Carlisle Bay Antigua

Travel Date: March 31, 2025

We stayed in the adults section, in the Bay Suites at the far end of the resort. Suite: very spacious and clean. We were on the first floor which provided an easy walk out to the sandy beach. Like other reviews mention, the furnishings are a little tired and a...

We stayed in the adults section, in the Bay Suites at the far end of the resort. Suite: very spacious and clean. We were on the first floor which provided an easy walk out to the sandy beach. Like other reviews mention, the furnishings are a little tired and a bit dated but actually not as bad as I expected! We enjoyed sitting on our terrace. The mattresses were a bit worn with divots from other guests. Butler service: Bay suite came with Butler service and we enjoyed this! We could WhatsApp requests between 8 and 4 and service was attentive. Food and beverage was good. Breakfast buffet seemed a bit lacking but you could also order ala carte. Daily smoothie was a fun addition. We also enjoyed afternoon tea and our candlelight dinner on the beach was special. The beach was quite good. Not “Turks” amazing but quite beautiful. We enjoyed walking on the bay. The crowd was subdued and a bit older (though some families) but it was an enjoyable feel. Not as stuffy as other resorts we have visited! The staff was super friendly. Nice touch was the fast track arrival and departure - departure saved us about an hour in line! I would say the only thing off the mark was the spa. A bit rundown, steps are a huge fall hazard and changing rooms were not in line with the resort. We did a couples massage and my husband’s therapist never introduced themselves nor said goodbye. In all of our massages we have never had this happen! The massage tables were also pretty narrow (and we are small people). Just a bit off from the rest of your resort. Do check your bill if you have a package with inclusions as two things were charged and should have been included. We really enjoyed our time and would recommend!

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

Highly recommend this resort. The staff bends over backwards to make your vacation special. We stayed in the Beach Balcony room. The website pics do not do it justice. Great food -- East and Jetty Grill were our favs; fantastic beach and Nigel and Remmi are superb tennis pros.

Travel Date: February 28, 2025

Just finished a wonderful week in Antigua. Carlisle Bay sits on a beautiful secluded beach. They offer some non-motorized sports activities, which is very nice . They provide floats that are secured in the water, which are lovely to lay on and relax in the sun during the day ....

Just finished a wonderful week in Antigua. Carlisle Bay sits on a beautiful secluded beach. They offer some non-motorized sports activities, which is very nice . They provide floats that are secured in the water, which are lovely to lay on and relax in the sun during the day . They provide you with large bottles of water daily in your room that you can take to the beach, which is nice, if you do have a water bottle, they have refill stations as well. There’s a mini fridge in the room which most of it is complementary even a few snacks and chocolates. Be aware to get up early and go catch your spot on the beach as everybody does that. Especially if you want to oceanfront seating. Rooms are excessively large and well appointed. Decorated beautifully and very clean. Views of the ocean are from almost every room. Food is very good, service is great. Was very happy overall with our stay. There are a few things we felt that could have been improved. We wish we were told upfront about the three floors of accommodations as we were put on the third floor. I just finished physical therapy for hip bursitis and was put on the third floor and had a difficult time going up three flights of stairs for a whole week with no elevator. We had to ask a few times for things like bath mats for the bathroom, shower gel, things that have should’ve been looked at when housekeeping came. The lighting on the grounds at night away from the main area of the hotel is limited and very difficult to see. We were glad we had our flashlights on our phone to help us. We felt it was a little dangerous and easily could trip if you weren’t really paying attention. There was basically no service on the beach. Which was a bit of a disappointment. It’s not like nobody came by, but it was not very often and you really had to search somebody down. For a five star hotel, the linens, bath towels, and bed were not comfortable. The bed was like sleeping on a stack of books. I had to request feather pillows because the pillows were hard too. The towels were scratchy, and the linens were not fine linens that you would expect at a hotel of this caliber. They coordinate your pick up and departure arrangements but do be aware they charge you $75 each direction which they do not tell you upfront. Also, they arranged for taxis if you want to go off premise to different restaurants for dinner. This is a very nice service and is charged to your room. The tip for the driver is not included . The taxis can be quite expensive.

