The Inn at English Harbour

Just got back from a week at this marvellous hotel . It was the last week of the season but all the staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time. The rooms, the food, the pool and beach made for a really relaxing time. We took the courtesy boat across to Nelsons Dockyard a couple of time, but otherwise just enjoyed the ambience of the hotel. Would happily stay there again. Top marks to all the staff for their friendly attitude. We have travelled widely in the Caribbean but this was the best yet! p.s. make sure you try the afternoon tea.

Just back from a week at this wonderful hotel. It was the very end of the season but without exception the staff went above and beyond to give us friendly and professional service. Very well done and thank you to all

Great and beautiful views! as well great service, beach house was beautiful and peaceful during all our stay!

Had a week at the Inn in May 2025. Lovely hotel and food and the staff were very attentive and friendly. Would stay again if we come back to Antigua.

With its lovely beach, rooms, great service, and a variety of food options this is the perfect place to have a relaxing holiday.

We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in this superb hotel. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we really could not fault the service and facilities afforded to us.
It is nearing the end of the season and the hotel was quiet and peaceful - just what we like! Probably the loudest thing we heard during our stay was the bird song!
We stayed in a first floor junior suite, with ample room for the 2 of us and a beautiful balcony with views of the sea and pool. The furnishing and decoration was stylish and perfect and the bed / pillows extremely comfortable.
We stayed on an all inclusive basis - This included drinks, breakfast, a two course lunch in the beach front restaurant and three courses in the restaurant for dinner (though we couldn’t always manage all these courses and meals!) The quality of food was superb, the lunch time menu was varied with specials each day, often delicious salads which we particularly enjoyed. The evening menu did not have quite so much choice, but always delicious and extremely high quality meals and interspersed with an Italian menu and a bbq beach menu once a week.
What really made our holiday was the level of service we received. Every member of staff (from reception, guest services, restaurant staff, gardeners, groundskeepers, housekeeping, security guard, beach staff, the Captain on the small boat which provides a shuttle to Nelson’s Harbour, and the drivers, who provide a shuttle up and down the hill to the restaurant) were extremely helpful and so friendly, only too happy to help with anything at all.
Will we be back - yes I’ve no doubt. It was a perfect week!
Thank you

We are very impressed with the resort and the staff. Everyone is friendly. The views, food, beach and room were beyond our expectations.

Away from the crowds

People were so friendly Stacey was so sweet

We had the most wonderful time in such a beautiful location. The pros the staff couldn’t do enough for us Sasha you were a star booking our restaurants all the time Tristan and Thomas on the beach Vere on the boat always made us laugh with our chats Stacey And.imesha in the restaurants. Stacey your willpower to stay quiet when you had a rude customer - thought you were brilliant . Also Rhiannon think I have the name wrong, but thank you for keeping our room spotless especially the balcony where I loved your birds and the slippers they were so comfy. The cons i’m so sorry but the food was so repetitive there was no change in the menus. We only went to the Terrace once and thought it was very expensive for the quality of the food. I must say we love the restaurants in Barbados they were second to none and maybe we were expecting that again. .apart from the food I cannot fault the inn. Thank you to everyone who made our holiday so special ! I miss your beautiful ocean already . One tip outside loose cannon they have a raft that you can swim to can you please put one where the buoy is for us to swim to! Melanie and Alan

I appreciate and recommend nykwilkyins’ recent review. Looking for a high quality small hotel on a beach, but without being expected to take the “all inclusive” feature of some of the more recognizable names that would keep us from wanting to go off property to try the local restaurants, I found the Inn at English Harbor on TripAdvisor and slh.com. Glad I did. It’s everything I need or want in a vacation hotel, including their restaurant, Terrace, at which my wife and I dined on our first night. Location-wise, if that’s a word, it’s basically around a (rock) corner from a well known and active tourist area, but seems isolated except for the occasional watercraft cruising in or out of English Harbor.

