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Hawksbill is a delightful resort on the west coast of Antigua, an all-inclusive Caribbean hotel with an unexpectedly leisurely, low key atmosphere and a very attractive location. Set on a string of excellent beaches, the hotel is quite large. It has two main centres, a stone-built Reception, main dining room, bar and traditional Antiguan windmill set high on a promontory, and beneath them a beachside are with the Sea Grape and Italian restaurants, a bar, pool and watersports. The 111 rooms stretch, in one and two-storey blocks and individual cottages, in either direction along the small bays and onto low cliffsides. Hawksbill has all the facilities of a resort and some entertainment, but with its spacious layout and low key, quite elegant atmosphere, it is untypical for the all-inclusive formula as it is generally known. It is a lovely Caribbean beach resort.
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KEY FEATURES
| Commendable Antigua all inclusive resort set in 37 acres of pretty tropical grounds. Four beaches (one clothes optional), wellness centre with massage and beauty services, watersports including windsurfing and small sailing boats, tennis court. |
STYLE
| Leisurely Caribbean beach club style, modern architecture using some traditional Antiguan stone |
CLIENT PROFILE
| A mix of nationalities and ages. Good deal for solo travellers. |
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Hawksbill retains a feel of the elegant West Indies that is now lost in so much of the Caribbean. Its atmosphere is created by a combination of the leisurely layout, the pretty cottages with gingerbread trim scattered in lawned gardens over four separate bays, and the touches of traditional hospitality, such as afternoon tea and a gracious welcome. The hotel does not have many rooms for its 37 acres of land. If it had been built in the 1980s or 1990s then it would probably have 500 instead of 110. It is much the better as it is. Although Hawksbill is a resort, and an all-inclusive hotel, it does not have a restless feel, or suffer from the typical issues of the all-inclusive concept. There is some up-beat communal activity, but generally the hotel has a low key feel which leaves the leisurely magic of the place to work on you.
You arrive at Hawksbill via St Johns, cutting across from the city to the west coast through dry fields, past a lagoon and beneath some of Antigua’s extraordinary rock outcrops. Clearing a final rise, you sweep down into the hotel area, passing the first of its four small coves and beaches on your right and then climbing again to the main building. Here you immediately see the recurrent theme of light limestone walls, glass louvers and pitched roofs, all offset pretty trees and bushes. Once you are dropped off, a small set of steps leads you round into the main entrance and the small reception desk straight ahead of you. There is WiFi in the lobby here if you want to go on line and it is the collection point for taxis and any tours you take.
You are very likely to pass Reception many times anyway during your visit because it is also on the edge of the main dining room, the Tamarind Tree. This has a shingle roof and is open-sided so that you get the best of the view from your table. Straight ahead, you look out onto the sugar mill on the point and beyond it to the sea. The dining room is quite large, so everyone can sit down if the weather is not so good, but you do not need to eat undercover all the time as tables are also laid out on the terrace at the front, where you find the tree that gives the dining room its name. It is particularly nice here in the evenings, when you sit under the trees and the stars and dine to the sound of the tree frogs. The Tamarind Bar is at the front of the building, tucked under cover.
The vantage point of the dining room is a good one from which to see the layout of the hotel. To your right as you look towards the sea is Royal Palm Beach, a pretty cove protected by the main headland at the northern limits of the resort. There is a handful of shingle-roofed cottages here containing Club Suites. Directly in front of the dining room, the sugar mill is a classic Antiguan cone built with old coral limestone. Now it contains the boutique, which has some clothes as well as beach and other holiday essentials. Beyond it on the small point itself is the Great House, a three-bedroom villa.
Looking left, the coast cuts back into the bay, where you will find the main Sea Grape Beach and the other central beach facilities of the hotel. The path to this area leads down out of the dining room from next to the reception, passing through the lawns that give the hotel its lovely, leisurely feel. As you descend to beach level you will see the two two-storey blocks of rooms set back from the beach itself. And on the seafront itself you come to the Sea Grape Bar and Il Vigento Su Mare, the second dining room. You can take your drinks to the loungers around the central pool, which is set back behind a little, under the palm trees. Afternoon tea is also served here. There is a television on which they sometimes screen sporting events. This is also the location of the watersports building. The hotel has a number of small sailing dinghies, windsurfers, pedaloes and kayaks for guests to use in the bay.
At the back of the resort here is the tennis court. You should also notice the gardens, which are open and very attractive, with low bushes of hibiscus and bougainvillea scattered among the mature trees. The seafront itself is lined with classic Caribbean palms as well as sea grape trees of the name. It is also worth noting that Hawksbill has a small spa, its Wellness Centre. You will see one of its two treatment rooms in a cabin on the front here. The other is in downstairs in the main building, beneath reception and the offices.
