REVIEW: Hermitage Bay Antigua luxury all inclusive – a good Hilton redemption?

I recently got married and decided on Antigua as the honeymoon destination because we needed to attend a wedding in the US on our way home. Given how expensive weddings are,  I naturally wanted to keep costs to a minimum and planned the majority of our honeymoon on points and miles. We flew on Virgin Atlantic using points and a companion voucher to New York in Upper Class, then flew most of our internal flights on American, also using Avios. Finally, we flew home on BA direct from St Louis, also using Avios and a companion voucher. These may not have been the most efficient use of the vouchers, but given I had more vouchers than I needed, it worked well for our needs.

Booking using Hilton points

For the Antiguan hotels, we had looked at a number of hotels and decided to split our time between the boutique Cocobay hotel and Hermitage Bay, a 5* all-inclusive SLH hotel. Normally, prices at Hermitage Bay would be well out of my price range at around £2000+ a night. However, since they are part of SLH, you can also use Hilton points to book a room. Prices were not exactly cheap on points either at 230,000 per night! However, I already had quite a few points, and alongside a wedding gift of some Hilton points, I decided to buy the rest. You also get five nights for the price of four when you have Hilton status and use points, so using this brought the total for five nights down to a mere 920,000 points needed!

If you had to buy all the points and managed to get a 100% bonus as I did, it would cost you £3795, giving a total of £759 per night. This obviously means that if we use £2500 which was the average price while we were there, you would save £8705. Obviously there are limits on how many points you can buy, but other people can transfer points to you for free. However, you need to plan ahead as they must have the account for between 30-90 days before they can buy points:

Arrival

If you arrive by air, you will have fast-track immigration and arrivals with transfers included on five nights or more. We went to another hotel first but opted to pay for this same service, as if you time it badly, there can be a long wait for immigration when you arrive. We were met as we entered the terminal and given a card that gave us access to the fast track. An agent guided us to the correct queue and helped locate our bags and transfer.

We booked a transfer from Cocobay with Hermitage Bay, but on the day there was some confusion as the transfer was 20 minutes late. In the meantime, Cocobay had provided a free transfer as well despite telling us that they would not allow this, even though we had round-trip airport transfers included. So we ended up in the wrong car as they simply asked for us by name! Hermitage Bay do have their own branded cars, but it is luck of the draw whether you get that or a very average local taxi (who gave me her cold!) as we did on our return instead, which was not luxurious.

Once you arrive at the resort, things instantly perk up. We were greeted at the entrance by a very enthusiastic and helpful front-of-house member who welcomed us to the resort and handed out cold towels. Then we were guided to the bar where we could complete the check-in formalities and have some snacks while we waited for our room. We found all the front desk staff amazing – friendly, knowledgeable and helpful – sometimes we got some humour thrown in too!

The welcome drink was their signature welcome mocktail, which was refreshing and delicious, made with non-alcoholic sparkling wine and fruit juices. The bar also has a wide range of small plates served all day, as well as a pizza menu.

Once the room was ready, we were taken by buggy with our luggage to the room. We had informed the hotel that we were on honeymoon, so we had some welcome gifts in the villa including champagne, snacks and fresh fruit. Honeymooners also receive a free in-room breakfast with champagne as well.

The room

The rooms come in three categories: beachfront, beachfront with pool and hillside. The hillside suites have a choice of ocean view or garden views. The hillside suites are spaced out up a steep hillside, but if you don’t fancy climbing the steps, it is easy to call a buggy. We had opted for the ocean to get the best views. The garden suites are lower on the hill and closer to reception.

The rooms were huge, very private, and have a large private plunge pool, sunloungers, a daybed, an outdoor sofa, and chairs. Inside was a large bedroom with a huge bathroom and an additional outdoor shower. The view was, of course, spectacular. Although the pool was unheated, it did not feel too chilly, and we used it every day.

There was also a complimentary mini-bar, restocked daily. You were given a form at breakfast to select what you wanted for the mini-bar, although we found it hit-or-miss whether it actually arrived! I would have also liked to see sparkling water in the fridge. We had plenty of water supplied in the fridge and also at turn-down, which was very much needed in the hot and humid climate.

By the minibar there was also a coffee machine, kettle and some snacks. It was good to see a teapot and proper milk in the fridge. I do feel the glassware could have been a bit more premium for the price. Ice was delivered when they serviced the room.

Wooden decks come with sun loungers, plantation chairs, double day beds and swings as well as tables and chairs. We did feel that it could have done with a proper dining table outside, as you can have anything from the menus delivered to your room for a flat $50 charge.

