My new husband and I have just returned from our 2 week honeymoon at Blue Waters and we feel we would like to add to trip advisor having read the reviews religiously before our trip. We travelled with Virgin and upgraded to Premium Economy - what a great start to the holiday, the seats, service and food were amazing. Our bags came off first and we had separate transfers to the hotel because of this upgrade, therefore checking in before the main rush of people. The taxi ride was about 20 minutes and wasn't too bad - at least the taxi's had air conditioning. We arrived at Blue Waters and were greeted with an ice cold towel and rum punch which was very appreciated. We were then whisked up to our room which was number 108 - a deluxe room which we got automatically upgraded to because it was our honeymoon. The view out of the room was fantastic - right on the sea front, the room was great, clean, comfortable, with a bath and shower. The air conditioning kept the room cool - but remember to keep this on constant as at first ours was on a timer and we would wake up in the middle of the night very hot! Breakfasts were great - generally what you would expect from an all inclusive, bacon, eggs, omelette station, plenty of fruit, cereals, breads and pastries with a selection of fruit juices, yoghurts and water so you could have as little or as much as you wanted. Lunches were varied - there sometimes were BBQs which were a big hit with my husband who always asked for 'plenty meat'. There were steaks, fish, chicken, burgers and sausages with salads and potatoes. Other lunch menus included stir frys as well as ordering off the menu which were sandwiches, salads, larger meals and pizza. Plenty for everyone basically. There was wine available at lunch and also drinks from the bar. Credit to the waiting staff, they were always brilliant in keeping your water glass topped up to make sure you didn't get de-hydrated from the sun. Dinner in both Palms and Vivien's had to be booked at lunch or breakfast. This initially annoyed us, but you got used to it and they are relatively flexible with regards to being 15 mins early or late. This is basically because nearly all evening meals are a la carte so it is understandable they need to know what the numbers are for the evening. Wine is on offer by the glass, but if you have it by the bottle you will be charged - they will keep both your water and wine glass topped up so this is not a problem. The food is outstanding! The choice each night was usually out of 4 or 5 starters and mains and about 3 desserts. All freshly prepared and really tasty...not the usually mass produced buffets you expect with an all inclusive. We spoke with the chef and he started in the Cove then was brought over to Blue Waters to update and improve the menu - he definitely has done this in both Palms and Vivien's as the food was delicious. Be aware though that the menu in Palms changes every evening, but only changes every week in Vivien's. If you get the opportunity go to the Cove - you usually have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance but it is definitely worth it. For a supplement of $30 per person for 3 courses, the food is absolutely fabulous....we have eaten in very good restaurants in the past; Michelin starred, Raymond Blanc etc but this is definitely one of the best; the presentation and flavours are beautiful. The setting is lovely too - so if you try and get there at around 7.15pm you will get first choice to sit on the terrace which just adds to the atmosphere. Here we had a bottle of house wine and didn't get charged so that all helped. The beaches are small but great - they are sandy and the sea is blue but because the sand is so fine the sea is slightly cloudy - this is not a problem though because if you want to snorkel watersports can take you to a smaller island. On the beach there are about 6 sun shades with beds, and we were usually the first there at about 8.30 so got the same sport each time but the beach and the pool didn't actually start filling up until 10am. The watersports available are the catamaran, peddalo and kayaks. There is also a pontoon in the sea which you can swim out to and dive off which is a good touch. The pools are good - the one next to the pool bar is deeper (about 9m) and slightly smaller than the other main pool. The sun beds here are very comfy and you can also get bar snacks from this bar too. The infinity pool has a bar with more sunbeds looking out onto the sea and this also has a bar. The bar staff bring around water at regular intervals and cold towels which really helped. There is also an adults only pool which is smaller. We didn't go to this one though because it looked a bit quiet. We went to Shirley Heights on the Sunday with the shuttle from the hotel. This cost $22 per person return and is definitely a must. The views are fantastic and it is a really good atmosphere with the steel band. We also did the circumnavigation tour. You have a number of different options - if you are with Virgin you can do the 'Excellence' which is a powered catamaran around the island which you have to get from St Johns so a shuttle taxi takes you there. You get back at about 3.30pm with this one. The other two (Wadali and Treasure Island) have exactly the same route; around the island, stop off at Green Island for snorkelling and food, tour round Nelson's Dockyard and English Harbour then back...however these are sailing catamarans and they pick you up from the hotel beach at 10am and you get back about 5.30pm. We wanted to do the sailing one, and glad we did as there was only 15 people on our boat so plenty of room, the Excellence one sometimes has up to 80 people on it. The Excellence one costs $99 per person and the others are $110-120 per person. The hotel staff are lovely and we did not have a bad word to say about them - they are laid back but that is the Antiguan style, but they are always friendly and will always help and pour you drinks. The drinks are plenty - a huge choice of cocktails and they will always make one up for you. There is also a mini bar in your room which can be stocked just by filling in a form and leaving it on your door. We used the gym quite a lot as we were eating so much and the gym was very good - it had all the latest equipment and a squat rack (which my husband was very pleased about) it is also very cool in there so is a nice break from the heat. The only negative I would have is the mosquitoes. The hotel sells something called 'Off' which is a spray which is only 15% deet. We bought some spray from Boots which was 50% deet. I would suggest you go to a camping shop and buy some spray which is 80-100% deet as this may work. Also remember (which we didn't) that you need to re-apply every 4 hours as we realised that most of our bites were at breakfast in the morning when we didn't apply spray. This is in all fairness part and parcel of going to the Caribbean and you just need to make sure you take the necessary precautions - also I found drinking copious amounts of Gin & Tonic helped! Just to sum up then after my lengthy essay here, we had an amazing time, the hotel, grounds and food were perfect. We loved Antigua and have recommended the hotel to both of our parents who are planning their trip there now! We would also recommend travelling with Virgin as well as the 'check in, chill out' service they did for the return flight meant that we spent all day by the pool without having to wait around for hours in an airport in the hotel lobby with big suitcases. We had a wonderful time and met some great people.

