The Good

Great beach - probably the best on the island and right next to Sandals. The pier restaurant is in a great position. The view from the top of the hill is also superb.
The price we paid represents good value for money - if you want luxury you should be prepared to pay a premium
Julien has the biggest smile and should be given an award for being the best ever waitress. Service otherwise is generally ok.
The al la carte food in the pier restaurant is very good.
Car hire is inexpensive and safe. You must get out and see the island - it is truly beautiful - especially around Shirley Heights.

The Bad

Bad #1: The hotel is in the process of a 'refurbishment'. The reality is that its in a very tired stated and is receiving only very minor treatment. Ever heard the phrase 'lipstick on a pig' ?

Bad #2: Unless you seriously like burgers and cheap hot dogs on plastic plates every single day (with absolutely no variation), then expect to get changed every lunchtime and hike back up to the main restaurant. What a shame the pier restaurant can't be used for lunch - it has the facilities and the views.

The Ugly

Ugly #1: The old restaurant sitting on the hill above the hotel is rented out for private parties. Even though it is still owned by the hotel, the management take no responsibility / action when the music is deafening and still going strong at 2.30am. This night was probably the worse any of the guests had experienced in their lives - even the Sandals guests were affected !

Ugly #2: Heather Williams the bartender in the Carib bar is probabaly the rudest person in the world. Tip for Heather - find a job that does not include customer service !

I've been to Antigua four times and am about to embark on my fifth trip, with stays at the Rex Halcyon, and sister hotel Hawksbill.

To put my review in context, I stayed at The four star (should be five) Colony Club on the west coast of Barbados last year, and have visited Tobago, St Martin/St Marteen, St Lucia and Anguilla.

The Rex is a cheap and basic hotel and unlike many offers room only or all-inclusive. If you don't have to go all-inclusive DON'T as there are a fine selection of bars and restaurants offering everything from BBQ chicken to Lobster tehrmidor all within walking distance along one of the most spectacular beaches in the Caribbean.

Previous reviews have critisised peeling wallpaper, rusty bath taps etc. Come on! How long will you spend in your room when you're not actually sleeping?

Get up early, if you're on room only you can charge breakfast to your room or better still walk along to Coconut Grove or The Beach which both offered breakfast last time I was there.

And here's another tip: the Virgin flight from London arrives about 1.30pm (W,F,S), so unless you're unlucky you'll get an afternoon on the beach the day you arrive - especially if you take the short, cheap cab-ride.

I've only ever paid about £55 to £60 per nigth for the Rex. Of course you can pay £150 a night for west coast Barbados but the beaches are nowhere near as good, lack the informal local bars and you'll be cabbing it nightly to restaurants where it can be hard to eat economically or informally.

A minor air-con leak during one stay at the Rex, which was a simple case of mopping up water, which I mentioned in passing; saw the staff leave me a half bottle of rum and platter of fruit in my room so I even felt I was being rewarded for something that I'd not even complained about.

And you definitely have to make allowances for the relaxed way-of-life and attitude of the hotel's staff which I think many reviewers fresh from NYC or London often mistake for "couldn't care less".

It's worth bearing in mind that the combination of cruises and all-inclusive deals is stifling the local bars - if you do go all inclusive - take a night or two off and support the local people with your custom, there at least five venues a short walk along the beach.

Also, if you've travelled five star, and I have to an extent, sometimes you feel obliged to take part in and eat/drink everything that's going - that's definitely not the case at the Rex. Take an early morning walk from the hotel along the beach to the headland (more than a mile or so) and I'm fairly confident you'll see why the Rex, is in my opinion situated in one of the best locations in the Eastern Caribbean.

We have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Halcyon and loved every minute of it. Having read previous reports I was a bit dubious about what we would find but I'm so glad we ignored them now.
The Hotel was clean and our room had far more facilities than we expected from the brochure. Whilst the room wasn't super luxury, it was cleaned daily, had a comfy huge bed, the air conditioning was excellent and everything worked fine. Plenty of hot water when we needed it, so what more do you need? Taking into account the cost of staying there compared to other hotels I think it was brilliant value for money.
The food was lovely. We expected to eat out a lot but enjoyed the food from the buffet so much that we ate there most of the time. The staff were friendly and polite and there was a huge choice of food for all 3 meals so you could always find something you liked.
The beach bar was very close to the sunbeds so getting drinks during the day was no problem, again very friendly staff.
The entertainment during the day was low budget but hilarious! One of the favourites was cricket on the beach, I don't think we found any future champions! In the evenings there was always something on at the beach bar, fire eaters, steel bands, singers, so there was something to do each night after dinner.
The beach was clean and beautiful with comfy sunbeds and plenty of shade available.
In all I think it depends what you want out of a holiday. We wanted sun, fun and relaxation with good food & drink and feel we got it. If you are looking for 5 star luxury being waiting on hand and foot with gourmet dinners you won't get it.
We would definately go back again.

We went to this resort in 2006 as a family group and are due back this year with an even larger group. We have been reading the reviews and feel that this hotel is being wrongly slated. If you want the full 5 star experience during a holiday then pay the 5 star money. This is a budget family hotel with a lovely beach. My young daughter had a lovely time there likewise, the teenager in our group and also the 20 year old. The rooms were cleaned every day, the staff were always polite and friendly and helpful. Our toilet got blocked one morning and it was repaired by the time we got back from the beach
The breakfasts were wonderful but we ate out in the evenings as it was nice to get out and about.
Yes the evening entertainment was not the best but whatever they put on we participated and enjoyed ourselves
The beach is reportedly one of the best beaches on the island and we found it to be so. If there is a problem with cigarette butts and glass bottles then that problem is not the fault of the hotel, it is the fault of the holidaymaker who drop their butts and bottles. Would these people drop their butts and bottles on their living room carpets? Need I say more. The resort cannot be expected to have someone standing and watching and waiting for a cigarette butt to be dropped. So for you smokers and drinkers be more considerate.
Going on holiday is not about finding all the worst factors but about enjoying all the good ones and making the best of your situation. If you don't attempt to enjoy yourself then yes you have wasted your money!!