Excellent Stay - Highly recommend
May 31, 2025 C F
My wife and I stayed at Galley Bay Resort in Antigua for 6 days/5 nights at the end of May 2025. This resort is about 20 minutes from the airport which is perfect. The resort itself is laid-back and relaxing, everything we desperately wanted and needed. Having visited several Caribbean islands, we found Antigua’s people to consistently be the…
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My wife and I stayed at Galley Bay Resort in Antigua for 6 days/5 nights at the end of May 2025. This resort is about 20 minutes from the airport which is perfect. The resort itself is laid-back and relaxing, everything we desperately wanted and needed. Having visited several Caribbean islands, we found Antigua’s people to consistently be the nicest and most welcoming we’ve ever met.
We stayed in Room 8, which opened directly onto the beach with no one above us. While this was ideal to us, it should be noted that most rooms have someone above. (I believe only 8 rooms don't have this option). The resort is marketed as all-inclusive, but some menu items, like Chateaubriand ($40 for two) and dining at Ismay’s with its Michelin-star chef ($50 per person), come at an extra cost.
While we highly recommend Galley Bay, there are a few flaws. First, beach service was nonexistent. I should note, my wife and I would spend the mornings on the beach and the afternoons in the pool. In six days, no one offered us drinks on the beach. I recall seeing one person the entire trip even walk by our room in the morning which is truly unacceptable in my opinion. Adding a second server per side and a dedicated pool server would drastically help. The pool’s call buttons were also broken. Second, the resort ran out of towels and at times were hard to find which is unacceptable for a 4.5 star resort. Third, the dress code required pants for men. I was told my Bermuda shorts weren’t allowed, forcing me to wear jeans, which felt less appropriate. (I do claim some responsibility as I did not look at the website to confirm this information prior to packing). Lastly, the water sports manager who I didn't get the name of, was unprofessional. The reason I say this is due to trying to reserve a time with the hobie cat the day before. The manager advised that this was not possible and proceeded to point to the piece of paper where it was written on the bottom. However, when showing me the piece of paper, he proceeded to slide the paper up which showed the paper of the next day. This was his mistake as I was able to see that he already allowed someone to sign up. When looking at the name, it was a female's name. Long story short, I guess the manager is okay with allowing females to sign up the evening before but if you're a male, you must follow those rules. To me, this is extremely unfair and unprofessional.
Despite these issues, the positives were outstanding. The beach, the bay, and the pool were amazing, the food was excellent, and the laid back vibe was perfect and exactly what we needed. The staff (minus the water sports manager) were exceptional in every way possible. Gaye-Sheree, Veneir, Charma, Romeiro (water sports), Vincent (manager), and Alaska (manager) made our stay unforgettable. Though we rarely revisit destinations, the staff’s personalities, friendliness, and just overall welcoming tempts us to return. With fixes to service, towels, and policies, Galley Bay could be one of the best resorts in the Caribbean.
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