiculous. Potential thieving guests aside, there is absolutely nothing “luxury” about a paper cup.  Dining and main bar staff were not overly friendly and several seemed generally unhappy. Simple requests were often met with full on eye rolls. One night we asked for a bottle of wine to bring back and enjoy on our deck and we were told that they “didn’t have any to spare unless we had a cork screw”? We ended up getting a bottle (screw top) from the restaurant. No ice bucket (maybe people steal those too?) This was at 9:00 pm - it was not an unreasonable time for two adults to want to enjoy some wine and privacy on their holiday! It all became a little comical.  When you arrive you are provided with a reusable metal water bottle. I am all for positive environmental choices but an actual 5 star hotel would stock water (a reusable bottle would be fine) in your room each day. Also, given the number of paper cups that they must go through each day, the reusable water bottle gives off definite “green washing” vibes. When I asked about having some water and club soda in our mini fridge I was told “this was “not part of our package” but they would make “an exception and accommodate us” - lovely, but considering we spent over 10k on this holiday - club soda and water was hardly a big ask.  Booze and wine are also NOT top shelf. Quality of the mixed drinks was very inconsistent and they seemed to taste differently each time. They do apparently have some higher quality wines that you can purchase with dinner but we were never offered this option and only found out about it on our last day. There definitely seems to be a difference in service between people who book directly and people who don’t. I understand that direct booking is financially better for the hotel - but treating everyone equally would probably result in more return guests. The only way we could secure direct flights within our holiday dates was to book our trip as a package. If you don’t want people to use third party booking sites then remove your business from these sites. Alternatively, you could let guests know before arrival that third party bookers will not receive the same level or quality of service and provide them with the option of “upgrading”.  Honestly, we enjoyed the views, the gardens and sunshine but we agree with the previous reviewer who stated that this resort does not provide value for the cost of the holiday. We will not be back.

When we arrived at the property, our airport transfer (included in our “Starfish Experience” package) dropped us off outside a small, island-style lobby. Our personal concierge wasn’t immediately available, and the staff seemed confused. We were told we’d meet our concierge in the morning. Kemlin turned out to be a lovely, personable young woman who ensured that everything about our stay was as we liked it. When we got to our cottage, we found ourselves in a quaint—slightly rustic—cottage, which was maybe a notch up from so-called “glamping.” The promotional literature for the resort refers to the cottages as cozy and charming. They are, however, bordering on shabby. For the price, we expected better bathrooms and possibly more cleanliness. The shower is horrendous, with black mildew in the grout lines, just for starters. The vanities and sinks have been replaced, and why they wouldn’t have ripped out those disgusting showers is beyond comprehension for a resort that charges these prices. With the original dark wood floors and all that “rusticness,” it was hard to tell if anything was clean. The two main problems with the cottage for the (high) price we paid were, as mentioned, the bathroom, which was just short of disgusting and had dreadful lighting, and the severe lack of closet and storage space. The cottage had a built-in corner banquette that was severely wasted space. The tiny closet wasn’t even deep enough for hangers to hang properly. There wasn’t a single drawer in the place. But then there was the veranda. The highlight of the cottage—and of the week, to be honest—was that lovely, large veranda hanging at the water’s edge with its comfortable seating and plunge pool. To tell you the truth, though, the pool was ice cold, and there were only two plunges during the week. For most of the week, the pump was off anyway, and we were never told why. The veranda was quiet and private and we spent many an hour there relaxing in the hammock or on the Bali bed, listening to the wind in the trees. Oh, and drinking Antigua rum. There are myriad maintenance issues on the property, not the least of which was the pathway lighting at night. One or two of the pathway lights were out, so we had a rather dark walk to the cottage door, and the light at the door was also out. We did report the door light on day two or three after fumbling in the dark for the key (the keys are big bulky things) and noticing that there were lights at the doors of the cottage we passed on our way to the water’s edge. It was never fixed. Also, we were not told there would be noisy construction for four of the days of the week we were there, as they did some work on the exterior of the cottage next door. It was so annoying in an otherwise tranquil afternoon (or three). The week was relaxing, and the food was surprisingly good for such a small place. The highlight of the food was lunches at Cliffside. This was a small (cliffside) spot with only five or so tables for people who had purchased that “starfish experience.” The food was made teppanyaki style and presented beautifully. Although the service was spotty (we almost left one day because the bar staff/server failed to show up although the chef was there), the experience was fabulous overall. A highlight of the week was the private dinner we had as part of the “Starfish Experience.” Replete with tiki torches and lots of flowers festooning the table set on a private spot at the water’s edge, the dinner was served by a private server. The beach was small, but two larger beaches were a short walk away. We love beach walks, so we ventured to the two others. One of them is where they bring boatloads of cruisers from the port of St. John’s for the day, so it is to be avoided, but Big Ffrye’s Beach was worth the walk. Overall, the place needs a makeover, and the service is spotty. We would not return until we were assured that the cottages have had a makeover.

This was our second visit to cocobay but there was a 16 year gap. The resort has grown a lot in this time double the amount of cottages and now has two swimming pools. I had asked for a cottage near to the main buildings but on arrival we were located about as far away as was possible and despite having a deluxe cottage, we didn’t have a deluxe view. I returned to the reception area and asked to be moved The resort was full so that wasn’t possible on that day but three days later we were moved to a cottage with a much better view. To be honest, the cottages with the best views are the ones that you have paid extra for with the plunge pool. Having looked at TripAdvisor and remembering what we heard when we were there before we knew that we would not use the pool so really you were paying £1000 a week more for the view. Some deluxe cottages do have a lovely view and next time we come, I will request one of those. We really enjoyed our holiday. The resort is in a beautiful location with two other lovely beaches within a few minutes walk. There is a great little coffee shop where you can get coffees cakes and cookies as well as the restaurant for all your main meals. We enjoyed the food not the biggest portions but you can have four courses for dinner if you want to ,there are Panini‘s at the beach Bar and bar snacks at the main bar in the afternoon if you decide you haven’t had enough to eat. We sometimes opted for Panini‘s at lunchtime as we are not used to eating so much food The quality of drinks is really good great cocktails all day if you want Service at the beach, so you don’t even have to leave your sunbed. The cottages are rustic and Caribbean style with very comfy beds. The thing that took a bit of getting used to is all the greenery that bashes on the roof when it’s windy which if you’re not used to it can sound quite worrying and does wake you up during the night. You do tend to get used to it after awhile but maybe next time I will bring some earplugs also the paths to the cottages are not very well lit so another thing I will be bringing on my next visit is a torch in fact, it would probably be a good idea if the hotel actually supplied a torch for each room. There are USB points in the rooms, but if you wish to use any other plug-in devices you need to bring American style converters. There is a hairdryer in the room but to be honest, it is quite a windy island so I wouldn’t take too long making your hair look beautiful we had a fabulous holiday and would come back in a heartbeat. In fact, I’m pretty sure we will return next year. Thank you, Coco Bay staff for looking after us well. Hopefully we will see you next year.