Sugar Ridge Resort
Valley Road Tottenham Park, Jolly Harbour Antigua
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About
4.0
#1 of 1 boutique hotel in Jolly HarbourLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Antigua’s newest boutique hotel nestles in a sugar cane-bordered natural hillside with stunning views of the surrounding landscape and the turquoise Caribbean Sea. Designed in contemporary colonial style, rooms have private large verandas, plunge pool and full amenities. An Aveda™ spa provides the latest in holistic therapies; a gym, 3 swimming pools, trendy Sugar Club bar/restaurant and the more formal Carmichael’s, make Sugar Ridge the place to be.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Pool
Bar / lounge
Evening entertainment
Nightclub / DJ
Free shuttle or taxi services
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Infinity pool
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Poolside bar
Airport transportation
Car hire
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Full body massage
Massage
Baggage storage
Concierge
Gift shop
Mosquito net
Non-smoking hotel
Shops
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Bathrobes
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Room service
Coffee / tea maker
Flatscreen TV
Bath / shower
Safe
Iron
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Refrigerator
iPod docking station
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Harbour View
Bay View
Location
Valley Road Tottenham Park, Jolly Harbour Antigua
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 69 out of 100
69
17 Restaurants
within 1 kilometer
2 Attractions
within 1 kilometer
1,315Review80Q+A100Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
We have stayed here literally by chance as our family was scheduled to rent a house down the road, only to learn that the house was not ready and we had to book something last minute and Sugar Ridge was the only spot that had rooms available that matches our requirements. We are a family of four, little kids and we like privacy, cleanliness and convenience. Rooms were indeed clean, quite nicely furnished and finished, spacious and offered good amount of privacy in a very nice setting with views of jolly harbour, carribean sea and nearby green ridges and hills. Very picturesque area, especially if you like photography like me. Kids had tons of fun even though the resort is more of an adult place and there werent many kids there. Pool area is beautiful and extremely quiet, clean and conveniently located. We spent most of the time on the beach which, sadly, isn’t adjacent to the resort and you need the shuttle but in all honesty, shuttling was great, no issues and kids actually liked it. It only takes two minutes drive to the all inclusive Valley Church beach also called Nest beach. We did not mind the ride. Beach was awesome, maybe only except the day when cruise ships arrived and it get crowded but it’s not every day and couple days we literally had the beach to ourselves.... ten ppl maybe in total. Chairs are free for sugar ridge resort and umbrellas are usd 10 each so very cheap. The only complaint I would have is speed of service at the resort, for any meal, they are just very slow but then I need to remember I am from Canada and used to instant service and here I am on an island demanding fast service. Just remind them few times and relax, it will come but it may be little frustrating so 4 stars instead of five. We are very happy considering last minute decision.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie M, Public Relations Manager at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Jan 9, 2020
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are pleased we ended up being a good last minute choice for you. It sounds like you enjoyed your stay and relaxed. We would be delighted to gave you all back anytime.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We loved our honeymoon stay at Sugar Ridge. When you first arrive, we were greeted with welcome drinks (our type of place) and they had our luggage brought to our room. The front desk was very helpful with getting taxi's/shuttles around the island and to the beach. They were also very helpful with setting up our excursions. We went during the slow season (Sept 2018) so there were not many other guests, upside is there was no kids - only adults! The food was always on point and we enjoyed the selection they offered. We are also athletes and the gym was very clean, and had plenty of equipment for a solid workout! The restaurant at the top of the hill has the BEST views on the island and the servers were seriously so nice. I highly recommend getting the all inclusive package. It's 100% worth it. We even had free drinks and food brought to our room when we felt like just chilling for the night. I have recommended this place to a few friends and I hope they consider staying here. One thing to consider, you are not on the beach, which is what we wanted. You are up in the hills and have a view of the beach AND the hills! OH YES, and the plunge/infinity pool at the top of the hill next to the restaurant was magical with plenty of places to sit. We are huge "VIEWS" people and this place had all of them.
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Date of stay: September 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie M, Public Relations Manager at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Feb 14, 2020
Thank you Hannah H for your review. we are thrilled you had a great stay with us , enjoying our AI plan and views. Please don't wait too long before you come back and stay again .
