The Escape at Nonsuch Bay

My bf and I spent the night there due to a special deal being offered with the hotel. It’s a far distance but a beautiful resort if you want to get away and enjoy quality time with each other. The food was amazing. We had lunch/appetizers and dinner. We did have the floating breakfast in the private pool the following morning which I was impressed with. The staff was friendly and helpful. I would recommend this hotel. Read less

Let's start off with the positives... 1 Food was excellent! Truly great meals, portions a bit small. 2 Plunge pool... amazing! Just as advertised. 3 Half the staff were great, other half not so much. Most staff appeared bothered when requests were made. And now the areas for improvement... 1 Mosquitoes everywhere. First night we cracked our door to the plunge pool at sunset and no less than 100 mosquitoes entered the room. We ended up killing about 80, which were on the sheets, pillows, etc. Would have loved a warning prior to opening the door. 2 Similar issue, door to plunge pool never closed fully. So a crack remained open our entire stay, which resulted in geckos and other bugs entering. 3 The door to the outside only locked from the outside so one couldn't safely secure the door while inside which completely freaked my partner out, since the lock was already a joke so this made matters worse. 4 Most staff seemed annoyed when asking for anything. The lack of customer service and expediency was the worst we encountered. We ended up ordering 2 drinks at once since it took about 15 mins to fulfill drink orders at each meal. 5 No gym. 6 No spa. 7 No room service. 8 No doors on shower or outside tub which was awkward as our neighbors could see when walking past. 9 Some entertainment but only half the time. The other half (music only) was manned by the bartender's personal playlist. 10 Bartenders do not know how to make standard drinks. Even when providing ingredients, other ingredients were added which just didn't make sense or taste good honestly. Standard Caribbean drinks such as daiquiris, mudslides, pina coladas were butchered. Also, all bottom shelf liquor, not one name brand offered. 11 Lack of cleanliness. We have stayed at many resorts and assume daily service. We had to call daily for fresh towels. We had to call daily for the mini fridge to be refilled (with water), and certain areas of our room were never cleaned. Again, when asking for towels, you don't receive an of course will bring some, you receive a didn't someone clean your room already? Very odd responses. 12 Overall, great potential, but the lack of management is beyond evident. You had a few people trying to manage the staff, but not doing a good job. Avella stopped by most mornings during breakfast, but never once asked for real feedback. Talking about the beautiful weather doesn't really help improve anything. It would be great if she asked specific questions - how's your room, how are you enjoying the food here, is there anything I could do for you, is there anything the staff could do better - we didn't experience any of those questions. Seems like the majority of the staff are just checking the box which is unfortunate when you are paying top dollar to stay here. Will not return unless significant improvements were made. Again, food was excellent, but the lack of professionalism was clearly evident as well. PS bring bug spray as we were told we could buy some at the store for $12 when we complained of the +50 bites. Read less

I have visited The Escape 5 times in the last 8 months, including to ring in the New Year, and I will be going back everything chance I get. This place is beautiful, peaceful and absolutely romantic! The staff is so friendly, they make us feel like family whenever we visit and always do something to make the experience special. The food is AMAZING! I have never had a bad meal. There is always something different available on the menu so you never get tired of anything. The rooms are super clean and cozy. We loveeee our private plunge! We've tried their floating sushi boat in our pool- very nice! We plan to try the floating breakfast next. 10/10 recommend! Read less

First impressions are fantastic. We arrived at The Escape late afternoon and found views from Reception and our room to be magnificent – just like the brochure. The hotel which opened in February 2019 is all inclusive and for couples only. It is located on a headland in South East Antigua looking West South West, inland along a creek situated in scrub jungle and above a mangrove swamp. It was very reminiscent of a Scottish sea loch. In the distance are views of Shirley Heights and a few other properties; otherwise it is complete isolation. .A wealth of wildlife can be seen ut...there is no beach at the property. There is a free shuttle boat six times a week to nearby Green Island where there is a beach and snorkelling, but not much shade. It would a good idea to have steps off the jetty at the hotel to facilitate sea bathing. Over the headland is a sister property, Nonsuch Bay to which there is a free car shuttle available on demand. This is good for the mornings as The Escape doesn’t catch the sun until the afternoon. That hotel which opened in 2004 faces South East into the Atlantic and has a small artificial beach which gets very crowded with families. We found the two large swimming pools much quieter and suited to our needs. Several watersports are available at Nonsuch for a fee. There are no fitness facilities at either property. Hiking off the property is not feasible except along the access road which is now concreted (apparently this is a big improvement). The rooms at The Escape are very well appointed and tastefully decorated. All rooms have a plunge pool and patio which is totally secluded. There is a TV offering Netflix. The wi-fi is very good. It would be useful to stress to guests that they should have a device to access the web, and install an intranet on which key guest information could be distributed. Things turn a little more difficult when it rains at The Escape. The new concrete paths and steps become slippery. Someone needs to check the drainage run offs work so that all paths stay clear of water. It would be useful to put handrails on longer flights of steps. By far the biggest problem is the poor protection from the weather in the restaurant. When it rains, waters pours in from very poorly constructed guttering, so that a large number of tables become unuseable.It is understood that this problem is getting some attention, some 10 months after opening. Lunch and dinner are served from an a la carte menu typically with a good choice of meat fish and vegetarian. The menu passed my taste, colour and texture with some very interesting d satisfying dishes. Being an all inclusive you can drink as much as you want. The waiting service in the restaurant could be sharpened up and become a little slicker. Sometimes it was good, but sometimes it was appalling. Mr Gore, the Maitre d’ does a good job – when he is on duty. The music at dinner was far, far too loud and needs managing. After a few days at The Escape it became clear that the management needs to be more visible and responsive. I bumped into Cameron Frazer the developer of the site to make some points to him, and within a few hours, the manager Avella told me that the welcome literature will be changed to include the named management who can be approached in case of difficulty. Avalla should also wear a badge to identify herself to clients. In summary, great potential, but could do better! Read less