Beyond Sea Grape dining room there are two rows of single-storey cottages. On the beachfront are the Beach Cottages, stone-built bungalows with glass louvers, and behind them, set slightly inland are the Superior Cottages, which are built in very much the same style. At the end of the beach you come to the Point, a slightly raised headland, where you will find another cluster of rooms, more Club Suites. Set in a semi-circle around the point, they all look outwards onto the sea. There are two beaches beyond this point, the second of which, Eden Beach, is clothes optional.
As you walk back to the main part of the resort you will see how Hawksbill’s name came about, from the curious rock that rises from the water offshore. It is sometimes said to look like a frog’s head with a crown, but the hooked shape also makes it look like the head and beak of a hawksbill turtle just rising momentarily from the water.
Hawksbill is a resort hotel with a difference. It has entertainment most evenings of the week and plenty of sports and activities if that is what you are looking for, but it doesn’t have the forced feel of remorseless busyness of so many Caribbean resorts. Instead it has a lovely older Caribbean charm and graciousness, more of a traditional, beachside club feel. It is a lovely Caribbean beach resort. |
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Beach & Swimming
There are four beaches at Hawksbill. In order (as you head from north to south), they Royal Palm Beach, Sea Grape Beach, Honeymoon Beach and Eden Beach. They each have their advantages, but the hotel’s main beach is Sea Grape, just below the central building and dining room and this is the busiest. The sand is pretty and light-coloured and gives gently into a shallow bay, backed along its length by palms and sea grape trees. At its centre stands the Sea Grape Bar. It is here that all the watersports equipment is kept.
Close to entrance to the resort you will pass Royal Palm Beach. This is another pretty stretch of sand, which can be quiet and strangely feel quite remote and secluded. On the other hand, it can also have a local feel to it sometimes, as local Antiguan families do come to spend the day here on weekends. This gives a different feel to the place and offers a change in atmosphere without your having to leave the hotel grounds. Alternatively, for quiet and seclusion, you can head in the other direction. The ‘third’ beach Honeymoon Beach and then Eden Beach, are two further pretty curves of sand which have nice swimming. Eden Beach is a clothes optional beach. There are parasols and loungers there for guests.
The central swimming pool is behind the main beach in the Sea Grape area. It is large and free-form in shape, set in a terra-cotta surround with loungers and parasols. There is a bar nearby where you can get a drink before retiring to your lounger. |
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Sports & Recreation
The watersports office, which is located at the Sea Grape area on the main beach, is open from early until 4.30pm. There are small sailing dinghies, windsurfers, snorkelling gear, pedalos and some kayaks. All these sports are included in the all-inclusive rate. Water-skiing can also be arranged out in the bay, at extra cost.
On land there is a hard tennis court. Balls and raquets are available from the watersports office. Play is free during the day, but flood-lighting is charged. Table tennis is also available down next to the Sea Grape bar. There is a Wellness Centre. There is one treatment room in the main building and one down on Sea Grape Beach. A range of massages and beauty treatments is available.
There are two golf courses in Antigua, on in Jolly Harbour about fifteen minutes’ drive away to the south, further down the west coast, and the other at Cedar Valley just beyond St John’s, about 30 minutes away. |
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The Rooms
The rooms at Hawksbill are all comfortable and have bright Caribbean fabrics and wicker furniture. Some are air-conditioned, but others were built to use the traditional method of ventilation, with tall ceilings and screened windows that encourage the natural flow of air. They each have a fridge, coffee maker and safety deposit boxes, but they do not have televisions as a rule, which do not really fit with the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel. Some rooms can be inter-connected if you are travelling as a family and they all have some outside space. All rooms are non-smoking.
There are several different categories of rooms at the hotel. The Superior Seaview rooms are set in the two two-storey blocks just behind the Sea Grape area. These rooms are quite large and have either a balcony or a patio. On the other side of the Sea Grape area there are rooms in bungalows, either set back in the gardens – the Garden Bungalows – or close to the beach itself – the Superior Seaview Bungalows. These are attractive and catch the best of the traditional atmosphere, with walls made of local limestone and pretty gingerbread trim.
The Beach Club rooms are the newest in the resort and they are in two areas, first on Royal Palm Beach and second on the point beyond Sea Grape Beach, where they stand in a semi-circle looking all around. They have a slightly brighter, more contemporary décor, with a pitched wooden ceiling and light tiles. Their outside space is partially enclosed but gets the best of the view. |
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Dining
The main dining room at Hawksbill is the Tamarind Tree, which is set in the main building and terrace at the top of the cliff above the Sugar Mill. Meals are served in buffet style there or as a table d’hote with two or three choices of starter and three mains.