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My husband and I have been to Antigua twice before on cruises and spent two days from our cruise ship around the island. It has been on our travel list for a couple of years. What perfect timing for Aveda to offer this deal using points! We extended the trip to total 9 days and I am SO glad that we stayed here the entire time rather than moving to another place. Sugar Ridge
gets a 5 from me because of the excellent & friendly staff. Just to name a few that we routinely interacted with and LOVED include Marisa at the front desk, Cindy Ann
at Sugar Club and the entertainment director, Carlene at the main pool bar,
Joanna at the Aveda spa, and others who took care of us like Coffe, Gordon & Ariel. Everyone was great and I left many names off so I apologize! This is a super relaxing resort with 3 pools. The plunge pool at top of hill at Carmichael’s is amazing. The shuttles to the beaches are convenient. The grounds are lovely and filled with lovely flowers and other tropical vegetation. We stayed in villa #14 (ground floor units have even numbers and plunge pools, upper floor units have odd numbers and a nice balcony, but no pool). I loved the sweet little plunge pool, however during our stay the pool light was NOT working and the pool pump was very weak (yes, I reported that). Our roomy balcony had a great sunset view, but rocking table needs leveled. Our room had a very comfortable bed. The light bulb in a lamp by our bed was flashing for half of our stay but finally got fixed. The bathroom amenities and shower were great. Beware if you have any mobility issues or are out of shape since there are LOTs of stone steps to and from the rooms. Overall, I would stay here again and recommend the resort.
gets a 5 from me because of the excellent & friendly staff. Just to name a few that we routinely interacted with and LOVED include Marisa at the front desk, Cindy Ann
at Sugar Club and the entertainment director, Carlene at the main pool bar,
Joanna at the Aveda spa, and others who took care of us like Coffe, Gordon & Ariel. Everyone was great and I left many names off so I apologize! This is a super relaxing resort with 3 pools. The plunge pool at top of hill at Carmichael’s is amazing. The shuttles to the beaches are convenient. The grounds are lovely and filled with lovely flowers and other tropical vegetation. We stayed in villa #14 (ground floor units have even numbers and plunge pools, upper floor units have odd numbers and a nice balcony, but no pool). I loved the sweet little plunge pool, however during our stay the pool light was NOT working and the pool pump was very weak (yes, I reported that). Our roomy balcony had a great sunset view, but rocking table needs leveled. Our room had a very comfortable bed. The light bulb in a lamp by our bed was flashing for half of our stay but finally got fixed. The bathroom amenities and shower were great. Beware if you have any mobility issues or are out of shape since there are LOTs of stone steps to and from the rooms. Overall, I would stay here again and recommend the resort.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie McCauley, Marketing at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Mar 10, 2020
Thank you so much for your lovely 5 star review. We are so pleased you not only extended your stay but enjoyed our resort . We will make sure our staff see this and the shout outs you have given then . Please come and see us all again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Booked two nights via Booking.com for $380 CAD/night. The night before checking out asked Receptionist to extend for one more night for the same room so I wouldn’t have to change rooms. The receptionist Trevor said I had to wake up in the morning and check then if that’s possible. I explained that the reason I was extending was because I did not want to wake up early. Trevor was rude and obnoxious. Asked him to contact the manager.
Waited for 45 min at the reception instead of going to sleep until Trevor informed me that I could stay in the same room for an extra night, the rate would be $239 USD including taxes, and I had to pay in the morning. Double checked with Trevor that $239 was including taxes. He confirmed with the yes.
Came down to Reception the next day to pay. The receptionist would not honour the rate and said I had to pay $369 USD. Had to escalate the issue up to the general manager out of principle to honour the rate which was quoted. That took 45 minutes of my time and added to my aggravation from the previous night.
Other than the bad customer service, the resort is meh. Would expect more for that price. The infinity pool is tiny - more like a pond. Only drinks, no food/snacks available at the pool. The Carmichael’s restaurant onsite Carmichael’s (which is apparently fine dining) was a bad experience too. The food was not good at all.
Will not come back.
Waited for 45 min at the reception instead of going to sleep until Trevor informed me that I could stay in the same room for an extra night, the rate would be $239 USD including taxes, and I had to pay in the morning. Double checked with Trevor that $239 was including taxes. He confirmed with the yes.