The hillside rooms all face west, so the sunsets from here were spectacular and our favourite part of the day with a drink from the mini bar and a few snacks as the sky grew orange and pink.

The bed itself was huge and very comfortable as you sank into the high-quality linens. It was surrounded by mosquito nets, which were definitely needed as there were plenty about, and my new husband is like a high-class buffet to anything that bites! Thoughtful touches like phone chargers and a TV that rose out of the base of the bed made the room feel very premium.

For serial overpackers like me, there were two large wardrobes with plenty of hangers and drawers. The air conditioning was Ok but we found that with the mosquito nets, the person nearest the air conditioning unit would be too cold and the person on the far side would be too warm. This was due to the unit not being central to the bed. The fan above the bed did help, though. The room and deck were very private, and the only time that you could see anyone else was if you opened one of the sets of shutters to the side of the bathroom.

Bathroom

The hotel is billed as an eco resort, which is not something I would usually choose, as that usually means that it may not be as comfortable as a standard hotel, and I think the bathroom of the suite proves this point. Given the very high price of the hotel, I don’t think the bathroom is good enough. The area itself is large, with a huge bathtub, rock-carved double sinks, a shaving mirror, and a vanity area with a mirror and plenty of sockets. The room itself and the equipment were not the issues.

The main problem was that there was no air conditioning in the bathroom, and as the air conditioner was on the furthest wall away from the bathroom, even if you left the doors open, it didn’t really make a difference. The other issue was the lighting which was very dim. Every day, housekeeping would close all the shutters to keep the heat out, which we then reopened in the evening. Even with the shutters open, you couldn’t see much, and the lights were pretty low. There was no light by the dressing table. Fortunately I always travel with a travel lighted mirror; otherwise I probably would have gone out looking like Coco the clown after doing my make-up. There was a lit magnifying mirror by the sink, but there is not much point having a vanity area with a seat if you have to stand by a sink to do anything.

Toiletries were by Aromatherapy Associates, one of my favourite brands. These were the genuine high-quality products, not the made-for-the-hotel ones that you get in some chains.

Outside was a shower with wonderful views, although the downside was that the toiletries became as hot as the shower water during the day!

Housekeeping was a bit hit and miss. For example, one day we were out from around 8 am to 4 pm, and when we got back the room had not been cleaned. They did have a turn-down service at night, but there was nothing particularly special about it.

Food and drink

I have stayed at plenty of all-inclusives before in the Caribbean, but this was definitely the best in terms of food quality, choice, and drinks/wine.

Although there were only two restaurants plus the bar, we did not get bored in the five days we were there. 

Breakfast was served either in the main restaurant or the patio outside right by the beach, which was an amazing location to start your day. You could also have it delivered to your suite for $50. 

Breakfast was all à la carte with a wide range of options from fresh fruit to cooked options, pastries and local specialities. The only complaint I had was about the fruit, which seems to be common in the Caribbean. We were there during mango season with fruit just dropping off the trees, and we kept being told about the amazing Antiguan pineapple. Yet they didn’t really have mango, and the bit they found was unripe and hard. The fruit was very pedestrian and the same every day, which was disappointing as I had been looking forward to some tropical fruit. The banana bread was spectacular though, as my husband would testify to by eating his body weight in it every morning!

For lunch you could either go to the restaurant or get small plates in the bar. We generally stuck to the bar as it was by the pool and there was a good choice of options, with the jerk chicken being particularly good.

We did venture to the pop-up La Petite Maison, which is open to people outside the hotel. It is situated on the beach at one end of the hotel, right by the sand and has a cute European beach club vibe.

Bread was served with olive oil here, but I was never really sure what the tomato and lemon were for on the table!

Here are the cocktails that you could have (the most expensive wines and cocktails were not on the all-inclusive).

The service at lunch was good, and we really enjoyed the grilled prawns with a side salad. These had a lovely chilli butter and were perfectly cooked to remain tender and beautifully sweet.

If you wanted a snack at any point the bar food was available all day and there was also sushi hour in the afternoon at around 4.30pm. This was served at the beach bar and was very popular, so you had to arrive early. This was definitely not the “fake” supermarket style sushi you might expect but instead it was freshly made every day with local fish and modern flavour combinations. The chef delivered each plate and explained it which was a nice touch but it made the service very slow.

In the evening, the restaurant varied between La Petite Maison and the main restaurant. They also have a couple of theme nights, one of which was surf and turf.