The Inn is as good as it gets for a stylish, boutique Caribbean hotel, with the majority of its guests of a certain age, with a sprinkling of younger Americans and maybe some honeymoon couples.
Our Junior suite was pretty good, white, light and airy, with discreet housekeeping, a Nespresso machine, but bring your own favourite capsules…. and I took the precaution of requesting a machine before arrival) and an iron and board on request to freshen up clothes.
A nice touch was complimentary vacuum flasks to fill up with cold filtered water from various locations. The tap water is totally drinkable, so I was amazed that, apart from breakfast, the only table water was imported still or sparkling at a price reflecting the air miles, storage and recycling costs. I can understand the sale of sparkling water, but not to make tap or filter water available seems a shame for a clearly environmentally concerned operator…… if the Ritz in London can do it…..
We enjoyed the food, a high standard, we’ ll really miss the lobster, and the willingness to ta produce off menu items, such as gazpacho. We were on an interesting meal plan of breakfast, tea and dinner, but no drinks (not even water….!), which meant we could go out to Nelson’s Harbour for luncn, not for any better food, but for a chance to see some quite amazing floating boy’s toys, and soak in a bit of history.
Activity on the tennis court was sadly lacking for us, and the only sailing activity was 2 Lasers. Vern, who ran the very efficient shuttle to Nelson’s Harbour, warned me that the wind in the bay was flakey, and I duly managed to capsize , but he helped me back up, all that was damaged was my pride. I had been told that there was a Sunfish, but apparently it was not available, and given the unreliable breeze, a small Hobie would be a far better option than the Lasers, plus something else more stable.

Moving on, Reception was professional and vey pleasant, and the shuttle from the rooms up to the Terrace for dinner was pretty reliable. In fact just about everyone seemed to be enjoying making our stay a memorable experience.

In summary, we had a great 10 day holiday, the location is superb, most people will not be disappointed if they are looking for style, comfort and atmosphere, as good as anywhere in the Caribbean.

This is a beautiful hotel with a luxurious old world feel. Two lovely restaurants, breakfast by the ocean is a real treat and dinner with a view equally stunning. The staff were welcoming, kind and looked after us really well. Thank you to everyone at the hotel for some excellent hospitality.

The Hotel has a nice British-colonial style. The staff is really friendly. The view from the restaurant is beautiful. Unfortunately the food could be sometimes better. So the lobster was overcooked and not good to eat. The Tea time-sandwiches were great.

Complete is the word I think best describes our stay at The Inn. This was the most pleasant vacation experience we’ve ever had, with every need and whim met with enthusiasm. Cabin 9 is right on the beach, just yards from the sea and the private jetty. The room, while not huge, has all the features you would expect. The Reef cafe is also just a few yards away. There, you enjoy breakfast, lunch, and tea served by a friendly staff. Dinner is a wonderful experience at The Terrace. The food is outstanding and they have special nights like the Italian night and a barbecue night. The highest praise I have is for the staff. To a person every one was friendly and eager to help, and seemed to genuinely enjoy engaging in conversation. Another bonus is the fact that this is a small, boutique hotel. We got to know several of our fellow guests and enjoyed seeing them each day. I really can’t say enough about The Inn. I’m very hopeful that we will be visiting here again.

It is a rare moment when you genuinely want to hug staff members upon a departure from an Inn, but we did just that. A very harmonious group of employees that extend
warmth, kindness, and helpfulness. I think we miss them more than the ever-present island breeze, and stunning view.
The Inn attracts lovely people whose temperaments are low-key, friendly, and easily approachable. We met, and struck up many conversations with quite a few guests. It was part of the daily joy. And, we noticed that almost ninety-nine percent of the guests had been to the Inn repeatedly over the years. Something you don't often hear.
The Inn's reception area is so alluring with the windows wide open allowing the delightful breeze to spill in. All so naturally beautiful, and soothing.
This is a special place to savor, and create indelible moments.

This was our fourth visit to the Inn at English Harbour and previously I have given 5 star reviews but sadly both my partner and I agree that it's not quite worthy this year of top scores. Here are our reasons and the pros and cons.

Pros
1. The resort is stunning and beautifully maintained by the gardening team.
2. The location in English harbour is terrific, you can watch all the boats passing into English Harbour. If you feel like a change of scenery in the day, the short boat ride with Captain Vere provides access to the harbour, sadly this finishes abruptly at 4pm and the times are very regimented.
3. The sand on the beach and swimming is wonderful close to the jetty, but not further along the Bay - see note about Loose Cannon below.
4. The lunch menu is fantastic and the reef restaurant a beautiful location to spend a leisurely lunch.
5. We love playing tennis and hardly any one uses the courts, good to see 8 new tennis balls had been bought, but not enough when both courts are being used. The rackets are also quite old now and could easily be replaced
6. The rooms are lovely, we have stayed in all the room levels and this time chose a cabana. It was small and convenient being next to the beach and I believe recently updated, but really needed decent sized mosquito nets over the bed as the sandflies were rife and small enough to come through the window in bathroom and vents.
7. The reception staff are wonderful as were the reef restaurant staff.

