Very comfortable stay at Jolly Harbour

Guest: j&j (Tacoma WA)
Date of Stay: 01/24/11 Review Submitted: 02/14/11

Our 5 night stay at Jolly Harbour Villa was all we could have asked for a base from which to explore the western side of the island. Everything we could have needed was available, even down to the beach tote cooler bag. I appreciated the note book with local info. The new italian restaurant was very good, Castaways, though on the right beach was a bit overpriced. We enjoyed the deck for breakfast in the morning, and all the Johnny Depp pirate movies with some local rum in the evening. Thank You j&j

Owner response:Thank you for your comments. We really appreciated the opportunity to host you during your vacation.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car.

Perfect

Guest: Len (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/13/11 Review Submitted: 02/09/11

Perfect I agree with everything that has been said below and I would like to add my thanks to you for the opportunity to make myself at home in your villa. (The shower head was repaired, by the way.) The fact that the patio faces east was a bonus for me as sunrise is my favourite time of the day. I was there during a full moon and was blessed with the opportunity of sitting on the patio and watching it rise over the hills as the tree frogs chirped pleasantly all around. I thank you for recommending a car rental as there is so much to see on the island. It also allows one to meet the locals when one gets lost. I met many polite and friendly Antiguans in this manner. Aside from the Sunday fun-filled evening barbecue at Shirley Heights and the fascinating history of Nelson's Dockyard your guests must visit little-known Valley Church Beach which is about a five minute drive south of Jolly Harbour. The beach is pristine, there are plenty of shady palm trees nearby and the Nest Bar & Restaurant serves a deep fried coconut shrimp dish with a home made sauce that is to die for. I would also recommend any one of the Adventure Antigua boat tours. I took the full day eXtreme tour which circumnavigates the whole island with several stops that you cannot get to by car, including a swim in Rendezvous Bay, snorkelling near English Harbour and feeding the fish at Stingray City. A tasty hot lunch and refreshments are served on a quiet secluded beach. The crew will also provide you with a wealth of unique information about the island. My ten days were not enough and I would gladly return at your villa. It's perfect.

Owner response:Thank you for your comments. Antigua is a wonderful island that offers a variety of activities to take advantage of. Jolly Harbour is central to all the choices, which makes our villa location ideal in taking advantage of those opportunities.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Great Location

Guest: Trisha (Ft Collins, CO)
Date of Stay: 01/06/11 Review Submitted: 01/17/11

Hi Elton – we just got back and wanted to send a thank you for letting us use your villa at Jolly Harbor. That is the place to stay on Antigua – the location is perfect with some of the best beaches readily accessible. We drove all around the island – not an easy venture with the narrow roads, animals and pot holes !! and feel that we got a good sense of the beauty of the island. The villa is very comfortable and spacious. The new bathrooms are very nice – JoAnn said that she is still waiting on new mirrors to finish it out but it looked good. The shower head in the master bath was leaking so we told Joann so that she could get it fixed. Not bad but you don’t want to have a problem down the road. Joann was able to let our friend Margaret in when she arrived so that was very lucky – we appreciate it. Thanks again – if you every get to Colorado and want to rent our condo in Breckenridge just let us know. T & T

Owner response:We are very happy that you were able to explore much of what Antigua has to offer. The island is made up of much more than beaches. The history, art galleries and museums along with other sites and activities such as Harmony Hall, Betty's Hope and the Ft James fortifications make for a memorable vacation.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Awesome Time

Guest: Wpg MB (Manitoba, Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/11/10 Review Submitted: 06/15/10

Just wanted to thank you sooooo much – we had an awesome time. Your villa is perfect and everything is in the area. Did the Barbuda day trip (absolutely wonderful) and the Shirley Heights Sunday barbeque (what a blast). Just a lot of R & R and some touring. Wonderful time. Have certainly recommended your place to some people at work as well as Craig has done the same. Definitely looking forward to a return trip some time in the future. Thanks again!

Owner response:The great thing about a vacation is being sure to enjoy the local flavour. Way to go!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Antigua was Awesome!

Guest: TG - Lee, IL (Lee, IL)
Date of Stay: 03/26/10 Review Submitted: 04/11/10

Hi Elton. Just getting to my personal e-mail as I was swamped getting back to work this week. Antigua was awesome! We are definitely going back! Your place was well appointed and comfortable. I especially enjoyed sitting on your patio drinking tea in the mornings. Jolly Harbour was perfect for us and I found it great to run in the morning on the island just across from your Villa. We toured the island by jeep and had a lot of fun. As you suggested, we made it to English and Falmouth Harbours as well as Shirley Heights. How beautiful! This is a must for any visitor. We did not make the barbeque on Sunday night as we were not sure we wanted to do that drive at night. There were so many beaches to explore. We did some snorkeling off Long Bay , made the Zip Line Tour, and enjoyed cocktails at sundown at Castaways. Thank you so much for allowing us to stay at your home. We had a fabulous time and can not wait to return! Warm Regards,

