Jolly Beach Resort

Beautiful beach! Beautiful pools and kept very clean. Grounds beautiful and manicured. Bar staff exceptional and so talented at making such great cocktails especially at the Pool Bar. Food very good, sometimes not a lot of choices. Main meat cut at carving station very good! Hotel very run down and not well maintained. No housekeeping provided and hard to get fresh towels even after asking front desk several times. Easy to get pool and beach towels which was nice. Very dark on pathways at night  [... read more]time since light bulbs not replaced on pathways.

Beautiful resort, beach was spectacular

Room a bit dated but otherwise clean, and comfortable, was in 3352, the walkway needed a bit more lighting, food quite good, beach so beautiful and clean, the staff very friendly had an amazing time I would definitely return

A great place to relax and unwind

The highlights: A world-class, nearly mile-long beach with plenty of lounge chairs, solid umbrella stations, and stunning ocean and mountain views. The sand is clean and perfect for long walks, and the amazing turquoise water is ideal for swimming. The weather is warm and sunny almost all the time, with a wonderful cooling breeze in the evenings. Unlimited drinks are available in endless variety, served by fantastic staff at the Coconut Grill Bar and The Palms Bar. Special shoutout to Neil f [... read more]or his excellent service and cheerful, entertaining attitude. The nightly entertainment at The Palms Bar is also enjoyable. The buffet offers good daily variety and is generally satisfying, with highlights such as tasty soups, BBQ ribs, roast pork, and an impressive selection of excellent desserts. The less impressive aspects: You need to line up very early to reserve a spot at the à la carte restaurant, which is only available every second day (and closed Sundays). If you get a later seating, some menu items may no longer be available. The rooms and buildings are more in the 3-star range, with some visible signs of aging, though the beds are comfortable. Overall: Definitely recommended for a fun, relaxing all-inclusive vacation.

Great value

The grounds,beach and pools were all great. The food at the resort was excellent. We are fairly picky and the selection and quality was quite good. We didn't get sick from either the water or the food which is always a bonus. The staff were not on the friendly side but management staff were exceptional. My friend ended up sick with pneumonia while there and had to be in the hospital for two days. The management were amazing helping us to navigate this. One of the managers even visited her  [... read more]in hospital. If you ever have to go to the hospital while on holiday I highly recommend asking what you need to bring with you. The hospital conditions were appalling. So, definitely ask what to expect. We would go back to this resort. It is a 3 star. Definitely don't expect more. Also, the resort has 4 floors and no elevator. If you have any mobility issues make sure you let them know when booking.

Nice Resort

Hotel and grounds were as expected. In need of some updating and sprucing up, but pretty clean with comfy beds and breathtaking views!! Staff was hit and miss, some polite, helpful and friendly while others were down right rude (especially at the front desk. Paulette was pleasant, others not so much) Managers Clinton, Terrance and Vida (?) were exceptional. I got sick and they really made me feel cared for! Clinton especially went way above and beyond even visiting me in the hospital twice [... read more] and driving me back to resort when discharged. Both Clinton and Terrance made runs to the pharmacy to pick up medication for me. Very caring individuals!

Relaxing Resort

We enjoyed our one week stay at this very nice resort. The grounds are large and beautiful with lots of sitting areas both outside and sheltered. I made good use of the two very large and clean pools and found it a great way to cool down from the heat of the day. I happen to be a picky eater but actually enjoyed the food- there is a lot of variety to choose from and the quality was better than expected. There is a helpful travel booth on the premises where one can rent a car or book all sorts of [... read more] day trips. If I went back I would ask for one of the new rooms. Ours was an old room that was dated and frankly not very comfortable. Housekeeping does not come unless you request that they do. All in all the staff were friendly and helpful and attentive to our needs.

Jolly Beach Resort, Antigua

I loved Antigua, - it’s such a beautiful island! I chose this resort for its beach which is a 5+ star. The pools are also beautiful. I chose it knowing that its facilities and service were 3.5 stars - rooms were very basic but clean, no housekeeping services unless you paid for them which was okay with me - I was able to switch out my bath towels easily. The food was good but only one al a carte which you had to line up early in the morning to get in that night. The biggest disappointment was th [... read more]e lack of activities/entertainment in the afternoons and in the evenings.The views of the beach (swimming was excellent) and sunsets made up for a lot though.

