Galley Bay Resort, Antigua

The gorgeous Seabourn Sojourn pulled into St. Johns, Antigua on a perfectly gloomy day. I loved our last visit to the island, but we only saw it from the water. This time we were invited to spend the day at Galley Bay Resort.

We got off the ship in a light drizzle and found ourselves a taxi. After a stroll behind a couple of buildings, across a parking lot and through a gate, we

arrived at our driver’s fifteen year old Nissan with no outward markings of a taxi. As I got in the back seat, I was met with a giant eyebrow raise from FKGuy. It was a look that said “You can’t seriously think this is a good idea, right? This has sketchy written all over it.” (He says a lot with a single eyebrow raise.) I shrugged (What could go wrong?) and he got in the car. 

We had a lovely tour of where the “real people” of Antigua live, and toured quite a few neighborhoods close to the port. It was quite educational. Did you know they have 89 schools on Antigua? It seems like a lot to me, too. As our tour concluded and we arrived at the resort, the sun was just trying to come out. Our driver assured us that it would get sunny and we would enjoy the beach. (You can see where this is going, can’t you?). He asked what time to pick us back up to take us to the ship, and we agreed on a time. He then let us know that we could pay him for the entire trip once he took us back. I was stunned. People aren’t generally that trusting, but I guess he figured we had to get back to the ship somehow.

Arriving at the resort, we were in awe of the lush green surroundings. Galley Bay is situated on forty acres, which is a tremendous amount of space for a 98 room property. It is also environmentally friendly. We toured the rooms, and I have to say that I found the Gauguin cottages to be my favorite. These have a bedroom in one building and across an outdoor breezeway, a bathroom/closet. They each have private plunge pools and are completely private.  The other rooms at the resort are all beachfront, in lovely two story buildings. Any of the rooms would be a perfect place for a relaxing getaway.

Other property highlights include the spa, complete with treehouse-like massage rooms, (I’m going to need to go back just for a

massage!), a tennis court (complete with on-call instruction), bicycles for touring the property or around the neighborhood, and wedding gazebos. The beach is absolutely gorgeous, and private to the resort. There is a water sports team that will set up your beach chairs, get you out on a kayak or even take you on a sailboat. I was about to jump right in the sailboat when I saw the looming gray clouds above.

Instead, we opted for lounge chairs on the beach. I was just getting comfortable reading my book when the downpours began. Good thing this is an all-inclusive property as we headed for the tiki bar for a beverage. Even though the weather was not cooperating, we were able to relax comfortably, and enjoy a pre-lunch cocktail. We saw many other guests enjoying their time with a game or a book, but all were happy.

Possibly the single most important aspect to any vacation, at least to me, is the food. If I go to a beautiful place but the food sucks, I am not going to be happy. So I was definitely curious. We settled in for lunch at the Sea Grape Restaurant, the resort’s three-meal-a-day beachfront dining room. It is elegantly casual, and the view is spectacular. But how was the food? It was delicious. Food and service were both very good. Seafood salad appetizer and burger were both very good, while the spicy fries were wonderful. But the standout of the meal was the linguine with cockles. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the broth was garlicky – it is the kind of thing you can eat again and again. As the resort is all-inclusive, wine was in a constant state of being refilled. Our service was island-y, so you can’t be in a hurry here. Then again, you are on vacation!

Overall, Galley Bay is a gorgeous resort, and would be a wonderful place to spend a few days or a few weeks. Let me know how I can help you book your next vacation.