Halcyon Cove by Rex Resorts

3 readers found this review helpful

on arrival we were given keys to another guests room, we then had to wait while they found us another room, arrived late so went to bed the following day we were up at 4 in the morning raring to go as our bodies thought it was 8 am english time, waited till6.30 went to breakfast staff lied told us it was 07.30 start, the hotel is very tired, staff lazy , beach lovely they have 3 bars so that night they closed 2 of them and put us in a conference room no atmosphere barman keep disappearing and the entertainment was 6 little girls doing a dance they should of not been doing and a guy banging a drum lasted 10 minutes, we decided we did not want to spend xmas at this hotel, we phoned our tour operator TROPICAL SKY not really thinking they would do anything, but they told us to get in a taxi and visit 2 other hotels after we decided what hotel we wanted to stay at, within 10 minutes they had arranged it and on return the taxi waited for us to pack, that took 5 minutes and we were gone to a wonderful hotel to enjoy christmas this hotel needs refurbishing badly and i would love to do it but until then STAY AWAY!

3 readers found this review helpful

I am very shocked by the comments which i have read as i certainly must have stayed in a different hotel.
Our room was cleaned every single day and towels were changed. The air conditioning worked faboulously as did the TV and the Fridge.
The hotel staff were very friendly and polite and attended to our every needs as and when required - except for one miserable so and so.
We never used the hotel pool - why would you want to when the beach is not even a 1 minute walk away. I wil always prefer salt to chlorine.
The town is a 5minute bus ride away but your better off getting a taxi from the hotel as its harder to get a bus into town but extremely easier getting one back to the hotel.
For the younger generation the hotel offers a free shuttle service to the main club on the island (which is good for the old and the young) and even takes you back to the hotel afterwards.
Restaurant prices are tourist prices - of course! Better to buy food from the town.
My stay was great. I have nothing to complain about and would recommend this hotel always.

1 reader found this review helpful

We were apprehensive about some poor reviews previously but had a fabulous time, food in both restaurants was first rate, acommodation and entertainment good value, all inclusive system excellent value, all employees we found to be exceptionally friendly and helpful (yes of course sometimes the responses were a bit laid back which is part of the charm of the caribbean people, but when it mattered such as when my wife fell and hurt her head the speedy and efficient help in resolving all sorts of issues was first class). The lack of hot water in some rooms was getting resolved while we were there, although we allways had hot water. I feel that some previous reviews have been a bit unfair, and other guests we spoke to, and there were many, all seemed to agree with us that it was one of the best holidays they had had. We also loved the included Hobie cat sailing, windsurfing and canoeing, and found the swimming pool clean and very attractive, (and we have a beautiful pool at home and know what we are talking about !!) Dining in the Pier restaurant overlooking the panoramic caribbean was particularly pleasant, and the entire complex was spacious with beautiful gardens and an very clean beach cleaned effectively by hand every morning very early.

This the worst place that I have ever stayed in and would not recomend to anyone. Frankly I wouldn't board my dog in it.
The place is shabby, outdated and in need of considerable refurbishment. The toilet blocks are disgusting both in the restaurant and by the beach. They reminded me of the old 1950's school toilets but at least those were clean.
There is dangerous wiring all over the resort and in the rooms. Hairdryers and trouser presses are in the rooms but don't work. Availability of first aid equipment is very limited even for simple things like an anticeptic wipe or dressing.
We had no hot water for 2 weeks with little explanation from the management let alone an apology. Reporting anything to the reception staff is a waste of time as they have little regard for guests, know very little and can't be bothered to do anything about it anyway. The management of this place leaves a lot to be desired and the attitude of the staff is very poor, although the cleaning staff are very pleasant and will usually try to help.
There is little by way of any decent entertainement led by an extremely annoying 'guest services' chap whose constant shouting and irrelevant chatter would be better suited to Butlins. Understandably hardly anyone bothers to take part or attend any of his 'events'
The food is poor, with little choice and very much the same each day. More often than not it is not labelled so you don't even know what it is let alone want to eat it. We had occasion to confront the chef over the quality of the food and the fact that it was undercooked but his attitude was "I hear what you say but it won't make any difference"
Five of us had a stand up row with the chef one morning over the fact that the milk was off but she would not accept it and told us it was ok when clearly it was sour. We left to eat elswhere.
The pool is nice but with very few sunbeds. There are sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach but most of them are in need of repair. Most of the palm umbrellas that we looked at had nails sticking out of them.
When we went in January the sea was very rough and quite deep and certainly not clear. It was dangerous to leave children unsupervised.
The Thomas rep was never there on time and got very irritated when we didn't show up to his meeting at 0830hrs the morning after we arrived. He had little concept that peope who had been travelling for 20hrs and arrived the night before might not want such an early meeting. When we did meet with him he seemed to have little knowledge of the basic facilities offered by the hotel and said that he'd have to look it up. His attitude to us left a lot to be desired. Suffice to say we didn't bother with him and found our own way around.
Don't waste your money. Go to Thailand where the people are always smiling and can't do enough for you. The hotels are lovely and it's cheap to eat, drink and shop.

