Galley Bay Resort & Spa

This review was a tough one, as it took almost two weeks to compose. I totally agree with Wine Wally's last review in every way. I could almost cut and paste his review. Galley Bay is a three-and-a-half-star hotel. It needs work and, more importantly, new management. The average age, which does not matter to me, was probably in the mid- to late sixties. The non-beach grounds were beautiful and well-kept. The weather was excellent. Our room was a non-renovated Premium Beach Front, and it was great—right on the beach. We sat outside every night and just enjoyed the location. Staff: They need a massive amount of training....and I mean massive. Most had an attitude, never smiled or said hello, and had no idea what they should be doing. I have never seen this type of service and confusion in an island resort and I have stayed at numerous Caribbean resorts as well as other resorts in Antigua. Just a lot of unhappy and confused workers. To be fair, there were some notable mentions, such as Anya at the front desk, Aphique from the beach, and Rose-Ann in housekeeping. They did their best to accommodate. My wife, who always looks at everything with a glass half full, commented on more than one occasion how unprofessional and unfriendly the staff was. There is definitely a major need for training. Beach: Yes, the water is rough, but we knew that going in. If you want to spend your time in calm waters or relax on a raft, this is not the place (during this time of year). The water is beautiful and warm but rough. There is no beach service. Every once in a blue moon, someone came to ask if we wanted drinks, but most of the time, they never came back. The beach is also not well-kept. It just was never in a pristine condition. Hard to imagine this as there is nothing to do at this hotel but spend time on the beach (or pool). This should be a hotel priority. The beach/water sports staff did not start their day until 10/10:30 am. It took two days to remove the seaweed that I was told had been there for almost a week. They had one person...yes only one person tending to the beach. I watched as he raked for ten minutes and then disappeared for the rest of the day. Why aren't there more workers for the beach? Why are they not out at 6 am like every other hotel, cleaning the beach and beach chairs, etc.? Why do guests have to wait until 10/10:30 to get a beach towel, and why do we have to walk the length of the beach to get one? I am aware this was a complaint that many guests had. Why couldn't housekeeping bring beach towels when making up the room? We had to use dirty towels more than once and our dirty glasses took days to be removed. I don't expect ice face towels or cold sorbet served but I didn't expect our beach chairs to have bird droppings on them the entire week. There is definitely a lack of management oversight, as we never once saw management on the beach. Pool: It's clean but definitely needs an update. How about this: There are no towels at the pool. I had to walk back to the beach to get a towel. Whose idea was this? It's just another confusing management idea. Housekeeping: Our morning service was excellent. She cleaned the room well and we had zero complaints. Turn-down service, on the other hand, was absolutely useless. No mopping or sweeping. There was no replenishment of towels or anything missing. They just folded the bed down and left. I don't expect chocolates or a weather forecast card on the pillow, but how about a quick sweep? Another lack of management oversight. Food: Let me say this right off the start....the food was far from excellent. It was OK at best at all three restaurants and this is a very fair assessment. We had some good meals and some meals we barely could eat. I know this is an all-inclusive resort, so I didn't have too high expectations of the food going in. In any event, the service at the restaurants was usually super slow and, unfortunately, usually without a smile. It really seemed as if they weren't sure what to do. There were some workers outside the norm, but not too often. One night, they took our order and never came back. We waited for forty-five minutes and then had to reorder. The menu changes but only creatively. It's hanger steak one night, then flank steak the next. It's lamb chops one night, then lamb shank the next. For an all-inclusive, the choices were very, very minimal. As much as I hate to say it this hotel would have been better off with buffet service. Regarding the coffee shop, the coffee/espresso, etc., was excellent. The problem was they served the same four jars of cookies the entire week. Cookies for an adults-only resort? Besides just barely edible ice cream and small bite-sized pieces of cake, there was basically no dessert, and nothing at all after 10 pm. Completely inexcusable. Bar and Entertainment: I never ordered a drink, but the choice of alcohol, etc., looked satisfying for most guests. The nightly entertainment/music was fine. Spa: The message palapas were nice, but the whole spa definitely needs a makeover. The spa-wading pool is borderline an eyesore. I give very few excellent ratings and very good ratings only to hotels that need just a little tweaking. When I compare Galley Bay to other hotels I have stayed at for the same money and the same expectations, Galley Bay doesn't compare. It's not even close. There is just too much that needs to be corrected. I attribute this failure solely to management. It's important to note that my wife and I had a great time. We always have a great time when we travel, and we never expect more than what is to be expected. I always compare apples to apples when writing a review, and I have been to plenty of island resorts, and Galley Bay does not compare. Read less

