Amazing resort

I have visited various resorts in the Caribbean but Galley Bay stands out as the one special place I would consider for some return visits. The weather in mid March happened to be perfect. I was impressed with the excellent staff, the cuisine, the arrangement of the units right on the beach. I try to avoid crowds and here, there was a sense of tranquility, calm, peace. Only the sound of the surf . Recommend this if you want to get away from the “madding crowds”.

We love it here

Galley Bay Resort never disappoints. This was our 5th visit but the first time being there at Christmas time. The wonderful staff went all out to bring us a Christmas Caribbean style. The light displays were stunning. I especially liked Santa and his reindeer on the sugar mill. The decorations were beautiful and we appreciated all of the traditional foods. I loved that the servers proudly wore their antler headbands, Santa hats, and LED head gear. Really fun. Our stay was every bit as wond [... read more]erful as the previous visits. We highly recommend this resort!

Quiet as quiet can be

We stayed at Galley Bay resort Jan 2024 our room was on the east side on the 2nd floor. I would ask for a room on the west side. The coffee shop restaurant bar, guest services, etc. are approximately a seven minute walk from the east side. One restaurant is a 15 minute walk. They have golf carts that will take you where you’d like to go. The two restaurants are menu full service no buffet they have a small shack that serves burgers and hotdogs and the fish of the day on the beach. They also hav [... read more]e a restaurant called IsMays that charges $50 per person dinner only. Opened approximately twice per week. This restaurant is worth going to, but I am of the opinion it should be included in the price. If wifi is important to you. You will only get it right outside of your room on the beach. It’s often spotty at times there Wi-Fi is fine in your room and at the TEEPEE bar. there is no Wi-Fi in any of the restaurants or anywhere around the property. They have bar service. It starts approximately 11 AM and they come twice during the day even with a five dollar tip the beach is approximately 3/4 of a mile long and is on a slope. The riptide is extremely strong. We had a red flag every day, but 2. even with the yellow flag on the other two days it was tricky to get out of the water. On red flag days they take you by taxi to deep bay beside the Royalton because it has calm waters. The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. Every single one of them we met has an amazing attitude. The general manager Cedric was very lovely and took care of our problems immediately. He is a delight, and always came over to check on us in the evenings The pool is not in view of the ocean and is not heated. Check in was nothing like I have ever seen before we arrive to approximately 6 PM and there were guests checking in ahead of us. We were not welcomed we were not offered a drink. We had to provide our boarding pass our passports, and we had to email them a copy of our invoice. Overall, I would say that this resort excels in service and accommodating their guests they have multiple repeaters, but I believe the average age is approximately 70+ and mostly from the UK every evening they had a band but the music put us to sleep. other than that there’s nothing to do in the evenings.

Wow, Wow, Wow!

This is an absolutely gorgeous small resort nestled in a lush tropical forest along a pristine stretch of white sand. Small pool, but never crowded. Was refreshing to come across a pool sign that read, “No Music” …Yay!! We stayed in a clean, well appointed Premium lower level beachfront unit. Steps from the beach. Restaurants and drinks were very good. I especially enjoyed the tropical drinks made with real juice, no big plastic slushy mixers churning on the counters. Coffees was sur [... read more]prisingly not so good, - very bitter!! Staff was beyond reproach. Many told me they had worked at Galley Bay, 15, 20, 25+ years!! They work very hard and the camaraderie and laughter among most of them was both notable and commendable. The only thing that put a dent in my vaca was the non arrival of my luggage. It came 4 days later on the next Air Canada flight. I ended up buying some clothing and a bathing suit at the Gift Shop. Didn’t go on any excursions, but “Shilo” did take me to a ship wreck on a resort Hobbie, and around to the next cove where the Royalton sits. (Could hear the Royalton’s loud thumping music from the Hobbie. Ugh!) On of the highlights of our stay was to witness baby turtles making their way to the ocean following their hatching. Volunteers supervise these events. In sum, GB is a very beautiful peaceful, well maintained resort. If you are looking to party and be entertained every night, chose another resort.