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

My wife and I have just returned from a 10 day holiday at The Carlisle Bay. Whilst we have been to Antigua before this was a first at this hotel. We were not disappointed . We had a comfortable and well appointed room on the top floor of a block...

My wife and I have just returned from a 10 day holiday at The Carlisle Bay. Whilst we have been to Antigua before this was a first at this hotel. We were not disappointed . We had a comfortable and well appointed room on the top floor of a block to the east end of the resort enjoying a balcony with a sea view. The staff were very friendly and accomodating. We were 'fed and watered' to a high standard in each of the 4 restaurants. This south facing resort sits on an attractive sandy bay with very safe swimming. If you are interested in sailing the bay enjoys excellent ( often gusty ) breezes which make for exciting Hobie Cat sailing. If there was a shortcoming it was the hotel's location; it is quite a long way from civilisation so if you wish to visit (say) English Harbour ( which we did ) you will be out for quite an expensive taxi fare. However that did not spoil our enjoyment and, all in all, I am more than happy to recommend this hotel.

Travel Date: December 31, 2024

As we arrived we were greeted by the manager which I thought was a nice touch. The service was excellent and the majority of the staff couldn’t do enough for you. Our room was gorgeous, very large with everything we needed and more. The bed was comfortable with excellent linen....

As we arrived we were greeted by the manager which I thought was a nice touch. The service was excellent and the majority of the staff couldn’t do enough for you. Our room was gorgeous, very large with everything we needed and more. The bed was comfortable with excellent linen. The views are lovely (we had a top floor beach view) and the location excellent. However there was a problem with the electrics. The sockets next to the bathroom mirrors did not work making drying your hair rather challenging. But worst of all the lights in the bathroom came on automatically when you walked in during the night and because there are no doors on the bathroom, it disturbed the person sleeping. The hotel staff fixed it by isolating the entire circuit with the result of no power at all in that area. The breakfast was good and we had one good dinner at the Jetty. However the other meals were a little bland and if you stayed for a week or more, I think you’d become bored with the menu. Having said this we did not try the Asian restaurant. The massage I had was excellent and the treatment room was nice. However the relaxing area was plain, lacking in atmosphere and looked onto grubby, net curtains, not really what you expect from a 5* resort. I guess for £600 a night I would have expected top notch and this it wasn’t, there were a few too many niggles.

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

This was a real mixed bag of a stay. The stunning location was affected by some odd service failings and some genuinely worrying billing practices. Firstly, Carlisle Bay the area is stunning. A perfect Caribbean beach surrounded by pretty pristine nature on the more secluded south side of the island...

This was a real mixed bag of a stay. The stunning location was affected by some odd service failings and some genuinely worrying billing practices. Firstly, Carlisle Bay the area is stunning. A perfect Caribbean beach surrounded by pretty pristine nature on the more secluded south side of the island of Antigua. The pavilions are lovely heritage-looking wooden buildings and the buildings holding the suites are tastefully designed. However, quite a lot of the furniture is very tired looking with scrapes and quite outdated. We had a beach suite, which was large and nicely laid out, but it did look tired. On to the service. This was very hit and miss. The people in the restaurants were friendly and the food was largely a good standard. But, the room servicing was so hit and miss… one day you would have your coffee cups taken away, but not replaced. The next, you would not have any shower gels left and would have to call and ask for some. Some days the minibar would not be refilled. Not bad on its own but a long list of these things starts to get irritating. There was also bizarre behaviours that had obviously been trained into the staff as they all did it. If you passed a member of staff on the paths coming the other way, they would stop walking about 10/15 metres in front of you and stand awkwardly smiling at you as you walked past. This was extremely awkward and I really felt sorry for the staff as it was demeaning to them in my opinion. The worst example was the facilities people. Our patio doors were broken on one side which meant that when you closed the other side it would not lock, leaving the room unsecure. The facilities people came and spoke to us like idiots, saying we just needed to hold the other side shut in order to lock. But really the bolts on the opposite side were broken, causing the problem. They said they would come the following day to fix the broken side but never turned up. The lock on the broken side was literally HANGING OFF. There were other things not working. Generally, the people were lovely. The billing issues were the worst part. Bottles of wine appearing on the bill when we only had a glass (glasses are included in all inclusive, but not bottles). They also charged us a $70 charity charge twice in the final bill. We had to ask for this to be removed (only the incorrect one). They urge you to have a bottle of water at the beginning of every meal, but we were only informed mid way through the holiday that this was all billed (they don’t offer you any other water option so this should not be billed in my view). We left feeling that we were being taken advantage of. The reception staff didn’t show any surprise at these things (even the incorrect charges) and there was a disinterested arrogance displayed when we challenged them on incorrect charges. Sadly, I’m not sure I would go back.