There are many reviews for Galley Bay, many giving it high praise across the board, I have to say our experience was very different and a real mix, the general fabric of the hotel, rooms bars restaurants etc are good, however customer service, food and hospitality is very mixed and often well short of what you would expect from a resort that claims to be the ultimate island escape. Overall we were disappointed, further details below if you want more. They get many repeat guests and maybe are in a comfort zone, we won’t be repeating this experience and would only consider returning when the “under new management” notice goes up and the pool area is refurbished. Rooms ( 5 stars) We stayed in a premium beachfront suite - this was definitely premium, a great size, well appointed and accessed straight onto the beach, make sure you stay in the ground floor it is a lot easier for accessing the beach. Restaurants There are three restaurants that vary in in all areas: Sea Grape (2 stars) -this. is the main restaurant where all unbooked meals are taken including breakfast. The set up is unoriginal with tables all in rows making it feel like a cheap restaurant. Food was uninspiring and often not well cooked, tough meats and dry fish. The most disappointing aspect was often the wait for food, we often waited over 30 minutes for a main course and one time 40 minutes for dessert which at one point they forgot our order, breakfast was equally slow! Some staff are good and try their best but overall service is functional without any warmth in the service, a smile costs nothing! Gauguin (3 stars)- this is set on its own with individual cabana’s, we ate here twice, the setting was wonderful, the food was better than the Sea Grape without being exceptional and staff were generally a step up Ismay’s (4 stars) - a better restaurant with good food and service, but you have to pay the $50 extra per head to get it - a bit cheeky, when this is the level of service they should be aiming for across all there restaurants. Beach (4 stars) - a lot of reviews mention the beach and that it shelves steeply, due to this the waves often crash in unlike other bays next-door, this means more often than not the red flag flies meaning you shouldn’t swim and can’t use the water activities on offer. We stayed 9 days, 4 days were red; 3 yellow and only 2 green. We had friends stay in January and everyday it was red - if you like a swim in the sea this isn’t the place for you. That said the beach is lovely, it is long and you have your own privacy, unlike Carlisle bay where everyone is on top of each other. Swimming Pool (2 stars)- a disappointment - especially as you couldn’t always swim in the sea, the pool area is old and tired and needs completely redone. Unlike their beach, the Carlisle bay pool area knocks this one out the park. Read less

We stayed at Galley Bay, in a deluxe oceanfront room from late March until early April. I loved that every 2 chairs and palapa had a plaque with our room number on it. No need to get up at dawn to secure a seat. Also, plenty of seats in the bar and around the pool. The room and bathroom has been updated since last year. Love the HUGE new shower. The mini bar was filled daily with water, beer and soda. The room was cleaned daily with a great attention to detail and was always shining and fresh smelling. The staff is welcoming with great smiles and a good morning. We loved the ladies at the small grill near the pool, food was always tasty and the menu changed every day. Food was absolutely wonderful, and it was a pleasure to talk to the chef to tell him so. Don't miss the Thursday lunch bar-b-que. A huge variety of sides and a whole suckling pig. The desserts were great. Ismay's was well worth the extra charge. Service and food were amazing.. My favorite was Gaugin. You need reservations for 1 of 2 seating's but no upcharge. Each table was in its own Palapa. Very romantic and the service and food were wonderful An extra thank you to the lady at the gift shop. I went in looking for a jar of instant coffee because we only had an espresso machine in our room. She said I'll take care of that, made 1 phone call and we had a Mr. Coffee machine in our room that afternoon. Everyone there goes above and beyond to make your stay wonderful. We'll be back next year. Read less