Jolly beach retreat

The hotel is dated but the food was good and the beach was amazing. They only have one a-la-cart restaurant the other is a buffet style. They do not clean your room daily unless you pay for it. But you can get clean towels by asking at the front desk and they will send some up. The staff are very friendly.

Oh boy

The beach and ocean were absolutely amazing. Location was really the only positive point here. Our room had one plug that could be used, no ac for 4 of the 7 days we stayed and minimal hot water in the trickle of water that came out of the shower head. Rooms are not cleaned and if you ask a few times they eventually get you fresh towels. It was literally easier to use your beach towel and change it out everyday. Service was a hit or miss but mostly misses. If you can stay else where do so.

Costs

Well there is a tourist tax that trip central did not advise of We book lobster lunch boat tour through trip central after being advised it was the cheapest price. To find out when we got there the resort offered it less expensive So overall not impressed with trip central We have been home a week and still have not received our reward speaker that was to arrive in the mail for our booking

Top Beach Destination

If your going for white sand and blue waters this is the place to be it's also in a great location for adventuring around the Island. Everything needed is Near by. The hotel it self has lots of potential very beautiful, but needs even just minor repairs like fixing doors, paint job... and that would make a difference. The staff besides a few are horrible it's basically self serve self everything on site God forbid you make a request. The resort crowd itself is also 65+ so think of retirement hom [... read more]e vibes very quiet, but we did are own thing and expected that so it wasn't an issue. Just don't expect a party vibe. The most crazy it got was when the old English people started singing drunk Karaoke at 8pm. the food is also horrible sadly Cuba vibes the best was Caribbean night Thank God for Ox tail.

Beautiful Antigua

This is one trip I will cherish. The Hotel could use a little or alot of updates but I still love this resort very very fun lots of sun and sand the entertainment was great. The food all around was okay lots of varieties love the bbq chicken and burger shack

Potential beauty..

Hello I have been to this resort before and not much has changed. This resort is in desperate need of repairs. There are no elevators no bar fridge in room the air-conditioning never works. Any requests are always ignored. There are nice people with a few bad apples. Oh and last this resort has no ice machines it sucks to beg for ice.. This resort has resort fees.(not cheap) There tipping is insane this is a all inclusive resort but if you don't a tip.expect to wait.. The beach is breathta [... read more]king don't buy weed from the beach..Garbage.. but they do have good stuff,but good luck finding it.

Thank you Beth. Jolly Beach Resort Amazing

My family enjoyed the experience. Half the family are scuba divers that the diving was great fun. Other half were beach and pool volleyball. Took hour long walks on beach and area with whole family. Family being quite active, were amazed by the abundance of food and the great atmosphere with it; ate a fair share!! I failed to mention in booking my oldest daughter is tall and her son is also at 6’2” and where given a room of a single standard bed for both. I switched with them for my single que [... read more]en bed. Being the busy holiday season, there wasn’t any individual bed’s available. It didn’t detract from having a great time there! Coming home was a bit of a challenge, my boarding pass was on standby, and told me no seat available. My oldest daughter suggested they help or the other 5 members of my family would need to be removed from the plane. Fortunately I got the very last seat, that normally used by flight attendants. Since all worked out, these aren’t complaints, but notes for future planning when bringing the whole family.

Fantastic vacation

Jolly Beach was a great small resort. It had everything you need. Beach and pools were fantastic. Rooms were small and simple, you don’t spend much time there anyway. Our room was cleaned on day 6 of our 7 day stay, you could request a different day or more frequent but we didn’t know beforehand. The buffet features a different menu each night, and the food was good quality. There was only 1 table service restaurant, Italian which rotated 3 menus. Reservations needed to be made day of, and if yo [... read more]u were not at the desk before 7:30am you would not get a table. Drink and poolside BBQ service was slow. No poolside service. We needed to-return our own dirty plates and cups to keep our area clean and free from birds and bugs. Security kept way unwanted public beach visitors. Staff were all super friendly and helpful. Grocery store nearby and a few other restaurants. Island was very safe and we often walked around outside of the resort. Overall not a 5 star by any means, but we knew that going in. Great people and fantastic site, would definitely go back.

