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Siboney Beach Club is an affordable Caribbean beach hotel which has long attracted independent holiday makers and business people. Set on Dickenson Bay, Antigua’s liveliest beach, it is right at the heart of the action - its restaurant, Coconut Grove, which has a classic shoreside setting among palms, is one of the gathering points along the strip, by day and into the evening. But in addition to being a beach club, Siboney is also a hideaway. Behind the beach, its twelve apartments look out onto a freshwater pool in extremely pretty, secluded gardens (that are ideal for a wedding). Owner-managed, Siboney is a well maintained small hotel that combines modern comfort and friendly service.
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KEY FEATURES
| Affordable Antigua accommodation, 12 suites with simple, concealed kitchenettes and a Tree House studio room. Coconut Grove beach restaurant and bar. Secluded garden with swimming pool. Internet access. Small office library. |
STYLE
| Simple, low key and comfortable with contemporary, slightly Spanish air with all white exterior and arches leading from each suite to a balcony or patio. |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Popular with North Americans, some British and European guests too. Mostly couples, but also families in summer. Ideal for laid back, independent travellers |
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You can feel the buzz of Dickenson Bay as you approach Siboney Beach Club. The buildings stand a little more densely on the shoreline, you pass the people, the signs of the bars and restaurants and there is an air of upbeat activity. As the car sets you down, you walk straight down to the beach, where you will find Reception on your left. A quick look along the sand will reveal all the activity of the beach - people sunbathing, swimming, walking along the sand, watersports. By day the water in Dickenson Bay shines turquoise. If you have arrived by night the lights glint along the beach and music reaches you on the open air.
But it is only when you have reached your room, which is set behind the main building inland, that you notice that Siboney has another dimension in addition to the beach. It may be right at the heart of the action, but it is also a hideaway. The rooms, self-contained in themselves, overlook extremely attractive gardens that are completely secluded. They are a lovely place to hide away when you don’t want to be on the beach.
Back at the beach, you will no doubt spend plenty of time at the small hotel’s restaurant, Coconut Grove. It has a classic beach setting, a brightly painted, stylishly rustic cabin set right on the sand. It sits in a small grove of palms as the name describes – a few of the palm trunks actually grow through the roof - and it is thatched with palm fronds at the front. Its bar is at the rear, with a covered dining room where you will eat most of your meals and a sitting area for passing trade on the sand. From here there is a superb sunset view out over the sea.
Siboney provides loungers and shades for you on the sand directly around Coconut Grove, though of course you can range up and down the beach, just as the guests of other hotels will wander by. The main activity is to the north, where you will find a beach bar, watersports concessionaires and several hotels. It gives the beach a lively atmosphere. You can always see Siboney, marked by its cluster of coconut palms and, curiously, a bright red British telephone box on the beach.
But then, when you feel like escaping from the crowds, you can simply retreat into the gardens. They carry back a surprisingly long way from the beach and are bordered on either side with thick hedges of vegetation so that they are almost entirely enclosed. The hotel opened in 1981 and so the gardens have had a good chance to mature - beneath the flamboyants and ficus trees you will find papaya, travellers’ trees, Barbados pride and pandanus. There are distinct ‘rooms’ within the garden, which are sectioned off by huge trees. In the first is the pool, which is surrounded by a small deck with loungers and a border of lawn on one side and profuse greenery on the other. Beyond here, slightly hidden behind a curtain of greenery is another glade-like area with seats. There are also hammocks (including some ‘sitting’ hammocks) hanging among the trees, which add another leisurely aspect to the gardens. It is a lovely place to hide yourself away to sunbathe or to read – no doubt you will bring your own books, but the reception also has a library from which you can borrow.
