Antigua | Pt. 1 | Cocobay

With two dogs at home, our vacations usually consist of long weekend getaways within driving distance to a dog-friendly hotel or air-bnb. After several years of decreased travel due to the pandemic, we decided for our delayed honeymoon, we wanted to splurge and spoil ourselves just a little bit. We are usually so busy with work and life that we both knew we wanted to be borderline potatoes (the super sun-baked kind…) during the trip.

We knew we wanted to disconnect from reality and recharge. Antigua seemed to be the perfect fit - it did not disappoint!

We went towards the end of May and the weather was perfect: high 80s, light breeze, with clear and sunny skies. Every. Single. Day.

The water was so clear and so blue you could see schools of fish swimming by your legs if you stood still in the water. Try not wanting to catch them with your bare hands…

We spent a total of 8 days on the island, it was the perfect amount of time away from home.

• Trip Summary

  • 2 round trip flights for less than $700

  • 3 nights and 4 days at Cocobay *

  • We purchased a package with a romantic private dinner, couples massage, and floating meal delivered to our private plunge pool in our cottage.

  • 4 nights and 5 days at the Royalton *

  • Our rooms were upgraded to Diamond Club, which came with a metric buttload of benefits (more on this later).

  • Transfer fees between locations varied depending on what company you used, but we spent less than $100

    
    *rates vary based on room and time of booking, there are some GREAT deals if you book 6-12 months out. I couldn’t help but look to see what the cost would be if I booked a year in advance while we were there… we could have saved real pretty penny at Cocobay! I almost considered re-booking a year out just because the deal seemed so good!

• Decision Making & Planning

  LOCATION:

  We chose Cocobay because of the combination of stunning views, the natural but luxe vibes it provided, and the all inclusive packaging. Our goal was to unplug as much as we possible, relax, and soak in the sun. The all-inclusive deal was perfect. All food, drinks, and equipment rental were included so we didn’t have to worry about paying extra and it kept our options limited to what they were able to provide us - less thinking involved, we liked that!

  COTTAGE:

  There are about 6 varieties of charming cottages you can choose from, all with a beautiful view.

  The difference came down to:

  • View: ocean, garden, partial

  • Experiences: Starfish or Silversand

  • Slipper Tub

  • Plunge Pool

  We knew we would be relocating in the middle of our trip because we wanted to try two different locations on the island. We also knew that our next location would have plenty of activities to experience. Our final pick was a room with an ocean view, plunge pool, and slipper tub!

• The Pros

  • All-inclusive

  • Quiet & Secluded

  • Romantic

  • 65 Private Cottages

  • Meals were authentic and delicious

  • Staff is friendly, kind, and professional

  • Locals in this area were friendly but respectful

  • Service was top notch

  • The views from our cottage, from the restaurant, and from the beach - were unbeatable.

• The Cons

  • More mosquitoes than anticipated.

  • Beach by the resort was more buggy than we were used to.

  • They fog the property 4x a week (pro) to limit the mosquitoes, but it didn’t really seem to work (probably because I am a mosquito magnet - unfortunate but true).

• Need to Know

  • Adult-only

  • There are cats, everywhere.They are cute, furry, friendly, and not afraid to beg for your food and attention.If you are allergic to cats, bring your meds just in case you need them.

  • It’s hard to avoid the bugs, but if you stay in the water, it makes it much harder to be bothered by them. Plus, the water some how calms your skin, at least for me it did.

  • There are also mongoose (mongeese?), hermit crabs, lizards and/or geckos. Which, for me were totally fine and fun to spot. But if you get spooked by certain critters, you should make sure to shut your doors when you are on the balcony of your cottage to keep them from wandering into your room.

  • Wi-fi was available, but spotty in some locations. We didn’t mind because we wanted to disconnect as much as we could. It was always accessible while in our cottages, but if we were walking around or on the beach - it was questionable.

  • No TV’s in the cottages - perfect for those who want to unplug.

  • Cocobay is a very calm and peaceful resort, they have music playing and will have the occasional Caribbean cookout with a band, but other than that everything usually winds down by midnight.

  • There are friendly locals who love to chit-chat and sell you goods and excursions.

  • They do have insect repellant and sunscreen at the gift shop - beware, it will be more expensive than you are used to if you are coming from the US. Item description

COCOBAY RESORT

OUR EXPERIENCE

It was a smooth ride getting into Antigua. After touching down, we collected our bags and went outside to search for our transfer with Nexus Tours. We were immediately greeted on site with a rum punch. Since we had an early arrival, they checked us in and immediately directed us to the restaurant so we could have lunch while they prepared our cottage.

Once we finished our meal, which was just what we needed, the bell hop helped carry our luggage and led us to our cottage.

We arrived at our room to find it decorated with fresh flowers, a chilled bottle of champagne, and a fully stocked mini-fridge with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic

• The room and the view were AMAZING.

  • King sized bed with a canopy net. Both charming and functional - you know, in case you needed protection from buggies in the evening.

  • The bed was placed in front of a set of french doors, which lead directly to our private plunge pool, which also overlooked the beach and mountain line across the water… pinch me, it felt so surreal. We woke up to the sunrise without needing to get out of bed or leave the room.

  • The balcony had privacy screening with sun bleached branches.

  • The bathroom and shower opened up to the balcony. You could open it up and enjoy the view while you showered. (and yes, of course we did…because when an opportunity presents itself… you must!)

  • The balcony also came equipped with 2 Adironack chairs, 2 adjustable chaise lounges, a hammock, and a double ended slipper tub (squeal!).

  • We would get visits from all sorts of geckoes and birds, hummingbirds included!

  • There was a little hutch attached to your cottage that they could deliver your morning coffee to upon request - you never even had to open your door.

  • The do-not-disturb signage system was beyond cute. A giant conch was attached to the outside of your cottage, if you were in the cottage you leave a little shell inside the conch. If you were out exploring, the little shell hangs out.

  • There was air-conditioning, which was nice to have after a long day in the sun.

The restaurant options on site were few, but they made up for it in quality of their culinary creations. My husband and I love food, we love to try new things, and we enjoy all different types of food. Cocobay’s menu selections did not disappoint for the duration of our stay. The romantic dinner over looking the water during sunset was delicious, we were tucked away from everyone else, with our own server who kept our glasses full and the plates literally just kept on coming… by the end, we were so full we couldn’t even finish the last plate.

We went for a nature walk with Vorn, the medicine man and a couple from the U.K. visiting the island. We learned about the native plants in Antigua: what was medicinal, what was poisonous, and also learned how to crack open a coconut.

The couples massage was tucked away in a private area, but had a stunning view overlooking the water. Our masseuses were friendly and professional. It was a great way to decompress and treat ourselves.

One morning, we had a floating breakfast delivered to our cottage. it was packed to the brim with food and so fun to be able to eat off of a giant floating plate.

The resort is located right next to Little Ffryes which was a cute little beach. We enjoyed walking it in the mornings, but preferred the pool in the middle of the day to avoid the bugs.

After checking out, we were able to enjoy a last lunch before our driver arrived to transfer us to Royalton.

It was an amazing place, great people, so relaxing and rejuvenating - 10/10 would consider returning for an anniversary celebration!