Paradise

We just got back from a weeks stay at Galley Bay. This trip had been in the works for a couple years due to Covid. From the moment we arrived we felt safe and we observed staff cleaning, sanitizing etc. Our room was beautiful it had been newly renovated so everything was clean, crisp and new. At first we were a bit concerned as when we made this booking last year it was before the renovation and we wanted a room with no one above thats why we chose a Superior deluxe room category. Which mean [... read more]t a room from 1-16 these rooms are a bit closer to the beach. When we arrived we were given a key that said 71. But when we were taken to our room we soon were at ease with our view and room. The other ones look a bit more dated and in a busy location by the sports centre so needless to say we were pleased. Only other hiccup was a resort fee that they charge you on check out. We also inquired about this with the agent and she reassured us going by the Sunwing rep there would be no additional charges. That being said we spoke to the operations manager and he soon rectified the charge we still we had to talk to him then someone else and all of this should have been taken care of before we left which we thought it was. Other then that this resort and location is beautiful. The staff go above and beyond to make your stay pleasant. It’s very laid back and quiet. Food was delicious. Only draw back was wine choice they do have a few red wine choices but there was one wine we enjoyed at Ismays but that restaurant there was a charge for which is well worth going once but they should have the wine we had there at the others as part of the all inclusive price. It was the Pino Noir. They did give us a bottle leaving the restaurant so we could enjoy in our room. But after that night we ask in the other restaurants and they said they don’t have it there. We enjoy our red wine and we are maybe a bit fussy. One day we did a sail boat excursion with Captain Sean i would highly recommend this...he takes you to a reef to snorkel and feeds you and his rum punch yum yum. We enjoyed as it was a small group of 8 of us so its not like a party boat. He took care of you. Overall we would defiantly return to Antigua and Galley Bay Resort & Spa

Awesome resort

We stayed here in March 2022 and this place is a great place to relax and unwind. There's nothing pretentious about this resort yet it still is luxurious in a natural, simple kind of way. Everything is in its place and every detail is taken care of to make your stay completely problem or hassle free. The best part for us was the food at each of the restaurants, with different menus every day for lunch and dinner. You could tell that much of the food was local since it was so fresh and tasty and  [... read more]highlighted many local ingredients and dishes. And as for Antigua itself, this was our first time there and we will definitely be going back. It's a great little island with friendly people and many places to visit off the resort.

First Time in Antigua

We visited Galley Bay as a married couple, celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversary and a 40th Birthday. We booked a Premium beachfront Suite. Arrival: We were greeted with a cool towel and offered our choice of beverage, we both enjoyed a rum punch. We were checked in quickly and efficiently and brought to our suite by golf cart. The room: our suite was fantastic, 2nd floor beachfront. Beautiful views, private balcony both front and rear, lovely king bed. The washroom was amazin [... read more]g, double sinks, double showers (loved this feature!!), soaking tub for two, toilet and bidet. The suite also had a stocked mini fridge, beer pop and you are provided refillable plastic water bottles. The room was cleaned daily with evening turn down service. 10/10 The grounds: beautiful flowers everywhere, clean. I saw many local birds and hummingbirds, and we enjoyed the turtle sanctuary. The resort is the perfect size so you can spread out and even when fully occupied it does not feel crowded. The beach was lovely; though we did experience many red flag days (rough water). The last half of our week were green flags and .... this turned the beach to just WOW. We are beach people so only sat at the pool briefly to enjoy a beverage, did not swim. Pool is small but beautifully presented with a lovely water feature and the chairs are spread out with call buttons. 10/10 Food: There are 2 restaurants, Sea Grape and Gauguin. The food was notably the most enjoyable we have experienced to date (traveling history - mostly Caribbean all inclusive - Jamaica, St Lucia Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican, Cuba). At Galley Bay, All your meals are cooked to order which we enjoyed tremendously, except one evening in the Sea Grape was buffet style BBQ night. My hubby often wanted a double serving of meat with his entree and received with no issue whatsoever. We had no issue booking the Gauguin for evening meals. We did not try Ismays as it is an up charge and quite frankly again, we enjoyed our meals extensively at the restaurants included. There is also a Beach Grill that serves lighter fair for lunch, also rated very, very highly from us. 10/10 Drinks: we enjoyed the daily cocktail of the day and many others morning noon and night. All premium varieties we personally enjoy were available (IE Grey Goose). The only thing I didn't enjoy were the compostable straws... simple fix and suggest - bring your own reusable straws! We also brought our Yeti cups which were filled with pleasure. 10/10 Entertainment: We are not big into the night scene, but there were some couples that danced to the live entertainment that played nightly. Overall I would say it was a majority of older couples (50/60+). I believe the minimum age to check in is 14 and we saw only maybe 2 people all week that appeared under 30. If a lively night life and entertainment is your thing, I would have to say you would have to go offsite to find it. We were up late only once or twice, and the bar shut down at 12 with no warning of last call or anything to that effect so be warned. Service/staff: amazing. What more can I say. Everyone was welcoming and attentive; I never waited long to be served. It is noted that tips are included in your welcome briefing and I never once felt that I needed to get my wallet out. A special bottle and cheese plate was delivered to our room as a surprise for my 40th and our wedding anniversary, a lovely touch! 10/10 This resort is the perfect setting for special occasions of any kind. It is intimate and romantic, if this isn't near perfect I'm not sure what is. Thank you Galley Bay, we hope one day we will see you again.