The twelve rooms, apartment suites actually, each have a veranda or a patio giving directly onto the gardens. You approach them via colourful stairways at the rear. As you enter, you find the bedroom immediately on your left or right (the suites are built in mirror image of one another), at the rear of the apartment. A short corridor, passing the bathroom on one side, leads into the main room. This opens out to full width and has a living area to one side and a dining table with chairs for four on the other. Two sets of double louvered doors open out on the veranda or patio. The bedrooms are air-conditioned but the sitting room can be designed to be opened up to the natural air, so all rooms have ceiling fans. The apartments are quite compact, but they are functional and work well for a self-contained couple or small family (there is a fold-out single bed in the sitting room). In fact you might not notice the kitchenette at all. It opens out of the corridor opposite the bathroom. While the suites are not really intended for full self-catering - there are plenty of restaurants around at which you can eat out - the kitchenette is a good size, with a fridge, a microwave and a top stove (though no full oven).
Each of the suites is decorated individually, but the general theme is light, with white or off-white walls and light tropical fabrics. There is a mix of furniture. Some rooms have reproduction antiques, others have bamboo. The terraces and patios all give out onto the gardens, with a view through the sprays of bougainvillea and other tropical climbers on the side of the building. They have some comfortable chairs in which to take time out and make a nice quiet spot to read or ruminate while watching the birds flit through the trees.
It is good to have the variety – the beach right there, the gardens tucked away behind – but Antigua also has plenty to explore and so you may wish to head off property at some stage. Reception is your link to activities around the island. There is plenty of historical interest in Antigua – not to mention other excellent beaches - and so if you want to fix a tour or a riding trip then Reception can do it for you. Siboney is small and friendly and it is certainly not prissy or fancy. It makes a good base for independent travellers that would like to be based on the beach. And with the beach right at hand and the gardens in which to tuck yourself away, it also makes a good honeymoon destination. |
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Beach & Swimming
Dickenson Bay is Antigua’s busiest and liveliest beach and Siboney is right there in the action. To the north there are some pretty large hotels as well as a number of bars and watersports concessionaires. The sand off Coconut Grove itself is retained by two revetments, arms of rock that reach out into the bay, which are essential unfortunately because of erosion, but which keep the water calm in this area, making it ideal for swimming. The sand stretches south too and it is quieter down there and makes a nice walk. Runaway Bay to the south also has a nice strip of sand.
Siboney has a swimming pool tucked away in its gardens behind the beach. It is circular and surrounded by fantastic greenery, giving natural shade and a lovely secluded setting. |
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Sports & Recreation
Siboney keeps some snorkelling equipment for its guests to use on the beach. Other equipment – kayaks, windsurfers, small sailing boats and even jet skis, can be rented through concessionaires on the beach. If you are an advanced windsurfer or kite-surfer then it may be worth knowing that the best winds are not far away, close to the airport, on Jabberwock Beach.
If you would like a massage, a therapist can come to the hotel. Treatments will take place in your room, on the beach or in a secluded part of the gardens. Hair care and beauty treatment can also be arranged.
Inland, the Cedar Valley Golf Course is not far off, towards the airport, and there is a second course in Jolly Bay to the south of St John’s. The best horse riding on the island is available through the Spring Hill Riding Stables. This is actually in Falmouth on the south side of the island but it is worth the journey as there are some excellent trails through the forests down there and they lead down to a beach where you can ride on the sand. |
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The Rooms
There are just twelve suites at Siboney, which are set over three floors overlooking the lovely gardens from their balcony or terrace – all rooms have outside space. They all have one bedroom and a sitting room that can convert into a second single bed (suitable for a child). And they have a kitchenette that opens out into the internal corridor – while they are not intended to be fully self-catering, there is a hob, microwave and a fridge. The apartments are individually furnished with a mix of cane, wicker and reproduction furniture and they are decorated with cheery Caribbean colours on a white base.
