Pineapple Beach Club

We visited The Pineapple Beach Club as a small group of my husband, myself and two single lady friends. It was at our first time at this resort and Antigua itself. All of us have been to other all inclusives in the Caribbean. My husband and I have stayed at 3 of the 4 Couples Resorts in Jamaica (important for this review). We had read the reviews and joined the appropriate Facebook group before we left so we had a good idea of what to expect, but there had been a spate of negative reviews so we weren’t 100% confident in what we would find upon arrival. I’m happy to say that we were all pleased by our experiences at the resort and we have all expressed an interest in returning one day. Our travel agent had requested that our rooms be all together so we ended up being in the 200 block of the Garden View Rooms on the second floor. We loved these rooms because they were updated, convenient to everything on the resort and even had a view of the beach when you stepped outside. We found two bottle of water which we used throughout our stay. It was a very simple matter to carry them in our beach bags and fill them up with icy cold water at the water stations. I’m not sure why some folks have a difficult time with this really – it’s good for the environment ultimately, and cheaper than buying water in the gift shop. It was exceptionally windy for the first 4 days we were there, which meant that there was A LOT of seaweed on the beach. For the first couple of days much effort was made to clean it up. By the third day, they had pretty much given up because there was just so much of it rolling in constantly. However, this is beyond their control and we were still able to enjoy the beach and the water. Hint: if the water is too rough at the resort, a short walk down past water sports finds a public beach where the water was much calmer so we were still able to take dips in the ocean. It wasn’t very busy either- at least when we were there. There are some vendors on the beach, but they’re licensed. I didn’t find any of them to be too obtrusive – just remember that they’re working to make a living! We availed ourselves of Stacy, for a massage, and Freddie the Suitcase for sea glass bracelets. There are also a number of private vendors just off the beach. Visit them for your souvenir purchases. They’re willing to bargain too. We also availed ourselves of the swimming pools around the resort. There’s no swim up bar at any of them but it’s just as pleasant to sit in a lounger and drink by the pool! Now to the food. We had no complaints about it at all. The buffet is not gigantic but there was plenty of variety. There were Caribbean offerings every day if you wish to explore that route. None of them were overly spicy so mostly everyone could try them. Yes, there are birds that fly around and take food off of tables, but, seriously, we are able to sit basically outdoors which we can’t do at home this time of year, so just relax and look at the ocean for awhile instead. The food on the buffet is covered so the birds are only getting food that is left on the tables after you eat (unless you leave it unattended before you’re done in which case- your bad!) Beach night was indoors because of the wind and, to our relief, the roasted pig was cooked perfectly (Sadly it’s not often cooked enough at Couples). We ate at both the Pineapple Grill and Chef’s Pietro which require reservations. We thought the Pineapple Grill was better, but I would recommend trying both. We also made the trip up to Mary’s Outhouse twice and greatly enjoyed it. It’s not overly spicy BBQ, and its fairly generic BBQ, but the ribs and the chicken were both falling off the bone and so delicious! Also, the view is unbeatable! For our last night in Antigua, we booked into the Nicole’s for US$45.00 per person. The resort took care of transportation between the resorts. The meal was excellent but it was more interesting to see the differences between the resorts, although we couldn’t see as much as we would have liked to since it was night time. However, we did feel quite pleased with our decision to stay at the Pineapple Beach Club as The Verandah is huge – plus there are children. Our group did one excursion together and that was a trip into St. John’s. We arranged for a cab to take us there ($56.00 round trip for the 4 of us) where we did some looking around at duty free and then went for lunch at Cuties. We found the shopping in and around Redcliffe Quay to be the most interesting of our expedition because it had a lot of local artists and crafts. Also look out for the fresh pretzel and doughnut shops in this vicinity! Two members of our group managed a scuba diving expedition once the wind had calmed down. They had nothing but praise for Mamora Bay Dive Shop. They saw eagle rays, reef sharks, sea turtles and a whole bunch of other fish on their two-tank dive. This brings up why I mentioned the Couples Resorts earlier. We have always enjoyed the casual Caribbean feel of the Couples Resorts. They’re not new and they’re not fancy, but they’re comfortable. The Pineapple Beach Club has this same feel. The rooms aren’t super fancy but they have comfortable beds and air conditioning so that you can sleep. What more do you want from your beach vacation? Read less

We stayed for 9 nights this month. The resort is what it says it is. A great location and adults only which guarantees you a quiet relaxing break. There was excellent water sports and the staff were friendly and very well manered. The range of eating options wa also god, it was just a shame guest services (for booking eating optons) opened at 8.30 when breakfast was at 7.30 when it would have been the ideal time to book. Towards the end our stay coincided withthe Covid19 outbreak and it was a pity the hotel was suffering from lack of gueets arriving and it was obvious times were getting difficult but the staff kept smiling and delivered great quality service. It is to be hoped people retuen when all is well. We certainly will. Read less