Cons
1. Each year there are obvious cuts to quality of food. When we first stayed at the resort there was fresh fruit and squeezed fruit juice delivered to the table for breakfast, now it's self serve and the juice seemed long life. The breakfast is poor, several times I had to send uncooked eggs back or simply leave uneaten, in the end I didn't order from the breakfast menu.
2. The dinner menu is limited and dated and apart from a new pasta section, the menu has not changed in the last 4 years. In our view, the food is below standard for a five star hotel and I have fed this back several times to management. At our first evening meal, fish was served semi frozen in the middle, and we saw another family walk out mid way. As we were staying half board, we chose to have lunch each day and took taxis ($30 round trip) to eat out in English Harbour we didn’t return for dinner, we love Incanto and Catherine’s Cafe
3. Although the location in the bay is beautiful, the noise from Loose Cannon is an issue. The thumping of 'house style' music throughout the day and partying at night has changed the whole perspective and clientele of the Bay. I realise this is not the hotels fault, and for some guests having Loose Cannon may be an added bonus, but the noise…
4. I didn't feel safe swimming the length of the bay due to the constant arrival of speed boats dropping youngsters off at Loose Cannon. Again, not a criticism of the hotel, but it does limit where you can safely swim.
5. They removed the dangerous rusty float that you could swim up to near the jetty, however it would have been nice to have replaced it with some of the more modern round ones for guests to relax on in the water.
6. Whilst the rooms are lovely and colonial in style, the facilities in them need updating, I would expect a 5 star resort to have a free Nespresso coffee maker or something similar for the room price paid, not a Nescafé sachet and kettle as in a Travelodge. It’s standard in the other 5 star hotels.
7. Whilst we were having lunch one day, the owners son and a model were being filmed for a promotional video right in front of the restaurant while we were eating, we were told by the staff that they are trying to attract a younger clientele. It caused quite a discussion in the restaurant, and did not go down well with the guests whom 80% I would say are retired.
8. As a returning guest, who is clearly invested in the hotel and its people, I did not feel valued and it would have been nice to at least have had some acknowledgement by the owner manager when we arrived, particularly as I had spoken directly with him several times. Many of the regular staff seemed to have left.

My partner and I love the Inn, so this has a been a challenging review to write as every time we return it’s like coming home, but sadly our recent visit has made us think twice.

Second visit to the lovely Inn. All was as it should be in this lovely oasis in the sunshine. We had a lovely upstairs larger room, 27, with a great balcony that enabled us to enjoy the outside even when it was raining.

Since our last visit 2 years ago, the addition of the buggy to run guests up and down is great, much less of a deal than a taxi. The rooms were generally in good condition - but do remember that everywhere in the real Caribbean feels the effects of the rain, sun and humidity but that is part of its charm.

This is the perfect place to watch the rowers home from the Worlds Toughest Row and they were arriving thick and fast at the end of our stay. And of course trips to Nelson’s and Falmouth and Shirley Heights etc are always fun and so easy from here.

The positives here
- extremely easy pace, very relaxing
- no kids under 10 (lovely!)
- boutique, small nature : no fights for sunbeds etc.
- charming rooms with good A/C
- breakfast, lunch, tea all lovely
- location - right by Nelson’s dockyard in a beautiful setting on the sheltered side

Possible negatives / things to be aware of
- this is a low key resort - no bling here
- as such, the rooms are lovely but not glitzy. There are little birds flitting around, the houses are made of wood and so they show the effect of the elements
- the only change from 2 years ago is Loose Cannon which has set up further round on Galleon Beach and is boom boom boom all day. It’s a pity but there’s not much the Inn can do about it. Sometimes - Sundays and when the wind is from the SE - it’s just a bit too much.

All in all though a really lovely ten days in much needed winter sun.

