Had an amazing stay for our honeymoon, picturesque location, variety of food and watersports, as well as planned activities as well. Nian at the tour desk was super helpful! Would recommend as a honeymoon destination!
My wife and I, Californians, visited Antigua for the first time. Overall, we had a nice experience. We were given champagne on arrival which was nice and refreshing. The grounds were well groomed and facilities were clean. Beautifully landscaped, the gardeners are to be commended. The beaches were great and it was nice to kayak and paddle board without having to pay extra. The attendant at the beach was helpful in teaching my wife how to paddle board. There was an unexpected $24/day resort fee but that wasn’t a big deal. While there, we went to stingray city, went snorkeling and took a trip on the pink panther. We also did the “Treasure Island” tour which included snorkeling, a beach visit, drinks and a meal. The free day pass to “Pineapple resort” was an added but unexpected bonus . Nian in guest services was very helpful in setting these up so I recommend visiting the tour desk as soon as you arrive. We bought a necklace and ring at the jewelry shop which was nice. Racquel, in the jewelry shop, was very kind and informative. She represents the company well. The food was good and there were plenty of options for everyone. However, getting a late night snack was hard to come by. More access to water bottles would have been a inexpensive thing to help improve the experience. The bartenders were great and friendly. Drink menu diverse and I tried a lot of new drinks. However, I noticed many of the guests were not very smiley towards them which may have set a somber tone at the bar. Many of the guests would simply say, “give me this” Or “give me that”. Occasionally, I heard a “ hello, how are you? Could I please have a …” Our favorite drink: Rum 🍹 Punch The coffee ☕️ shop was great. We enjoyed our morning Latte and appreciate the excellent service she provided. They had entertainment on a few of the nights which included local dancers. Lastly, I recommend bringing extra cash 💷 💵 (dollars, pounds, euros), to tip the servers. I noticed this really brightened their day when they knew they were appreciated by the guests. Also, they have local vendors who have stuff for sale but they only accept cash. Overall, I recommend this place and we will come back again in the years to come.…
Just came back yesterday so it is all fresh in my memory. I'm going to give you a fairly detailed review, so brace for some length. We are a family of 4, two adults with two children, near 3 and 5. The grounds of the resort or lovely - very lush, green and well maintained. It is quite hilly (which is why i loved it!), golf carts can take you from point A to B if you choose not to walk. The entire resort is not so big, so it seems as the gold carts may not even be needed, but certainly a good option for some. The rooms are all these little cottage-like houses form the outside - a very true Caribbean feel, loved this. Our room on the inside was dated (but we expected that), however, it was large and clean - beds we comfy too. Housecleaning only comes every other day (I actually prefer this), and she did a marvelous job. BEACH: There are two beaches - the main beach (this is where all the water sports are as well) - this beach is fantastic! There are palm trees to close to the water, that our little ones were literally able to play at the waters edge in SHADE all day if they chose while we were only couple feet back . This beach is cozy, the island wraps around you, and the water was quite calm. There is a bar down at the beach and Tracy-Ann was working - such a lovely lady. We found out that they will be adding some food to this bar next week - an excellent idea. Watersports: amazing! The people at water sports were so helpful. We used kayaks and paddleboards everyday, sometimes twice a day. Coffee Shop - great little shop - service can be a bit slow at times but its ok. Iced coffees were perfect for a hot day. They had lots of "snacks" aka sweets available - banana bread and carrot cake were lovely. Some cakes dense and dry, or overly sweet. Would be nice to see this place offer some more "non sweet" options. They did have little triangle tuna sandwiches some days, but tuna is not everyones things. Some fruit? yogurt with granola? Kids area: we went to use the park a few times - kids loved it - it is very basic but kid don't need much. We did no do any of the activities at the kids area, so no comment there. There is a bunch of random Christmas storage at the back of the "kids zone" - looks a bit unappealing, just needs some tidying up overall. Drinks at the bars - we are not big drinkers (i.e. we don't drink all day) but we do like a really well mixed cocktail sometimes. Drinks were great, or horrible, all depends on who made them. Lidel or Lindel (pardon my spelling) down at the Rasta Bar made some excellent ones. FOOD: Widadli Grill and Beach Bar Grill - simple menus - wished the beach bar grill changed it up for dinner time. Would like to see some more "fresh" and light options - a really good salad? or some shrimp tacos? perhaps? Pizza, burgers, chicken wrap, roti - all delicious though. The fries were awful, they should not be offered, BUT the potato wedges are delicious. The buffet restaurant - some nights excellent, others were ok - however, you cannot expect more form a buffet. The soups at the buffet dinners were excellent - and please do more of that braided bread - AMAZING! Overall, we never went hungry, there was LOTS of selection. MINI PUTT - excellent little course, just needs some attention - a few broken light shades, a few light bulbs out. This was a walk up, grab your own putter and ball and play - our kids and us loved it! (just need to tidy up the old, broken billiard table that sits right at the beginning please) For a family of young kids this little resort was perfect. If you are looking for fancy, modern, huge places, this place is not for you. If you want some character, true Caribbean vide, beautiful grounds, a fantastic beach, then go! TOWELS - it seems that if you did not grab a towel in the morning you may not get one in the afternoon by the pool - not sure if its a lack of towels? or laundry service? We never had any issues, we some folks did.…
The resort has pretty atrocious service. You have to wait in line for thirty minutes just to get coffee due to lack of staff, and the staff they do have mostly have bad attitudes and work ethic. They also ran out of food and towels on a regular basis. The kids' club staff was sleeping half of the time. The resort itself was fine and it was nice to get some warm weather, but the problem was the people working there. The food and amenities were fine overall, but the value I would say of the whole is experience is about half of what we had to pay for it.