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

The rooms, the amenities and ambiance were unreal. Staff who made our stay In order of impact to our stay: Jason (best mixologist - arguably , in the wurl) Shamel- we knew all our options before we even got our keycard) Latoya- thank you for making us feel welcomed Fern...

The rooms, the amenities and ambiance were unreal. Staff who made our stay In order of impact to our stay: Jason (best mixologist - arguably , in the wurl) Shamel- we knew all our options before we even got our keycard) Latoya- thank you for making us feel welcomed Fern - we appreciate you girl! Kalin- (didn’t know she was a manager until one of her staff gave her some props. She is very hands on and interactive! ) No particular order : Vaughn Peter -( definition of a team player based off observation) Shantez Seymour Marlon- makes sure your cup is always full! Big up lol All the staff at pavilion bar, jetty grill ( can’t decide if this is my favorite) , East (tough decision for favorite) and every single friendly staff who made us feel welcomed. Thank you. 🙏🏾 I will visit again

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

The Carlisle Suites (the most expensive) are described as “impeccable and unsurpassed in every detail” the pictures tell a different story. We advised hotel management that we were dissatisfied with the quality of the accommodation. Although they kindly provided a replacement mattress, they were unable to replace the tired old...

The Carlisle Suites (the most expensive) are described as “impeccable and unsurpassed in every detail” the pictures tell a different story. We advised hotel management that we were dissatisfied with the quality of the accommodation. Although they kindly provided a replacement mattress, they were unable to replace the tired old kitchen, curtains, furniture, bathrooms etc. The food and service were very good on the majority of occasions. It is a shame they misrepresent the quality of the accommodation provided.

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

The location remains stunning but the owner seems to have overlooked to invest in bringing this old favorite up-to-date with the modern world! Although our room had apparently been refurshished nothing in the bathroom seemed to work. Hot water was plumbed in as cold and visa versa. There was no...

The location remains stunning but the owner seems to have overlooked to invest in bringing this old favorite up-to-date with the modern world! Although our room had apparently been refurshished nothing in the bathroom seemed to work. Hot water was plumbed in as cold and visa versa. There was no where to put soap or shampoo and the towels were not much bigger than a large flannel. Apart from one star, housekeeping was unreliable and mostly forgot to replace one item or another. The food, restaurants and serving staff were excellent. Although management was not very visible, hopefully they can persuade an investor to properly upgrade this gem.

Travel Date: January 31, 2025

I feel really sad leaving a one star review as there is so much to like but sadly for a hotel that claims to be 5+ stars this is fair, it would be a better review for a lesser star hotel. I was thinking of how to structure the feedback...

