Residences at Nonsuch Bay Antigua

The Nonsuch bay resort is very relaxing with a ton of water sports to choose from, most of which are free or little cost. The kids club is absolutely amazing!!! My kids never wanted to leave. They do such amazing things with the kids, such as making rice Krispy treats, teaching them to sail, swimming, boating, finding interesting wildlife. It was the best kids camp I've ever encountered. The downside is the hotel restaurant. Lunch is awesome, slow but great and good value. Dinner is very over priced, and slow as can be. Few food modifications are welcomed. For me sitting for 2 hours with 3 kids who have been in sun and sand all day is a disaster. The kids meals are $20 USD for dinner. Way over priced. The hotel needs a snack bar. Informal, inexpensive, fast.

First, about the hotel. We booked one of the villas, which was fantastic for a family of five. We had more space than we needed. The decor was beautiful and the staff was excellent. The little pool in the garden was unnecessary and we did not use it -- it was small, (think large cold bathtub) freezing and there are better pools on the actual resort. The food at the restaurants was great -- made everyone including two vegetarians happy. Now, about the location -- the resort is on the Atlantic side not on the Caribbean side and it's very noticeable. The beach (sand and water) on the hotel location is small and filled with weeds so you can't really swim -- it was actually kind of gross. There isn't really any sea life, so snorkeling is also out. Honestly, we felt kind of trapped in the hotel as there is nothing close by. You definitely need a car and that in itself is an adventure as the roads are terrible -- some of the worst in the Caribbean that I've ever seen. We found beaches that were excellent and about 30 minutes away by car, but again, you need a car. Also, unlike other islands, renting a 5-seat car cost us $450 for six days, which I thought was ridiculous but totally worth it because YOU NEED A CAR if you book here. This resort is pretty great if you want to do nothing but sleep and read. If you're looking for water sports, adventures and awesome beaches, look elsewhere.