# Antigua.....??



## TravelMamma (Aug 27, 2012)

Has anyone been to Antigua lately?  Wondering how it is, already searched the site but all the posts are a couple of years old that I found.  Looking at St. James Club or the Verandah Resort & Spa if anyone has been to either of these places or just info. on the island I would appreciate any advice/info.
Thinking about a late spring trip with my family (kids are 13 and 15).  Thanks!


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## MRSFUSSY (Aug 30, 2012)

*Time & trouble*

Save your money, go somewhere else.  Plenty of places are better.


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## Weimaraner (Aug 30, 2012)

We went to Antigua a few years ago and enjoyed the The Verandah as a couple. It was a nice resort - cute bungalow and AI with good food. It had a nice area for swimming for little ones. We spent a lot of time at the adult pool which was quiet and it was very relaxing. My husband's favorite part of the trip was a daylong tour with Elmo of Luxury Safari. Did we have a good time? yes Would we go back to Antigua? probably not. It's not our favorite. People were nice enough but we have other islands we have more fun. Other islands I prefer like Aruba, Grand Cayman.


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## Anne S (Sep 1, 2012)

Both the St. James Club and the Verandah are all-inclusives, with a rather hefty price tag, I believe. We spent two weeks in Antigua last year, on week at Tranquility Bay and the other one at Antigua Village Beach Club. 

The island is OK, but not really ready for tourism. The roads were horrible, road signs non-existent. There were several blackouts while we were there. Renting a car was very expensive, the airport is a zoo.

We have been to some twenty islands (many more than once), but probably don't need to go back to Antigua. I would strongly recommend St. Maarten or Aruba instead.


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## TravelMamma (Sep 2, 2012)

Anne S said:


> Both the St. James Club and the Verandah are all-inclusives, with a rather hefty price tag, I believe. We spent two weeks in Antigua last year, on week at Tranquility Bay and the other one at Antigua Village Beach Club.
> 
> The island is OK, but not really ready for tourism. The roads were horrible, road signs non-existent. There were several blackouts while we were there. Renting a car was very expensive, the airport is a zoo.
> 
> We have been to some twenty islands (many more than once), but probably don't need to go back to Antigua. I would strongly recommend St. Maarten or Aruba instead.



What other islands have you been?  Besides St. Maarten and Aruba are there any others you would recommend?  We've been to Aruba a few times, done with that for now (we stayed at the Surf Club twice and Ocean Club twice) so we'd like to try somewhere different, hopefully quieter.

Thanks for all the replies,  tripadvisor has all good reviews for these 2 resorts so I am a little surprised here on tug, I get a different feel.

We actually have a request in through II for other islands:  St. John, St. Thomas, Cayman Islands, St. Kitts and Curacao.  But, it's been 9 months and we haven't gotten a confirmation so I am looking at other possibilities, Antigua was one of them.


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## Anne S (Sep 2, 2012)

TravelMamma said:


> What other islands have you been?  Besides St. Maarten and Aruba are there any others you would recommend?  We've been to Aruba a few times, done with that for now (we stayed at the Surf Club twice and Ocean Club twice) so we'd like to try somewhere different, hopefully quieter.
> 
> Thanks for all the replies,  tripadvisor has all good reviews for these 2 resorts so I am a little surprised here on tug, I get a different feel.
> 
> We actually have a request in through II for other islands:  St. John, St. Thomas, Cayman Islands, St. Kitts and Curacao.  But, it's been 9 months and we haven't gotten a confirmation so I am looking at other possibilities, Antigua was one of them.



We own at the Aruba Beach Club, so perhaps we are a little bit biased when it comes to Aruba. but I must tell you that the low rise area is a lot different from the high rise area. A lot quieter, for one! The last time we were in Aruba we exchanged into the Divi Phoenix for the first week before going to our home resort. The beach at the Divi is not as nice as our home beach, and I did not care for all the crowds at the high rise area.

I like St. Maarten because of its many lovely beaches, the French influence (and cuisine), and the ease of making day trips to other islands.

My other  personal favorites are Barbados, St. Thomas and St. Croix. St. John is lovely, but I've only gone there for day trips. Getting an exchange to St. John would be pretty much impossible, unless you have a dynamite trader. Grand Cayman is great for diving, but I find the topside to be a little boring. And if you stay on the east end, it's a good 45 minutes to get to town.

