Carlisle Bay

“5 star holiday with some room for improvements to the hotel to make it a 5 star property…”

We had the best holiday ever at Carlisle Bay - I’ll come onto all the incredible things about this place which made it our favourite family holiday yet…. but…. be prepared for parts of the hotel to be not quite up to 5 star standards. Our collective initial impression (we’re a family of 4 with a 14… more

We had the best holiday ever at Carlisle Bay - I’ll come onto all the incredible things about this place which made it our favourite family holiday yet…. but…. be prepared for parts of the hotel to be not quite up to 5 star standards. Our collective initial impression (we’re a family of 4 with a 14 and 8 yr old) of the hotel was very underwhelming. We have stayed in some incredible hotels in the past but the Caribbean standards don’t seem to match those of the top hotels in Europe so do be prepared for this (we weren’t which was why our first reaction of the room was slight disappointment, particularly for the price we paid). However, the reasons I rated it 5 star and not a 4 was for the following; People: the staff and service here is most definitely the most friendly we have ever experienced in a hotel. Such lovely people who really did make our holiday so memorable and the main reason for the 5 star rating. Food: the quality and taste of food was beautiful in every restaurant. The Asian was amazing as was the jetty grill and Indigo was our kids favourite. The bbq on a Thursday was delicious. We also had the pleasure of a singer at the jetty on a Friday night who was out of this world. Honestly was better than any singer I’ve ever heard live. The breakfast was probably our least favourite meal of the day simply because of the options being more limited than I’ve had in the past. The only recommendation I would give for improvements here on food would be to offer a different menu in each restaurant between lunch and dinners as we were there for 10 days and the options after a while became very repetitive. The jetty has a separate menu for lunch and dinners and really think the other restaurants should do the same. Sports: we made full use of the gym along with the tennis and pickleball. What was great about these is that you didn’t have to book a time for the courts and you could just pick up a racket and ball whenever you felt like it. This was brilliant with kids as you could be more spur of the moment and that worked much better for us to get the use out of them. We also made good use of the watersports non motorised activities which were brilliant as, again, you could just go along and do it whenever you wanted. We also paid to do the inflatable sofa (sort of like a banana boat ride) on the sea a number of times which we all had a whale of a time on, particularly our kids and which was really reasonably priced. Location: the beach here is simply stunning- you could sit back and watch the turtles pop up and pelicans diving for fish daily. Snorkelling straight off the beach the visibility is poor however if you head to the rocks near the watersports area there is loads of sea life. I managed to see a couple of stingrays here as well as lots of lovely colourful fish and some barracudas. Main areas for improvement: as mentioned the rooms need better maintenance and updated decor, although my understanding is these have mostly all been updated now with the exception of the room we stayed in which was the 2 bedroom beach terrace and these are being updated this summer. Secondly, we really felt a little light entertainment in the evenings would have been good. We thoroughly enjoyed the singer at the jetty so if something similar to this happened every night it would have given something to do/see after dinner. We ended up just playing cards in the bar until around 10pm but most people seemed to have gone back to their rooms by then which was a shame. Lastly, we felt the cost was very overpriced for the standard of the hotel and its amenities. Other than this, we really did have a truly special memorable holiday and if we were to come back to Antigua we would definitely love to come back to Carlisle Bay.

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“Best Birthday Weekend Ever!”

Carlisle Bay was such an ABSOLUTELY fantastic experience from start to finish. We went for my mom's birthday and we felt like stars. The food, ambiance, and service from the restaurant to the spa was top notch. Huuuuuuge shout-out to: Kevonne & Shemel - Front Office Krys-Ann, Alandrea, Brian, Ori… more

Carlisle Bay was such an ABSOLUTELY fantastic experience from start to finish. We went for my mom's birthday and we felt like stars. The food, ambiance, and service from the restaurant to the spa was top notch. Huuuuuuge shout-out to: Kevonne & Shemel - Front Office Krys-Ann, Alandrea, Brian, Orian, Antonio, Chanica - Dining Room Thanks again Carlisle Bay Team!

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“Fantastic staff and food but needs investment”

Carlisle Bay enjoys a stunning beachfront location and the staff were excellent throughout our stay – warm, attentive, and genuinely helpful. The food was consistently fresh and well prepared, and the East restaurant was a cut above, delivering refined dishes that stood out as the best dining exper… more

Carlisle Bay enjoys a stunning beachfront location and the staff were excellent throughout our stay – warm, attentive, and genuinely helpful. The food was consistently fresh and well prepared, and the East restaurant was a cut above, delivering refined dishes that stood out as the best dining experience on the property. On the downside, the rooms are beginning to feel dated and don’t quite match the luxury billing. The beds were very uncomfortable – far too hard for a good night’s sleep. The watersports kit is old and in need of replacement. Sailing equipment good enough (three hobies) The tennis facilities are in particularly poor condition – cracked courts, worn nets, and neglected equipment. Entertainment options for teens are very limited, with no pool table or similar activities, and while the evening entertainment was good in quality, it was sparse, leaving the resort feeling quiet after dinner. Beach facilities also need attention. Many parasols were old and some damaged, and several sunbeds were dirty and worn. Sunbeds and parasols by the poolside in contrast were almost new. On a positive note, the yoga and Pilates sessions were excellent – professionally run and genuinely enjoyable – and the guided hike was a real highlight of the stay. Another disappointment was the minibar, which was not refilled daily as promised. Small details like this matter when guests are paying premium rates. Closing remark: Carlisle Bay may be marketed as part of The Leading Hotels of the World, but right now it simply doesn’t live up to that standard.

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“Average stay....”

Upon check in needed room change as ours smelled of sewer gas. Would have expected staff to have noticed before we checked in! Tons of ants in room and mosquitoes on property......came home with way too many bites even with spray! Breakfast buffet was lovely.....dinners were okay, but hard to find … more

Upon check in needed room change as ours smelled of sewer gas. Would have expected staff to have noticed before we checked in! Tons of ants in room and mosquitoes on property......came home with way too many bites even with spray! Breakfast buffet was lovely.....dinners were okay, but hard to find bar that added booze to drinks on premise! Preferred our stay at neighboring resort Curtain Bluff.

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