Fabulous resort

This resort was amazing. The grounds were beautiful and immaculate. The food was great and the drinks were top notch. The staff were very friendly and always greeted you with a smile. Our room was right on the beach. The snorkelling right off the beach is amazing. You are provided with snorkel gear in your room. I would recommend this resort to everyone.

Beautiful Resort

My husband and I just came back from an amazing week at Galley Bay Resort in Antigua We had a Superior Deluxe Beachfront Room right on the beach we just stepped out of our room onto the lovely golden sand very relaxing Everyone there makes you feel so welcome and kind it’s refreshing to have that kind of hospitality in today’s world The weather was especially nice while we were there sunny and cloudy so it gave you a break from the sun Every other day someone was on the phone asking u [... read more]s if there was anything that they could do for us and how we were enjoying the Resort We could not believe how quiet the beach was if you want to have a special vacation this is the place to go it’s not a party resort if you want a nice quiet holiday this is the place to definitely go to. We have been at quite a few Resorts in the Caribbean but I must say this beats them all Food was excellent also we mainly dined in the Seagrape Restaurant and in the Gaugin they were both excellent There are all kinds of things that you can do sailing paddle boarding etc but we were very content just chilling out at the beach doing nothing all in all a fantastic holiday hope to go back again

Great as always

This was our 19th trip to Galley Bay Resort & Spa in Antigua. Our flight with Air Canada to Antigua went great. We arrived on time (this trip a bit early). Air Canada Vacation staff met us at the airport and had us on our way to the resort very quickly. Our arrival at the resort was met with a refreshing beverage and we were glad to be back with our Galley Bay family. Check-in was quick and we were pleased to see the resort was as usual beautiful with greenery and flowers. Our room was excellent [... read more], our view of the ocean impressive. All 3 restaurants were excellent. Overall, we plan to return to Galley Bay within the near future.

Absolute paradise!

This resort was amazing. Our room was modern with attractive décor, a walk-in closet, and a large, very nicely appointed ensuite, and it led right out onto the beach. The ocean was just steps away! The grounds were immaculate: the plants lush and well tended. Although the pool was not huge, it contained a lovely waterfall. The pool area had plenty of lounge chairs for sunbathing, so although the area was busy, we always were able to find a place to sit. We enjoyed the food and ambiance at each  [... read more]of the restaurants we tried, and my husband particularly loved the afternoon tea served daily. We loved the bar area: great drinks (try the banana daiquiris!) and a comfortable and attractive sitting area. All the public areas were gorgeous. The only drawback was that the week we were there high winds made the ocean too rough for swimming and as a result we were not able to take advantage of the sailing and snorkeling normally available. The guest services were very helpful in suggesting and booking excursions and we thoroughly enjoyed an "island safari" in a 4x4 jeep and a circumnavigation of the island by boat. Don't miss Nelson's Dockyard. I wish we'd had more time to explore it. Finally, the staff at Galley Bay were exceptional, so kind, pleasant, helpful, and friendly. I'd love to go back.

Small , quiet very nice resort

Hotel and grounds were well kept and very good. The sea was very rough which made swimming in the sea difficult for seniors.All else very good.The staff are very courteous and helpful.The restaurants and bars were all beside the sea and were very relaxing.

Peaceful place in quality surroundings

This is a perfect resort for couples that just want quiet relaxation with quality food and drinks. We were grateful not to have music blaring. There was always plenty of space around the pool, on the beach, at the bars and the main restaurant. The Gauguin Restaurant is a real treat for its tropical ambiance on the beach. The guest rooms are spacious, well maintained and comfortable.

Galley Bay Resort & Spa

As usual our trip to Galley Bay was great. The Staff greeted us with friendly smiles & warmth. The grounds of the resort were well maintained and beautiful. The Staff at the restaurants were very courteous and well organized. Our room with a view of the ocean right at our doorstep was great. We look forward to our next trip there hopefully in February 2019.