This was our second visit to Antigua and our first to Galley Bay. We were impressed - everything was excellent with a few minor exceptions. We chose one of the Gauguin Suites which are closer to the lagoon than the ocean. However, the main facilities and the ocean were only about a 2 minute walk from our little cottage. The king bed was extremely comfortable and I loved that the windows had shutters we could close at night to make the room very dark. There was a sitting area, sink with a bar fridge stocked daily with wine, pop, beer and water. The bathroom was spacious. The maid replaced the towels every day. The food ranged from very good to outstanding. We ate at the Seagrape and the Gaugin. We occasionally went to the Barefoot cafe for snacks (particularly ice cream - delicious!). We never tried the Grill. We also never ate at the Ismay as we did not feel it was fair to have to pay an extra $50 U.S. when we were already spending a lot of money to stay here. The resort is very quiet which appealed to us. Most of the clientele were our age (60s and 70s). People seem to keep to themselves. There was not a lot of interaction among guests like at other resorts we have been to. The only organized activity is a morning yoga class which we did not do. There is a gym as well as a walking trail around the lagoon . We used both every day. It is possible to walk the beach but the sand is very soft, it is often quite windy and there is a huge shore break. The grounds are kept immaculate. They even rake the beach every day. We loved visiting the tortoise sanctuary. There are also many varieties of birds flying about. Behind the resort, there is a huge fruit and vegetable garden. One day while walking the trail, we met David, one of the gardeners. He gave us a very informative tour and gave me a lovely ripe mango. I took it to breakfast the following morning and the kitchen staff sliced it up for us. The service was generally excellent. We reported that the water in the sink in our bathroom was draining very slowly. It was fixed promptly. The staff in the restaurants were generally friendly and helpful. Sometimes we had to wait a bit for our meals but we didn't mind - we were on vacation after all. Most of the staff are friendly and smile and say hello. However, we did run across a few who were obviously just going through the motions of being friendly. There were also a couple who did not even make an effort to be friendly. There were several very minor annoyances during our stay. I had intended to have several massages while I was there but ended up just having one as I was not happy with the massage therapist I had. The spa receptionist was very friendly and made me feel welcome. However, the young massage therapist barely spoke to me and acted as if she was bored. Also she had long nails which dug into my skin a few times. All in all, my massage was a disappointing experience. On one of the calm days (green flag), I went to the water sports area intending to take out a SUP. When I asked, I was told to come back at 9:30. I said 'it is now 9:55' at which point another employee said 'well can you come back at 11 when the supervisor is here'!!!! I felt as though I was being fluffed off and did not bother returning. My husband and I often ordered the fish of the day as it was always fresh and tasty. However, on 3 separate occasions, instead of marlin or catfish which was listed on the menu, we got a bland rather dry tuna steak. Another time, my husband ordered a hamburger for lunch . Instead, he got a hot dog. Could the wait staff not inform the guests that what they have ordered is unavailable and would they like to choose something else from the menu? All in all, we had an enjoyable, relaxing week and, despite the minor complaints, would definitely return. Read less

We returned for the 12th time for a week in early April. We’ve been going there off and on since 2005. The property was as beautiful as ever, and the lovely ladies at reception honoured our room request for a room in a specific block. Anya was particularly helpful acknowledging my numerous emails and providing prompt responses. The food was top shelf - we dined at Ismay’s 3 times. We also enjoyed dining at Barefoot Grill, Seagrape and Gauguin (although the service at Gauguin is spotty so we opted to only have one dinner there). Shout outs to Alfred, Natasha, Althea, Caryl, Tarukh, Elaine, Ive, Amanda, Mike and Aliah for their beautiful smiles and friendly service. Housekeeping was also on point. Thank you! The guys at water sports (Shilo, Tafaria and Romario) are really nice. We were extremely disappointed that under new management, water sports doesn’t open until around 10:30am. This isn’t customer centric and the hours should be re-visited. The gym is great and well equipped. Yoga with Mackenzie was fun but it’s not really all levels. It’s really geared for beginners. We also went out with Captain Shawn for a half day and as usual, enjoyed the experience. It was a relaxing week and we will go back for a 13th visit in the future. Read less