Imagine sitting on your private verandah enjoying the sight of a beautiful blue bay and the ocean beyond, while listening to waves gently lap the shore with bananquits cheerfully chirping. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it? Oh, it was.
This was just a part of what we experienced at The Verandah Resort & Spa during our recent visit to Antigua.
The Verandah Resort & Spa is an all-inclusive resort located on 30 lush acres on the eastern coast of Antigua. Comprised of private cottages and villas nestled in verdant landscaping, the surroundings create the feel of escaping to an oasis of tropical tranquility. Not pretentious at all, the resort has a Caribbean casual feel – with class.
Front entrance
From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed. We were presented with a glass of cold rum punch and a lavender scented towel for refreshment and after checking in, we were whisked away to our waterfront cottage to begin our stay.
Lobby
We loved the look and the relaxed vibe of the resort. There are walking trails interspersed between the lovely cottages and villas – all with their own private verandah and many overlooking the bay and ocean beyond.
The cottages are set apart from each other for privacy
Beautiful walking paths
One of the cottages
Our suite overlooked a beautiful blue bay and we absolutely loved sipping a cup of coffee every morning while enjoying this view…
The view from our “verandah”
There are two beaches on property – one that offers a variety of watersport equipment such as kayaks, SUP boards and Hobie Cats.
Watersports on the main beach
The other, referenced as “the quiet beach” by other guests we met, offers lounges interspersed in the palm trees, a sand volleyball court and a beach bar & grill called the Rasta Bar.
The “quiet beach”
In addition to the two beaches on property, there is another beautiful Antiguan beach within walking distance outside of the resort called Long Bay.
Long Bay
We appreciated the additional beach option and enjoyed looking through the small kiosks with local vendors behind the beach.
Not that you ever need to leave the resort. The all-inclusive package includes your meals and drinks,
non-motorized watersports, beach lounge chairs and umbrellas, pools and fitness room, tennis, mini-golf, shuffleboard, ping-pong and more.
18 hole miniature golf course
We especially enjoyed the evening entertainment at the main bar where guests would congregate to enjoy live music, drinks, and the company of other guests in the warm tropical breeze.
Enjoying the evening entertainment
And speaking of pools. Although we usually can’t be torn away from the beach, the Verandah had some lovely pools – a total of three, I believe, and the main one is huge and a beautiful focal point in the center of the resort.
Main pool
Adult only pool
The adult only pool was a nice touch we thought, for those not vacationing with children.
The highlights of the resort for us:
1. The suites. We loved the look and feel of the spacious individual cottages, each with a private verandah.
2. The resort doesn’t feel crowded. Although it was high season and the staff told us they were quite full, none of the amenities ever felt crowded. There were always available chairs on the beach and at the pool and the dining areas were fairly quiet – even though there were a good number of families with small children vacationing while we were there.
3. The walking paths. We love to explore and take in the surroundings and at The Verandah there are plenty of beautiful paths to walk. And, if you end up getting tired while walking or are in a particular hurry to get somewhere, wait at one of the golf cart stops and someone will be by to pick you up.
4. The grounds. The tropical grounds are beautifully landscaped.
5. The staff. Overall, The Verandah has assembled a top-notch staff that seems to truly care about their guests – and we truly appreciated their efforts.
A few tips if you decide to book a vacation at The Verandah Resort & Spa:
1. Consider booking a waterfront suite. We found it very relaxing to look at the water from our balcony everyday.
2. If you are traveling with a family or a small group, be sure to look into the 2 bedroom villa options.
3. Include a transfer to and from the airport in your travel arrangements if this is your first stay on Antigua. There are very few road signs on Antigua and if you have not visited before, it can be a challenge to find the resort – especially at night. The Verandah does, however, offer daily car rentals if you want to explore the island for a day.
4. Get dinner reservations for the Buccaneer and Nicole’s (extra surcharge) as soon as you can so you don’t miss out. We were only at The Verandah for 3 days and unfortunately missed out on experiencing The Buccaneer and Nicole’s because we didn’t plan ahead.
4. Consult the Tour & Excursion desk to find out what they offer. Although we’d rented a car for the week, we went through the Tour & Excursion desk to book a shuttle to Shirley Heights on Sunday afternoon for the BBQ and sunset party. It was a great way to experience Shirley Heights. We were able to enjoy the party, a few rum drinks and the company of other Verandah guests but didn’t have to worry about getting ourselves back to the resort.
5. Check out the other attractions nearby. Take the short hike to Devil’s Bridge, interact with stingrays on an excursion to Stingray City and explore Betty’s Hope Sugar Plantation to learn about sugar production and it’s role in Antiguan history.
We had such a good time at The Verandah Resort & Spa that we were almost reluctant to leave and head to the next resort, but were we glad we did! Stay tuned to find out about our visit to St. James’s Club, another wonderful Elite Island Resort, located on the southern tip of the island!
To find out more about The Verandah Resort & Spa:
Visit their website: The Verandah Resort & Spa
Find them on Facebook
Check out their tweets on Twitter
And see more photos on Instagram
To see more posts on Antigua and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory
Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