I feel really sad leaving a one star review as there is so much to like but sadly for a hotel that claims to be 5+ stars this is fair, it would be a better review for a lesser star hotel. I was thinking of how to structure the feedback and I thought “likes, concerns and suggestions” Likes - the beach is beautiful, peaceful and lovely and private - the views from the sea view rooms therefore are wonderful - the rooms are a good size and great location - the complex is pleasant and choice of restaurants is good. - yoga was lovely and I recommend Concerns - firstly I was quite upset about the departure date. We have an overnight flight, not ideal but all that is available. In all other hotels they have a departure room for people but here they kept telling us to ask them at 9.30am on our departure day and they would try to accommodate us. We went to ask and were told “no sorry you need to leave” fine I said but we have 9 hours can we have somewhere private and all there is is the spa (one toilet and one shower and lockers that once locked a member of staff has to open for you and often you can’t find them). For a 5 star hotel it’s the worst departure I have had and the “spa” is very tired and not pleasant. - we were all inclusive and told on arrival all soft drinks etc were included but “bottle wine@ to pay for … fair enough. Then on the bill we were charged at every meal for water $10. This was not explained and they assume you are having and always asked “still or sparkling”. Really not good, if we had been told then fine. - the rooms are tired and need a revamp. Our patio door wouldn’t lock, some sockets didn’t work and when it rained we had water in the living area. - we had no hot water for 24 hours - it was ok but again it’s a 5 star hotel - little things like the juices being concentrate, quality of the food etc were just not quite in comparison with other hotels we have stayed at. Suggestions - treat your customers better on departure and set aside a room they can use when overnight flights - rooms need a refurb - if your going to charge for water make that clear on arrival Sadly whilst I have enjoyed the holiday today is my last day and I know it’s going to be long and frustrating with no privacy and for this reason I would never come again

Travel Date: November 30, 2024

My husband and I stayed at Carlisle Bay Hotel from 4/11/24 - 15/11/24. This was our second visit, and based on our very positive memories of the first time we stayed and the ongoing highly complementary reviews we felt confident in rebooking to stay here again. Sadly this time our...

My husband and I stayed at Carlisle Bay Hotel from 4/11/24 - 15/11/24. This was our second visit, and based on our very positive memories of the first time we stayed and the ongoing highly complementary reviews we felt confident in rebooking to stay here again. Sadly this time our stay was plagued by errors, frustrations, and worst of all an incident involving an overcharge to our credit card of US$1971 which took a lot of time and effort on our part to resolve as the hotel refused to accept their mistake. Here's what happened: When we came to check out on 15th Nov. our account showed that a room deposit had been taken twice, and that we had been refunded the second payment as clearly it was not due. Back in the UK we checked our credit card to find no refund had been made. We notified the hotel on 18th Nov - urgent email to Brian Murphy, cc to hotel reservations. Brian Murphy replied on 20th Nov to say he had referred the matter to the reservations team. They replied on 21st NOV insisting the refund had been made., on 22ndOCTOBER! It was suggested we check our credit card statement again - they denied making a mistake. Can they really have thought that we had raised this issue on a whim of some sort? Alarmed, we contacted our credit card provider, who agreed that no refund whatsoever had been made. We again contacted the hotel. Eventually, late on 22nd Nov we were told that the hotel had made a mistake. It apologised for the 'mis- communication' that had occurred and told us we would be 'delighted' to know that a refund had been processed And that's it. No proper explanation or apology. Nothing to say why they had not checked properly before telling us we were wrong. How can this episode be labelled a mis-communication? The amount involved was US $1971 !!!! How could they blatantly lie and say a refund had been made on 22nd October when no such refund had been made? And how on earth can an unauthorised charge as big as this could possibly have been made in the first place? We feel upset and angry. We feel we have lost any benefit we may have gained from this holiday. We've been let down badly by Brian Murphy and his reservations team and would expect at the very least answers to the questions we have raised.

Travel Date: December 31, 2024

Carlisle Bay is situated on a beautiful peaceful bay in Antigua, one of the best on the island! My husband and I had a well appointed beachfront villa steps away from the ocean and what a beautiful view. The resort is ran and maintained very well. We could not have...