I have not been to St. Kitts yet, but have a pending request. However, it is a Marriott property and since Marrriott owners have priority I don't hold out much hope. I also have a pending request for Curacao, but again am not holding my breath. One of our first exchanges (with RCI) was to Kadushi Cliffs in Curacao, and we loved it, especially the shore diving. However, the island was pretty much off the tourist radar at that time (I believe it was 1996). 

If you have not been to St. Maarten before I would highly recommend that you add it to your search. Since it has so many timeshares, chances are good that you will get something.


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## Cathyb (Sep 2, 2012)

*Been to St. James Club*



TravelMamma said:


> Has anyone been to Antigua lately?  Wondering how it is, already searched the site but all the posts are a couple of years old that I found.  Looking at St. James Club or the Verandah Resort & Spa if anyone has been to either of these places or just info. on the island I would appreciate any advice/info.
> Thinking about a late spring trip with my family (kids are 13 and 15).  Thanks!



Unless things have changed, St. James Club does have some timeshare units as we stayed in one.  The unit was huge -- three levels with water views. It's true that the roads are in bad shape and very limited street signs, but the island is beautiful. There is a lot to experience -- downtown village shopping, an old shipping port, zillions of coves to snorkel, etc.

As an alternative, I would also suggest St. Martin/St. Maarten as it is a dual country island (Dutch and French) and each is very different.  Much more 'civilized' than Antigua if that is what interests you.


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## Anne S (Sep 2, 2012)

Cathyb said:


> Unless things have changed, St. James Club does have some timeshare units as we stayed in one.  The unit was huge -- three levels with water views. It's true that the roads are in bad shape and very limited street signs, but the island is beautiful. There is a lot to experience -- downtown village shopping, an old shipping port, zillions of coves to snorkel, etc.
> 
> As an alternative, I would also suggest St. Martin/St. Maarten as it is a dual country island (Dutch and French) and each is very different.  Much more 'civilized' than Antigua if that is what interests you.



RCI lists both the St. James Club and Verandah as mandatory all-inclusives, with daily fees of $125 per adult and kids over 11. The II directory is not as good at giving AI information, but I would not be surprised that these resorts would also be AI's trought II. And I have also suggested St. Maarten because it not only has as many (or more) attractions than Antigua, but it is also far, far easier to navigate.


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## TravelMamma (Sep 2, 2012)

Hoping one of my requests come through but looking for ideas in case it doesn't.  I have noticed that there is a lot more availability on St. Maarten and have researched it a bit, but for some reason it's not calling to me right now.  I think my impression was it to be a busier place than what we are looking for.  My kids (13&15) are probably not the "norm", they are just as happy as my husband and I are, to be laying on the beach all day or at the pool, a little adventure/exploring here and there is good for them too, but not required for them to have a good time.  So we mostly picked islands/resorts with good beaches and hopefully quieter atomospheres than our times in Aruba.  We still love Aruba, but, I think we had our fill for now.  Although we own a starwood, I know St. John is pretty much impossible and my thoughts on Marriott's is probably the same (although I got the Marriott trades to Aruba no problem).  I have both II and RCI and thought of doing one the of the getaways as an alternative if my exchange doesn't come through and then keeping my exchange to use later....we will see.


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## Jcgiraffe (Sep 20, 2012)

We own a unit at St. James Club there during week 7 and have a friend who has week 6 in the same unit.

We like Antigua and have no problem with the roads since most of the time you take a taxi/van where you want to go. We have a man who we use each year and it usually costs about $40 USD R/T to wherever we want to go. Mainly we stay in the resort and go out to a few dinners with friends in English harbor which is spectacular.

The food at St. James is average and the timeshare owners and renters get the all-inclusive for 1/2 the rate. About $75/day with a three day minimum.

The timeshares are grouped in villas on a hillside  down to the beach on Mamora Bay with all the amenities. We bought the newest one-bedroom units of the reef side which has constant breezes and literally hang over the water with panoramic views of the ocean and reef. This is the side that the hotel is located on and there is the main pool right behind these units.


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## dreamy624 (Sep 24, 2012)

*Antigua*

Hi, not sure if you figured out where to go yet, but do not go to antigua and stay at the st. james.  the resort itself is beautiful, but the staff particularly female staff, is not at all friendly!  and there is not much to do or eat .. no comparison to aruba!!  as far as other islands, i cant say much, as i only spent a day on most of them from cruises.. i've traded my timeshare for phuket, thailand, costa rica, cabo and many other places so if you need advice on any of those, just let me know!


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