Owner response:Great to hear you are back and well rested. The great thing about a vacation using a private residence is that you really can live to your own pace and lifestyle. While at the same time enjoy the sites and functions you feel comfortable about.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Raha (Waunakee, WI, USA)
Date of Stay: 01/12/10 Review Submitted: 01/12/10

Hi Elton, We had a really nice time in Antigua. JoAnn took good care of us. We really enjoyed having breakfast each morning on the deck. Thanks for you recommendation on Shirley Heights. It was really a good time and the food was excellent. We also really enjoyed dining at Al Porto and having drinks at the Foredeck. Mike and I would definitely come back to Antigua in the future. Best regards, Carmen

Owner response:Our on site manager JoAnn is always there to assist in any way. We are very happy to hear you had a great time.

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Guest: Jennifer and Mark (-)
Date of Stay: 08/03/09 Review Submitted: 08/03/09

Just a quick note to let you know that we are back home safely. Thank you SO much for the use of your villa. We had a wonderful vacation. Claudette and Joanne were wonderful. Claudette cooked a huge meal for us on Friday evening and it was just fabulous.

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Guest: Matt & Lindsay (Calgary, AB)
Date of Stay: 07/21/09 Review Submitted: 07/21/09

Hi Elton & Jayne, Thank you very much for letting us enjoy your villa, it was everything we needed and more! The villa itself was clean and well equipped as your other guests have mentioned. The washing machine was definitely a bonus. We cooked most of our meals in the villa and enjoyed them overlooking the water from the patio. We actually did not rent a golf cart and found all the walking to be very enjoyable. It was around 20 minutes to the Epicurean and 25 to Castaways and South Beach. We went swimming every day at the North beach, which was beautiful and even ventured down the beach around the point to find more secluded beaches. We tried to fit in as many activities as we could while we were there. The catamaran trip around the island was beautiful and well worth the $120. Although the snorkeling spot they chose wasn't the best, we still would recommend the trip. For great snorkeling we went to Cades Reef where we saw an abundance of beautiful fish and even a stingray! Thank you for letting us have the use of your golf clubs. We played a round of golf at the Jolly Harbour course which was beautiful as well. Also, we were able to pay a small fee to use the gym facilities at Jolly Harbour Golf Course. We did rent a car for three days from the Hertz in Jolly Harbour for $35/ day plus a $20 driver’s license. The car allowed us the freedom to explore the island. We went to the Saturday morning food market in St. John to stock up on fresh produce and ventured from Devil's bridge to Nelson's Dockyard, all worth visiting. The two weeks we spent at Jolly Harbour was the most relaxing holiday we have had yet. Thanks again.

Owner response:Antigua is a beautiful island with as many activities as you want to take advantage of. The most beneficial is total relaxation! Thank you for your comments.

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Guest: Nancy Brown2 (Ketchikan, Alaska)
Date of Stay: 05/15/09 Review Submitted: 05/15/09

Thank you for making the process, from reservation to check in, run so smoothly. It was a wonderful surprise to arrive to a stocked refrigerator. The villa was very comfortable and the new furniture very nice. Breakfast on the patio is a must. Thanks again!

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 03/26/09 Review Submitted: 03/26/09

Hi Elton,Really sorry I haven’t emailed you before now, it was easy to soon get into real life again unfortunately! Your villa was great - we really enjoyed it and found it had everything we needed. The kitchen was the best equipped for a holiday let that we have ever had. Stewart cooked a lot of meals in there and made full use of the facilities! We went to Antigua primarily for the cricket. If you have not heard what happened at the Sir Viv Richards stadium, there were only 10 balls bowled before the match was abandoned due to an unfit playing surface. Fortunately for us, the match was rearranged and held at the Antigua Recreation Ground instead. What an atmosphere! We enjoyed 5 excellent days of test cricket which ended in the West Indies holding on for a well earned draw. The experience of the cricket allowed us to mix with some great local people and to try local food which we really enjoyed. Stewart's favourites included red snapper, the local steamed fish, the roti and the macaroni pie. I had lots of variations of chicken and we both sampled the Wadadli beer! Aside from the cricket, we explored St Johns, English Harbour, Betty's Hope, Darkwood beach, Half Moon Bay, Nelson's dockyard and Pigeon Beach so we certainly packed a lot in! The beach at Jolly Harbour was lovely, I enjoyed swimming in the sea and we loved the sunsets. The cars we hired were from a man called Benji who we found through the lady who hired us the bikes from Paradise rentals. She was very helpful and friendly.All in all it was a really good holiday.Thank you for letting us stay there and we will have no hesitation to recommend your villa to family and friends. Kind Regards Anna and Stewart

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