Hodges Bay Resort – Asian Restaurant, Antigua
Dinner: 28 June 2026
After hearing so many positive comments about Hodges Bay Resort, we chose to spend our final evening in Antigua dining at the Asian restaurant. We expected a memorable dining experience to end our holiday. Instead, it became the most disappointing part of our trip.
From the moment we arrived, I made my dietary requirements absolutely clear. I explained that I was transitioning from a pescatarian diet to a vegan diet and, most importantly, that I am severely gluten intolerant. I also explained that consuming gluten has significant health consequences for me. I was reassured that this would not be a problem.
Once seated, I explained everything again. I was then told the only vegan option available was a plate of tossed vegetables. For a luxury resort charging premium prices, this was astonishingly poor. Left with little choice, I ordered the black cod, but only after specifically asking whether the sauce contained gluten. I was assured that it did not.
When our food arrived, we had no cutlery and had to wait while our meals became cold. Unfortunately, the food itself was equally disappointing. The black cod was excessively oily, lacked flavour and was far from the standard you would expect at a restaurant of this calibre. The vegetables amounted to little more than three slices of carrot, a tiny piece of broccoli cut into smaller pieces and a few green beans. It was both underwhelming and overpriced.
Because of my concerns, I asked a second time for confirmation that the sauce was gluten-free. The waitress returned after speaking with the chef and again assured me that there was no gluten. However, after the meal I experienced symptoms consistent with gluten exposure, leaving me deeply concerned that my dietary requirements had not been properly understood or managed. For anyone living with food intolerances or allergies, this is not a minor issue—it is a serious matter of trust and safety.
The poor experience continued. Before we had even finished eating, we were presented with the bill, making us feel rushed out of the restaurant. The total was USD $234.00. Given both the poor quality of the meal and the disappointing service, we politely asked for the service charge to be removed. This request was refused three separate times by three different members of staff.
We then asked to speak with the chef we had to wait approximately 25 minutes. When she eventually arrived, her response was simply that no one had ever complained about the cod before and that it was supposed to be soft and oily in taste because of the sauce. There was no apology, no empathy and no genuine attempt to understand why we were dissatisfied.
To make matters worse, the duty manager offered me ice cream as compensation, despite me having already explained that I am dairy intolerant. This perfectly summed up the evening: my dietary requirements had either not been communicated or had simply been ignored.
Luxury hospitality is about far more than attractive surroundings. It is about exceptional food, attention to detail, knowledgeable staff and making guests feel valued. On every one of those points, this restaurant failed.
Charging USD $234 for a meal of this quality, while showing such little understanding of medically important dietary requirements and refusing even to reconsider the service charge, was unacceptable.
This experience fell well below the standard expected of a resort with Hodges Bay's reputation. I sincerely hope the owners and senior management read this review, investigate how this situation was handled, improve staff training around dietary requirements and customer care, and consider providing an appropriate refund.
Sadly, our final evening in Antigua should have been a highlight of our holiday. Instead, it left us feeling disappointed, ignored and questioning whether our health concerns had ever been taken seriously.