Came down to Reception the next day to pay. The receptionist would not honour the rate and said I had to pay $369 USD. Had to escalate the issue up to the general manager out of principle to honour the rate which was quoted. That took 45 minutes of my time and added to my aggravation from the previous night.
Other than the bad customer service, the resort is meh. Would expect more for that price. The infinity pool is tiny - more like a pond. Only drinks, no food/snacks available at the pool. The Carmichael’s restaurant onsite Carmichael’s (which is apparently fine dining) was a bad experience too. The food was not good at all.
Will not come back.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie McCauley, Marketing at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Feb 22, 2020
Thank you for your review. We are very sorry you were frustrated during your stay . I have checked with our reservations department and see you were honored with a late check out , If you found our staff to be unhelpful whilst you were requesting an extension again please accept our apologies. We wish all the best with your future travels.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My wife and I spent a week at Sugar Ridge and had a very nice time. We paid for the all inclusive package and it worked out very well. The resort is not on the beach but is very close to several and the resort will take you and pick you up at your leisure.The resort is built into the hill and has a lot of steps. If wet they can be very slippery so be careful. If you are young or in reasonable shape they should not be problem. The pools are nice but we spent most of the days at different beaches. Turners beach was very nice and with the all inclusive you got lunch and drinks at their restaurant. Other beaches you could request a custom lunch to take with you. We ate most meals at the main restaurant and the food was excellent as well as the service. One night we ate at Carmichaels at the top of the resort and the food was excellent and the view magnificent. They offer very good yoga that my wife enjoyed each day, and the gym has lots of options for a quick work out. It never seemed very busy which was nice. The best views are from the higher numbered units on the top floors, but lots more steps. They will shuttle you up and down if needed. We had the small plunge pool, but we did not use it that much as it was a little on the cold side. Overall a great vacation and I would give it five stars.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie McCauley, General Manager at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Feb 19, 2020
Thankyou Coach911 for your in-depth review. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and are thrilled with the % stars! please come and see us all again soon
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sugar Ridge is just what we desired for our week vacation on Antigua. We love small boutique hotels with amenities - pools, restaurant, bar(s), activities planned - island hike, yoga classes every day. Nestled in the beautiful hillside. JollyHarbor, rooms have been renovated and are lovely, clean, and great AC. The spacious balconies have amazing views of bay and harbor from second floor units. Plunge pools not really an added upgrade bc on first floor units with views of hillside...and did not spend much time in rooms bc resort so beautiful. The BEST part of hte stay was watching the sunset every night from the Restaurant -bar and infinity pool on top of the mountain ...very few guests there and sometimes just us. Magical sunsets every night from the pool. We are very athletic oriented and actually enjoyed the steep climbs to the rooms and the restaurant pool on top level. Beware if you have physical disabilities as no elevators and tons of stairs everywhere...which we actually enjoyed the workout. Van to rooms and top if needed.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie M, Public Relations Manager at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Jan 3, 2020
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are delighted you enjoyed your stay with us and watching sunsets at Carmichaels. Come back to see us all again soon!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We found the staff helpful but lots of them lacked training. The place needs a makeover and getting the shuttle up and down to your room a pain again the drivers are great. Carmichael’s restaurant is awful, the chef in the sugar club much better but the menus lack imagination. Sorry to say we won’t be going back.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Higher rooms have sea view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie McCauley, Marketing at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Feb 22, 2020
Thank you lyn51803 for your review Looks like our resort is not to your taste but pleased you think our drivers and chef are great . We wish you all the best with your future travels
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The staff at Sugar Ridge define “going above and beyond”. The team at the front desk were so welcoming and helpful and the rooms were gorgeous. However, the most important experience to have while at this resort is the Tony-lada! Tony is an amazing bartender with an even more amazing smile. His Tony-ladas will definitely set the stage for a beautiful Antigua day!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Annie M, Public Relations Manager at Sugar Ridge Resort
Responded Jan 4, 2020
Thank you kitsiegirl for your wonderful review ! We are thrilled you had a fantastic stay with us and well be sure to pass on your comments and love to Tony! Come and see us all again soon .
