For more pictures - Click Here
|
Style: A homely, pleasant hillside with a cosy appeal and lovely views, suitable for couples or a small family, and also good for honeymooners
The Beach: Downhill walking distance of Galleon Beach’s quarter mile curve of glorious white sand with calm waters and excellent swimming
The Rooms: 3 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms
Key features: A very pleasing and comfortable choice for Antigua villa rentals, swimming pool (8ft x 18ft), cable TV and CD player. 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: Island Pearl 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. |
| |
Description
The American owners of Island Pearl have added a strong personal touch to this pretty hillside villa, giving it a particularly nice, homely feel. Set into the hillside at the top of the Galleon Beach resort, with its own drive-way and a parking area alongside, Island Pearl is built on two levels, with one of its three bedrooms located at a lower garden level.
On arriving at the villa, you will see a small swimming pool located off the driveway and adjoining the veranda, which runs along three sides of the villa. The pool is set within a surrounding wooden deck and is partially screened by tropical planting and a wooden fence to ensure privacy.
Opposite the pool is the main entrance to the villa, which leads into a long, open-plan, living and dining room. You pass the kitchen first and then come into the dining area in the middle of the room, and then the sitting area at the far end. The kitchen is very well equipped and has a separate tiled breakfast unit with tall stools. The dining and sitting areas are furnished completely in white wicker, with cheerful pastel patterned fabrics, and there is a cable TV in one corner, with a large shelved unit displaying a colourful collection of souvenirs and knick-knacks which creates a charming, homely ambiance. French doors open out onto the spacious covered veranda, which extends along the entire front of the villa and then around to the two sides (where side-doors lead out from the kitchen and sitting area). While the pool is secluded, the rest of the veranda has superb views over the resort and beyond to Freeman’s Bay.
There are three bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom with shower. Two, a double and one with two twins, are decorated with pastel patterned curtains and bed covers and are located off the living area. They are both air-conditioned. The third bedroom is located downstairs, at garden level (with no direct access from the main villa upstairs) and has ceiling fan only.
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.
Stop-press: currently not available for rentals. |
| ^ back to top |
Beach & Swimming
An approximate 5 minute walk down the hill (longer back up) 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.
Island Pearl has a small swimming pool (8ft x 18ft and 6ft deep with steps and a ladder) located off the driveway and adjoining the veranda, set within a surrounding wooden deck and is partially screened by tropical planting and a wooden fence to ensure privacy. |
| ^ back to top |
Sports & Recreation
Guests staying in Island Pearl 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. |
| ^ back to top |
Antigua 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. |
| ^ back to top |
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. |
| ^ back to top |
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.
Island Pearl does not have a telephone however telephone calls can be made through 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. |
| ^ back to top |
How To Book
Island Pearl 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. |
| ^ back to top |
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. |
| ^ back to top |
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. |
| ^ back to top |
Have you found this page useful?
We appreciate your feedback on our service.
I found this page useful
I would like to make a comment
All the information on this page comes to you free of charge and we do not earn commission from your business so please tell all your friends the site and mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact Galleon Beach for your cottage accommodation or Antigua villa rental. Our ongoing service may depend on how frequently our name comes up as a point of reference.
Thank you for your interest. |
| ^ back to top |
|
Print
page
www.galleonbeach.com
