OUR REVIEW OF ESCAPE AT NONSUCH BAY
Just want to note, this review was written by both me & my husband so parts are done by him and parts are done by me
Also apologies to the staff if we spelt any names wrong! Also, so sorry Escape for the LONG OVER DUE REVIEW….. But here it is!!
Escape at NonSuch Bay…. Where do I even start? Me & my husband stayed here for 1 week end of February 2025 and HIGHLY recommend! Though 1 week is not enough to enjoy this fantastic island! When we return, we definitely want to do 10 days - 2 weeks. And make sure to leave the property more and rent a car to explore the island! More on that later
It’s maybe important to note that Escape at Nonsuch Bay is “off the beaten path” a little. It’s 40 mins from the airport, tucked away and more secluded from other resorts and hotels which we love. Not for everyone we know, but perfect for us! And if you’ve never tried out this type of property before, please do.
First impressions of the resort are really beautiful. The grounds and landscaping are so pretty. Take the time to really look around and appreciate the flora and fauna on the grounds. Stunning, unique plants, and there’s humming birds everywhere which we loved. The lobby has a driftwood check-in counter with an open air view of the bay and mountains that honesty I could just stare at all day! Escape also has the most warm and welcoming staff.
Now, I don’t think everyone would appreciate this property unfortunately, as it’s not directly on the beach (beautiful beach - Marassa Cove Beach is just a 10 min walk OR super short 3 min complimentary hotel shuttle away) though the bay views from the Escape property are just gorgeous! And taking the short walk over to the beach is honestly really lovely. The exercise is nice and if you find it too much or too hot, just take the complimentary shuttle so PLEASE give this property a chance! You will not regret it!
Breezes restaurant off the beach has a really cute Caribbean vibe and Sundays they do a poolside party over looking the Caribbean Sea (not included in your stay) but so fun! There’s clean bathrooms that are decorated really cute as well, with a beach bar with swings to use as Escape guests. Beach loungers are complimentary as well. There aren’t any beach umbrellas but there’s plenty of palm trees to provide shade if needed.
Now for the overall experience staying at this resort! From booking to check out the customer service was above and beyond anything we have experienced. Me and my wife both come from restaurant and event planning backgrounds prior to our current careers, and we can say confidently that the staffs attention to detail and care for their guests is top notch. Communication prior to arrival with Dianna was excellent as we confirmed transportation arrangements, food allergies (my wife has many rare food allergies….), car rentals, and excursion recommendations. Gina and Keriah at reception were very attentive and answered any questions or concerns that we had while at the resort. The staff were also continually checking in on us to ensure our stay was relaxing and enjoyable. I got a bad fever for a couple of days during our stay and the staff were extremely helpful to ensure I was looked after, and checked in on me hourly in case we needed anything or if a doctor should be called. We can’t say enough to describe how lovely the staff were from start to finish!
Now the food…. My wife has a lot of food allergies as I mentioned, and travelling can be difficult, so it requires a lot of research and communication with a resort to make sure she is safe as we both love to travel and aren’t going to allow her allergies to hold us back from something we enjoy doing together so much.
Prior to arrival we emailed back and forth with the guest services staff (Dianna) regarding her allergies and they noted all of them under our reservation and discussed with the head chef to plan out personalized meals for every single day! This we did not expect! Escape has one open air restaurant that looks over the gorgeous bay. It has a rotating menu each day, so we were initially concerned that eating could be difficult being restricted to just one restaurant option, and honesty maybe a little boring too….. however we had nothing to worry about at all! As soon as we arrived, head chef Danny met us in the lobby and reviewed all her allergies and assured us that the staff will be taking them seriously and making sure she is safe. He even went out and bought specific groceries just for my wife and had a separate area of the kitchen where all her food was prepared each day! Every day when we would be at the restaurant the staff would confirm which dishes were safe for her to eat and which ones could be easily modified to be safe. Daily, head chef Danny would come chat with us regarding the menu, and often came out during the dinner rush, when he was super busy just to quickly chat and make sure we were looked after. Might sound silly to some, but my wife was brought to tears on multiple occasions with how much love and attention she was receiving. The food was absolutely delicious, well prepared and presented! Every Single Meal! My wife had ZERO allergic reactions during our entire stay (which happen very regularly at home…..) and we felt very safe under Danny’s attentive care for her. For those of you who have dietary needs, I would HIGHLY recommend this resort! You will be taken care of in a way that’s just hard to put to words! Escape, NEVER GET RID OF DANNY & your beautiful kitchen and serving staff!!! What rare finds. Wonderful, wonderful people.
Finally, a little about the island. Antigua has so many beautiful beaches, scenic views and rich history that you need to rent a car at least for a day or two and explore the island. Rental cost is fairly cheap and the island is small so getting around doesn’t take a lot of time. Be aware though that the roads do have quite a lot of potholes and can easily rupture a tire if you’re in a compact car - this happened to us and the insurance you purchase on the island doesn’t cover this, so be careful! We rented a car for 2 days and visited numerous locations such as Devil’s Bridge, Carlisle Bay, Shirley Heights, Betty’s Hope sugar mill plantation, Nelson’s dockyard, Galleon bay & hike to the pillars of Hercules, Sweet Coconuts at Morris Bay (the most amazing ice cream) and also Hawksbill bay. Galley Bay is stunning as well, but note that non-guests need to pay for a day pass to have access to bathrooms and other resort amenities - which needs to be booked at least a day prior.
The room we loved. Very comfortable mattress, though I know we’re in the Caribbean and it’s hot, but a thicker, more cozy duvet or comforter would be really appreciated. The bed just has a top sheet and then a thin bed covering, so we just asked for 2 and it was better. The outdoor patio area with free standing tub & plunge pool is fantastic! Not all hotel plunge pools have the best design in our opinion, but the plunge pools at Escape have a really great design, size and depth. Also very clean which we appreciated! Also loved the huge glass patio doors and all the natural light!
3 negatives about the rooms though are:
1.) the shower, though large and spacious, had terrible drainage, so when you’d shower, it would just completely fill up to almost over flowing….
2.) If you’re booking a partial bay view room, know that some of the partial bay view rooms have zero bay view…. (We were in room 3803) Foliage is still really pretty though, but zero bay views, and we were expecting with our booking at least a partial bay view. Even so though, loved our stay. Just wish the room descriptions were more clear…. We did book through Expedia, so this could be a fault on their end.
3.) Room seemed decently clean overall, though the floors were very dirty…. :( We brought along hotel slippers to wear in the room and the bottoms of them were black (unfortunately no exaggeration here…) almost immediately…. :( that was a negative for us, but we didn’t want to complain about it….. so we just made sure to not go bare foot in the room at all.
And then other things we would kindly suggest the property do are:
You can’t see the gorgeous bay views from the pool area at all because of all the foliage blocking the view. We completely respect and understand that this would be such a huge undertaking to trim down a bit to create a view, but it’s just too bad that you can only enjoy it in the common areas of the restaurant and lobby, and not while lounging by the pool. Especially since Escape isn’t directly on a beach.
And then secondly, a gym would be wonderful. Walks were great, but it would have been lovely to have access to even just some weights to keep up with our workouts while on vacation.
Other than these few minor things, Escape at Nonsuch Bay is absolutely wonderful!!! It feels like home. We travel every winter and love experiencing new places, but we loved Antigua & Barbuda and the Escape property so much, that we’ve already booked another trip! And this time returning for 10 nights and can’t wait!!!