My wife & I have just returned from 10 days in Blue Waters Hotel. We chose the location as we wanted a quiet relaxing holiday and we got exactly what we wanted. We travelled independently so needed to get a taxi from the airport to the hotel. I am always concerned about making sure that any taxi I use is official. At this airport, there is a taxi dispatch stand immediately outside arrivals who tell you how much your taxi will cost and direct you to a driver. Taxi's base their charges on a published list so you are not 'ripped-off'. see this link - www.antigua-barbuda.org/Agtsp01.htm#taxis The hotel welcomes you with a rum punch and cold towels - very welcome. The whole booking-in process is very rapid and you are quickly in your room. We were changed and straight out again to look around. We booked a Superior Hillside Room but I think that we were upgraded to a Delux Beachfront Room - nobody told us this but the description fitted the Beachfront. The position of the room was great as you could lie in bed and listen to the gentle waves lapping on the beach - what a great way to wake up in the morning. We were on the All Inclusive package so this meant you could place an order for your minibar, except on Sundays - the day we arrived. Actually we rarely used the minibar but it would have been good to have had something waiting for us on arrival - maybe some snacks in there as well rather than having to buy them from the gift shop. On arrival we tried to book restaurants, wanting to try Vyviens as soon as possible but it was full on Sunday and closed on Monday, so we had to eat in Palms both of these nights. I would recommend to any traveller to contact the hotel before arrival to book Vyvians in case the hotel is busy. The location is great, the gardens are very well kept with some fantastic trees and plants. The sea is a gorgeous blue colour and everything is very calm and peaceful. The main beach is small and not normally too busy. There are sufficient sun beds on the beach to cope with demand but the shadey spots are limited and in demand. There is only a few canopies on the beach and the best ones are reserved with towels by 07:30am - sometimes earlier. It is us Brits who do this so don't criticise other European nationalities. Beach towels are provided by the hotel so you don't need to take your own. The best beds by the pools also get reserved by 08:30am so if the hotel is busy you need to get out early - don't lie-in and expect to get a good spot. Breakfast is served in Palms Restaurant. It is very adequate with a good selection of fruit, cereals, cooked items and pastries. Unfortunately the selection nevers changes and the most exciting area is the egg chef. Lunch is also served in Palms and could be from a menu or often was varied to include barbeques. Again the quality was fine. Afternoon tea is served between 4-5pm (in the open air area of Palms). We only went to this once as we didn't enjoy the pastries being served and actually preferred to have a coffee from the pool bar. Evening meals are served in either Palms or Vyviens. Although the food in Palms was fine, the experience in Vyvians is so much better. The only downside is that Vyvians only changes it's menu weekly and some items can run-out if you have a late booking (we could not order steak at 9pm). The wine included on the All-Inclusive package is very average with a very limited selection. You pay extra for anything other than the house wines. We went to the Cove Restaurant once but did not feel it was good value for money - you have to a subsidy if you are on the All Inclusive package. The best element of this restaurant is the position and views across the sea but it is dark by 7:30pm so this is no longer a benefit. There is entertainment most nights. This was always a small group playing different types of music - no variation. The water sports centre personnel are great, very welcoming and helpful. I went snorkelling and learnt how to sail, in both cases the staff were patient and helpful, allowing you to spend as much time as you wanted in the activities. When we went snorkelling, the Sandals boat arrived after us and left before us with our guide telling us to take as long as we wanted. Nearly all the staff in the hotel were great and really helpful, obviously there was the odd exception. The cocktails are great with an extensive menu but beware as some are so strong that they can ruin your evening. My absolute favourite was the BBC (Baileys, Banana & Coconut slush). Unfortunately they ran out of BAILEYS and were using an inferior substitute for 2 days. There was a wedding most days which was great to see, although if you are planning a wedding, ask to be booked into Vyvians for the Wedding Evening meal unless you want to be sitting in the larger Palms restaurant with the majority of Hotel guests. Our biggest annoyance in the area is the Mosquitoes. Almost everybody in the hotel had multiple bites from Mosquitoes on their legs. It took me a while to work out why this was and it was only after 7 days that I realised we were been bitten whilst using Palms Restuarant. After that we asked to be seated outside the main area when using the restaurant. I'm not sure if there is a time of the year when mosquitoes are most prevelant but make sure you take repellent for you and your room. We found that a very good repellent is ctually an Avon product called Skin So Soft -[--] Overall, we had a good quiet vacation and although you will not be dissapointed with the Hotel, it really needs more attention to detail to make it an outstanding stay. We were compairing our stay at this hotel with a previous All Inclusive holiday at Legends in Mauritius in 2007 where we felt the whole experience was better.