Hawksbill by Rex Resorts

We were a party of 12 (3 families with our grown up children 20 - 25) and we had a excellent time at the resort. Yes it could be called 'shabby chic' and was a bit tired in places....but the rooms were comfortable and adequete, the beaches were great, the breakfast and lunchs were excellent. Evening meals were a bit hit or miss, but given the small number of guests this was understandible. The staff were universally friendly and helpful which contributed to the relaxing and fun ambience. Having just read the review form Ohana_ Guernsey where they insulted our party of 12, I want to put the record straight. 1. There were no teenagers in our party - they were our children aged 20 -25 2. As a party of 12 we beleived that we added to the overall ambience of the resort ( which would have been absolutely dead without us) - but we all were respectful and polite at all time and sensitive of other people 3. The accusation that, as a party of 12, 'so the rules didnt apply', is frankly absurd - what rules are these....and what rules or etiquette did these precious guests think we'd broken? 4. referring to my very good friend as 'Mr J. Tribiani' is very insulting and a disgusting comment - we expect an apology 5. Cricket on the beach for an hour every afternoon is part of carrebean culture and if these precious guests didnt like it - what the hell are they doing in place like this? 6. Accusations of 'teen gangsta music'!! our ecleptic party of 12 played a variety of music for an hour or so on the beach, and we were careful that it didnt interfere with other guests ( the beach was generally empty anyway!), and whilst there was some 'younger end' rap music, there was also a real mix of music encompassing everyone's taste....Perhaps these 'precious guests' only like a narrow range of middle of the road radio two music....oh dear! So despite the insults from the precious guests from Andover below, we had a great time, and think that we added to the ambience of the resort whilst we were there! Read less

The beach that the resort is situated on is very picturesque and relaxing. The hotel staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Food was delicious, all inclusive was served by menu (not buffet style)- chef Garfield introduced himself to us and was really nice. Room itself was quite basic and the only swimming pool is tiny but we spent most of our time on the beach. We were very surprised with how quiet the resort was, not many guests at all, live music on the Saturday but other than that very quiet on an evening. Read less

We have just come back from a two week holiday. We stayed on Royal Palm Beach. What a fabulous place, the beauty of the place leaves you speechless, the tranquility leaves you with a peaceful feeling unrivaled by anywhere else we have been. The staff, where do i begin. The kitchen, Rastaman, Starman, Dalton, Ben (Tai Che), the egg lady and the two big lads, thank you for making our food and the warmth you gave us, you were the roots. The front of house, Mayra, Chris, Cameron, Gabriel, the two young sweet women, your service was top notch, we were made to feel so included it was impossible to not enjoy every meal. The barmen, David and William. Such honest and open men, i felt as though they were old friends, thank you for keeping us watered. Desk staff, Pam you are such a lovely woman and so 'real'. Mario, a great manager. The gardeners, the way the grounds look is down to these gentlemen and what a job they do. Beautiful. Maintenance, Shavis you are the man, thank you for your friendship and warmth, you are destined for higher things bro. Most of the cleaners, our room was spotless and the love you put in to the job shines through for all to see. Hyacinth, we thoroughly enjoyed our chats over dinner, you are such a lovely person. The Chef, Garfield. The food choices, the presentation was only matched by your charm wit and humour. The attention to detail was so professional. You made Tracey feel so good and i cannot thank you enough. You could grace any top restaurant in the world. I have so much time for this gentleman. My Lige . All the guests we met were so friendly, thanks to every one who made us feel so happy. It all felt as though we were one big family and i hope we can all meet up again. Enough of the gushing, from the bottom of my heart, peace and love to you all. Xx Read less

