The Escape At Nonsuch Bay Resort, Freetown.
Hire a car, expect to be laid back in every aspect, the roads in Antigua are full of pot holes, but you soon learn where they are, roads are very quiet and easily driven. It is customary to pull over for locals if your taking it slow.
Expect to do everything on an App, every day. All menus, check in, all required to be found on an App, not overly inclusive. Some of us found not all staff are informative, when booking trips I had to prompt for invite be prepared, so its great to chat and get to know other guests for info and tips, such as bbq night is a Wednesday, this was a really nice evening.
Most definitely one of the most peaceful places to stay, the nature and wildlife is like being in a wildlife programme from Geckos, Spiders, Mongoose and the Native birds.
Do not expect a beachside resort, the nearest beach is covered in Sargassum and the resort have no plans to invest in changing this. Shuttle bus does go here.
The birds can be a pain during breakfast, the staff try their best to keep them at bay.
Most of the shops at visited sight seeing places and beaches are closed this time of year, always go prepared with water.
It is advisable to hire a car, you will feel isolated without one, unless you plan to be staying in resort throughout your whole stay.
The drive from the airport is about 45 minutes. We arranged for our car to meet us at the airport with Pete’s Taxi & Car Rentals. 268-789-0112
Email: petenathaniel@hotmail.com
Web: www.petestaxiandrentals.com
Freetown, Antigua.
Who were fantastic from start to finish, great communication throughout and much cheaper than hiring direct from the hotel. ( I checked prices before booking)
The Escape is not your usual resort, the clue is in the title " The Escape " away from it all, suited us great, food can be repetitive, lots of chicken dishes, ribs and burgers often on the menu, breakfast menu is fab, food is tasty, puddings, basic, do not expect your usual all inclusive buffet style here, I done all my research, so knew what to expect, many have arrived without doing so and are adjusting. Snacks in the afternoon are pretty basic, not plentiful and no option for ice cream or refreshing Snacks during the day, we were out a lot so didn't affect us.
The service is not consistent, and can depend on who the waiter, waitress is, you know when Maxine is working, as much more attention to detail happens on her shifts.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings tend to be very slow, Saturday night also very busy, on these evenings service was not consistent, such as, we were not asked our drinks choice at dinner, not provided with our breads and napkins, having to go to the bar during dinner to get our own drinks was quicker, not just us, other guests too.
On an occasion service was so slow, we gave up waiting to be asked we chose not to wait for pudding. It is not unusual to be asked to wait in the bar area, despite being asked to book your dining time when you go for breakfast, you have to go with the flow, do not expect 5* service, and your be fine. I feel its like waiting for a bus, they all turn up at once, 8pm.
Tell yourself this place is laid back, relaxing and quiet, as said before, do not expect your usual all inclusive holiday, the bar service can also be slow at all times, several guests have had to seek out staff to be served especially during the day, restaurant staff also cover the bar, there is no dedicated person to the bar.
We found ourselves last night excluded from "free shots" being served despite there only being 6x of us at the bar, the 4x other guests openly given them in front of us, "these are for you guys", maybe we dont tip enough, who knows, but not great to be excluded.
The rooms are cleaned every other day and topped up with tea and coffee, a good tip, bring a drinks beaker with you, as no cold drinks supplied in room, once you've used your 1x bottle of water your expected to refil this each time, it would be nice if the resort were to reconsider this policy, every guest mentions it.
We visited many beaches, Pigeon point. Great for Snorkeling, Eden beach tucked away behind a resort due to being a naturist beach, however we chose not to go "au naturel" this beach is paradise, and being our favourite, there were only 4x people including us there the whole time.
The trip to Green Island booked in resort is a must, we had the boat trip to ourselves and the beach for 1.5 hours, Turtle, Stingray just to name a few, one of the most beautiful places, this trip takes place at 10.00am or 2pm, bookable in reception and is a 2 hour total trip.
Shirley heights was an experience, great evening of steel band and Reggae band to watch the sunset go down, we wish we had driven, we took the shared taxi as advised by other guests, but feel we could've easily drove, if taken easy.
Prepare for taxi costs, then 10$ each entry, food at Shirley heights is absolutely not worth it, wait until your back in resort eat on your return. However a fab evening.
Nelsons Dockyard, everything but the museum was closed, time of year, no where to get a drink, the open shops had nothing to drink, but worth a look around, we walked to the top of the gun battery on the hill, great views.
Caribbean time really is a thing here, however needs to be taken less for granted by the people that run them, , if it was height if season, id dread to think how long you will wait, there service equally needs to be improved, do not expect a quick lunch, you can be waiting 45 mins for lunch at any given time despite being the only people in the cafe/bar.
We would come back to Escape, our room is perfect, we wanted to "Escape " from it all, we have absolutely loved Antigua, I think the resort could easily become 4☆ with the above taken into account and a bit more titivating with the quality to detail in the rooms.
WiFi is poor, especially in rooms. Invest in data for abroad.
TV only via Netflix, that suited us, if not for you bring books, card games, if not, they have them.
Prepare for mosquitos, we wore the bands, worked great alongside the spray and roller ball protection, they do fogging here a couple of times a week.
We feel recharged, relaxed and not ready to go home.
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