The bedrooms are air-conditioned. The living rooms have ceiling fans and louvered windows and doors to allow a natural flow of air. |
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Dining
Coconut Grove, the restaurant at Siboney, has a delightful setting – a palm-thatched cabin right on the beach, in a small grove of coconut palms, some of whose trunks are growing through the roof. It is open on three sides and it has a cracking sunset view over the sea. It functions both as a dining room for the hotel and a bar (with trade from people passing up and down the beach) and so there is often a lively crowd. Inside it has a stone floor on the inner dining room and sand on the outside, so it is stylishly rustic. By day, the tables are fairly functional and are bare wood. In the evenings they are laid up with white tablecloths and candles, bringing a more romantic feel. The fare is a satisfying mix of international and Caribbean tastes, creating a contemporary Caribbean fusion. |
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Weddings
The gardens at Siboney make an extremely pretty and private setting for a wedding ceremony. Or you can get married on the beach itself. The hotel is happy to organise a wedding for you. They can help you with the regulations and call on everything that you need to set up the ceremony itself, including a minister to officiate (even witnesses if you have none), a flower-arranger, a photographer and they can of course provide a cake and stage a reception for you with canapés and wine or champagne. There is no standard wedding package at Siboney. They tailor-make them to suit the guests concerned. |
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Children
Children are welcome at Siboney. They tend to be happiest on the ground floor of the rooms so that they can run straight out into the gardens, which are enclosed (though the pool itself is not). The hotel can provide cots and they can bring in a high chair if you need one. Babysitting is available by arrangement. |
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Rates
| | 15 Apr-19 Dec 2009 | 20 Dec-14 Apr 2009-10 | 15 Apr-19 Dec 2010 | | Tree House Single Double | 125 150 | 170 190 | 125 150 | | Superior Suite Single Double | 150 180 | 235 265 | 150 180 | | Deluxe Suite Single Double | 170 190 | 275 295 | 170 190 | | Deluxe Ocean View Suite Single Double | 205 205 | 295 325 | 205 205 | 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 12 yrs sharing parents room stay free. Rates are subject to change without notice. A 3 night deposit (covering 1st night and last two nights) is required to confirm all reservations, and is refundable for cancellations made 21 days or more prior to arrival only. Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted. |
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Special Offers
Winter Special - 2 Free Nights
Book a Superior Suite at Siboney Beach Club for a 7 night stay and only pay for 5 nights, plus breakfast for two is included in the double rate. The 2 nights free in 7 offer is valid for stays from 05-20 December 2009 and 05-20 January 2010. Offer valid for new bookings only from 01 October 2009 made directly with Siboney Beach Club. |
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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 Siboney Beach Club, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the link below. The list is being developed but the company(s) shown are amongst the best Caribbean specialist tour organisers for Antigua.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Locality
Siboney is located in the North-west of Antigua, on Dickenson Bay. Obviously the main attraction in the area is the beach, but there are quite a few hotels and some good restaurants along the beach and on the hill behind. For a meal out, try the Beach House (not far to walk) or Pari’s Pizza on the hill. Other good restaurants are on the northern fringes of St John’s not far away, including Papa Zouk and The Home. For a smart evening out there are two restaurants not far away to the north, The Cove and Le Bistro.
The city is about 10 minutes away by car. The usual way into town is along Anchorage Road, but if you head south out of Siboney you pass two other excellent but less developed beaches at Runaway Bay and Fort Bay. In St John’s itself you will find several streets of pretty creole houses with some nice daytime restaurants and extensive shopping – there is a good shopping area of restored tropical buildings at Redcliffe Quay. The museum and the cathedral at the top of the town are worth a look.
Set in the north-west, Dickenson Bay is quite a long way the main historical interest of Antigua around English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard. The ride takes about forty minutes but it is well worth doing once in your trip. In the south-western corner of the island there are some excellent, less populated west-facing beaches. |
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Meet & Greet
There is a taxi despatch system at the airport and if you are travelling independently you should pick up a cab as you exit the Arrivals Hall. The ride takes about 20 minutes and costs US$16. 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
If you want to explore the island you will need some transport. Although Dickenson Bay is one of the liveliest areas of Antigua, it is not well served by buses and so the options are an island tour with a regular company or with a private cab that can be arranged through the front desk.
Alternately you can get a rental car, for a couple of days at least. It enables you to explore the island at your own pace, visiting other beaches or some of Antigua’s excellent historical sites by day and then going 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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