The Verandah, Antigua

We spent 10 days at the lovely Verandah Hotel for our Honeymoon. Upon arrival we were greeted with a cold towel and a rum punch. Check in was quick and easy and we were whisked away to our Villa on the golf buggy by a wonderful member of staff who kindly showed us around and pointed out the various things we could do whilst at the resort. The room was spacious and clean, plenty of towels, good air conditioning and a very comfortable bed. Housekeeping came every other day and replenished what was required. The room had a safe in which you were given the key to and had to return at the end of your stay. The hotel grounds including the pool areas and beaches were well maintained. As mentioned by others, the pool area could benefit by having some more ‘shaded’ areas as this was a sun trap all day! Also the towels are there but we noticed the reason they ran out so quickly was because people were greedy. On multiple occasions we witnessed 2 people taking 4 towels so no wonder they ran out so quick! Lovers beach was gorgeous! We absolutely loved the water hammocks and took full advantage of the water sports such as canoeing, wind surfing and the Hobie Cat. Raster Beach was much bigger but we did not find the ocean as inviting there. The resort offers some sort of entertainment each evening such as a singer, band, games night, DJ etc there is also another bar area that shows multiple sports. Now for the Food and Beverage, we didn’t have one problem the whole time we were there until the last day. We took breakfast as usual in the Seabreeze unfortunately it seemed they were very short staffed, our plates were not cleared, we were not offered a drink, not offered clean cutlery etc. The food however as usual was plentiful, warm and delicious. We then proceeded to have lunch at the Sails and Tails where unfortunately the same low staffing issues continued resulting in us having a slow experience and our burgers (like the table next to ours) were very undercooked in the middle. We tried to report this to a member of staff so they could just cook it a bit longer but no one was interested so we left. As we could not eat our burgers we decided to grab a pizza opposite. There were about 4 people before us but after 30 minutes no pizza was called. Again as we were leaving we didn’t have much time so we asked how long it would be, the lady had a look through the tickets and she had given our pizza to someone else. She offered to make us a new one but by this point after waiting a good 45 minutes we simply didn’t have time. Other than these problems on the last day which were caused by low staff levels all other experiences with food and beverage were great. Lovely food and wonderful cocktails and not forgetting the coffee shop that allowed you to have any type of coffee all day! We were able to use a courtesy room on the last day to shower and freshen up before our evening flight and golf carts were readily available for times when we didn’t want to walk in the beautiful sunshine. Overall the Verandah was a great choice for our honeymoon, thank you. Read less

