Cocobay

I arrived home from Cocobay yesterday after yet another fantastic holiday/honeymoon. I can say that yet again the staff at Cocobay have shown amazing customer service, kindness and friendship. The place itself is a stunning as ever but this time the whole world fell apart around us with the Coronavirus. The staff were amazing they helped us do whatever we needed and smiled all the time. Bearing in mind they had the worry of the hotel closing down temporarily and not know how long it would be before they can return to work and normal salaries and life, they constantly worried about what we were all going to do. There are so many to name but thank you to Kemlin, Golda, Keva, Jerome, Kerry, Denise, Sonia, Janine and Nikita you are all amazing and if I haven’t put your name here we thank you too! Kemlin went over and above, helping me out with wedding arrangements especially impressive as we weren’t getting married in Cocobay! She made sure that our wedding went without any hitches. There is a reason that people go back to Cocobay year after year and it is because of the amazing staff and the wonderful place they work in. Thank you all for such a wonderful time xx If you want a very quiet and relaxed holiday this is the place for you, I would highly recommend it. Read less

I stayed here with my partner and found 100% paradise , the rooms, the staff and the people we met were faultless. The food and service is exemplary and we have fallen in love with the place ,we will be returning ! It is the first time I have cried real tears when having to come home and I will always hold this place in my heart. Thankyou everyone for the trip of a lifetime Nicky horsman Read less

My wife and I honeymooned at Cocobay recently and we were simply blown away by the views, grounds maintenance, and everything else that was so aesthetically pleasing about the resort. Check-in was simple after completing the online form. We arrived and were immediately greeted with a rum punch. We stayed in a deluxe pool cottage (#20; great view). We got a lot of use out of our plunge pool, which was chilly at times, but it was relatively warm so it felt great. It's nice to have the convenience of it right there by your room when you want to cool off instead of having to walk down to one of the pools. The fridge was stocked daily (thanks Leon!) and the housekeeping staff did a great job. The food was good. My wife is a bit of a picky eater, but she found something to eat each night with no issues. We did enjoy the variety on the menu. I would recommend booking a beach dinner, as that was our favorite experience by far, mostly because of Sherron. He is the star of the wait staff. Glendale was also great each night at dinner. We also booked the floating tapas option in the Black Rock pool. I think there was a miscommunication and we waited at reception for a half hour before heading down, but it was all good. We were able to watch the sunset while eating delicious food and drinking champagne. I'd highly recommend this as well. I also requested the local pepperpot dish for lunch and they happily obliged (thanks to Kerry for relaying this request to the chef). The drinks were great. Pretty consistent every time. However, some of the bar staff seemed like they couldn't be bothered half the time (which I wasn't expecting, considering a ton of reviews praised the service). The drink selection was fantastic, and different between the Rafters and Sunset bars, so they were a ton of options. Altino, Vincia, and Tiffany were great behind the bar all week! We received a couples massage in the spa and that was another highlight of our trip. It's a very relaxing, beautiful atmosphere, with the waves crashing against the bluff directly below you. Danielle and Ria did a great job. The pools were never really crowded. There were always seats/daybeds open. There can be a shortage of beach towels, so just be conscious of that. Paninis and chips at the Sunset Pool/Bar was a nice option. Also, the pizza night at that bar was a great idea if you want to switch things up for dinner. The beach can get a bit crowded, but there are more than enough chairs. Someone from the resort will periodically come down and take drink orders, though the Sunset Bar is not too far away if you just wanted to walk back up. The watersports team was helpful. We kayaked over to Valley Church beach, which was a nice change of scenery. Late night entertainment was hit or miss for us, but it's mostly a preference thing. They have a lively band on Sunday that was very good. We wished there would be more like that throughout the week. The acts ranged from slower R&B to jazz to comical. Overall, it was just nice to have something to listen to after dinner each night. Although we had some hiccups with service, we'd recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing time in paradise. It is truly a breathtaking and romantic place. Read less

The whole team and resort were a complete dream. The resort was a perfect balance between having enough amenities and still feeling like you are on the island. The team was absolutely incredible as well. Vincia, the Sailing team, Kemberlin, Kendra, Kerry, Golda, O'Neill, and many more were so accommodating yet not overwhelming. We were honestly one of maybe 20 honeymooning couples there but never felt crowded and always felt like we were the only ones there. We would 100% go back and recommend it to other people. Read less

