Galley Bay Resort & Spa

This place was like heaven on earth. My husband and I wanted an adults only stay without our kids. We read the reviews for this place and decided to book. We arrived around 4pm on a Monday afternoon and left at 1pm for the airport by Thursday afternoon - quick trip - but we really lost track of the world in the short time we were there. I didn't understand the reviews on here that complain about silly things. This is a 4 star resort with 5 star service. This is a boutique resort, not a Ritz, Four Seasons, Waldorf, etc. The towels are not going to be luxurious. They were slightly rough - that is not going to be a complaint from us like it was from others on here. I really didn't understand that one. The food is excellent, especially for all-inclusive. I've stayed at Royalton all-inclusive and the food was terrible. I've been on Disney Cruises and stayed at Hyatt Ziva/Zilara all inclusives and the food has been wonderful - the food at Galley Bay was def top notch. Nothing to worry about as far as food is concerned. They had live music every night, which was great. There was a female vocalist who was outstanding and I wish I got her name! she performed on Wednesday, August 12th with a bassist, drummer and keyboard player. This is not a party resort. It is a relaxing resort so expect to swim at the beach or pool during the day, take advantage of the resort activities at your leisure, visit the spa, have dinner at night and listen to the live music. I enjoyed the lack of party atmosphere, but more of a relaxed setting. We were visiting during the off season and the resort was only half full so it felt super private and low key. The layout of the resort is super cute. We were in cottage 54, upper level with a balcony and it was more central to everything - great location. Rooms are very large and comfy with a large closet and oversized bathroom. Beds were very comfy and we slept well. I'm a bed snob and was not disappointed. It was so hot and humid and our air conditioning in the room was amazing and felt like a tundra which I really appreciated! Housekeeping was exceptional. They mopped our floors every single day. The room was very clean. The man came by each day to restock our fridge, which was very welcomed. Every morning at the coffee shop, Claudia made the best iced caramel latte I've ever had anywhere. I also saw her experimenting with drink recipes which I thought was going the extra mile - showed she really cared about her job. Gilbert and Alfred the Great :) were super helpful with the golf cart and getting us where we needed to go when I had heels on and didn't want to walk the entire length of the property at night. I saw the head chef every single morning and sometimes at lunch - Jeremiah. He was always very concerned about our experience and what dishes we ate the night before and what we liked the best. Aliah the bartender made the best guava daquiris and played good music and we enjoyed the friendly banter with her. Delbert and Zornel took great care of us at the water sports post, especially when I freaked out over the jellyfish. I also wanted to note several of the staff who made our stay a great one: Annika, Ray, Bri, Samantha, Stuart, Laddona, Ladonia, Braeden, Pearl, Vaughn, Dasani, Sadi, Sonia, Andrea, Colina and Dayton. Everyone works so hard here and does a great job - please be sure to tip and tip well. They deserve it! I really cannot say anything negative about Galley Bay - I only wish I would've tried the spa services. It was such a fantastic stay. I only have 2 suggestions: put baskets on the bikes and a small teak stool in the shower for women shaving their legs. I rode a bike each morning and didn't have a purse with me and wanted to take my phone and room key so a basket would've been helpful. It was a little challenging to ride the bike holding a phone, but I wanted it with me so I could take pictures of the beautiful scenery and wildlife I saw as I was riding around! Thank you so much for a memorable and relaxing stay! Read less

A great example of old school Caribbean hospitality, Galley Bay Resort fronts a mile-long white sand beach with turquoise sea and its own reefs. The staff are informal but attentive and friendly. The food is excellent, particularly from the Gaugin and Ismay’s, for which the latter there is a $50pp premium, which is well worth it. Day time food is more casual and provided by the Seagrape restaurant, Barefoot grill and Upcycle Cafe, all of which are good quality. There’s beach service also, all day. The watersports crew are great and the Hobiecat sailing was enjoyable, with good wind every day. Worth spending the extra money on a premium room. Read less

We had a wonderful and very relaxing stay at Galley Bay. The resort has a beautiful, laidback feel, and from the moment we arrived it was easy to settle in and unwind. Our beachfront suite was spacious, comfortable and nicely appointed, with the beach just steps away. The beautiful white crescent beach is definitely one of the highlights of the resort and creates a fantastic setting for a relaxing Caribbean getaway. There is a good variety of restaurants to choose from, and we also really enjoyed being able to explore the property using the hiking and biking trails. A particular highlight of our stay was a tour with Dave, one of the resort’s gardeners, who showed us around their impressive 13-acre farm. We were amazed by the abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs being grown and really enjoyed learning more about how the farm supports the resort. He also shared some insight into their sustainability initiatives, including the sorting and recycling of paper, plastics and bottles. It was a great experience and gave us a real appreciation for some of the work happening behind the scenes. Overall, we had a wonderful stay. Galley Bay is a beautiful, peaceful resort with plenty of space to relax and enjoy the surroundings. We left feeling refreshed and can’t wait to return. Read less

Sadly, not what it used to be, food lets the side down, and house wine is just sour, other guests scoffing at evening dress code and getting away with shorts, t-shirts and flip flops for evening whilst other guests shocked by it. Met some other repeat guests, whom also were very dissappointed and wont return again. A great shame Resort is lovely (16 th visit) but evening entertainment was sometimes painfull to listen to. Sadly i have rebooked.....to another island for my break next year, breaking a 21 year streak to Antigua in all :-( Read less

We wrote this email to the General Manager on the 7 July which says it all . Still await a response . Recent visit to Galley Bay Mike Garvey ​info@galleybayantigua.com​ ​John Cather​ FAO Antoine Brown Dear Antoine , We visited Galley Bay from the 18 June for 10 nights and have been a returner for circa 14 years and would like to take the opportunity of pointing out the decline of what was a great resort . Having priced yourselves at the top of the market you are falling well short of what could be expected of a $1000 a night vacation . In no particular order :- the white wine ,sauvignon blanc and chardonnay is undrinkable food well below par - chicken and fish often dry and needing a steak knife to cut Ismays not as it used to be ( a slice of cucumber with a dob of humous on is hardly an amuse bouche ) The evening entertainment leaves a lot to be desired 50% of the bands were awful and managed to clear the room and the time slot they are on has been reduced so entertainment finished circa 22.15 hrs Even your staff were berating some of the bands . We did point this out to Cecil Henry in November but it's got worse Reduction in bar staff in the Tepee to one early evening is frustrating. There were children staying at the resort - adults only ? Notwithstanding the dress code in the evenings this was not adhered to and people were wearing T shirts flip flops etc. causing some guest to be upset . Never known the staff to be so demotivated as lovely as they are We chatted to some new guests who were disappointed and will not be returning and some returners who like us will not be returning . There has been no feed back form - perhaps deliberate ? Having said all that great venue , rooms lovely and well serviced , long term staff a great asset . Kind Regards Mike & Cathy Garvey Read less