Booked The Verandah through Costco with my wife for our 30th anniversary and absolutely loved it! What a beautiful resort with a super welcoming staff. Words just can't do it justice. Let's start with the benefits of a Costco trip. By far the best deal that was only further enhanced by the perks which included a private car to and from the airport which is a short 25 minute ride. In addition we received a free dinner upgrade to the upscale Nicole's restaurant which was outstanding and easily worth their typical $40 per person upcharge. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly front desk staff where we were immediately offered our choice of a rum punch, water or fruit punch and a warm towel. Opted for the rum punch which was strong but delicious! Our room was not yet ready so we made the quick 2 minute walk to the Beach Grill for lunch which had an amazing bar with a nice outdoor ambiance on Rasta beach. I ordered the BBQ ribs with a Watermelon Martini and my wife the Jerk chicken with a glass of Champagne. The service was quick and friendly and both meals were incredibly delicious plus my martini was spot on and made with fresh watermelon puree. After lunch we walked back to the front desk and our room was now ready. After a quick gold cart tour of the beautiful and expansive grounds we made it to our room #164 which had one of the best views on the property while also being centrally located to everything including the main pool, all the main restaurants and Lovers Beach. The room was large, clean and updated. The bed and pillows super comfy with AC that made it feel like it was winter inside. We had a great balcony with a gorgeous view that was ideal for a nice peaceful late night drink. The resort did leave a nice special occasion fruit plate for our anniversary which was a nice touch. Our room location was perfect as it was a quick 2 minute walk to the main pool and bar however far enough away from the DJ and bands so as not hear them. The pool was large, warm and sparking clean with ample comfortable lounge chairs however you had to be out by 9:30AM to claim a prime spot under one of the cabanas. The fact that there are no umbrellas at the pool make this a hot commodity as the sun is STRONG! Wouldn't be a bad idea to have sun umbrellas as I think more people would use the pool. Lovers beach was clearly the nicer of the 2 beaches. Beautiful calm shallow clear turquoise water with powdery sand. This isn't your typical beach as it is more of a cove that is protected by a reef giving it a very European feel due to the surrounding bluffs so if you are expecting a wide open ocean front beach you don't get that unless you take a day pass over to their sister property the Pineapple.Beach Club which we did and was literally a 2 minute golf cart ride or 5 minute walk. While PBC was nice with a beautiful beach it was clearly not as upscale or njce as The Verandah. Lovers Beach at The Verandah has the Pelican Bar which was nice and never a wait for drinks. The drinks were consistently good at all the bars. My wifes fave was a Coconut Crush however you just have to specify that you want it with rum. We enjoyed the Hobie Kat twice at Lovers beach and had the guide take us out both times. Beautiful and relaxing rides in mostly shallow water. We found ourselves spending most of our time at Lovwrs beach as it offered the most shade with thatched huts and would have been perfect had the property next door not been constantly doing heavy construction. Be warned unlike the US there are apparently no restrictions on when construction can start as they were hammering and sawing as early as 6AM including weekends and by the looks of it construction will be ongoing for some time. Given the construction it may be a good idea for the report to pipe in some.nice Caribbean music however in all honesty you kind of just lose yourself in the beauty of the beach that is aided by the strong drinks to where you eventually just tune out the construction noise. The food and service was outstanding at all the restaurants with the exception of Sails and Tails. This was the only dinner spot where the service complaints some other reviewers mentioned were prevalent. The food here was also lacking and we wound up leaving to go to the buffet when our server never returned despite it not being crowded. Lunch here though was fine along with the service. Portofino and Nicole's were both top notch along with ourstanding service and the waitresses at both were attentive and very friendly. Same for the buffet where the food and service were also good for both breakfast and dinner.breakfast had an egg station where you could order custom omlettes and eggs any style including poached which were done to perfection. Good selection at both breakfast and dinner buffet where we never left hungry. As I stated at the beginning of this review we absolutely loved our stay. The grounds are stunning and well taken care of. The drinks are strong but delicious and the food and service for the most part were spot on. Housekeeping came every other day and did a nice job everytime they came making sure to change the sheets, leave fresh towels and toiletries as needed. We would absolutely recommend The Verandah to anyone who is looking for a nice chill vibe peaceful and relaxing vacation as the nightlife ends well before 11PM. It was everything we had hoped for which is why we will be back next year! Thank you for making our 30th anniversary even more special than it already was. 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Where to start, this property is an absolute Gem! Welcome drink on arrival and gifted with a beach bag which included resort map and all the information required to make the most out of your stay. The most stunning and constantly maintained grounds and the cleanest resort I have visited. Service quick and efficient and every team member providing outstanding service. Room very spacious and clean plenty of towels and good A/C. All dining options excellent especially loved the Caribbean buffet night, coffee shop is a little gem coffees sandwich’s, cakes and pastries whenever you need. Lovers beach the best a great place to chill and unwind. Plenty of loungers by beach and pool whatever time you decide to arise..no need to secure a spot at 6am! And towels plentiful. Evening entertainment just right we had such good fun. This resort is being lead at present by Miguel who is doing a sterling job of engaging with guests and questioning their experience and identifying anything they could be doing better and ultimately taking action. Such a personable host and a massive asset to this resort. Every member of staff deserves my praise but special thanks to Ashah And Kiara a credit to the hotel. Will we be back? Most definitely yes Read less

What a fantastic resort. Recent part refurb to make it adult only. Great arrival- friendly, cocktail, shuttle to my room. Bedroom extremely clean. Services alternative days and plenty of linen and toiletries left. Great views. Spacious resort so feels more luxurious. Never a queue at any bars or restaurants- quick, friendly service. The team getting to know you personally. The service makes this resort. Lead by Miguel the GM, he was very visible and must know every guests name. Unexpected Fruit plate delivered to my room with a personalised note to help me celebrate my birthday. Enjoyed every meal, Seabreaze was excellent- happy staff and great choice of dishes. The seafood soup was a highlight. So too were the omelettes and gammon at breakfast. The other outlets were great too- I wish I had gone to Rasta Beach Grill more as they served the best ribs. Great to play table tennis, pool and crazy golf. The beach was beautiful- clear sea, the floaties were comfortable. Charles the concierge chopped down a coconut for me to drink fresh, this was a lovely experience. Too many excellent cocktails to name! Pool never too busy- but definitely the place to be after 3pm to cool down. Staff would also come to the pool to take orders. Simple things to improve the resort- shade needed at the pool at Rasta. Plus a mini bar could be added at the waterfall pool/games area. I will definitely return and recommend. Read less