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It is such a shame that I'm having to rate Sugar Ridge so low because there is so much right with the place; however a substantial problem we encountered and the lack of response from the hotel in dealing with the situation has left me feeling really disappointed and returning to Blighty feeling pretty let down.
Starting with the positives - of which there are many - the location is absolutely lovely. We were enticed by the fact that the hotel is not on the beach, instead it's nestled in the hills, with the rooms spread out around the grounds, all offering decent views to the bay, Jolly Harbour and beyond. The rooms are great; all of the amenities you'd need, a good size, stylish and the terraces - whether with or without plunge pool - are a nice asset. Staff are by and large extremely warm and friendly and those who appeared to be in charge of the various areas seemed to really strive to provide a good service. We read with interest that some reviewers felt that the staff let the place down; we certainly felt to the contrary and drew conclusions that, although some members were quieter and less forthcoming than others, this was perhaps simply a personality thing, rather than an unwillingness to assist. And hey, don't we come to holiday in the Caribbean for a slower, more relaxed pace of life, to escape busy day-to-day lives?!
Food in both restaurants - the Sugar Club and Carmichael's - was of a really good standard and we felt the all inclusive was definitely the best value plan, as we saw the receipts each day! If I had to offer some constructive feedback, I'd suggest a little more variation in the menus as, after nearly two weeks you do begin to get slight food fatigue!
Carmichael's was our favourite part of the hotel to relax by day and night, with beautiful views, a gorgeous infinity pool and a nice little bar with cocktails served up by Clifford. The hotel was pretty quiet during our stay, so the infinity pool was often deserted, giving you a feeling of being in your own secluded villa in the hills.
Our holiday package included a couples' back, neck and shoulder massage and, although this was the only treatment we took in the Aveda spa, the experience was lovely and relaxing. I'm ashamed to say that we didn't use the gym, but it looked pretty impressive from the outside!
And so to the huge blot on the landscape. (Apologies that this is rather long!)
The fact that the hotel was not situated on a beach was one of the things that drew us to Sugar Ridge. The idea of a shuttle that took you to a selection of three beaches throughout the day seemed like a great idea and a good way of ensuring we saw more of the island. It's certainly something the hotel widely promotes.
We first visited Turner's beach which was a very nice location, but the service at the bar wasn't the smiley, happy experience we'd become accustomed to at Sugar Ridge. We visited the Nest the following day, which was a beautiful location, with calm turquoise waters and silky sand. We'd been given the heads up from other guests that the shuttle driver 'preferred' to take you to these two beaches, but on the third day, we requested to be taken to the third location, Gibsons, which is further along from Turners. The shuttle driver told us the beach was closed. We persevered (due to the heads up we'd received) and said we'd still like to take a look - at which point he became a little confrontational and asked us why we didn't believe him, saying we were calling him a liar. We had no choice on this day but to be taken to Turner's, but my husband and another guest took a walk to Gibson's once there, to check things out. They were greeted by the owners and told that, although they were doing a few small improvements, they would always open whenever guests wanted to come. We arranged to visit a couple of days later.
On the arranged day, we once again requested to be taken to Turners, when the driver once again stated that it was closed. Our new friends insisted that we'd been invited down by the owners, at which point, the shuttle driver became pretty angry at us for wanting to go there. It transpired from his ranting that he'd had a personal fall-out with the manager there and refused to take guests to the beach because of this. We calmly let him get his ranting out, not wanting to antagonise the situation, but throughout the journey he continued to let his disappointment at us be known, for still wanting to visit the beach.
Unfortunately for him, the service here was fantastic and, in our opinion, Gibsons is by far the best beach experience of the three locations offered. Food was fantastic, sunbeds were cushioned (unlike the other two) and we felt the team there could not do enough for us. They seemed genuinely pleased for the custom.
On the next occasion we requested to visit, we received exactly the same behaviour from the shuttle driver. By this point, I was starting to dread the confrontations each morning, hating any conflict with this man and not quite understanding why he wanted to take his anger out on us. My husband and our new friends tried to explain to the driver that we did not want to get involved in his personal issues, but he insisted that we were making ourselves involved by wanting to visit this beach. He made some really accusatory comments on this trip, of which I won't repeat, by which point we decided we needed to inform the hotel, as this was genuinely starting to spoil our stay.
