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The Ocean Inn is a friendly and well priced guest house set above the famous English Harbour in the lively south of Antigua. It is a modern house, a former family home that was converted in the late 1990s, and it has ten relatively simple but perfectly comfortable rooms, six in the main house and four in one-bedroom cottages set around the profuse hillside garden. The small inn has a calm and welcoming atmosphere - there is a central area and a nice veranda dining room, from which the view looks over the pool and honour bar, through the mature fruit trees to the yachts at anchor in English Harbour. There is an easy-going feel to Ocean Inn, so you can hide yourself away at the guest house itself, but it is also very well positioned, both for exploring the island and as a base for the sailing in the winter season and all night-time activity of Dockyard Road.
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KEY FEATURES
| Low key Antigua lodgings / guest house close to Antigua’s sailing action. Ten rooms (in a main house and cottages) with private bathrooms (two with shared), TV, bar, WiFi, pool and sunbathing area, and pretty gardens. Good value Antigua accommodation, breakfast is included, other meals on request |
STYLE
| Easy-going guest house in modern design, but with some traditional Caribbean touches – louvered windows and balconies with a view - to get the best of the local climate and setting |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Independent travellers, West Indians and metropolitan traveller, wanting to be within the historic area and close to all the activity of English Harbour |
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Review
The Ocean Inn is on a residential side-road that meanders over the hillside behind English Harbour. It is nicely tucked away in its own garden with a view down across the water and to the historic Nelson’s Dockyard. The guest house announces itself by a low limestone wall with flowers and bougainvillea. You enter a gate and come down through the greenery towards the entrance, where a small reception building is up to your left and the front door on your right. Here you will find a small portico, partly surrounded by a small hedge and plant pots. There are chairs on which to sit out. You enter through heavy double wooden doors into a small hall with a parquet floor.
The guest house is laid out on quite a steep slope, on multiple levels. The ‘footprint’ of the house and its garden is not large, so it is all quite compact, but it is well laid out. It is also visibly a former West Indian home, and it is comfortable and friendly. Immediately ahead of you as you enter you will see some weights equipment on a landing. You reach some of the bedrooms on the stairs that go up from the landing, but the main part of the house is down the stairs to your right.
You come down into the indoor dining room, which is brightly coloured and furnished, with walls of exposed limestone and cream-painted render. Tables are laid with bright covers in a tartan or ‘madras’ pattern and there is a coffee station at the side of the room. The kitchen is off to the right. Despite its function as a dining room and sitting area, some character of the West Indian home remain here, with as cabinet of books and a globe.
Ahead of you is a range of glass doors that open out onto the excellent terrace. This is covered but open-fronted and partly surrounded by greenery. It is the main dining room (meals are not usually taken inside) and a general gathering point for guests around the guest house. The view is excellent. Framed by the large trees of the garden, the view takes in the yachts standing at anchor in English Harbour, Nelson’s Dockyard straight ahead and the working yards over on the eastern side of the bay. Then it carries out to Fort Berkeley at the mouth of English Harbour and to the open sea, which glints in the distance.
To the left of the terrace you walk out onto an open-air deck with a table and chairs, next to which is a small bar that works on an honour system. Steps lead down to directly beneath the terrace where you will find the pool, which is surrounded by a small wooden deck with loungers and flowering bushes. It is welcome for a dip as this can be quite a hot area, and another gathering point for guests. Beneath the pool deck are the gardens. They are quite steep at this point and although they are not large they are full and attractive. In between the mature trees - mango, neem, soursop and grapefruit among others - there are bananas, crotons and several different colours of bougainvillea.
Reached on steps and boardwalks through the bushes and trees are four cottages, each with a double room and some outside space for the view. They are comfortable and it is possible to hide yourself away in them if you wish. The other six rooms are inside the main house. One is on the same level as the dining room, two lead off the small gym area and three are on the upper level, reached via the upper stairs. All the rooms at Ocean Inn are relatively simple but they are clean, well looked after and perfectly comfortable. There is good variety too, with some that do not have a view of the harbour and two that share a bathroom and are therefore less expensive.