The service throughout the hotel was very variable except for the front desk and bell staff, who were all great. There were some fantastic restaurant and bar staff, but some others seemed poorly trained and sullen. Unfortunately, in the Caribbean it seems hard to get good staff, as we had the same problem at the other hotel too. The first night at La Petite Maison was an example of subpar service, with no drinks menus being offered or drinks orders taken. When I asked about a drink, they seemed annoyed to have to bring us the menu. Service was haphazard, with some dishes arriving 10 minutes after the other person’s food had been delivered. We also weren’t keen on the live music at La Petite Maison every night as it was so loud and a standard hotel bar-type band with no local music. This restaurant had the most romantic location, and it was sad not to be able to have a conversation and listen to the waves.

Overall, I found the food at dinner very good, and I was very happy with the cocktails. Staff would pretty much make anything you requested if they had the ingredients, and they were great at making non alcoholic versions of the cocktails for my husband (they did have mocktails too). I enjoyed most of the wines and found them great quality for an all-inclusive. It was good to see proper champagne available too, although I would not rave about that particular one.

As well as the standard menu, there were specials every day, so I think you would not get bored even on a two-week holiday. Staff were happy to switch the accompaniments if you wanted. We loved the truffle mash and truffled sweet potato fries.

The quality was excellent and the portion sizes generous. If you stay here, your clothes will be considerably tighter by the time you leave! The only thing I thought was lacking was having lobster on the surf and turf night.

If you wanted a drink, there was the main bar with its swing chairs, which were very relaxing, and the beach bar.

Pool and beach

The beach had white sand, but it was quite coarse, so you really needed water shoes. It was the sort of tiny bits of coral that you sink into as you try to negotiate the small slope into the sea. Once you were in the sea, the water was clear and warm with finer sand on the bottom. Unlike other beaches here, it did not seem to be affected by seaweed. There was a reef for snorkelling at one end, but we did not make it down that far.

Sadly, service by the pool and on the beach was extremely poor on all but one day. Some days, if you were lucky, someone would bring you a glass of iced water when you sat down, and if you were lucky, you may manage to flag them down as they pass very occasionally to get a drink. One day I sat at the pool for several hours without seeing anyone during the middle of the day or being offered water. Quite frankly, this is nowhere near acceptable at this price point. While you can obviously walk over, if I am in and out of the pool, I don’t really want to stand wet in the bar. On the final day we had a lovely young man, Kyle, as the pool attendant, and it was like night and day to the rest of the week. He came round very regularly, checking if we wanted anything, topping up water and even offering fresh fruit sticks. I’d assume it was meant to be like that all the time, but no one was checking if the staff actually did it!

As you can see from the photos, it was never an issue to get a lounger, although with the way the loungers were set out, it was tricky to get any in the shade between 12-2pm. The pool was in the sun all day, so the water was a bath-like temperature. It was deep enough to swim properly if you wanted.

Other facilities and entertainment

If you want to keep fit, there is a small basic gym near reception.

There is also a yoga studio on the hillside with morning classes for something a little less strenuous.

By reception there’s also a gift shop with essentials and some nice jewellery and clothes.

The open-air spa had a good range of ESPA treatments but was quite pricey, so we gave it a miss.

If you want to get out and about, the hotel can organise things like day tours that come complete with a lunch from the hotel, but these will cost you a lot – $600 for a day tour and $1000 for a private sunset cruise. You may be better organising your own, as we did with Barry’s tours; he was a very interesting and knowledgeable tour guide who took us to English Harbour and Shirley Heights for the sunset party. We also did a trip to Stingray City.

At the hotel, they offer non-motorised water sports such as wind-surfing, ocean canoes and snorkelling. There are also farm/garden tours and cooking demonstrations included.

There was live music every evening, which was sometimes a bit intrusive and bland, although there was one male singer who had long dreadlocks who was just perfect for the hotel – an authentic, sophisticated and chilled vibe.

Conclusion

It may sound like I am a little critical, but when a hotel charges over £2000 a night, I’m expecting a lot. Many of the issues are present across most of the Caribbean with staff, even in high-end resorts. However, don’t let that put you off. Hermitage Bay captured our hearts, and we really want to go back again for a special occasion. The hotel is very romantic and relaxing, as it never seems busy and the scenery is stunning. The clientele is a real mixture, from older Americans to honeymooning younger Asians.

I do think it was worth the money you would spend buying the points, considering what is included, and it gives a substantial saving over the cash price.

The food and drinks were exceptional for an all-inclusive, although at this price point I’d expect lobster at least once. We loved the huge suite with its views and wrap-around terrace, and it was great to have such a decent-sized pool. I do think they need to consider some additional lighting in the bathroom and ideally air conditioning or even some fans because it really was unpleasant if you were in there for any length of time.

You can find more details on the hotel on their website here or the Hilton website here.