We hoped to bring up the issue with the hotel manager, Keith, but he was not on the island during the latter part of our trip - in fact, we saw him just the once on our first night, for a very brief 'hello', as he did the rounds at the weekly cocktail party.
On the third occasion in the two weeks, that we requested to visit Gibson's, the shuttle driver simply gave us a dirty look, as he let us in to the vehicle. He then drove extremely erratically, at much higher speed than usual, braking at the last minute and scared the life out of me. I was physically shaking when I arrived and the other couple we were with were equally shocked. This time, we'd had enough and immediately called the hotel to report what had just happened. We spoke with Marcia who, although sympathetic and said it would be dealt with, we heard no more from.
This was our final experience of the hotel shuttle and the last we heard from the hotel on the subject. We decided that for the last few days of our holiday we would use a taxi - at our expense - and wanted nothing more to do with the shuttle service. We expected hotel management to want to personally discuss the matter with us, but the invitation didn't come. There seemed to be nobody around who wanted to resolve the matter.
I'm annoyed at myself for letting these recurring experiences stress me out when we'd spent a lot of money to come and stay at this hotel for our one big holiday of the year. But I'm disappointed that the actions of one individual spoiled our day-to-day enjoyment of the holiday. To wake up and dread the inevitable conflict was, I'm sure you will appreciate, not an ideal scenario when on holiday, but nor was being dictated to on where we could and could not go because of personal issues. The hotel offers a service to three beaches, but because of one individual, most of the guests were unable to experience them all. We actually came across several guests during our stay who either commented that they were too scared to get on the wrong side of the shuttle driver, or were waiting for him to have his day off, to go to Gibsons! We were genuinely upset that one individual seemed to take such offence at us for simply wanting to visit a beach that the hotel offers a service at.
However, what disappoints us perhaps the most is the lack of personal acknowledgment by hotel management at what we'd experienced. I'm sure the manager would say that had he been on the island at the time, the matter would have been dealt with differently. However, we sat on our concerns for quite a few days to begin with, because we could not locate him, or any other staff member that we felt would address the issue. We also did not want to make a fuss unduly. And when we finally did, we may as well not have bothered.
It's therefore sad that I'm resorting to having to vent my frustration and upset on Tripadvisor, but I really do hope the owner is considering doing something about the situation. It is completely unacceptable that this should happen once, but to continue to overshadow our stay is pretty unbelievable. As previously stated, I really didn't want to rate Sugar Ridge so low; this hotel had so much potential to offer us an altogether more positive experience, but I do hope that those in charge will sit up and listen. As things stand, I would never contemplate returning, nor recommending it to others, which is a huge shame.
Starting with the positives - of which there are many - the location is absolutely lovely. We were enticed by the fact that the hotel is not on the beach, instead it's nestled in the hills, with the rooms spread out around the grounds, all offering decent views to the bay, Jolly Harbour and beyond. The rooms are great; all of the amenities you'd need, a good size, stylish and the terraces - whether with or without plunge pool - are a nice asset. Staff are by and large extremely warm and friendly and those who appeared to be in charge of the various areas seemed to really strive to provide a good service. We read with interest that some reviewers felt that the staff let the place down; we certainly felt to the contrary and drew conclusions that, although some members were quieter and less forthcoming than others, this was perhaps simply a personality thing, rather than an unwillingness to assist. And hey, don't we come to holiday in the Caribbean for a slower, more relaxed pace of life, to escape busy day-to-day lives?!
Food in both restaurants - the Sugar Club and Carmichael's - was of a really good standard and we felt the all inclusive was definitely the best value plan, as we saw the receipts each day! If I had to offer some constructive feedback, I'd suggest a little more variation in the menus as, after nearly two weeks you do begin to get slight food fatigue!
Carmichael's was our favourite part of the hotel to relax by day and night, with beautiful views, a gorgeous infinity pool and a nice little bar with cocktails served up by Clifford. The hotel was pretty quiet during our stay, so the infinity pool was often deserted, giving you a feeling of being in your own secluded villa in the hills.
Our holiday package included a couples' back, neck and shoulder massage and, although this was the only treatment we took in the Aveda spa, the experience was lovely and relaxing. I'm ashamed to say that we didn't use the gym, but it looked pretty impressive from the outside!
