St. James's Club, Antigua

Please note that this review is written by a seasoned Trip Advisor contributor and is not a fake review. Our family break was booked through Virgin who at the time , Jan’26 , made no reference to the possibility of heavy seaweed issues at the location. On arrival one of the two beaches ( the hotel is situated on a spit of land) was covered in seaweed which was rotting and causing a highly noxious smell , this beach was fully closed as all the sand was covered in seaweed , however the bay beach was clear , allowing for a white sandy beach but the water had a strong green tinge. The smell was only local to the beach with the seaweed and wasn’t a problem throughout the resort. On arrival the staff at reception seemed less than enthusiastic when greeting new holiday makers , they could be described as dour and were barely perfunctory. Other hotels we have visited , the staff have been genuinely happy to greet us and have provided drinks and cool towels to soothe the journey, no such greeting here, we even had to ask for a drink. Likewise, re the information provided by the receptionist- details of activities, restaurants, locations, excursions etc, nothing !!. I asked for a map of the resort but none were available. I later found some reference to activities and menus on a notice board but this was not explained when we arrived, this would be better on an app. The resort is split between block accommodation and individual villas, we had a three bedroom villa so I am unable to comment on the apartments. As the resort is so large and hilly we took advantage of the golf buggy style transport which was provided to and from the reception area, these could be requested via reception to pick up from the villas too. The villa was excellent with 3 bedrooms, each with large en-suites and walk in dressing rooms with plenty of storage area, each room has its own TV . All had strong and efficient AC which was combined with ceiling fans. The upstairs was very well appointed with a large kitchen with an American style fridge/ freezer, microwave, oven and very clean cutlery and a range of china and glass tableware. There was also a large 6 seater dining table and a lounge area with large Smart TV with comfortable armchairs and a leather sofa, this area led to a huge balcony with a number of sun loungers. Also there was a large patio down stairs with table and chairs. The whole villa was very well appointed and cleaned by a maid every day - thank you Norma. The villa was only 100 yards from the adults only 3- tiered pool which was very quiet, so we spent most of our days there, it was serviced by a bar but there was no pool area waiting service. Food was provided mainly at the Docksider and Rainbow Garden restaurants buffet, both for breakfast , lunch and dinner. There were also several stand alone restaurants but the opening of these was random and not everyday. The only one we visited for lunch and dinner was Eleven/eleven which was table service style and the best food we had whilst in resort, The breakfasts were always good with a vast choice but the buffet at Dockside was generally good with a few exceptions ie the Italian themed night which we experienced twice , the food was terrible with some dishes looking no better the slop but this was rare. Service both generally and at restaurants was a bit hit and miss, some staff would appear attentive and friendly whilst others were standoffish (ie as with reception, as above). I would like to give a special thank you to Dickson who did everything he could to make our stay enjoyable and to Riaan, the general manager who unlike many in his position had time to spend with guests and provided great advice,( thank you for your advice re the adult pool on day one when I met you on your rounds at 0700). He was always actively visible throughout the resort.Overall the resort is excellent , the seaweed is a natural phenomenon with little the resort can do but some of the staff could benefit from customer service training. We had two excursions whilst in Antigua, one with the Pink Panther Safari team which took us to Devils Bridge, Shirley Heights, English Harbour, Nelson’s Dockyard and a seaweed free beach. We also booked a taxi to take us to a local “super market” for provisions such as water, soft drinks and beer ( no mini-bar in the villas) and for a half day trip to St John’s. It was great to meet Daphne ( she can be booked via reception ) our driver for both trips , she was very friendly and informative about the island. In summary a great resort which we would visit again but perhaps at a different time of year when the seaweed is not such an issue. Read less

We were in between visiting St James and another property in July. After Riaan contacted us, we decided to choose St James and we weren’t disappointed. From making the reservation to the end of the day the staff was so patient and kind, they assisted us with our requests and checked in often to make sure we were comfortable. The ladies are front desk even assisted with serving out large group drinks and snacks at the end of the day. We had a phenomenal time. Although I can’t remember the name of everyone I want to thank the St James staff so much for making our time there memorable. The children had fun. Oh and the pizza was absolutely delicious 🥰🙌🏾 see you next year. Read less

St James club hotel and its staff exceeded all my expectations. They were very warm and welcoming to each and every one of my family members, it was 7 of us all different ages the youngest being 8 years old. You felt the staff moral from the time you arrived in the big open air lobby where we were greeted with welcome drinks. The chefs were very accommodating as one of my sons who’s a very easy eater special mention to Keita for this nothing was a bother for her, she took care of everything we needed even if it was out of the way. The concierge Conica was very knowledgeable of everything that happens on property you can ask her anything and she nailed it. She made our trip feel like a vacation. What also impressed me was that no matter who staff member you walked pass whether it was house keeping, landscaping, waiters, bartenders they all acknowledged you with a kind hello or good morning with a lovely smile behind it. Then there’s Tryphina the lovely lady who works in the ice cream parlor such a pleasant person who remembers everyone and everything, she knows exactly what you had the day before and always made every single flavor of ice cream sound so yummy. Special mention to Dickson that warm genuine smile and made us feel welcomed and loved, his smile will brighten up any day you have. Special special special shout out to Ozzie nothing was a problem for him a very dedicated employee he’s involved with everything from kids club to entertainment at night. I wanted to watch a football game that to be honest was a hard ask but Ozzie made it happen for my son an I. Thank you so so much. He looked out for us in every way possible. And of course I have to speak in Riann the General manager, not many properties you visit were you see the GM daily who not only acknowledged you but remembered you by name, he’s very knowledgeable and experienced in this field he’s a major cog in this machine I will add Ozzie to this as well. The relationship we built I will cherish forever an I will also have friends forever. I’m writing this as an hotelier who worked in this field for 21 years trained and works at a 5 diamond resort the standards at St James club is unmatched. We will definitely be back as even before we got to the airport the kids were all asking when will we back. Oh Yes Sheba our taxi driver, she is extremely knowledgeable of the island well spoken and mannerly she took us to church and even waited a little longer than expected and it was no fuss, she explained and showed us everything all the villages, how they got their names she explained the culture of Antiqua such a beautiful calm island. Having coming from Barbados it is very different in so many ways. Thank you to her for getting us around, if you need a taxi driver who doesn’t just drive and gives you insight of the heritage of the island she’s your woman. Also fluent in Cantonese which is amazing. Wey cultured for such a young lady her story will impress anyone. Thank you all for a trip my family an I will never forget Read less

Our second stay at St. James's club after 6 years ..... 10/10 will return. First off check in was a breeze didn't get the young ladies names but they were very sweet with lots of smiles. It took a little time to get our room but the drinks at the bar made that time worth it. Orlando took us to our room, he gave us a great tour of the property. Room...... we could not have asked for a better view, the room was clean with that caribbean freshness. On our overall stay breakfast, lunch and dinner was always amazing. The food never missed. Staff was very helpful and paid attention to our every need. If you do vist antigua and staying at stjc please go to the Friday night beach party.... listen the staff bought the vybz an it was amazing. We surly will be bringing the family on our next visit, the current renovations on property was a win. Now the seaweed is something the hotel cannot help we saw the guys working from 6 to 6 on it, trust me the entire caribbean is experiencing it. They do offer a shuttle service to pigeon point beach in English harbor(due to the seaweed) which was great, plus they gave us drinks. I got vaule for every dollar spent. Read less