Carlisle Bay

Carlisle Bay is a very good resort for a family vacation, with the potential to be elite. The pricing right now is a bit aggressive for what it is, so if you go, I would just set expectations accordingly and focus on the good stuff, of which there is plenty at this property. The key highlight for us was the phenomenal location. The resort feels secluded down at the southern end of the island, and claims one of the prettiest beaches I’ve seen. The water is quite calm, there was almost no seaweed and the sand was lovely. The staff we encountered and the service was very welcoming and friendly. I wouldn’t say it is at the tippity top one can experience at this price point, but it was very good. Some things which didn’t quite go according to plan included it taking forever on arrival day to have our bags delivered, and other minor things like not having the waters replaced every night in the room nor certain minibar items. On the other hand there were plenty of activities the staff planned each day, which we took advantage of, including an Easter Egg hunt our daughter enjoyed and a beach BBQ with a bunch of activities for the kids afterwards. Staff there was very friendly and good with all the kids. There are three dining options on property although not all are open each night, so plan accordingly. Indigo is a beautiful space and setting for dinner right on the beach. Truly one of the more memorable dining spots we’ve enjoyed at a Caribbean resort. Get there in time to watch sunset. Overall, we thought the food at the resort was good, if not amazing. As others have noted the rooms and some of the common areas are dated and could use a facelift if not a complete overhaul in order to compete at the top level. These rooms probably looked mint in the 1990s or early 2000s, but no longer. We have a few maintenance snafus that were fixed, such as a sink not draining and another leaking. There is a very nice, automated coffee machine in the room which we loved and used each morning. The pool was decent but in keeping with the preceding comments, it's a bit dated as well. I would think that something bigger and more modern, maybe infinity edged, would be more expected at a resort like this. The gym was a decent spot to get a workout in. We didn’t use the spa so can’t comment there. We don’t play tennis but the tennis facilities looked nice and we saw other guests using them daily. Couple random bonus observations on small things I liked - while at the pool the smell of the nearby pizza oven was incredible. The bar in the lobby - the height of the bar seats is fantastic in relation to the height of the bar - you feel like you're not struggling to reach the bar. All in all we had a great family trip to Carlisle Bay and enjoyed the resort. If the rooms were modernized as I’ve heard others mention may be in the works, we would consider visiting again sometime in the future. Read less

As somebody who has been lucky enough to stay at some amazing hotels in The Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, I have to say that Carlisle is up there with the best, as soon as you arrive you can tell that you are in real luxury. The rooms are fantastic, extremely spacious and very comfortable, with excellent views of what is a stunning stretch of beach. The dining options were also great too, East was a personal favourite with a wide variety of meats and seafoods to enjoy. A big thank you to Sabrina and the rest of the team here who made our stay extra special, we loved it and certainly hope to be back. Read less

It’s interesting to read the mixed bag of other reviews here. We were here for 11 nights and overall were satisfied with our stay but I would say that compared to the international competition, at this price point there is a lot of room for improvement. Breaking it down: Pros - The beach and setting are amazing - 30 mins from the airport - Decent sized pool, nice temperature if you need to get in and out all the time with kids - Food we enjoyed. Good mix of restaurants given a relatively small resort. - Kids club had some good activities and the screening room for kids movie night was a nice novelty - Rooms are very spacious - Sea was warm and nice to swim in. Some nice little “pods” moored you could swim out to and sit in Cons - Generally in need of a renovation and the upkeep was not that great. For example: the door to our room was starting to rot at the bottom, on the outside of the room there was exposed wiring near the a/c unit, curtains were frayed, pool had cracked grouting/tiles around the side etc. As another reviewer pointed out, the pastry cabinet at breakfast does indeed look like it was retrieved from a skip, chairs and seat covers have all seen better days. The lobby is adorned with leather chairs in the style of the seats from a 1976 Triumph estate car - really dated and makes for a bad first impression on arrival. Some of these things one could perhaps overlook but at the same price point, other hotels do much better. - Beach loungers were generally in good supply but the parasols were not really big enough or abundant enough to allow full shelter throughout the day. As other reviewers have pointed out, the cushions are all a bit tired and left out overnight so generally pretty grubby. - Many other reviewers rave about the staff and their friendliness. Generally we found them a little “sultry” compared to the competition and whilst service was quite fast in the restaurants we found it sub par in terms of friendliness and attention to detail compared to international competition. Simple things: no need to top the water glass up up 101% every 5 mins, diverge from the script a bit, and after 11 nights, proactively suggest the same coffee ordered as the previous 10 breakfasts. - I was positively surprised prior to the stay to get an email and onboarding experience where you could upload passport details, give newspaper preferences, etc. All things that slow down checkin and which are annoying after a long flight. So I did all of this, but then was disappointed to find on arrival that all the same details had to be provided again, so it was a total waste of time doing it in advance. And the newspaper never turned up anyway. Sadly a bit like many other places in the Caribbean, the Carlisle Bay feels a little bit like it has had its day and needs to up its game to compete with other offerings. It wouldn’t take much really - revamp the rooms and restaurants, really motivate the staff, and tidy up the communal areas. With that, we would be back as the proposition would be good. Otherwise sadly at the same price point there is better to be had elsewhere at present. I hope the feedback is useful as there is lots of potential. Read less

Standard of rooms and buildings is more linke 3 Stars, not 5 Stars! The rooms are tiled all over and there is basically no or very poor interior „design“. Feels like everything is from the 80s, the place needs a complete renovation! Food is mediocre at best, the Asian restaurant „East“ is a joke and completely overpriced. Staff is with few exceptions rude and poorly trained. The bay is beautiful but the water is cloudy and brownish, probably from the mangrove river. With what they’re charging there are for sure better options in Antigua! Read less

Our family of four had a fabulous vacation at Carlisle Bay! The room (#24) was spacious (bedroom areas, sitting area and bathroom), pretty, clean, and had a balcony with an amazing view of the beach and water. It exceeded our expectations. The staff and service were top notch. My girls (ages 16 and 17) both have severe food allergies (eggs, nuts and shellfish) and are very picky eaters. The staff went above and beyond to accommodate them at each restaurant and at every meal, and they all did it with a genuine smile. That made a difference and the food itself was great. The beach is the highlight of the resort. It's private, gorgeous, expansive, quiet and peaceful. On top of that, there are plenty of beach chairs (which are super comfortable - stacked with a cushion, cover, and plush towel!) available for hotel guests. Over the years, we have stayed at many resorts in the Caribbean where it is a daily battle to get chairs at the beach and you are afraid to leave for a walk or meal because someone might take your chairs or they can be given away. That was not the case here. There were enough chairs for everyone and there was no morning stress about saving chairs. The hotel is also an easy 25 minute ride from the airport (the hotel is happy to arrange transport for you). Without hesitation, we would return to Carlisle Bay. It's truly a luxury resort and is worth every cent. Thank you Carlisle Bay! Read less