And so to the huge blot on the landscape. (Apologies that this is rather long!)
The fact that the hotel was not situated on a beach was one of the things that drew us to Sugar Ridge. The idea of a shuttle that took you to a selection of three beaches throughout the day seemed like a great idea and a good way of ensuring we saw more of the island. It's certainly something the hotel widely promotes.
We first visited Turner's beach which was a very nice location, but the service at the bar wasn't the smiley, happy experience we'd become accustomed to at Sugar Ridge. We visited the Nest the following day, which was a beautiful location, with calm turquoise waters and silky sand. We'd been given the heads up from other guests that the shuttle driver 'preferred' to take you to these two beaches, but on the third day, we requested to be taken to the third location, Gibsons, which is further along from Turners. The shuttle driver told us the beach was closed. We persevered (due to the heads up we'd received) and said we'd still like to take a look - at which point he became a little confrontational and asked us why we didn't believe him, saying we were calling him a liar. We had no choice on this day but to be taken to Turner's, but my husband and another guest took a walk to Gibson's once there, to check things out. They were greeted by the owners and told that, although they were doing a few small improvements, they would always open whenever guests wanted to come. We arranged to visit a couple of days later.
On the arranged day, we once again requested to be taken to Turners, when the driver once again stated that it was closed. Our new friends insisted that we'd been invited down by the owners, at which point, the shuttle driver became pretty angry at us for wanting to go there. It transpired from his ranting that he'd had a personal fall-out with the manager there and refused to take guests to the beach because of this. We calmly let him get his ranting out, not wanting to antagonise the situation, but throughout the journey he continued to let his disappointment at us be known, for still wanting to visit the beach.
Unfortunately for him, the service here was fantastic and, in our opinion, Gibsons is by far the best beach experience of the three locations offered. Food was fantastic, sunbeds were cushioned (unlike the other two) and we felt the team there could not do enough for us. They seemed genuinely pleased for the custom.
On the next occasion we requested to visit, we received exactly the same behaviour from the shuttle driver. By this point, I was starting to dread the confrontations each morning, hating any conflict with this man and not quite understanding why he wanted to take his anger out on us. My husband and our new friends tried to explain to the driver that we did not want to get involved in his personal issues, but he insisted that we were making ourselves involved by wanting to visit this beach. He made some really accusatory comments on this trip, of which I won't repeat, by which point we decided we needed to inform the hotel, as this was genuinely starting to spoil our stay.
We hoped to bring up the issue with the hotel manager, Keith, but he was not on the island during the latter part of our trip - in fact, we saw him just the once on our first night, for a very brief 'hello', as he did the rounds at the weekly cocktail party.
On the third occasion in the two weeks, that we requested to visit Gibson's, the shuttle driver simply gave us a dirty look, as he let us in to the vehicle. He then drove extremely erratically, at much higher speed than usual, braking at the last minute and scared the life out of me. I was physically shaking when I arrived and the other couple we were with were equally shocked. This time, we'd had enough and immediately called the hotel to report what had just happened. We spoke with Marcia who, although sympathetic and said it would be dealt with, we heard no more from.
This was our final experience of the hotel shuttle and the last we heard from the hotel on the subject. We decided that for the last few days of our holiday we would use a taxi - at our expense - and wanted nothing more to do with the shuttle service. We expected hotel management to want to personally discuss the matter with us, but the invitation didn't come. There seemed to be nobody around who wanted to resolve the matter.
I'm annoyed at myself for letting these recurring experiences stress me out when we'd spent a lot of money to come and stay at this hotel for our one big holiday of the year. But I'm disappointed that the actions of one individual spoiled our day-to-day enjoyment of the holiday. To wake up and dread the inevitable conflict was, I'm sure you will appreciate, not an ideal scenario when on holiday, but nor was being dictated to on where we could and could not go because of personal issues. The hotel offers a service to three beaches, but because of one individual, most of the guests were unable to experience them all. We actually came across several guests during our stay who either commented that they were too scared to get on the wrong side of the shuttle driver, or were waiting for him to have his day off, to go to Gibsons! We were genuinely upset that one individual seemed to take such offence at us for simply wanting to visit a beach that the hotel offers a service at.
