After spending five nights here I can spot a lot of areas for improvement, but most are minor and I can whole heartedly recommend the hotel. I arranged for the hotel to transport us from the airport which made the thirty minute drive a seamless and enjoyable experience. The reception staff were all super friendly and welcoming on our arrival, with a sizeable chilled rum punch getting us into the Caribbean mood. The check-in process itself was painful and lengthy - they insist you complete forms via your smart phone, including uploading photos of passports but the wifi was awfully slow making the whole thing rather tedious.
I’d recommend paying extra to get a bay view room rather than the garden view - it really is a stunning backdrop when when waking up, or relaxing in the private plunge pool. Our room was close to the main hotel building which I’d pick again, and it remained private. The room was a great size with plenty of storage space but as others have commented, it’s a layout for those comfortable with each others’ company - there’s no door to the shower, the bathroom is open plan behind the bed and the toilet door does little to maintain modesty. The bed was huge and very comfortable, the air-conditioning worked well and the TV decent enough, despite being reliant on apps rather than having traditional channels. The shower was pleasant to use with good toiletries and the coffee machine came with a decent range of options.
The selling point of the room is the outdoor space - private plunge pool with a depth of 1.5 meters, comfortable arm chairs, sun bed and outdoor bath. The space was a delight at any time and it meant it was possible to spend a whole day in the room if you wanted.
One thing lacking in the room was any form of guide to the hotel’s services. A booklet explaining the restaurant times, spa options, tours and general facilities would have been really welcomed, but instead I fear we missed out on a number of options, with it taking a couple of days to work everything out. What was really sweet though was their solution to the ‘do not disturb’ sign!
The hotel is quite small, and outside of the room there’s only really the main building, which houses the restaurant and pool. There’s not many loungers around the pool but there is a terrace with tables should it get full. The small bar mixes drinks quickly although its rare for service to be offered proactively around the pool. Beware of the large amount of ants in the area but the background music is pleasant without being obtrusive. There was some nice evening entertainment on alternative evenings making it a relaxing space to overlook the bay at night.
You have to pick your lunch and dinner dining times when you arrive daily for breakfast but the menu changes each day with a couple of consistent options. Portion sizes are small, but the four courses are filling enough, and both the presentation and flavours of every dish was superb. Service is quick with everything fresh and the food is a highlight of the hotel. Be warned if you’ve a phobia of birds though, since plenty like to hunt down scraps in the area! On our final night we booked the ‘dinner on the dock’ private dining experience which was a real treat; for a special occasion I’d highly recommend it.
The most disappointing aspect of the hotel is the beach. It’s a five minute drive from the main hotel area with a free shuttle running in the morning and afternoon. While it’s a small peaceful bay with a decent amount of loungers there’s little more to bring it to the level you imagine from an island like Antigua. There’s a lot of seaweed on the beach, which itself isn’t deep with sand and the small bar area didn’t have much of a range of drink or food options with slow and rather miserable staff. Unfortunately after visiting once we didn’t feel inclined to return.
Staff throughout our stay were mostly incredible and with the amazing room it was a totally relaxing and memorable visit - a hotel I...
Read moreA True Gem You Should Escape To This was our first trip to Antigua and after doing my research and reading plenty of reviews the Escape Nonsuch Bay ticked most of the boxes for what we were looking for. Whilst the mosquitoes can be a hindrance and I’m sure the hotel are looking at ways to combat them, it was a small price to pay for the Escape Experience. I can honestly say that the food and drink we had here during our recent stay was the best we have ever experienced from an all inclusive resort, and believe me we have been to many over the years. When I read the same words from another review I thought that couldn’t be right, but it was. More impressive as the hotel only has one restaurant. We never had the same menu choice at any point during our 14 days for lunch or dinner and the choice was extensive and catered for all guests needs. I have great tastebuds but I can tell you that I tasted flavours I’d never experienced before. Sadly I didn’t get to meet the chefs but you can bet there won’t be many on the island better. We had room 3701 with Bay views. We had lots of company from the birds and bats in the evening and would often marvel as the Hummingbirds came so close we could almost touch them from the tranquility of our plunge pool. The air conditioner allowed us to vary the temperature ourselves to meet our mood or time of day. The bonus was how quiet it was as we soon got used to it and our sleep wasn’t hampered. The pebble based rain shower was a lovely touch and again you could control the temperature easily to your liking. I would encourage you to take in room mosquito deterrence and a few coil burners for the evenings or late afternoons when you get into the plunge pool or take an outside bath. In keeping with the philosophy of Escape they go and treat you to a beautiful large outside bath which my wife and I were big fans of. I guess a good nights sleep can determine your mood and