We had a planned 10 day trip to PBC. With hand sanitizer and wipes we boarded our flight 3/8 the start of the Coronavirus. It was a quick check in and a short wait for our room. We had waterfront 529. The perfect, most private view we could ask for. The room was very clean but small and needs hooks or shelves in the bathroom. We adjusted just fine once unpacked. It took about a week to make housekeeping understand that we’d like 4 bath towels. The beach is beautiful. Plenty of chairs available although we reserved early for shade. We are all day beach people. The drinks are delicious but I’m pretty sure there is very little alcohol or it is watered down in the bottle. I’m a lightweight and never even felt a thing even after asking for more on top. Wine at dinner was perfect. Beer always a good option and discovered Mango Martini! The food at all the restaurants is very good! Favorite lunch spot was our hike up the steps to the BBQ. Perfect view, fantastic ribs and cold beer! We also enjoyed burgers at the Snack bar. Dinner at Pineapple Grill and Italian restaurant equally as good. Service always excellent. Be sure to reserve your tables at 8:30 am at customer service 2 days in advance! Buffet was always a great option. Low key evenings with some type of entertainment after dinner was perfect. Most nights we were in bed by 10. I had a Spa message by Marbee which was on my top 3 list of all time massages. I preferred this to the less expensive non private massage on the beach (which was also a good massage). We ended up staying an extra 4 days as the world was shutting down because of the virus. This was a great decision as we are small business non essential owners. Thank goodness we had this wonderful vacation before going home to a different world. We would definitely return to PBC. It was a perfect, quiet wonderful vacation! Thanks to all the wonderful staff, it’s going to be back to normal soon! Read less

Recently, we had the pleasure of travelling to Antigua for the first time. We spent a delightful two weeks at the Pineapple Beach Club. The staff were all super friendly - from the Managers to the cleaning staff. The hotel is set on a beautiful beach with sugar sand. Our room was newly renovated and very comfortable. The balcony was shaded for most of the day and was a very relaxing place to retreat when we felt we had had enough sun on the beach. My husband and I absolutely loved eating breakfast facing the ocean at the Topaz Restaurant. We did not visit any of the a la carte restaurants but others that we spoke to enjoyed them very much. It was a wonderful experience, having an all-inclusive vacation - never having to worry about the cost of everything - it truly allowed us to relax and enjoy the area. The manager's cocktail on a Monday evening was a great way to meet the managers of the hotel and we had some delightful conversations with Sanjay and Belinda. There were plenty of events to join in if you are so inclined and the walk to Devil's Bridge was a lot of fun. There were several water sports available and help with them if needed. The steel band at the beach party were wonderful to listen to during dinner and many stayed on after they were done eating just to enjoy them. There was plenty of shade to be had on the beach if you wished it along with the wonderful sun. A stroll along the beach took us to some very friendly vendors huts, who invited us in to see their wonderful wares. The vendors would tell us their name and chat with us anytime we passed by, whether we bought something from them that day or not. It was very easy to take a trip into St John's where the people there were just as friendly. We spent a delightful morning strolling through the town and visiting the local duty free shops. At the end of our vacation, we decided that we both loved Antigua and would go back to the Pineapple Beach Club in a heartbeat. Read less

Spent a very relaxing and laid back 2 week holiday at PBC. There is evening entertainment, but throughout the day, was nice to not hear loud booming music. Were able to sit back, listen to the waves, read, and enjoy a refreshing drink. Every single staff member on Sanjay’s team was professional, polite, and helpful. Our favorite was the lovely soft spoken Kenisha. She is a member of the bar staff, and would also take drink orders on the beach. Our renovated garden view room was very nice. Large bathroom vanity with tons of storage. Found mattress to be very hard, so requested a mattress topper. Our maid Julette took excellent care of us. Yes, you will hear upstairs neighbours. Sounds like a herd of elephants, especially if moving chairs/table at midnight and before 6 a.m. Note for future 2nd floor guests, please be considerate. People complain about tree frogs. We found their night songs soothing, lulled us to sleep. Food was very good, enough variety for a hotel with 180 rooms. Topaz lunch and dinner menus changed daily. Serrated knives would be most helpful for the tougher cuts of meat. We found lighting (yellow bulbs) at Topaz bit too dark, especially if eating anything with bones. Saw several guests use their phone lights. Pelican Snack Grill served very good burgers and fries. Sherri Ann and her staff were kept very busy. Self serve coffee and tea station is by Topaz buffet. Also available is decaf and hot chocolate. This is where can get finger sandwiches, cookies etc mid afternoon. Mango tango is a delicious fruity non alcoholic cocktail. Take it up a notch with a splash of rum. Will quickly learn to cover your drinks, and not walk away from your food, especially at Topaz. The many bananaquit birds are amusing, but also annoying. Fogging for bugs takes place several times a week, around 5 a.m. Smells like it’s petroleum based. Did get several bites each, but barely itchy. Killed several mosquitoes in room every day. Odd that there are no spider webs to be seen anywhere, despite the many wooden railings etc. Beach is beautiful even if it is very short. Atlantic side, so waves are usually churning. Shore snorkeling is fine for beginners, otherwise not impressive, typical fish. Some folks did see a turtle. Booked sting ray excursion with Shane, our Sunwing rep. Beach vendor Marvin, also charges US$50. Regardless of who you book with, you travel on the same boat. There are several vendors (none are hotel staff) who peddle their wares on the resort beach. There is Marvin and his boys, woman giving massages, fellow offering foot massages, and guy with briefcase (which he never opens) selling jewellery. They don’t pressure you, but it does get annoying because they are around all the time. Several vendors with typical souvenirs are set up in colorful buildings on public beach next door. We liked the lady in the green building with green curtains. It’s a 45 mins drive to PBC in a 10 person van. If prone to car sickness, may want to take gravol because it’s a bumpy ride, also speed bumps, and some winding roads. If you like a small resort with a quiet laid back atmosphere, this is the place. Read less