We have just returned from 2 weeks holiday at Hawksbill Resort and can honestly say this was the best holiday we've ever had. I read a LOT of reviews before we went and I have to say some of them scared the pants off me! At one point I was wondering whether we had made a big mistake booking this resort and considered cancelling it, but other reviews were more balanced and honest so we didn't cancel, and I am so glad we didn't. It is fair to say that on first impressions the resort could do with a bit of a facelift, but any negatives are insignificant and TOTALLY outweighed by the stunning location, the beautiful gardens & beaches, the friendly, attentive and courteous staff, and the relaxing atmosphere of the resort. Hawksbill has a rustic charm which makes you feel at home the moment you arrive and in our opinion if this resort was upgraded it would probably spoil it. It’s beautiful just as it is. We upgraded to a Superior Beach-front bungalow which had air-conditioning and a ceiling fan and a very big double bed which was incredibly comfortable. The room also had a small fridge, plus kettle and tea/coffee facilities. The bathroom was modern with a good shower and none of the low pressure issues described in other reviews. Out the front was a balcony/terrace with two rattan arm chairs & table, with a stunning view of the ocean. Daily maid service was excellent and tea, coffee and sugar was replaced daily. Generally we felt that this hotel had very high standards. Breakfast and dinner are served in the Tamarind Tree restaurant, which is open-air (but the more formal of the two). Breakfast was from a menu, the same one for the whole of our stay but a decent number of choices. Plus there was toast, cereal, fresh fruit, porridge, croissants, juice etc etc which you help yourself to. Dinner is also served in the Tamarind Tree and was a mixture of buffet style or from a menu, and because there were not many guests staying we had a menu most days with a decent choice for starter, main and dessert, and it was a different menu every day. The food was good, freshly cooked and plenty of it. Garfield the chef came out every evening and asked if we enjoyed the food. The service from the staff waiting the tables was SUPERB, very professional and they do not let you go thirsty no matter what you are drinking. Another reviewer mentioned that the dress code was not being maintained for dinner, but the hotel states for men it should be long trousers or "bermuda shorts" which are basically tailored shorts, which we wore with a short-sleeved shirt or polo shirt with deck shoes. No problem with that, we looked very smart and other men were wearing similar. Personally I would say courteous and respectful behaviour during dinner is more appropriate than wearing long trousers and the Management would appear to agree! But it's fair to say that the mozzies do get more to chomp on with bare legs, but we used repellent every night and were just fine. Lunch is served in the Sea Grapes Restaurant which is on the beach and more relaxed as long as you cover up and be respectful of the fact that you are eating lunch in a restaurant. Lunch was mainly BBQ which is cooked fresh for you, plus salad, french fries, pasta, soup etc. Plus of course whatever drinks you want, and the same highly professional level of service from the staff waiting the tables. The grounds of the resort are beautiful with an abundance of stunning brightly coloured flowers wherever you look. Gardeners were tending the grounds every morning. There are all sorts of birds, sheep, goats, mongoose roaming the grounds, and a few very friendly cats. The little black finches will actually feed from your hand with a few muffin crumbs or some sugar. At night the whole place is lit up with low-level lanterns lining the path-ways! So wonderfully nostalgic and blissfully peaceful. All 4 beaches are stunning with plenty of sun-loungers. The smallest is Honeymoon Cove, the largest is Eden Beach which is clothing-optional and also furthest from the resort, about a 10 minute walk from our room. Most people seemed to use Sea Grapes Beach (probably because it’s closest to the bar and a decent size) but during our stay none of the beaches were at all busy. We did drag ourselves away from the resort a few times, once to go into St. Johns which is a lively real town with Antiguan people going about their daily business. It was a nice experience just wandering around for a couple of hours, with a bit of shopping and having a coffee. We also did the “Wadadli Cats” Catamaran cruise around Antigua and I TOTALLY recommend that. Part of the cruise is over the Atlantic ocean and very exhilarating (be brave and stay out on the front of the boat. It’s like being on a roller-coaster on the ocean and you will get very wet but it is so much fun!). The rest of the cruise was a fantastic relaxing day in the sun with a few stops for lunch, snorkelling, or just a quick swim on a small deserted beach. The rest of our sight-seeing was done in one very long day with Richard the cab-driver who looks after the Hawksbill guests, and what a fabulous and incredibly knowledgeable chap he is. We had a great day and saw the absolute, stunning beauty of the island and learnt so much about its history and daily life. The rest of our holiday was spent relaxing on a virtually deserted tropical beach, reading, swimming and chilling, wandering back to the resort for drinks or lunch. I do accept that this resort is not for everyone. If you are looking for a resort with marble floors, chandeliers, numerous pools and restaurants, water-sports, beach games, shops, nightly entertainment, etc., then Hawksbill is definitely not the place for you. If however, like us, you want an adults-only resort which isn't busy, but is relaxed and peaceful with plenty to eat and drink with excellent service and other like-minded guests, then go to Hawksbill. The resort is off the beaten track and on its own which I suppose is not ideal if you want to go out a lot as you need a taxi, but if you want to feel like you are on a secluded desert island for two weeks then this is for you. All of the other guests staying there (and there weren’t many!) were like-minded people, mainly couples and very friendly. All of the staff were so friendly and helpful and our particular thanks go to Christabelle and David who kept our wine glasses permanently topped up, and to the lovely Gabrielle for her charm and true professionalism whilst looking after us at breakfast and dinner, but to all the staff who could not have been more helpful . They are an absolute credit to Hawksbill and Rex Resorts. We LOVED it and will be returning next year without a shadow of a doubt. I hope my review is helpful and I haven’t bored you half to death! I found the Trip Advisor reviews really helpful, but some of them were very unfair, and having now been to Hawksbill I am so glad I didn’t take them too seriously. My review of course is mine and my partner’s opinion but I think it is fair and truthful. I have never written a review in my life but we loved this place so much I wanted to share this with anyone considering a holiday there, just in case the bad reviews affected your decision. Read less