The hotel has an a la carte Italian restaurant at Il Vigento su Mare, which specialises in pasta and seafood. Meals at the restaurant are not included in the all-inclusive plan.
During the daytime, the Sea Grape Bar and Grill offers burgers, lighter plates and salads. It also serves afternoon tea from 3.30pm. |
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Weddings
With its leisurely grounds and low key atmosphere, Hawksbill offers a lovely setting in which to get married. The hotel has a dedicated wedding co-ordinator who will make sure everything is thought of in and advance enable you simply to enjoy the day. The hotel has a wedding package which includes a cake, wedding arch, bouquet and sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres, as well as all the legal requirements and of course a minister to officiate. Then there are and a number of extras that you can chose as well, which include photographer, steel band and a hair-dresser. |
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Children
Children are welcome at Hawksbill. The hotel can provide baby-sitting with advanced notice. It is usually an hourly rate plus transport costs.
Cots are available for the rooms and other equipment such as high chairs is also available.
One and sometimes two children are allowed into some of the rooms, but there are also many adjoining rooms as well. |
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Rates
| | 04 Jan-31 Mar 2007-08 | 01 Apr-22 Dec 2008 | | Meal Plan | AI | AI | | Garden Room Single Double Triple | From 260 From 317 From 437 | From 197 From 260 From 357 | | Superior Seaview Single Double Triple | From 307 From 364 From 501 | From 242 From 305 From 420 | | Beachfront Club Single Double Triple | From 380 From 426 From 663 | From 302 From 365 From 502 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, on an all-inclusive basis and include service charge and tax. AI = All-inclusive: includes full breakfast buffet, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner (excludes á la carte menu and snacks), local beers, soft drinks, a choice of Caribbean cocktails, house spirits and house wines (excludes bottled water and non-house brand wines and spirits), windsurfing, sunfish sailing, pedaloes, snorkelling, daytime tennis, and evening entertainment (3-4 nights a week). All rates are subject to change without notice and are lead-in only. Please contact Hawksbill (Rex Resorts) directly for a quotation. Minimum stay 3 nights. |
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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 Hawksbill Beach Resort, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER. |
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Locality
Hawksbill is situated on the west coast of Antigua, slightly south of St John’s. It feels quite remote because it is contained in a cove of its own, but in fact the city is less than 10 minutes away by car. First you pass Galley Bay, another hotel and then through the fields you come to the town, via the bus station and market. It is a pleasant enough place to explore and in some streets you will see the pretty traditional wooden houses with their balconies and steeply pitched roofs. You can visit some of them as they have been turned into bars and restaurants – try Hemingway’s and George’s. Sadly many of the old buildings are disappearing as the town is steadily redeveloped in modern concrete. Others have been restored and moved to Redcliffe Quay, which has a very nice feel.
If you turn south just as you hit the edge of town this puts you on the main west coast road, which winds through more fields and local villages for a while before coming back to the west coast at Jolly Bay. Here you will find a golf course, a lagoon with a marina and several hotels on an excellent beach. To the south of Jolly Bay are some of the island’s loveliest beaches, which run down to the south-western tip of the island. These
are Ffrye’s, Darkwood and Crab’s Hill beaches. |
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Meet & Greet
If you have booked direct then it is not hard to find a taxi at the airport, however Hawksbill would be happy to arrange a taxi to wait for you. The rate for the journey is US$21 for two people and it about takes 30 minutes. 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
Hawksbill is relatively isolated on the west coast and so if you want to explore the island you will need some transport. The options are an island tour or a trip with a private cab, both of which are easily arranged through the front desk, or to hire a car, which gives you the freedom to travel around independently. If you would like to rent a car in Antigua we recommend Thrifty Car Rentals , who are happy to deliver to the hotel. |
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_normal.jpg "Looking up at a garden cottage, Hawksbill")
_normal.jpg "Looking along the beach from the Sugar Mill, Caribbean wildlife")
_normal.jpg "View from the great house, Antigua all inclusive resort")
_normal.jpg "The cove at Royal Palm beach, Carribean vacations")
_normal.jpg "Enoying the view from Hawksbill, All inclusive Caribbean hotel")
_normal.jpg "Open-plan bedroom with sitting area, Caribbean beach resort")
_normal.jpg "Sunset at Sea Grapes Beach, Antigua all inclusive hotel")
_normal.jpg "Dining area by the sugar mill, Hawksbill Beach Resort")
_normal.jpg "Seating are in the Great House, Caribbean beach resort")
_normal.jpg "Looking through the palms to Hawksbill, solo travellers")
