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The Catamaran Hotel is a collection of self-catering rooms and suites on Falmouth Harbour in the south of Antigua. Set neatly on the waterfront, the small hotel is owner-managed, friendly and well looked after, so it makes a very nice hideaway within what is a lively area, particularly in the season. The modern buildings have some traditional touches - classical balustrades and antique reproduction furniture – and the rooms are decorated in bright tropical colours. The facilities are simple but good - a pool, a nice beach, some watersports and a restaurant, the Captain’s Quarters. Catamaran has all you need right at hand, so you can tuck yourself away in relative seclusion, while still being within a shout of the lively strip at English Harbour. It is well priced and low key, making it ideal for independent travellers who want a base to explore the island. A good place to stay for Antigua Sailing Week.
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KEY FEATURES
| Quiet, small Antigua hotel, pretty location for tailored weddings, 14 rooms and suites with kitchenettes. air-conditioning, ceiling fan, balconies, cable TV, coffee maker, toaster, some with half-size cookers others with hobs. Swimming pool and sundeck, restaurant, bar (evenings), watersports, WiFi in central areas, bicycles for rent. |
STYLE
| Modern Caribbean buildings using some traditional touches including classical balustrades and antique reproduction furniture, nicely presented, comfortable rooms with bright Caribbean fabrics |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Independent travellers, couples hiding away, yachtsmen on a break ashore |
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The view from the Catamaran is a lovely one. All the suites face out onto Falmouth Harbour onto the headlands of the harbour-mouth in the distance and beyond it the open sea. Masts bristle at the various marinas and sailing yachts and superyachts stand at anchor around the bay. The water changes shade through the day, glinting one minute in the sun, showing its blue colour the next. At night the lights shine and reflect in lines and squiggles in the generally calm water. When it is at its busiest there is nothing like Falmouth Harbour.
The hotel is on the northern shore of the bay. You turn off the main road into a large parking area and the small sits ahead of you, set among trees on the shoreline. There is a large stairway leading to the upper storey, but in fact the Reception is downstairs around to the right, at the front of the main building. This is your main point of contact and it is manned during the day. If you need anything arranged then it will be here. There are brochures for tours if you want to spend a day sailing for instance.
The four or five buildings that make up the resort are set right on the shoreline and they have a couple of different styles. They are obviously a modern build, but they use several traditional Caribbean features, which give the small hotel a pleasant feel. The main building, with its pillars and shallow pitched roofs, even has some echoes of the old Georgian style of Nelson’s Dockyard nearby. The basic colour of the buildings is salmon pink, which is trimmed with white – on the windows, doors and balusters. On the main building it is also trimmed with black (the balcony handrail), which gives a strong sense of contrast under the tropical sun.
The first building has a covered balcony with classical pillars and a traditional Caribbean ‘bottle’ balustrade. The balcony is actually the private sitting areas of the rooms on the ground floor, so the path leads along the front, beyond the neat flowerbeds. Beyond them you come onto the beach, where palms and other tropical seaside trees give you shade when you are sunbathing. The sand itself is light and firm and it descends gently into a shallow bay offshore.
Next to the main building is the swimming pool, which is raised on a stone base with a wooden deck surrounded by a traditional Caribbean criss-cross wooden balustrade. There are loungers on the deck. Set back behind the pool is the first of three smaller buildings which contain other rooms. These have more the feel of seaside cottages, though they continue the colour scheme of salmon pink and white trim. The two final cottages are set slightly forward, so that they give right onto the sand. They also have balconies at the front with a black and white balustrade, from where you get a lovely view of the calm bay. Catamaran is in quite a lively section of Falmouth Harbour. Just beyond the two cottages is a small marina with a restaurant and bar, Chez Françoise.
Guests gravitate between three main areas of the small hotel - the pool, the beach in front of the main building, and the restaurant. The beach, which has white sand is small but nicely kept and has shade from the palms that grow right on the shoreline. The Catamaran has some watersports equipment to keep you active and then loungers for the moments when you would like to do nothing more than sunbathe. And set on the waterfront beyond the beach is the restaurant, the Captain’s Quarters. Here there is a covered outdoor section at the front with a lovely view onto the bay and a second section indoors. This is used both as a private dining room and if a guest would prefer to be in an air-conditioned dining room (outside the deck is ventilated by ceiling fan).
The rooms at Catamaran are cheery and comfortable. They are light with white walls and bright tropical fabrics, with some nice turned wooden furniture. Most have some self-catering facilities and outside space, but there are several types of room. Some are simple suites, others are very large rooms with a living area and a full kitchen. These are the various ‘Cabins’ – Bruno’s Cabin in front of the pool and the Captain’s Cabin which is above the office. While they are air-conditioned, they have glass louvers which can be opened to allow the onshore breeze that sometimes comes in off the bay.
During the off-season this area of Antigua is very quiet and so it is an excellent hideaway from which you can explore the island. In the season it is of course a great base for all the activity – but even then the Catamaran is tucked away slightly, so you won’t be overwhelmed if you don’t want to be. |
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Beach & Swimming
There is a small strip of white sand at the Catamaran itself, directly in front of the main building. Falmouth Harbour is nearly a contained body of water and so the sea is usually calm. The hotel provides some watersports equipment including kayaks, pedalos and a small sailing dinghy.
Other beaches in the area include Pigeon Point, a good stretch of light sand on the other side of the bay. This sees lively crowds, particularly at the weekends when it is popular with the Antiguans. There is a beach bar there but no sporting facilities. There is a reef for snorkelling.