We have just returned from a fourteen night holiday as group of seven in Antigua.
If you have booked this so called 3 Star resort for a holiday in the near future- please, please, cancel it now and book elsewhere.
We found it to be a huge disappointment. It felt like we have just spent two weeks in a resort in hell. The rooms were worn out, the bathrooms were unclean. The whole resort is an overall state of disrepair.
We had no hot water for 13 out of 14 days, we went to reception most evenings with towles and wash gear asking to use a room with some hot water.
One couple in our party had no toilet for three days.
The wiring is exposed in places.
There was no milk available for morning tea as the hotel had run out.
The food was variable but generally poor.
Some of the staff were pleasant. Some of the bar staff, reception staff and waitresees had a real attitude problems. Treating you as an inconvenience seemed to be the name of the game.
The beach is fairly long, but be prepared for plenty of cigarette ends etc in the sand broken sunbeds, tatty sunshades with nails sticking out .
We were not impressed by this Caribbean resort at all. It's run down, tired, has lacked any investment for so long that it should be rebuilt, its a dead resort, beyond help.

We would beg anyone not to book Halcyon Cove.

1 reader found this review helpful

If you are after a basic clean resort at a reasonable price, this is the place for you.
Incredibly friendly staff and the Warri Pier restaurant for breakfast is amazing as you are on stilts in the sea.
Had some trouble keeping up with the soft drink demand, but on the whole we had a good time.

We have just returned from a fourteen night holiday as a family of four in Antigua.
If you have booked this so called 3 Star resort for a holiday in the near future- cancel it now and book elsewhere.
We found it to be a huge disappointment. It felt like we have just spent two weeks in a hotel in Benidorm. The rooms were smelly and the bathrooms were unclean. The whole resort is an overall state of disrepair.
The staff on the whole were pleasant. The bar staff and reception staff had mega attitude problems. Treating you as an inconvenience seemed to be the name of the game.
The beach is fairly long, but be prepared for plenty of cigarette ends in the sand. We were all stung by jellyfish, but that could happen anywhere.
We were not impressed by this Caribbean resort at all. It's a pity really, as it's in a great location. There are always taxis available on site, albeit rather overpriced.
We would persuade anyone against booking Halcyon Cove.

I have just returned from this hell hole. The staff, although pleasant, never really did anything except the room maids, management is a total joke.
My son was subject to an avoidable accident in the Arawak terrace buffet, when one of the serving dishes filled with scalding hot water tipped over his foot. The staff just stood and watched, it came down to a guest who luckily for me was a doctor with a wedding party.
The bar staff were arrogant ignorant if the beer ran out if would take hours to replace it.
Staff asleep when should be working in the bar, guests having to serve themselves. Food ran out and sometimes was under cooked.
As for the rooms falling apart, electrical sockets with bare wires by a childs bed, sinks cracked and broken fridges leaking within wooden cabinets rotting the wood.
When I spoke with my rep she tried to speak with the manager but he was un-contactable for 2 days, he had told her we had been offered a free meal in the Warri pier.
When we checked at Virgins check in and chill out the rep was there again, asked us if we enjoyed the meal? We informed her there was no meal and then we were offered a room for the day instead of having to use the hospitably suite, which in all honesty is in better condition than the rooms.
Antigua was very nice but Halcyon Cove needs a lot of work and some good staff and a manager that talks to his guests and except criticism.
Would never recommend to a friend or family or my enemies for that matter.

Our party of 15 travelled to Antigua for my sister’s wedding. We were expecting Paradise Island.
Once we got to the hotel we were made to wait for 3 hours for our room key. When we finally made it to our rooms after having to find our own way there and carrying our suitcases up 2 flights of stairs, we found that the air con didn't work. I reported this the next day and finally got moved on the 5th evening (hardly any point as we only had 2 days left)
The staff were very rude - we were told that this was the Antiguan way.
One of our party needed medical assistance and we were told that there were no first aid kits on the premises.
The Bride and Groom refused to get married at this hotel and requested that the manager arrange something else. He reluctantly arranged another wedding at the Grand Pineapple and it was perfect. The staff here were the complete opposite to the staff at the Halcyon.
During our whole stay at the Halcyon we only saw the Virgin rep once.
I would not recommend this hotel to my worst enemy. If you are planning going to Antigua - go to the Grand Pineapple.

Pulling up to the Halcyon Cove, my first impression was that the hotel looked quite nice but within five minutes of sitting in the foyer waiting to check in, it was obvious that the hotel was nothing but chaotic...
After a 25 minute wait I was finally allocated a room.
My room was very spacious and overlooked the pool. I had ordered a standard room and my pool view was clearly an upgrade.
The furniture was basic and the bathroom, although clean, rather dated. My room was cleaned daily.
Staff were rude, food purchased over priced and tasteless and the beach around the hotel the worst kept stretch upon Dickinson Bay.
It was hard to believe I'd paid to be a guest, as staff were on the whole, disrespectful. I was often woken with staff shouting loudly at one another through corridors at all hours.
A cheap option for Antigua but it was the staff/management that let this place down.
Complaints fell on deaf ears and the hotel just needed a bit of TLC.