First off, the property is amazingly idyllic. It is sited in a rain forest ambiance on a bluff which slopes down to the sea. Its contour is a series of “hills and valleys” with cottages set amidst lush greenery. I stepped from the road straight into my cottage and from the balcony at the rear I was looking down at a canopy of tall trees. This gives an idea of the contrasting elevations. It must have been a challenge to the architect who did the layout but he or she deserves a gold medal for doing a splendid job. Banana trees with large bunches of bearing fruit are planted along the verges. Nice idea. It must be a novel spectacle for guests who have never seen a banana tree before. Supposedly, the fruit is used to supply the restaurants. The well-paved roads throughout the property are literally “up and down” and fitness geeks would enjoy merely walking or jogging through the property. Golf cart shuttles are used for guests to commute from one point to another, especially for the more sedentary ones like me (more on that later). The cottage at which I stayed is part of a duplex with a shared front porch. The unit itself is like a one-bedroom apartment with enclosed bathroom and closet, a bar counter with a mini refrigerator stuck in one corner and a large-screen, wall-mounted TV. It has a nice hardwood floor and the space was nice and clean. It has a nice balcony at the rear. The room is spacious, simply but adequately furnished and equipped with air conditioning as well as a ceiling fan. The food quality at the Seabreeze restaurant is not bad but not exceptional either. They do vary the menu each day to make each visit a little interesting. Dining at the Buccaneers is much better but reservations are required and are not always available. I was put off by the fact that there is a charge of US$40 per person to dine at the “fine-dining” Nicole’s restaurant. Isn’t this supposed to be an all-inclusive resort? Lunch at the Wadadli Snack Shop, like sandwiches, burgers, is fairly good. There are four pools on the property including a kiddies pool. There are two small beaches which could do with some upgrading as well as double tennis courts. Water sports is offered at one of the beaches. The gym is fairly well equipped. Wi-fi service is pretty good. Entertainment activities need to be beefed up. Live or recorded music is played at the poolside bar most nights but hardly anyone is ever seen dancing. More can be done to infuse a party spirit That being said, I encountered some things that left much to be desired. This is an all-inclusive facility which makes guest satisfaction more sensitive and requires that much more attention to service quality and delivery. On my first full day in the villa, no one came to refresh the room, make the beds, replace towels, dispose of trash etc. Some of the sachets with coffee creamer appeared to have been there for so long that the packaging had become discolored and the contents had become calcified. There were no napkins to clean up when I spilled some coffee. I had already exhausted the one complimentary bottle of drinking water so the following morning I had to brew coffee with tap water. I chose not to complain to the front desk as I wanted to see if this was an isolated slip-up so I did what minimal freshening up I could. On the second day as I was leaving the cottage, I saw a housekeeper attending to the adjoining cottage and assumed that mine was next in line. To my utter surprise, I returned later to find the cottage untouched. It was only on the third day that my room was cleaned, again on the fifth day and finally on the seventh day as I was checking out. Shabby! Especially for a beach and spa resort where rooms are likely to get soiled more frequently. Commuting from one point to another can be an exhilarating walk up and down the hilly roads. Alternatively, one can call for a golf cart shuttle but you may experience some delay. On one occasion I sat on the porch outside and waited for over 30 minutes before one arrived. One would have thought that a pool of golf carts would always be stationed at the locations that guests frequent, like the reception area, restaurants and pool areas. Not so. It appears that they do not have enough golf carts or drivers to operate them. It would be a good idea to provide bicycles which guests could use to commute rather than having to wait for long periods several times each day to be picked up. The quality of service by the staff needs considerable improvement. Visiting the Seabreeze restaurant, you are required to have your room number recorded and to be seated by a staff member. Too often, no one was at the desk so, at times, as many as 8 or 10 people stand in line at the desk without anyone paying them any mind. I arrived for lunch one day at 12.15pm only to be told that the food was “not quite ready” and had to sit and wait for 15 minutes before it was available. At dinner one evening, long after I had finished eating and closed my knife and fork, the plate was still sitting in front of me. I wanted to go get some dessert but there was no space on the table for another plate. Eventually I saw a waiter’s tray some distance away, took the plate myself and left it there so that I could approach the dessert station. I visited the front desk to make some enquiries. There were three staff members behind the counter who all appeared to be busy. The one immediately in front of me was talking on the phone. After some time, she hung up the phone and without even acknowledging my presence, proceeded to dial a number and commence a new conversation. I eventually walked away in frustration. At none of the service areas was I able to identify anyone who appeared to be a supervisor or manager. It is a shame that such a beautiful, well laid out facility is so compromised by service deficiencies. If I owned the property I would hire a new management team with strong hospitality experience and creative thinking ability because there is so much at this property to be creative about. The staff needs to be thoroughly retrained to become more sensitive and responsive to customer service and satisfaction. The Verandah can be transformed into the ideal resort it deserves to be.…
