St. James Club & Villas - All Inclusive

If you are looking for soft sandy beaches and crystal clear water, this isn't the place for you. The bay side of the hotel is what you would expect... a murky bay. Not enjoyable, many people complaining of jelly fish stings. The ocean side has a strong current and is consistently strewn with black seaweed. Food is okay for buffet style. Overall not impressed.

We have been to each end of the Caribbean, so the color and feel of the sand and the clarity of the ocean really matter us. When we arrived at the St. James Club, it seemed outdated. The rooms were bit 80's, cracked ceiling, if-y air conditioner... but worst of all was the bed. If you have a bad back, please bring your own mattress support because you'll need it. While I was ok with the room, all that matter to me was dipping my toes in the warm ocean. The ocean side of the resort has a very strong current (also very choppy) and is full of non-stop seaweed. If you have young kids like myself you will opt for the bay side. The bay side is.. well a bay. Though it has some brown sand, the further you go into the bay the muddier the bottom. Don't expect to snorkel or find any exotic fish on the bay side. The water is only clear until about 6 feet in... then very murky. As far as the food and service, I was happier with that. The main style of food is buffet, which again with small children and picky eaters makes meal time much more manageable. The food itself is good, not great. But above what is to be expected of buffet style food. They also make a point to switch of the style/theme of food every day which is nice. Overall I would not return to the resort. When I make the effort of traveling 4+ hours with kids under the age of 2, I dream of crystal clear waters and white powder sand... not so much a murky bay.

Its not Ritz in service. Very poor activities desk. We wanted to go snorkeling and were willing to pay for private tour as well but only answer we got was that none is available. We tried three times over two days but got the same answer. Very rudimentary water activities available in Mamora Bay. Excellent resort for folks in 80's. we even saw an elderly person yell at a family for being too loud who has just checked in and were having few drinks on the Coco's Bar. Do not waste time here if interested in water sports.We were upgraded to a villa which is basically a condo!! and too far away from the main building and restaurants etc. We needed a cozy room with wet bar. Should be three star

Overall our experience was excellent. But a few areas of potential improvement; 1. Too many buffet style meals. I know many people just want to eat quantity, but a buffet is always a compromise on quality. 2. The fitness room, while good, could be better. It needs eliptical trainers. Newer bike machines. Also the treadmills, though good were badly placed. Why not have them face the ocean or at least put in TVs? No one wants to stare at a wall. Need a better intro session with someone who describes the way to make the most of the facilities. That said, the watersports were great. Staff friendly and generally very helpfull. The location devine. The room well beyond our expectation. The pools and drinks fabulous. Piccolo Mondo worth the extra (we dined there twice). I'd love to go back.

I needed a room for myself and my nephew after a week of sailing around Antigua and Barbuda. The St. James Club was reasonably priced and provided a great place to wind down after an exciting week on the windy and high seas. I relished the long hot show and the time lounging by the pool drinking refreshing rum drinks and watching the other travelers. The grounds were well kept and beautiful, although the road to the hotel is full of pot holes and stirred a lot of criticism from the warm and friendly taxi driver, [...]. The staff was all very engaging and seemed generally interested in meeting the needs of the guest. I felt the hotel was safe but the doors and locks seemed a bit flimsy to me although a safe was in the room for valuables. Don't miss taking about a half mile walk out the front gate to the nearby Hideaway restaurant which was delightful. All in all it was a very good experience and a good value for the money.

If you are looking for a classic Caribbean beach, this is not it. The Atlantic side was only okay and was infested by jellyfish so not swimmable. Had no A/C in room for 5 days, manager slow to move me to another room Not close to any activities