Curtain Bluff — Hotel in Antigua

We had to walk out of this hotel half way through our holiday. We found the manager and MD charmless. The hotel fell well below ( recently acquired) Relais Chateaux standards to our mind. It was the 3rd Relais Chateaux hotel we have visited this year and we usually stay at 5 or 6 of them every year. We chose it for the RC name and were sorely disappointed. The front desk was a place to avoid unless Zain and Carl were on duty. They were full of smiles and engaging and keen to help but otherwise the staff there would often ignore the guest's greeting. The facilities and location are great, the Spa well run and friendly. The waiters in the main restaraunt were charming and hard working. Danny runs his male team with humour and kindness and goes out of his way to look after the guests. Jackiel Benn, Hendred, Africa, the wonderful Brian ( at the Beach restaraunt, who was the only reason we did not leave on the first day, sadly and incredulously, was then moved to the back office!) and Glocester were all fab. Henry looked after our room and was engaging, efficient and friendly. Have to say the ocean front room were out dated though the bathroom had been modernised. We had no glass in the windows so the aircon leaked out through the shutters. The bed had a ridge in the middle the linen and pillows were not of good quality. The sinks and toilet did not drain properly. The matting was grubby as was the sheer modesty curtain ( the curtain is much needed as there is a footpath outside uour balcony used by staff and guests so privacy is hard) The chef Chrisoph was good and helpful but i think still the hotel could offer more variety for a RC hotel. The lunch offering resembled a school or office canteen despite the lovely setting. Dinner at the beach is handled by the efficient Auslando but you can not disguise the fact that there is just a curtain dividing the beach bar from the restaraunt and more staff are needed there. The diving team are friendly but too keen to cancel a dive. This happened 4 times in 6 days. The rive team seem to think that if only 1 guest wants to dive then it is not worth doing it. They are inflexible on timing or on offering a beach dive if it is too choppy to go to the reef by boat. If you are a serious diver you need to book with an outside provider. The pool staff were always late and unhelpfulat the afult pool. I think a good example of what it is like to be a guest, is illustrated when i asked the front desk for the room to be cleaned. I explained my husband would need the room in just over 1 .5 hrs and asked if we could just get a quick clean before 10.00 AM. I returned to the room at 10 to 10 to find it had not been cleaned. So i called reception again and asked if someone was still coming to clean it. The curt reply i got was " It is 9.56"! This says it all. In most hotels the member of staff would be reprimanded or even lose their job but in this hotel it was deemed ok. I complained to the manager directly and by email and she never deigned to reply to my email...which is just rude. We brought all issues to her attention and she did introduce us to the chef and bring a fan to our room but then was "off" and gave us no contact info or any one else to contact if problems persisted. She had twice "cut us dead" when we greeted her and the " arrival welcome" was pittiful. We were left to get our cases out despite 3 staff members being in the area. We should have listened to our instincts then and got back in the cab. We checked with other guests and 3 different couples felt the same as us. Though there are many guests who return every year... i have to wonder if they have low expectations or do not like exploring what else...

We spent a pleasant week at Curtain Bluff, but this is another trip that really makes me question the ‘Travellers Choice Best of The Best’ that it seems to have won. Why does this place review so well on here? We really didn’t see it. ||The Location - Beautiful, set on a bay with palm trees on the beach and forested hills behind it. The beach was extremely relaxing, seemed to be enough sun beds for everyone. No music, just very relaxing. The grounds were nice, albeit small, tropical plants, well kept etc. The beach was the highlight of our trip. ||The Room - Old but ‘fine’. A stunning view with the waves crashing on a beach a few metres from our balcony and an unblocked view of the seas. The room was however very tired. At this end of the market standards have changed a lot in the past ten years for the better and Curtain Bluff has failed to catch up. The bathroom felt old and dated. ||The Food - Not up to a modern hotel at this price range. There are two restaurants, we didn’t think either were great. Breakfast was ‘fine’ although a little boring. The lunch by the beach has both a la carte and buffet service, which were again ‘fine’ but nothing to get excited about. Dinner, again ‘fine’ but not great. An example - the steak is not a steak but is in fact a slice of beef. Why not charge people a few $ more and actually provide decent food? ||Service - Certainly very friendly, but at times slow. Eg getting drinks at the beach involved predicting you might want a drink in 45 mins and so ordering ahead. ||Gym - Again very small and not well equipped. Dumbbells up to 75lb and some basic machines but got very crowded before breakfast.||Spa - Again, ‘fine’ nothing wrong with the massages but the treatment rooms etc not up to the standard of a modern luxury hotel. ||An annoyance - Breakfast finishes at 9. So impossible to sleep til 730, have some coffee, get a workout and then get breakfast. Meant our mornings were rushed, again not acceptable at this end of the market. ||Why does it review so well? We observed that most of the guests were older retired people who have returned multiple times - perhaps they don’t have anything to compare it too? As a couple in our 40s who travel regularly and have a lot of comparison points we had a decent trip but were not impressed and wouldn’t return - you can do a lot better in this price range. ||To top it all off, hotel car to the airport was late, airport a chaotic mess when we got there. Nearly missed our flight, had no time to get anything to eat before our flight. Sad way to end a vacation but very Curtain Bluff. At this price range you have to be better...

Curtain Bluff feels like stepping into Kellerman’s Resort if it had a Caribbean cousin. It’s relaxed, familiar, and full of understated charm. Nothing flashy or trendy, but clearly a place that’s been lovingly cared for over decades. You’ll quickly see why so many guests return year after year—it’s more than a holiday spot, it’s a tradition.||There’s a strong sense of community here, almost like a club. Guests casually ask, “Is this your first visit?” and by the end of your stay, you’ve worked out who’s part of the ‘establishment.’ It’s friendly, but definitely has a rhythm all its own.||Food is solid—like eating at your favorite local restaurant. Plenty of choice, not too adventurous. If you’re after bold Caribbean spice, you might want to pack your own hot sauce! Drinks and cocktails are a highlight: beautifully crafted, never rushed.||The beach is everything you’d hope for: warm water, soft sand, and top-notch water sports. Go diving, sailing, waterskiing—or just relax in the sun with a good book.||Entertainment is nightly, usually during dinner. Acts change nightly—some excellent—but the soundtrack leans smooth and safe: lots of ballads, steel drums, and ballroom dancing. Don’t expect a party scene; most nights are lights-out by 11.||A surprising bonus is the media detox. No TVs in rooms, no background music all day. If you want sound, bring headphones. If you want screen time, there’s a TV room. Otherwise, you’re encouraged to unplug—and it’s a refreshing change.||Finally, it’s the staff who make this a truly enjoyable stay. It feels unfair to single out any one of them, they are all wonderful people. Carol, our driver and Island guide is just the happiest person. The crew running the beach bar are always good for a chat when you need to escape the sun. ||Would we return? Not just yet. We’re still chasing more adventurous trips. But we’d send our parents in a heartbeat—the relaxed pace, the charm, and the quiet rhythm suit that demographic perfectly. That said, there’s investment happening and upgrades on the way. Curtain Bluff won’t change drastically, but it may gently evolve—and in doing so, might start drawing in a new generation...