The Catamaran has a swimming pool. Set right on the waterfront, it is on a raised wooden deck surrounded by loungers. |
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Sports & Recreation
Beside the sporting equipment that Catamaran offers for use in the bay, this area of Antigua is quite a popular choice for scuba diving – there are dive sites off the southern shore - and there is a dive company based in English Harbour not far away.
There are very good opportunities for hiking in this area of Antigua, with a number of trails through the dry forest on Shirley Heights – they enable you to discover some of the district’s extraordinary history in its forts and barracks. If you would like to go horse-riding, there is an excellent stable at Spring Hill just close by. They offer trails through a remote part of the island that make their way down to a lovely beach so that you can canter along the sand and in the sea.
Massage and beauty treatments can be arranged in your room. |
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Staff
The Catamaran Hotel is owned by the Bailey family from Antigua and you will no doubt meet Feona Bailey who manages it. Other members of staff that you are quite likely to see include Nikisha, Dina and Ron. |
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The Rooms
The rooms at Catamaran are cheery and comfortable and they come in a good range, from double rooms up to large suites or ‘Cabins’, which include a sitting area and a full kitchen. Some are wooden, but most have white walls against which the bright colours of the decoration stands out well – the curtains and bedspreads are adorned with tropical flowers. Most have some catering facilities and outside space. The rooms are air-conditioned, but they can also be opened to the natural air with glass louvers which can be opened to allow the onshore breeze that sometimes comes in off the bay. |
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Dining
The dining room at the Catamaran Hotel is called the Captain’s Quarters and it is set slightly to one side of the rooms right on the waterfront from where it has an excellent view of the bay. The building, set at the rear, is divided into two, a bar and an air-conditioned indoor dining room (this can be used as a private room as well). They are both decorated in ivory and sage green and the bar makes a nice area to sit out in the cool, though in the evenings you may prefer to eat outside in the open-air on the covered deck. The fare is international with some Caribbean dishes. |
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Weddings
The Catamaran Hotel is happy to stage a wedding for you. They tailor make each ceremony, so it can be just the two of you there, or you can have all your family and friends too. The hotel will take care of all the regulations and arrange for the minister, and they can also produce an arbour for the ceremony itself and flowers for decoration and the bouquet. And then of course they can provide the cake, champagne and food for a reception. The favourite location for the ceremony is right in front of the main building, on the sand. It’s a very pretty setting and of course the view is excellent. |
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Children
Families are welcome at the Catamaran. Several of the rooms have both a double and a twin bed anyway, which is ideal for a child. They also have equipment such as cots for the rooms and high chairs for the dining room.
Baby-sitting is available at extra charge. |
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Rates
| | 16 May- 30 Nov 2009 | 01 Dec- 15 May 2009-10 | 16 May- 30 Nov 2010 | | Beach Front Room Double Single | 145 130 | 170 150 | 145 130 | | Superior View Room Double Single | 170 150 | 205 185 | 170 150 | | One-bedroom Suite Family of 4 | 185 | 220 | 185 | | Captain’s Cabin Double | 200 | 240 | 200 | | Bruno’s Cabin (Presidential Suite) Double | 210 | 250 | 210 | | Third person | 25 | 25 | 25 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, room only and are subject to 10% Service Charge and 10.5% Government Tax. Children under 12yrs stay free when sharing room with parents.
All rates are subject to change without notice. A 3 night deposit is required to secure all bookings (Visa, MasterCard and Discover Cards accepted). Cancellations received within 21 days of arrival are subject to loss of deposit. Bookings for Antigua’s annual Boat Show, Classic Regatta and Sailing Week should be made at least 6 months in advance in order to secure a firm booking, with credit card guarantee. |
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Special Offers
AUTUMN SPECIAL US$100 PER NIGHT
Pay just US$100 per night (plus taxes) for stays during September and October 2009.
Offers valid for new bookings only, cannot be combined with other offers and may be subject to change without notice. |
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How To Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with The Catamaran Hotel, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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Locality
Set on the north shore of Falmouth Harbour, the Catamaran Hotel is well situated to get the best of the south-eastern corner of the island and all its activity. At Nelson’s Dockyard, which has a lovely feel of reincarnated history, you will find a museum, several restored naval buildings and a couple of restaurants and bars. It is well worth a look. Shirley Heights also has considerable historical interest and is well worth a visit. A highlight of the week is the Sunday afternoon barbecue at Shirley Heights Lookout, where visitors and locals gather to party and watch the sunset with a drink or two and enjoy a live steel band concert, followed by a reggae band.
The English Harbour / Falmouth Harbour area is also lively for more modern reasons. It has many bars and restaurants, along Dockyard Road, plus a marina, gift shops, provisioning store, bakery, post office, ATM, bank and internet café. It should be noted however that while things are very lively in the winter season, during the middle of the summer everything is fairly quiet and a number of businesses take a couple of months holiday. |
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Meet & Greet
There is a despatch system at Antigua airport. The transfer takes 30-40 minutes and costs US$30. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport until the time that you leave, a Transfer and Concierge Service is offered by St James Travel & Tours.
If you have booked through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
There is quite a lot to do for an independent traveller in this area of Antigua, including several lovely beaches in the south-west. If you would like to explore the island by bus, then the main service to the capital St John’s runs right past the hotel. After that it is harder to get further afield.
A rental car enables you to explore the island at your own pace, to visit some of Antigua’s excellent beaches by day and then go out to the restaurants in the evenings. We recommend you book car rental in advance via your travel organiser or direct with Thrifty Car Rentals, who will deliver to the property and issue your Antiguan driving licence, price US$20. Vehicles can be left at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. Be aware that around Christmas and over the sailing festivals there can be a shortage of cars in Antigua, so you are advised to book well in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better. |
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