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Style: Simply furnished, contemporary Caribbean rental villa, suitable for families
The Beach: Downhill walking distance of Galleon Beach’s quarter mile curve of glorious white sand with beautiful, calm waters and excellent swimming
The Rooms: 3 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms
Key features: An Antigua villa rental with good privacy from its lofty position, swimming pool (8ft x 18ft), cable TV. Set within the 20 acre Galleon Beach resort within Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, good beach, complimentary use of 2 tennis courts, non-motorised watersports, ferry service to English Harbour. Commissary, restaurant and bar.
Children: Welcome
Staff: Countess is provided with a daily hotel-style maid service. Baby-sitters are available on request for an additional charge (around US$8 per hour) and a local cook can be provided for US$40 a day to prepare two meals of choice, from breakfast, lunch or dinner. |
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Description
Located in the rear corner of Galleon Beach resort, Countess is built into the steep hillside over two levels and has superb views across the bay. It has a contemporary Caribbean flavour and has been simply furnished with white wicker furnishings and floral fabrics, with cooling white tiled floors, exposed white painted ceiling and white walls. Its spacious living and dining room has French doors that lead out to a covered veranda running along the whole front of the villa. Here you will find an area for alfresco dining and an area to relax and enjoy the views to English Harbour.
The veranda also extends around the side of the villa to the small pool area. The swimming pool itself has been built into the hillside and is surrounded on two sides by a wooden sun deck on the other two by a colourful hand painted back splash. Tucked away in the corner of the villa and resort, the pool is very private, but it still has wonderful views to Freeman’s Bay and on a clear day Montserrat. The compact kitchen is located off the living area and also has access onto the veranda. Countess has three air-conditioned bedrooms that lead off the main living area. They all have twin beds and en suite shower rooms.
Galleon Beach is a small resort on the eastern side of English Harbour, laid out in leisurely gardens, with land that slopes gradually away from the beach, becoming steadily steeper until it turns into cliffs. It is on the opposite shore from the activity of Nelson’s Dockyard so it is within a shout of all the action, but it is also quiet and slightly secluded, enabling you to escape when you want to. |
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Beach & Swimming
An approximate 5 minute walk down (longer back up) the hill through the resort gardens to Galleon Beach, a quarter mile curve of glorious white sand with beautiful, calm waters and excellent swimming. A coral reef approximately 75ft off shore offers good snorkelling. As part of the National Park there is a small public picnic area to the north end of the beach, which has wooden picnic benches with umbrellas set on an area of lawn just above the beach.
Countess has its own swimming pool (8ft x 18ft and 6ft deep) which has been built into the hillside and is surrounded on two sides by a wooden sun deck on the other two by a colourful hand painted back splash. |
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Sports & Recreation
Guests at Countess benefit from full use of the facilities at Galleon Beach including two tennis courts (rubberized asphalt) for daytime play, with rackets and balls available from reception. Non-motorised watersports are complimentary to all guests and include single & double kayaks, sunfish sail boats, windsurfers and snorkelling gear.
The resort’s recently refurbished Calabash Restaurant & Lounge is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the season, when there is also live entertainment a couple of nights a week. The menu includes both local and international fare using farm fresh local produce and catch of the day from local fishermen. A free, high speed internet service is available for diners in the lounge, which has several wireless laptops set-up for internet use. |
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Weddings
Galleon Beach is an idyllic spot for a low key wedding on the beach or out on the jetty. A basic wedding package is available (which can be adjusted to suit) and would include: wedding registration & licence, marriage officer, tropical wedding bouquet (flowers from the resort), flowers in and around the villa, button corsage for groom and Champagne for the toast. Wedding video, photographer and wedding cake can also be arranged. |
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Locality
Galleon Beach is set within the National Park at English Harbour and the historic Nelson’s Dockyard is just minutes away by water taxi and less than 10 minutes by car. English Harbour is a haven for yachtsmen, many of whom are in residence during the winter season and then who arrive in droves for the famous Antigua Sailing Week towards the end of April. The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (April) and the Nicholson Charter Boat Show (December) also pull in the crowds. The English Harbour area has many bars and restaurants, a marina, gift shops, provisioning store, bakery, post office, ATM, bank, internet café, a craft market, museum and of course the historic docks. 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.
Just along the beach from Galleon Beach is the Inn at English Harbour, a hotel with a beach front bar that serves breakfast and light snacks. Apart from the commissary at Galleon Beach itself, where you can purchase the basics, the nearest grocery store/supermarket is Bailey’s on the Falmouth main road. This has all the essentials, including fresh local bread and cakes and some fresh produce (all meat, poultry etc is frozen), but the best supplies are at the Epicurean supermarket located 30 minutes away to the north of St Johns on Friar’s Hill Road in the Woods Shopping Mall. There you will find a wide selection of both local and imported food items and wine.
Where nightlife is concerned, apart from English Harbour and its various bars, the highlight of every 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. |
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Useful Hints
A provisioning service is offered if you would like your villa to be stocked with groceries for your arrival. You should e-mail your list to Galleon Beach (if booking direct) or let your travel organiser know what you require. If you are staying in a villa and would like a cook to prepare a welcome meal, you should advise Galleon Beach or your travel organiser, letting them know what is required. You will be billed for your groceries plus a 10% Service Charge and 10.5% Government Tax by Galleon Beach on arrival.
An overnight laundry service is available at and additional cost.
Countess has telephones installed (land lines) which are for local calls only. International telephone service and an internet connection is available at Galleon Beach Reception during regular office hours. As an alternative, cell phones can be arranged through Reception at an additional cost.
Please note that Galleon Beach was sold in early 2006. Redevelopment was scheduled to commence after 31 May 2007 and the 'resort cottages' are now closed. A start date for construction work has not been issued. The private villas remain open for business and Galleon Beach is still taking reservations. As yet we are not sure how these will be affected by the development once it goes ahead. |
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Rates
| | 08 Dec-26 Apr 2007-08 | 26 Apr-03 May 2008 | 03 May-06 Dec 2008 | | Countess 1-6 guests | 750 | 810 | 450 | Rates are quoted in US$ per night, room only (EP) and are subject to 10.5% Government Tax and 10% Service Charge. All rates are subject to change without notice. A 3 night deposit is required to confirm all bookings, and is applied to the first and last two nights of the confirmed booking. Cancellation policy is 21 days prior to arrival. Check-out time is 10am and check-in 3pm. |
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How To Book
Countess Villa bookings are all made through Galleon Beach. Please contact Galleon Beach by using the DIRECT ENQUIRIES facility or web link shown at the top of this page. Alternatively you may book through a tour operator or travel organiser features this property. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the link below.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are travelling independently, taxis are readily available at the airport and the ride from the airport will take around 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport until your departure, a Transfer and Concierge Service is offered by St James Travel & Tours.
If you are booking 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 a complimentary water taxi service from Galleon Beach to Nelson’s Dockyard on hourly basis from 8.30/9am to 4.30 pm, after which a service is available via Apple Water Taxis who currently charge EC$5 per person, per ride.
Although most things are relatively close at hand, a hired car is strongly recommended for all villa holidays. Public transport is sporadic and not a convenient option and anyway does not come down to Galleon Beach itself (though you can always get a ferry over from the Dockyard). A car will be useful if you want to dine out at night or do lots of sightseeing and particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries. Book car hire via your travel organiser or direct with Galleon Beach and ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property approximately 2-3 hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Antigua or the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. |
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