approach to the following day, well believe me they have even invested in wonderful mattresses. We are normally looking forward to getting back in to our own bed but on this occasion we slept like Kings and Queens. I strongly recommend the floating breakfast, remote island picnic and the little know Nature Tour which is free to guests and it will help burn some calories off as well. The tour is with the knowledgeable and loveable Rasta Vaughn who shown us which plants we could use to deter mosquitoes and one gem that even stopped the itching. His stories from growing up in Antigua with his mother and grandmother are fascinating. He even made a lovely gift for us from a nut off a tree to remember our time with him. I must take the time to mention a few people who’s names I remember, but trust me they were all fantastic from the pool cleaner, maid, security guards, the guys who ferry you to the beach and reception staff were amazing. Carl for always going the extra mile to make sure we were happy. Karen for always making sure we had enough food and drinks. Terri-Ann for never getting our food orders wrong and ensuring we were happy with our lunch and dinner times. And for always making sure we were not waiting to long. KC at the beach bar who entertained us on the beach when his shift’s allowed with some of the best tunes all mixed perfectly by himself. The only downside was that as we had such a good time the day disappeared quickly. Leston for his fantastic cocktails (pina colada’s mmmmm) never ending beers and his astounding knowledge of the premier league. A Big Arsenal fan. Adio at the hotel bar for his dancing and Mojitos. He always served with a big smile. Jason, it seems is the new kid on the block. He became very attentive and intuitive and always when he could made sure we had a drink and a clean table at dinner. Devon from heaven! Thanks for the amazing boat ride to and from the desert island. If it’s relaxation, rejuvenation and romance your after, then you...
Read moreMy experience at the Escape has been the worst experience ever in a “5stars” hotel. They made me and my 4friends pay $120 each for a day pass which initially included: breakfast, lunch, drinks for all day long, the boat who would have taken me to Green Island twice (10am-12pm and then in the afternoon 2pm-4pm) and water provided in the island and a room for me and my friends to shower and relax before dinner.
Breakfast: -the buffet was really small not offering many options of fruits, hams and juices -my breakfast was burnt and they didn’t apologise for it -the tea I ordered was disgusting and there was no milk or sugar on the table and they didn’t offer me any -they took long time to cook which delayed our experience and made us missing the boat at 10am. Thankfully they organised another one for 10.15
Lunch: -the bowl and plate of my friend were chipped (definitely not the standards of a 5stars hotel) -the menu choices were very limited -they didn’t bring us bread -it took them long time to serve us and we missed the boat in the afternoon
Green Island: -we missed the boat in the morning at 10am because of the breakfast and they arranged another one to leave at 10.15 -when we got there they told us they would have provided us of cold water but no water was provided and when we asked for it they said we should have brought a bottle with us from breakfast -they told us that if we wanted to snorkel the left side was good to see turtles and the right for more fishes. When we started swimming the water was dirty and you couldn’t see properly like on the rest of the island and we managed to go only on the left side to try to see some turtles. No turtles appeared (but they are selling this experience to you like it’s the best place to snorkel). -I brought my mask and snorkel with me but I didn’t have flippers so I asked the guy on the boat if I could borrow a pair. After telling him my size he’s giving me a pair which I tried and they looked fine to me but he said they were too big. So he went back to the hotel and grabbed a size smaller and came back. When he came back I was on the water and he passed them on to me from the boat. I put them on and they were definitely too small but he said they were ok for me and after 1min I started to have a very bad cramp on my feet -we were on the beach recovering from the hour and half we were snorkelling when the boat came back to pick us up already so then didn’t manage to see the right side (we thought we could do that in the afternoon)
Afternoon: -we finished lunch and they told us that the boat left without us and there wasn’t another one. They didn’t acknowledge that was their mistake of taking too long to serve us. They didn’t apologise and they didn’t even try to get us another boat. -they said we could have relax by the pool (I believe when you go to the Caribbean you want to go to beaches and the sea, definitely NOT the pool) -so my friends and I went to the “beach” of the hotel which you could reach only by a shuttle -when we arrived to the beach they told us we would have had a bar (as all drinks were included all day), but there was no bar. -the beach was in the shadow and we had to move multiple times to try to have a bit of sun -when we came back to the hotel for the sunset I went straight to the bar as I was extremely thirsty as I didn’t drink anything from lunch time. I ordered a coke for me and a Prosecco for my friend. I then went to take a few pictures of the sunset and when I came back my friend had her Prosecco but the bar tender forgot my coke. I then went to order again when he said that I should now pay for it as it was after 6pm. (Drinks should have been included on the bill)
The room: -was a double room for 5people -shower was cold -air conditioning not working -not enough towels for all of us
The staff was rude, incompetent and didn’t apologise for their mistake and no discount...
Read more