Sugar Ridge Hotel

The hotel is in a lovely location with hills behind and great views of the coast, but it is a 5-10 minute car ride to the 2 main beaches. The hotel is very obliging with providing shuttles and lifts wherever needed and has connections with the beach bars that enables people with all-inclusive, or other deals, to get drinks and food at no extra cost. They also have staff on duty to help the hotel clients whilst on the beach. Staff all very pleasant and there are lots of them, especially since the bars, restaurant, pool were all very quiet. Some seem to spend their day doing very little, although those in reception, the drivers, room staff & gardeners all keep quite busy. They have many roles and systems for everything that can be perplexing, and are often messed about with so they don’t really work as intended. Also, the lack of activity means that some get into chatting or their own thing so can be less than attentive when needed, in contrast to the busy staff who were delightful. Everything is pretty well set up - clean, nice surroundings, plenty of space, big gymnasium, spa, a shop. Car shuttles run to the rooms which are spread through the estate, some high up the hill. The main bar is usually empty and the main restaurant only busy at breakfast and mid evening. There is a second, up-market restaurant at the top of the hill called ‘Carmichael’s’ along with an infinity pool and fabulous views over Jolly Harbour. Our room was spacious, clean and very well set up with a very comfortable bed with a full mosquito net. This was comforting, but not essential as they spray the area with vaporised diesel to rid the estate of mosquitos and flies 3 times a week: something done across much of the island with very mixed outcomes (see below). We had a big balcony with lovely views over sea, hill and harbour. The menu in the main restaurant is rather restricted and unchanging: ‘catch-of-the-day’ was mahi-mahi for the 4 nights we were there. There are lots of shrimp and steaks on offer, good vegetable soup, and another vegetarian option. The quantity is ample, but the quality indifferent to quite good. Strangely for the Caribbean, fruits and salads seem to be in short supply so there’s lots of lettuce, which comprises 90 percent of their ‘signature’ salad. The wine list is small, but the wines quite drinkable - mostly chilean. Breakfasts are of indifferent quality, with a very limited free choice of bread, buns and cereal in the buffet, and an identical offering every day: again, this seems lazy. Only golden shred marmalade is openly on offer, but they do have honey if you ask for it. The fruit bowl ($9) contained only melon (not very ripe) and pineapple: tinned fruit would be tastier! Cooked breakfasts are prepared to order and not exciting: I had an omelette and some ‘pumpkin pancakes’ which were horrible - they seemed uncooked, being gooey inside. Prices are in US dollars and, to my mind, very high for what’s on offer. I was glad we were on an all-inclusive deal while the service is unpredictable, and not greatly helped by the multiplicity of staff. Carmichael’s restaurant is in a glorious position and a different proposition, with a more interesting menu and first-rate service. It is expensive, but prepared to a high standard and with great flavours on offer. The view from the infinity pool is amazing. In the main concourse is a small normal warm-water pool and a much larger long thin pool of extremely cold water which no-one swims in, although it seems only good for lengths. The pool and bar area was usually empty, and the 6 people was the most we saw: everyone is down at the beach or exploring elsewhere. The grounds are extensive and, where cared for by the team of gardeners, closely manicured. There is lots of bourgainvillia, hibiscus and other tropical flowers. The variety of wildlife is restricted by the spraying for mosquitoes (3 times a week) which kills almost all insects and affects heaven-only knows what else. There are also roaming cats and the mongooses, imported from India to eliminate snakes, but between them, these two predators must clean up any small mammal or invertebrate that might feed a more diverse biology.

This was our third time here as I am an Aveda Pure Privilege customer and get free stays every year or so. We thoroughly enjoy all aspects of this location. Room is beautiful, comfortable, and has a fabulous view of the harbor. We stayed in #5 this year. This resort is definitely for adults who prefer a quiet, low activity environment. The beaches are just a 5 minute drive in the resort jeep and the staff are very accommodating regarding when one cares to return. Nest beach is nice though can be crowded if ships are in town. Food is good there too. Bogo beach was amazing as more controlled access and the restaurant there had outstanding Indian food. I would recommend eating at the restaurants (2) at Sugar Ridge (Wednesday night great 2 for 1 value) but also be sure to visit those at the harbor (Melini's) and on the road just outside the resort (Miracle's (home cooked Caribbean)and Big Head Lobster (Pizza or Lobster). If you like Yoga be sure to visit the Shed on site for a class- had an amazing instructor and the view is spiritual in the morning. We'll be back regularly for sure!

I want to make this review in depth about a few things others haven't covered extensively. Yes, it's on a hillside and there's some hiking around involved and it would be difficult/impossible for a disabled person to get around I think. When we arrived, I was surprised. The room was exactly what was in the photos, but it was much smaller than it looks--that's careful photography. Some things in the rooms are showing wear and need attention. At first, that's what I saw. The bed is also quite firm, like a futon on a slat platform feeling. We had a long travel day, so we walked into town and had dinner, and then came back and went to bed. As I lay there, listening to little frogs peeping vigorously all night long, I thought about what I had seen on the drive from the airport to the resort--extreme poverty, like I have never seen in real life before. I thought about the fact that I was staying in conditions that the overwhelming majority of Antigua residents would never see let alone live in--and I decided to calm down and enjoy myself. I let those little frogs peep me to sleep. The next day I was refreshed and ready to enjoy myself. The bedding and towels and bathroom amenities were wonderful, and the shower was hot with excellent pressure (room 6). We had a plunge pool which felt rather deluxe. We walked down to the restaurant, where Chef Gregory had made us some vegan breakfast options--the coconut oat porridge was lovely, and they brought us a smoothie to go when we left! We stayed at Sugar Ridge on our Aveda points, and then we moved to an AirBnB for our remaining four nights. Given the price of SR, I'm glad we did this, but I don't want to downplay how much we enjoyed SR. Over our three night stay, everyone was very, very polite and kind to us, and accommodated the things we needed. Had I been paying full price, I might have asked for a few other things, but I wasn't, so I tried to be humble. You can't let yourself get annoyed that people are hustling for tips--hustling is their day job! I relaxed, tried to be generous, and loved my time here. The pools are LOVELY and we sunbathed a couple of times. They're not over chlorinated which is nice. Then, there's the INFINITY pool up high, which you need the shuttle to get to. Carmichael's is closed one night a week, and that's a good time to go up there. It was incredibly warm and beautiful, and gave us an incredible view of the Caribbean in the distance and the sunset. A magical evening! We loved this resort and our time here. We never heard another guest in their room; we couldn't hear anybody unless we went to the pools or the restaurant. We heard froggies. Cute! We met a few kittens, but they were shy and didn't bother us. We saw tiny lizards everywhere, which were so cute and they scatter so if you're scared of things like that, don't worry. Explore the beautifully manicured grounds and enjoy the gorgeous flowers and special birds. We love and miss you, Sugar Ridge!