Carlisle Bay is situated on a beautiful peaceful bay in Antigua, one of the best on the island! My husband and I had a well appointed beachfront villa steps away from the ocean and what a beautiful view. The resort is ran and maintained very well. We could not have asked for a better vacation- the staff always greeted us with a smile, ready to help and the food was delicious! The property is very peaceful even with many families with younger children vacationing. Carlisle Bay is a great resort to unwind and relax. There are daily activities to get involved with if one desires. My husband and I did partake in two off property excursions arranged by guest services that were outstanding! Each excursion ran seamlessly with taxi pickup at the resort and a taxi waiting for us at the end of the excursion. We go on many vacations and this one left us needing a few more days after only having a five nights stay.

Travel Date: March 31, 2022

We had visited Carlilse bay about 10 years ago with 2 of our then small children. My husband and I decided to return at the beginning of March to celebrate our birthdays and were happy to find it as good as we found it before. This time we were in...

We had visited Carlilse bay about 10 years ago with 2 of our then small children. My husband and I decided to return at the beginning of March to celebrate our birthdays and were happy to find it as good as we found it before. This time we were in an ocean suite with a lovely view. Beach is beautiful a lovely bay to walk and run along and the palm trees make it stunning. I love the cooler box with the bottles of water that is brought when you take a sun lounger. The jetty restaurant was an addition from our previous visit and popular, East great sushi and Indigo a magical sea front setting. This time we went all inclusive and felt this was good value. We do not return to many places but were pleased we had here and will happily return in the future.

Travel Date: November 30, 2024

We stayed at the Carlisle Bay Hotel for 4 nights, it was not the luxury experience we expected. We were advised beforehand of and prepared for refurbishment building work going on near our suite building but that was all. On the first day of our stay the water running into...

We stayed at the Carlisle Bay Hotel for 4 nights, it was not the luxury experience we expected. We were advised beforehand of and prepared for refurbishment building work going on near our suite building but that was all. On the first day of our stay the water running into the bathtub was green with a large amount of black sediment in the water showing in the base of the bath, apparently the hotel’s water pump had not been working for sometime and we were told they were bringing in tanks of water until repaired. We understand after our complaint that the tank holding the water was cleaned which helped with the sediment, but the water was still green. We also had a problem with daily housekeeping, the linens were supposed to be changed after two nights stay and ours weren’t. We again advised the hotel of this omission and they were then changed. Body wash ran out and was not replaced, we had to call for replacements. Other complimentary supplies were not replaced until mentioned. We had expected a better experience. On a positive, the beach is really beautiful.

Travel Date: November 30, 2024

This was our third visit to Antigua, we wanted a short break (one week) in the sun , so we chose Carlisle Bay based upon the favourable reviews particularly the very positive comments about the beach. In our view there are two big plus points when you stay at Carlisle...

This was our third visit to Antigua, we wanted a short break (one week) in the sun , so we chose Carlisle Bay based upon the favourable reviews particularly the very positive comments about the beach. In our view there are two big plus points when you stay at Carlisle Bay, firstly the beach is excellent with safe, easy swimming in the sea. The second big tick belongs to the very friendly, attentive staff who are keen to make your stay as pleasurable as possible. Every staff member you bump into will greet you with a polite hello and a smile and at this point I want to give a big shout out to Shannoy , the Guest Relations Manager who was excellent in sorting out a minor room problem. There are four restaurants , we thought East and the Jetty were particularly good. Breakfast is served at Indigo on the beach , it is a mixture of buffet and table service and we were pleased with the quality of the breakfast. If you get there early , try and get a table near the beach front for great views of the bay. We had a fantastic beach front room , very spacious with all the amenities you need. Of course every review is subjective , overall we were very happy with our stay at Carlisle Bay , it isn't perfect but you show me a hotel that is? The quality of the staff is best in class and they are all definitely deserve a five star rating.