Although the Ocean Inn is not large, there is often a nice buzz about the place because of the different types of travellers that are passing through. It is also a good place to stay because it is so close to all the activity around English and Falmouth Harbours, both the sailing by day and all the bars and restaurants in the evenings. And finally it makes a great base from which to explore Antigua. The Ocean Inn is unassuming, comfortable and a convenient base in the south of Antigua. |
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Beach & Swimming
There is an excellent beach about 10 minutes walk away at Pigeon Point, which is particularly popular with the Antiguans. It is a very nice stretch of light sand and there is a reef for snorkelling. There is a beach bar there but no sporting facilities. Also not far off – a walk down to Nelson’s Dockyard and then a ride across the harbour - is Freeman’s Bay. The beach is not quite as good, but there are some watersports and also a restaurant where you can get a drink and food. If you would like to go farther afield there are some lovely beaches (with bars) in the south-west – Ffrye’s, Turners and Darkwood Beach.
There is a swimming pool at the Ocean Inn. It is not large, but it is a nice place to cool off in an area that can be quite hot. |
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Sports & Recreation
The sea off English Harbour and along the southern shore here is popular as a scuba diving destination. Dives can be arranged through an outfit in English Harbour.
There are very good opportunities for hiking in this area, 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 not far away. 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. |
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The Rooms
There are just 10 rooms at the Ocean Inn and as a guest house they are relatively simple, but they are clean and well looked after. They are tiled and have floral bedspreads and some have outside space to take in the view. There is a good variety of rooms. Some are simple double rooms which share a bath and are a good place simply to lay your head, but then there are some small private cottages in which you can hide yourself away on a veranda with a view. |
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Dining
The Ocean Inn serves breakfast as part of its room rate. They also serve afternoon tea, but not lunch or dinner. There are plenty of restaurants around and they are happy to make recommendations for places to eat out. |
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Rates
| | 15 May-14 Nov 2009 | Classic/ Sailing Week | 15 Nov-14 May 2009-10 | | Meal Plan | CP | CP | CP | | Ocean View Budget Single Double | 85 95 | 110 120 | 95 110 | | Budget Single Double | 95 110 | 130 145 | 105 120 | | Ocean View Single Double | 110 120 | 170 185 | 155 170 | | Cottage Single Double | 110 120 | 170 185 | 155 170 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, CP = continental breakfast included, and are subject to 10% Service Charge and 10.5% Government Tax. Rates are subject to change without notice. A 2 night deposit is required to secure all reservations. Cancellation policy: loss of deposit if cancelled within two weeks of arrival for bookings of 1-3 rooms or within one month of arrival for bookings of 4 rooms or more. Visa, Diners, Discover and American Express cards accepted. |
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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 Ocean Inn, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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Locality
Set right above English Harbour, the Ocean Inn has all of the interest of Nelson’s Dockyard right on its door-step. In addition to all the boat-borne activity, there is a museum, several restored naval buildings and a couple of restaurants and bars, so it is a good place to spend some time. Shirley Heights also has considerable historical interest and is well worth a visit.
The English Harbour/Falmouth Harbour area is also lively for more modern reasons. It has many bars and restaurants, a marina, gift shops, provisioning store, bakery, post office, ATM, bank, 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.
Where nightlife is concerned, there is the strip on Dockyard Road with all its bars and restaurants. 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. |
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Meet & Greet
The easiest way to get to the Ocean Inn on arrival in Antigua is to take a taxi at the airport despatch stand. The transfer will take 30-40 minutes and costs US$30. Some guests take a taxi into St John’s and then take the bus to English Harbour, though this is not possible after dark and a right palaver with your suitcases anyway. |
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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. There is a good bus service between English Harbour and St John’s, but it is harder to get farther 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 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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