I so want to say nice things about our stay but it really had its flaws .. first the positives , the view is truly amazing , the setting is wonderful , the bed is comfortable also the staff are trying to please you .. now the issues , you arrive and struggle down the steps to reception and on departure you struggle up from reception with your bags ..why not meet the arriving taxi and help your customers in , you have a security gate you know ŵe are coming . The rooms are ever so basic there is no phone , radio , tv or internet and we were a fair way from reception , any problem and you are walking . The room has a rusty fridge and tea and coffee facilities , but no drinking water ! On enquiring you buy a bottle when the shop is open and keep filling it up , great but no one told us for two days .. The bathroom looks like it was tiled in 1970 with many broken tiles , but it all worked ok . They spray your room for mosquito every evening ... didn’t happen once ,and ŵhen the cleaner does the room the door is left open , bring spray lots of spray " Ok now the sheep and goats , they have flocks of both free roaming and on more than one occasion we had one bleating outside at 0300 in the morning , also they eat the grass great ' but then they leave droppings , and they are all over the place . When the opportunity arose I had the goat curry . (Nice meal actually) The food and service started really well , the menu was small but the quality and service was just brilliant ...for about two days . Then the staff seemed to disappear and although lovely people we ended up with such slow service it was painful , the food also suffered as it was cold by the time you got it and orders went missing or were wrong . Remember absolutely no entertainment in rooms , but don’t worry there is entertainment at dinner ... but on our 9 nights only on 3 and two of those were so poor it was funny . So plan B download something on the IPad because there is WiFi in the common areas, but how slow was that 6hrs 30mins to download one 50 minute episode . But as I said at the start it was a friendly little place and I really want to say nice things but the reality is the people and location are let down by the facilities , the place ran out of Beer , water , and even ham for 5 days ! Go to the shop buy some . On reflection for the first two days we thought it was ok we didn’t pay a fortune so what do you expect , but once the staff levels dropped the wheels fell off , we spoke to 5 or 6 other couples and we all agreed what a shame Read less