However, what disappoints us perhaps the most is the lack of personal acknowledgment by hotel management at what we'd experienced. I'm sure the manager would say that had he been on the island at the time, the matter would have been dealt with differently. However, we sat on our concerns for quite a few days to begin with, because we could not locate him, or any other staff member that we felt would address the issue. We also did not want to make a fuss unduly. And when we finally did, we may as well not have bothered.
It's therefore sad that I'm resorting to having to vent my frustration and upset on Tripadvisor, but I really do hope the owner is considering doing something about the situation. It is completely unacceptable that this should happen once, but to continue to overshadow our stay is pretty unbelievable. As previously stated, I really didn't want to rate Sugar Ridge so low; this hotel had so much potential to offer us an altogether more positive experience, but I do hope that those in charge will sit up and listen. As things stand, I would never contemplate returning, nor recommending it to others, which is a huge shame.
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Date of stay: June 2012Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Room Tip: The higher you go, the better the views, but the further to walk to/from the main sugar club...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Responded Jul 6, 2012
I was delighted to read all of your very complimentary remarks about the facilities of Sugar Ridge. Also how much you enjoyed the food and overall service received. As you kindly pointed out in your review we briefly met at the manager’s cocktail party at the start of your holiday, but unfortunately for unavoidable personal family reasons I was obliged to travel to the UK some 48 hours later and indeed at the time of this review I am still in the UK. That I hope explains my own absence, but of course what it does not do is excuse the behavior of one of our employees. Following your complaint to reception, this serious matter was correctly followed up. I can assure the matter has now been dealt with, and I’m sorry again that reception didn’t not relay this information to you in my absence. Again I cannot apologize enough for what you experienced and the extent to which it distracted from what would otherwise have been an excellent holiday. I will be writing to you personally.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
An excellent 4 star hotel at very competitive rates (even better if you can get discounted rates from your tour operator or airline) Immaculate rooms with lovely views. Great bathroom with lovely toiletries. The Spa might take more business if they actually provided a price list of treatments (in room, in spa even!!), just a thought guys...Bar and restaurants have a great ambience and are very well furnished. Lovely crystal clear pools, loads of loungers and umbrellas so enough for all. Very flexible shuttle to nearby beaches. Excellent service, with a smile, from all members of the team. Service in the bar too slow, it was not that busy! Food quality really good. Better than expected, please be aware that some of the reviews just do not reflect reality. This is a great 4 star venue that is not trying to be something it isn't and my experience definitely stacked up to the website promises. GRIFF
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Date of stay: May 2011Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
i did hear it was for sale...Aveda also closed the spa.
You can absolutely have an appointment at the spa, but I don't think there is a "day ticket" for the pool. HOWEVER, if you pay for spa service, I myself would feel perfectly comfortable using the resort's pool while I was on the grounds. The resort is not crowded or party-ish, so I don't think your quiet presence at the pool would be questioned.
Don’t both with the plunge pool very cold etc , the hotel pools are great especially the one at the top of the resort. You get around by mini bus you just phone reception and request transportation.
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"Stay well away from room 10 - its closest to the gym. The plunge pools are small and not worth the extra money"Read full review
"We had room 1 which was in a row that was perfect - views, easy for restaurant & reception."Read full review
"Upper level odd # (no plunge pool) between 1 and 13 have good views of harbor/sunset and are nicely situated to the restaurant/pools"Read full review
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ALSO KNOWN AS
sugar ridge hotel jolly harbour
LOCATION
CaribbeanAntigua and BarbudaAntiguaSaint Mary ParishJolly Harbour
NUMBER OF ROOMS
60
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sugar Ridge Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Sugar Ridge Resort?
Nearby attractions include Valley Church Beach (1.2 km), Jolly Beach (0.8 km), and Aily Tailored Clothing (0.7 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Sugar Ridge Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Sugar Ridge Resort?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Sugar Ridge Resort?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a poolside bar during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Sugar Ridge Resort?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Fox House Restaurant & Bar, Miracles Of The Caribbean Restaurant And Bar, and Basilico.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Sugar Ridge Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness centre during their stay.
Does Sugar Ridge Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Sugar Ridge Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Sugar Ridge Resort?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Are there any historical sites close to Sugar Ridge Resort?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Fort Barrington (7.7 km).
Does Sugar Ridge Resort have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the harbour view available here.