Perfection at Galley Bay Resort

We recently returned from a terrific vacation at Galley Bay Resort in Antigua that we planned through Debbie Maguire at Trip Central. We've sadly returned to our busy lives back at home and couldn't resist making very positive comments about our wonderful and memorable vacation there. We have traveled to many places and resorts in the past and have become quite confident about what we appreciate during our vacation experiences.  Our priorities are a quiet and peaceful tropical location, a ni [... read more]ce beach with turquoise waters, food and drink that does not make us sick, clean accommodations that are well stocked and where all the amenities are in good working order, all inclusive is preferable, a pool, landscape / architecture that is well cared for and natural to the region, and worth repeating a quiet adult environment that allows us peace, away from an activity director and a loud drunken party atmosphere. We found all this and so much more at Galley Bay!  The food is first class and 6 stars (out of 5 that is) and the pride of Executive Chef Baxter, he casually met us three times during our stay to make sure everything was perfect.  It's not the buffet a traveller is used to.  I have rarely eaten so well.  Truly a luxurious dining experience. The staff are all very respectful and caring that the guests are having the first class best experience ever.  I wish I could remember all the names of the staff that made our experience perfect. They all deserve honourable mention for their positive workplace ethics and genuine kindness.  Curt 'the expert' of the property's flora and fauna was terrific in showing us all the foliage, the way they care for the environment, and even the endangered animals within it. The clientele who enjoy Galley Bay are mostly middle aged to retired. It was the perfect quiet and tranquil surroundings we were looking for.  During the day we enjoyed sailing the catamarans, walks on the beach, and both the ocean and the pool.  The evenings had music entertainment and nice areas for drinks.  This resort has been secretly here for decades and they have mastered the perfect resort experience. If your looking for the same, and don't mind putting on a collared shirt in the evenings, we may see you there because we will return.  If you're looking for loud music, daily activities, average buffet food, bottom shelf drinks, and don't mind a crowded resort there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever because there are countless resorts that cater to those preferences. It can take a while to find exactly what your looking for in a vacation experience, when you find it, it can become a home away from home. Dave & Toni

Amazing Resort

What can I say? Everything was perfect (except for the plane delays 😆). From booking online...to getting to the resort...never had an issue. The resort, Galley Bay Resort & Spa, was amazing. Friendly employees who always said “Hello” or Good Day” made you feel welcomed. Walked the beach every day and could never complain about the weather. To sum it all up, we had an amazing time and will definitely be trying to get back there.

Beautiful Resorr

We just returned from a 7 night stay at beautiful Galley Bay Resort. We were definitely one of the youngest couples at the resort but we really enjoyed ourselves (most guests are from Britain and the average age is probably 65). Excellent food, service and gorgeous accommodations. There was live music every night which we enjoyed. The ocean was pretty rough during our stay, and there is a drop off when you get in- so be careful if you plan on swimming at the beach. I was told the water is calmer [... read more] in the summer. Overall, if you are looking for a very relaxing adult vacation- back your bags and a couple of books you won’t be disappointed! Note: we stayed at the Sandals in Antigua and prefer the intimacy of Galley Bay. Almost all of the rooms are beach front and you don’t get the hagglers on the beach like you do at the Sandals property.

Galley Bay Resort & Spa

The management and staff have done an excellent job to restoring the resort after the hurricane damage. We have been to Galley Bay several times and each of those visits including this one was great. As usual the staff was excellent and very easy to speak with. We are looking forward to our next visit.

Fabulous Resort

We have been to Galley Bay several times and can't wait to go back. The staff have always been a pleasure to deal with, we feel part of their family. The accommodations are nicely decorated and well maintained. They are constantly up grading the resort without disturbing their guests. If you are looking for a quiet location with great food & service, Galley Bay is the spot.

Quiet, Relaxing and Beautiful!

As a couple celebrating their 20th anniversary, we found this to be the perfect resort. The food was much better than typical resort food and the service was amazing. Everyone usually has a smile on their face and they treat you with kindness and respect. Some of the staff will even get out and dance with you during the evening entertainment. The beach is also amazing. Super soft sand and beautiful, clean & clear ocean water to swim in. The grounds of the hotel are beautifully landscap [... read more]ed with lush, tropical plants everywhere and they spray for bugs. All three of their restaurants are located next to the ocean. We personally liked the Gauguin restaurant the best for lunch and dinner. It has such a romantic atmosphere. The resort is also fairly small. We never had a problem finding beach chairs or somewhere to sit for a drink at the Tee Pee bar which was also right next to the beach. All in all, we would definitely return to this resort.