The Verandah was a perfect weekend getaway from the winter temps for us. It's about 30 minutes from the airport. It is well worth the extra $20 per night to get the Waterfront View from your villa. The resort is situated in a quiet bay with a lot of watersports like sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding that are included in the price of your stay. The food was good at the restaurants with a mix of buffet, bar and grill, and a la carte. I would go back to stay here. You must understand that the general attitude on the island is laid back and chill. If you want something from guest services, you will have to make a few trips or wait a while longer as there is only one person working in that office. A good solution would be to place people on shifts for better coverage. The bars are located conveniently to be able to get drinks whether you are at the beach or the pool. The walk to Long Bay beach and Devil's Bridge (both just outside the resort) were convenient. Note that you can get a day pass to the sister property - Pineapple Beach Resort which has some snorkeling and better sailing.…
I stayed at the this resort for 7 days last week. The resort is very nice and relaxing. The food I would give a 3-4 star rating. The service was horrific. Many others staying there were complaining as well about the service. The waitstaff regardless of which bar or restaurant or grill you are at will barely make eye contact in fear you may have a request. As soon as you slide them some monies everything changes even though gratuities are included in the all inclusive package. The rooms are outdated but over all clean and comfortable beds. A few employees that should receive compliments. Andre, Nian, AJ, and Carlos. The pools are nice and clean. I booked the Calypso Catamaran for snorkeling adventure at the resort and the Captain Noel and his staff: Danielle, Shaq and one other name I did not get were over the top great and wonderful day to spend in Antigua…
The staff were very helpful and friendly, they couldn't do enough to make you feel good. Hotel location, facilities and accommodation were excellent. Food, especially in the buccaneers restaurant was very good. The beach bars were also very good.
The Verandah is an amazingly lush, peaceful resort, with soooo much natural beauty everywhere you look, and it’s a TRUE JOY for us to swim and kayak, in such calm water with gorgeous colors! If you are able-to, the waterfront rooms are seriously worth the added cost…Truly picturesque views that take your breath away, and they have a very spacious and private balcony! My Hubby and I stayed in Room 163 and we spent prob at least an hour or two each day, marveling at the amazing views, as we happily sipped our morning coffee before walking to breakfast, and then again on our balcony before we went to dinner, having a cocktail or two, as we watched the glorious sunsets over the water. As far as the food at The Verandah, we really appreciate the yummy variety of foods to taste and experience everyday, and our very favorite is Seabreeze Restaurant…A special thank you to Tryphina, Kerdian and Teanna at Seabreeze…Their hard work and especially their huge beautiful smiles positively shine! They made us look forward to seeing them every single day! Also, a big thank you to Kertie at Rasta Beach for being the best mixologist/bartender EVER! This was our 3rd trip to The Verandah in about 7 years, and we will absolutely be returning again and again! ❤️…
We stayed at Verandah over Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 (7nights). Booked Water View room (not Waterfront). Got room 320 which was Hillside room on the last 3rd row according to hotel’s website. It wasn’t any partial water view, only view of the trees. We tried to argue and change the room but “they were fully booked”. Very old, outdated property. Bath tub disgusting with cracks all over and a big bubble in the middle with water and mold underneath making it unsafe to stay in (a slipping hazard). Water in the shower was only hot. We complained to general manager Eric and they “fixed” it to almost no hot water. The safe was outdated, no digital code, had to carry a key with you. The resort was extremely understaffed. Food at the grill bar one day took more than 2 hours wait. Grill Bar food was OK. The buffet food on Christmas Day was very bad and there was a long line of people waiting to be sat and to get food. Food looked and tasted bad, no ice cream of any kind, rotten boiled eggs for breakfast and no cream cheese. New Year’s Eve dinner buffet around the pool - we came at 8pm and it was nothing left except raw beaf, dry turkey and some salad leftovers. When asked Eric general manager about more food, he pointed at left food mentioned above. Coffee shop was good (when wasn’t a lot of people) with variety of coffee and pastries. Nicole’s restaurant was $40 per person but food was a decent quality. Nicole’s restaurant however is a simple restaurant with a lack of design or a theme. The small beach was nice and quiet with plenty of beds, shades, palm trees and umbrellas. It was a nice view of the small bay from the beach and there were plenty of water sport activities (kayaking, puddle boards, sailing boats). However, you cannot enjoy the water in the bay as the bottom feels like mud and is full of seaweeds which was disgusting. The infinity pool at the first beach close to the lobby was nice and modern but with very cold water. Room cleaning was every other day, which was fine but they decided to clean our room at 5pm on New Year’s Eve. It took them 2 hours(!) to clean it and bring missing towels while we waited outside and couldn’t take a shower. Overall was bad experience. We wouldn’t go there if we knew all of the above, even for free…
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing