Hodges Bay Hotel and Spa

Unfortunately, our stay was one disappointment after another. Upon arrival, we were greeted promptly and upgraded to a two-bedroom villa. While I appreciated the upgrade as a Diamond member, I had reached out prior to arrival requesting not to be placed on the ground floor, so I was a bit disappointed by the location. As our butler escorted us to the villa, he highlighted many of the resort amenities, spending several minutes explaining the boat service to Prickly Pear, including the departure times and how we still had enough time to visit that afternoon since we arrived around 3:00 PM. Excited, we immediately changed clothes and headed to the bar to ask where to meet the boat. It wasn’t until then that the bartender informed us he believed Prickly Pear was closed for the next few days. I found it very odd that the butler had just enthusiastically promoted this amenity without knowing it wasn’t operating. One of the primary reasons we booked this resort was for the easy access to Prickly Pear. Since our stay was only three days, losing access to that amenity was a major disappointment. We returned to the front desk, where they confirmed the island was closed but believed it would reopen Monday. I explained that this information should have been communicated before our arrival or, at the very least, during check-in. When a signature amenity is unavailable, proactive communication goes a long way. An email before arrival or a simple acknowledgment at check-in, perhaps paired with a complimentary breakfast, a spa credit, or another goodwill gesture, would have demonstrated that the resort valued the guest experience. Instead, we were simply told they could arrange a taxi—at our expense—to another beach. Since we were departing Monday, they suggested we could visit Prickly Pear that morning before leaving. That evening we spent some time at the pool bar, where the service unfortunately left much to be desired. There were several servers standing behind the bar chatting with one another, and they appeared inconvenienced whenever we requested anything. We ordered food at the pool, but the order was incorrect. I walked back to have it corrected, and as the server saw me approaching—only about 30 seconds after delivering the meal—she immediately grabbed her purse, loudly announced, “Hey guys, I’m out for the night,” and walked away. It reinforced what we had already been feeling: despite there being only a handful of guests around the pool, the staff seemed uninterested in providing service. Later that evening, rain moved in, so we returned to our villa to relax. Upon entering, we found hundreds of ants in the foyer. We called the front desk, and to their credit, maintenance arrived within about 30 minutes to spray. Unfortunately, the ants returned shortly afterward. While waiting, we turned on the televisions only to discover that neither TV in the villa worked. At that point, our frustration had reached its limit. We contacted the front desk again, and they graciously moved us to a four-bedroom villa. Honestly, this upgrade was the highlight of our stay because it finally gave us the beautiful view we had hoped for. This villa is also beautifully decorated. The following day, the resort sent a property-wide email explaining they were experiencing IT issues and that none of the TVs on the property were working. While I appreciated the communication regarding the televisions, there was still no acknowledgment whatsoever about Prickly Pear remaining closed. On Monday morning, we got up early specifically to enjoy Prickly Pear before checking out. However, when we arrived at the front desk, we were once again told that it would not be open after all. The lack of communication surrounding one of the resort’s signature amenities was incredibly frustrating. As a travel advisor who also works in customer service, I believe this situation was mishandled from beginning to end. Problems happen, but how they’re communicated and resolved is what guests remember. To make matters worse, this stay took place over Father’s Day weekend. We specifically chose this resort to celebrate, only to encounter closed amenities, poor communication, indifferent service, ants in our room, and televisions that didn’t work. By Sunday evening, with no beach access and no working TVs, we decided to leave the property just to find something to do. Before returning to our room that night, I placed a to-go order at the restaurant. My order was taken, payment was processed, and I was on my way when the employee ran after me a minute later to say the kitchen had informed her they were actually out of the item I had ordered. Any one of these issues individually could have been overlooked. Unfortunately, it was the combination of repeated disappointments, poor communication, and an overall lack of attentive service that defined our experience. Regrettably, this is not a resort I would recommend to my clients or return to myself.

Hodges Bay Resort – Asian Restaurant, Antigua Dinner: 28 June 2026

After hearing so many positive comments about Hodges Bay Resort, we chose to spend our final evening in Antigua dining at the Asian restaurant. We expected a memorable dining experience to end our holiday. Instead, it became the most disappointing part of our trip.

From the moment we arrived, I made my dietary requirements absolutely clear. I explained that I was transitioning from a pescatarian diet to a vegan diet and, most importantly, that I am severely gluten intolerant. I also explained that consuming gluten has significant health consequences for me. I was reassured that this would not be a problem.

Once seated, I explained everything again. I was then told the only vegan option available was a plate of tossed vegetables. For a luxury resort charging premium prices, this was astonishingly poor. Left with little choice, I ordered the black cod, but only after specifically asking whether the sauce contained gluten. I was assured that it did not.

When our food arrived, we had no cutlery and had to wait while our meals became cold. Unfortunately, the food itself was equally disappointing. The black cod was excessively oily, lacked flavour and was far from the standard you would expect at a restaurant of this calibre. The vegetables amounted to little more than three slices of carrot, a tiny piece of broccoli cut into smaller pieces and a few green beans. It was both underwhelming and overpriced.

Because of my concerns, I asked a second time for confirmation that the sauce was gluten-free. The waitress returned after speaking with the chef and again assured me that there was no gluten. However, after the meal I experienced symptoms consistent with gluten exposure, leaving me deeply concerned that my dietary requirements had not been properly understood or managed. For anyone living with food intolerances or allergies, this is not a minor issue—it is a serious matter of trust and safety.

The poor experience continued. Before we had even finished eating, we were presented with the bill, making us feel rushed out of the restaurant. The total was USD $234.00. Given both the poor quality of the meal and the disappointing service, we politely asked for the service charge to be removed. This request was refused three separate times by three different members of staff.

We then asked to speak with the chef we had to wait approximately 25 minutes. When she eventually arrived, her response was simply that no one had ever complained about the cod before and that it was supposed to be soft and oily in taste because of the sauce. There was no apology, no empathy and no genuine attempt to understand why we were dissatisfied.

To make matters worse, the duty manager offered me ice cream as compensation, despite me having already explained that I am dairy intolerant. This perfectly summed up the evening: my dietary requirements had either not been communicated or had simply been ignored.

Luxury hospitality is about far more than attractive surroundings. It is about exceptional food, attention to detail, knowledgeable staff and making guests feel valued. On every one of those points, this restaurant failed.

Charging USD $234 for a meal of this quality, while showing such little understanding of medically important dietary requirements and refusing even to reconsider the service charge, was unacceptable.

This experience fell well below the standard expected of a resort with Hodges Bay's reputation. I sincerely hope the owners and senior management read this review, investigate how this situation was handled, improve staff training around dietary requirements and customer care, and consider providing an appropriate refund.

Sadly, our final evening in Antigua should have been a highlight of our holiday. Instead, it left us feeling disappointed, ignored and questioning whether our health concerns had ever been taken seriously.

On arrival I was told that Prickly Pear island was not available but would be tomorrow. That was not the case - it was not available for the whole 4 night stay. On arrival to the room a damp smell was detected but we let that pass. We soon discovered why as later that night the fridge leaked a puddle on the floor. Reception sent a cleaner but of course the puddle returned whereupon we were advised to put a towel down. Given that this was the World Cup season i was looking forward to watching a game. No such luck as to TV reception. Three different people spoken to and three different answers forthcoming. The balcony door stuck, and a simple order for breakfast was messed up despite the call taker reading it back for clarification.

There are positives in this resort. But these are sullied by the negatives.A stay here is not cheap and the expectations are high but they clearly cannot meet them. Pay attention Hodges Bay! The estate is lovely but take care of the little things as they are important. And be honest with your guests!!!