Oldie but a Goodie!

We love this place. The rooms are old and dated but they all face the ocean or pool. The buffet is a bit repetitive at times, but you will not starve. The long bar is the highlight! You will always make friends and have an awesome time. The best part is the beach! It’s spectacular!

Worst Holiday Ever

We had rain 4 to 6 times a day all week, until the tropical depression (Jerry) went through. Prior to Jerry we had water dripping 24 hrs a day in 3 places in the bathroom ceiling. Water was coming through the wall under the bed. We used every towel we had, including loads of beach towels, We could not get anyone to come to our room to change the towels, asked several staff for help. We had to take the wet towels to the front desk each day. Saw the maid once on the day before we left. At on [... read more]e point the water was running down two walls. And the meals were being served in the only restaurant open was the buffet. There were no windows, just netting. The floors were covered in large areas of water. Staff were trying to keep up with the water wearing rubber boots and raincoats. We spoke to several different staff at the front desk unsuccessfully. We had two channels on the TV. I took photos because no one would believe the story. You could not pay me to go back there, it was a horrible experience.

Not worth the price

The beach is beautiful but hotel needs upgrade. Overpriced for what is offered. Lack of entertainment and bar shuts down at 11.The rooms were not cleaned for a 7 day stay and pipes broken. Not sure what resort fee is for.

A great vacation

The resort is clean and kept up by the maintenance staff. The Beach was clean, white sand and there were alot of places to lay down with shade. The lunch on the beach was really good. The staff is friendly and helpful. The rooms are dated, but clean, the beds are comfy and the air conditioner and fan kept us comfortable. Our screen on the balcony was broken, but not a big deal. The Pizza restaurant requires reservations that had to be made very early.. Like 730am and there wasn't a gu [... read more]arantee that you would get in. To be honest the buffet was waaaay better. Buffet had a lot of variety, something for everybody and tastes really good. Entertainment is decent

Jolly Beach - Antigua - January 2025

being it was a 3 star, that is exactly what we got. As long as you go in remembering that, you will be ok. The hotel is old and outdated, the rooms are old and tired, there is a lot of room for upgrades and improvement. First resort I have been to where you dont get your room cleaned unless you stay over 8 nights. You can get your room cleaned if you pay $10 per clean, which we were told would happen before we went BUT at check-in, they didnt bring it up or offer it to us so we forgot. Days [... read more] later after not having our room cleaned, we asked about it. The lady who talked with my friend said 'sure, we will clean it tomorrow' and 'we can do your friends room too', well they got their room cleaned and we didnt, when I asked the next day I was asked 'did you sign a form to get your room cleaned?' I said no, then I was told it was an error that they cleaned the other room and they shouldn't have gotten their room cleaned without signing and agreeing to pay. In the end I never did get my room cleaned, but they did bring up new towels and bathroom supplies. Which I must say the bathroom shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion were wonderful, my hair was soft and shiny all week. Our friends had issues with the toilet in their room but we didnt. There were also a number of blackouts over the week, only lasted up to a minute but still happened, and there was no water one day, we were on an excursion so we didnt notice but that is inconvenient. There is also only one sit down, make a reservation restaurant, which works for the number of guests but we like more options. The buffet was very well done but buffet is my least favorite type of meal. The staff were friendly, the beach was gorgeous, the pool bar and pool dining were great. would be nice if they had a food station available for in between the buffet and restaurant, there is no food available for late night snacking. Excursions were fine, we booked through the Air Canada rep, cost was fair. Island is very pretty and small enough to travel in a day. Most side roads are terrible but you get that in every small island. Overall, we had a great time, lots of sun and relaxation which is what we went for, the rest are just details. So, if you are ok with the 3star rating, then go and enjoy this resort.