This may be a long review but I try and cover the good and the bad of a holiday so it helps other travellers. I am an avid user of Tripadvisor and find the reviews and tips very useful. My husband and I visited Cocobay for 10 days in March this year. This was a once in a lifetime holiday for us so we had upgraded to a Premium waterfront cottage with pool. NOTE - we booked via Virgin and not direct with the hotel. Once arrived at the hotel (and I use the term hotel loosely as it is a resort with 65 individual wooden cottages, a reception area, two pools and two bars and an open air restaurant, so no large building resembling a hotel!) My husband and I were checked in quickly and greeted to a rum punch and shown to our cottage. COTTAGE - as mentioned, we had a premium water front with pool (Loblolly Cay) The view was to die for. The cottage consisted of one room and a bathroom. There was a large bed with mosquito net (the comfiest bed we have ever had and we slept well all the time we were there), an area with hanging rail for clothes, safe, mini fridge with Nespresso machine, dresser with space for clothes and a good sized bathroom with his and her sinks, toilet and large shower. Doors and windows to the bathroom can be removed to make it feel like you are showering outdoors. Lighting could be better but I always take a small mirror anyway. The ceiling fan and AC worked a treat to combat the 30 degree heat. There are also blackout curtains in the room so you have complete darkness at night. Out on the balcony/veranda we had two sunloungers with cushions on a large decking area, two other comfy chairs, a hammock and an outdoor bath, not forgetting the plunge pool. Yes, the pool was quite cold but I used it daily to cool off after a day on the beach. It only got sun on it until about midday but it served its purpose! I also used the bath a few times so remember take some bubble bath! Some toiletries were provided aswell as some soft drinks (water, coke, tonic water and ginger beer) and two beers in the fridge. It was replenished daily but not with any other alcohol. We did have a complimentary bottle of Antigua Rum in our room on arrival aswell as a bottle of Bubbly so that did us for the week too! RESORT - As mentioned it is a small resort with a very laid back feel. The view from reception was the best view on the resort and if you can catch a clear night sunset from the restaurant bar, you will be blessed. All the staff we encountered were friendly, from housekeepers, gardeners and reception staff to the people who served you daily in the restaurant, bars or on the beach. The gardens are beautifully kept and you are in awe of all the different colours of the flowers and trees. Pool towels are supposed to be provided daily and left in your room but a hint is to keep your old pool towels from the previous day (there is a drop off point for old towels) until you know that you have new ones as a few days they ran out of pool towels. There are two pools and neither appeared to busy throughout our stay. Both pools were by a bar and if you went to beach, someone came to take your drinks order on a regular basis. We did have to get up about 8 o clock to place our towels on loungers on the beach as there are only about 10 sunshades and these were very popular. Trees can give additional shade too. The sea is warm but beware there is a large shelf going into the sea. The sand is made of crushed shells and coral but some beautiful shells can be found if you look. Nightlife is laid back with some chilled musicians playing after dinner every night. Bars close at 11 and dinner finishes at 9 so you have a couple of hours to chill before going back to sleep. There is a shuttle bus from the resort to some places and the taxi fares are set so you know how much it will cost. Just ask at reception and they will able to help you. There is another beach to the right of the resort (Valley Church) that had a very loud beach party on the Sunday night with music until the early hours. WILDLIFE - there is so much to see (and hear!) here. The birds are colourful and love sweet things. They are prone to going into your room if you leave the doors open and they steal your sugar sachets! They also like your drinks if you leave the cup unattended! We saw lots of hummingbirds too. Other larger birds can be seen such as heron and storks and frigate birds. There are a few resident cats who appear throughout the day and night but they are friendly and love to be stroked (and fed!) You will see lizards and chit chats and mongoose alot. Warning - we left our doors open in the bathroom one day and the next morning realised that we had the company of a mongoose in the bathroom! Reception sent someone to get it out for us but it was still a shock to see one so close!! Mosquitoes weren't an issue for us. We used repellent at night and made sure the net was over the bed and closed all doors after dusk. The "alarm" noise that you will hear from dusk until dawn are tree frogs but after the first night, it didnt bother us. Plenty of fish to see if you go snorkelling and the sea is calm. FOOD AND DRINK - Breakfast was our favourite meal of the day. Choice of cereals (with proper semi skimmed milk!), two fruit juices to choose from every day, yoghurt and granola, cold meats and cheeses, fruit and small selection of hot food. The highlight has to be Sonia who makes eggs to order every day, whether they be fried, poached or an omelette of your choice. Tea and coffee were also plentiful aswell as the usual toast and pastries. Lunch was served in the restaurant with various salad bowls to choose from, a fish cooked to order, bread and soup plus some specials of the day (2 starters and 2 mains) Dessert was offered to you aswell with always ice cream and fresh fruit salad available. Dinner was fine dining with 4 courses to choose from. There was always burger and chips on the menu and additional options for an extra charge. You can have as much or as little as you like. One night I just had the pasta dish and some chips! They had a pizza night down by the beach bar one night which made a nice change. We were very lucky as about an hour after we had our pizza the heavens opened and the rest of the night was a wash out. You can have dinner on the beach or breakfast/tapas in one of the private pools but we felt these to be quote expensive. Bar bites are available from 12-6 I think and these are pizza, wings, crisps and paninis so if you dont feel like lunch, you can snack through the day instead. The drink/cocktail selection is amazing. The Torched Cherry Barcardi is to die for an only available in Antigua but try the different cocktails and see which is your fav. So there is my review on our wonderful time in Antigua. It was what we expected and more. Thank you for an amazing holiday and for helping us make some great memories. Read less