Staff are excellent and the huge number of repeat guests from this largely older, British clientele, speaks to the loyal following this hotel inspires (ourselves included)

We stayed as a family at the Inn over Christmas 2024 (two parents and two sons (23 & 21)). We had the best holiday ever. The Inn was perfect for our needs. Discreet, small and luxurious. There was enough action in the locality for our active sons (laser sailing, the "Loose Canon" beach bar, Shirley Heights, tennis, etc) while my wife and I enjoyed a very relaxing break sunbathing, reading and swimming. I cannot recommend it highly enough. We had been to Carlisle Bay before but this was better, especially with our sons. The area is stunning and the Inn has the best position.

The quiet, discreet 'colonial' style was just to our liking, no sign of celebs or 'influencers'! No need to get up early to reserve a lounger and so on, there are more of those than guests. The staff were amazing, creating a friendly and family atmosphere. Nothing was too much trouble. The food is outstanding, as is the wine list. Go for half board so you have flexibility over lunch or dinner. That said, expect a decent size additional bill for extras; such as drinks, taxis, wine etc.

We loved our large, ground floor junior suite/room (20) so we could just walk out to the pool/beach. But all rooms are very well appointed and much of a muchness. That said, some have Queen size beds (why?) so if you want a King sized bed make sure you ask in advance. Likewise for single beds for 'children'. Adjoining rooms can also be arranged (e.g. 29 & 30).

It is difficult to find fault. Our one bit of feedback was for the Inn to invest in a Hobby Cat for another option for sailing in Galleon Bay. We will be back once the coffers are replenished!

In a way, I am loath to write this review, because this is the type of destination location which should be a well-kept secret - in case everyone ends up going there. But that would be unfair, so here goes...

We booked with TrailFinders in the UK, and travelled non-stop Virgin Atlantic Upper-Class to Antigua (around 9 hours). On arrival in Antigua, we were met before immigration, by a very pleasant young lady carrying a board with our name on it. She then proceeded to 'spirit' us through a fast-track immigration process, baggage collection, customs and onward to our waiting transfer vehicle. Bo Tours then provided a very smooth (apart from the notorious Antiguan pot-holes!) transfer to The Inn at English Harbour.

Once at the hotel, we experienced a very relaxed welcome and transfer by buggy to our room (upper floor Junior Suite), which was spotless, and everything we had asked for, with a beautiful view across the lawn towards the sea. Despite arriving early-evening, we were then able to have a lovely dinner on the terrace, before moving into flight-recovery mode!

Throughout the week we spent at this hotel, the (high) standard of service never wavered. It always felt as though none of the facilities were under pressure. Everything was relaxed - the whole grounds were meticulously maintained, the beach sun-beds were dotted around in pairs under the palm trees (as opposed to regimented ranks), the beach attendants were always attentive when required - but otherwise unobtrusive, cool towels and cool fruit were offered to sunbathers. Lunch in the beach restaurant was magnificent, afternoon tea with refined sandwiches and cakes just HAD to be done, and evening meals in the Terrace restaurant - up the hill (by regular electric buggy service!) - was an absolute pleasure overlooking the surrounding attractive scenery. All guests dressing in smart casual - or better, added to the understated elegant ambience this hotel offers. We understand the hotel is owned and operated by an Italian family - with taste!

It was so pleasant at this hotel; we found it difficult to drag ourselves away in order to experience the other attractions Antigua has to offer. That said, we took three trips in an air-conditioned taxi organised by the hotel: one to a quirky tea house at what was once a sugar plantation, another to experience feeding giant turtles on an offshore sanctuary island, and one to swim with stingrays on an offshore sandbank - 'Stingray City' - arguably the best experience on the island! The hotel also runs a free boat taxi, 10 mins from their own jetty round into Falmouth Harbour next door, where there is a museum of British Naval history, a small market and eating establishments. When we were there the Charter Yacht Show was in progress, so the harbour was buzzing, and contained some of the most opulent yachts available for charter!

Overall, we could not fault any aspect of our holiday, and in many ways it surpassed our expectations. If not booking meals in advance, you should be aware that main courses at lunch and dinner come in at around 35USD per person, plus drinks, but as long as you are prepared for this, we can say without doubt, you will feel you had value for money and a very relaxing experience at this truly exceptional hotel. We would love to return!