The best hotels in Antigua
Boasting endless white-sand beaches, acres of rugged rainforest, and plenty of untouched tangle just waiting to be explored, Antigua’s landscape remains relatively true to the way nature intended, and the best hotels on this glorious Caribbean island are a stone’s throw from the crystal-clear waters that lap its powder-soft shores. It’s a beach-lover’s dream and anyone visiting would be hard-pushed to get round every stretch of golden sand - the saying goes there’s ‘a beach for every day of the year’.
Visit between June and October and you might just be lucky enough to watch baby turtles emerging, blurry-eyed from their shells before scuttling to the sea. There are optimum times for surfing here, too, but the year-round promise is that the vibe on this island is chilled. Days stretch lazily from sunrise swims to rum-fuelled sundowners, with the opportunity for a poolside snooze in between. It’s easy to sink into holiday mode, especially when you’re checking into one of the best hotels in Antigua. We've rounded up the options, from ultra-luxe five-star resorts with all of the frills, to boutique hideaways so good you’ll be booking your return before you’ve even left for home.
Editor's picks
- For couples: Hermitage Bay
- For all-inclusive: Jumby Bay Island
- For families: Curtain Bluff
How we choose the best hotels in Antigua
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
More Caribbean recommendations
- The best hotels in the Caribbean
- The best all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean
- The best family-friendly hotels in the Caribbean
- The best hotels in St Lucia
- The best hotels in St Barth's
- The best hotels in Jamaica
- The best hotels in Barbados
- The best all-inclusive resorts in Barbados
- The best hotels in the Bahamas
Hermitage BayhotelHermitage Bay
$$$This constellation of 30 villa suites, situated on a lush, jungle-covered hillside, features private infinity pools landscaped with pink bougainvillaea, mahogany-trimmed rooms, mosquito-netted beds, rattan ceiling fans, and wraparound terraces with sea views. Guests at the tranquil 14-and-over resort head to the palm-thatched beach bar and white-sand beach. Food at the all-inclusive is a standout (the tarragon lobster is a favourite), not to mention the daily “sunset and sushi” cocktail hour, during which guests can dine on fresh tuna, snapper, and mahi-mahi nigiri made by Nobu-trained chefs. No wonder, considering the property was purchased in 2024 by Daniel Shamoon, co-owner of Luxury Hotel Partners, which boasts Spain's Marbella Club, Puente Romano Marbella, and several Nobu hotels, including one slated to open in 2026 on Antigua's sister island, Barbuda. Adam H. Graham
Prices: Rooms from around £1,470 per night.
hotelCurtain Bluff
This intimate boutique hotel located on the south coast of the island oozes classic Caribbean charm in spades. A colonial-style, whitewashed building forms the central part of the 20-acre estate, encircled by outbuildings awash in baby pink and shaded by lush, leafy palms. Thanks to the hotel’s unique perch on a secluded promontory, you’ll be flanked by azure-blue waters on all sides: guests can lounge at the hotel’s two beaches entirely undisturbed, other by than the peppy team members who intermittently come round with drinks and ice lollies. Days here are spent lolling by the two pools and working up a sweat at the four (yes, four!) tennis courts, before ending with relaxed Caribbean dinners and live jazz.
Prices: Rooms from around £1,100 per night.
hotelJumby Bay Island
Colourful is the best adjective for Jumby Bay. Emerald-green lizards dart up white-washed walls, tortoises come with red legs, iridescent hummingbirds hover over pink Mexican creepers, and yellow-chested bananaquits search for crumbs on breakfast tables. There are blindingly white sands to cross and turquoise waters to slip into for a world of plump orange starfish, yellow-tailed snappers, rays, and blue tang. All still vivid in my memory. Beneath all this shifting colour is the lush 300-acre private island that remains one of the most exclusive in the Caribbean. Its “no cars, no keys” policy brings a feeling of intimacy to the three restaurants, spa (think Tata Harper), 40 rooms and suites and 14 villas that make up the hotel, all of which offer luxury as dazzling as the island’s colours.
The generously sized suites come with a little entrance courtyard where a wicker chair swings, suspended, in the warm breeze. Terraces overlook the sea or are inset with a pool. Some bathrooms spill outside with vast tubs waiting under palm fronds. Step outside your room to enjoy Taittinger on tap (part of the inclusive rates, which also offer limitless water sports) or sip Antigua black daiquiris made with local black pineapple. Food served at the Estate House, once part of the original sugar plantation, brims with a sense of place. But the best experience has to be a rum tasting with the barman, Jimmy, which leads to serious Caribbean contentment. Mary Lussiana
Prices: Rooms from around £2,600 per night.
The Inn English Harbour
Hugging the island’s south coast, this small but perfectly formed estate encompasses 19 acres of manicured gardens, all set against a dramatic backdrop of turquoise waters and pink-hued Caribbean sunsets. Each of the suites ooze timeless, old-school charm, featuring colonial accents and period furnishings: think grand four-posters and mahogany furniture. Wake up to languid breakfasts on the beach before working on your tan along the hotel’s palm-fringed sands - and if you’re tempted to explore further afield, you’ll be in the ideal location for sightseeing, with Antigua’s famed Shirley Heights and Nelson’s Dockyard both merely a stone’s throw away.
Prices: Rooms from around £1,150 per night.
Carlisle Bay
Wake up to sweeping panoramas over the ocean at Carlisle Bay, a family-friendly five-star pad straddling Antigua’s untouched southern coast. Set within a peaceful curve which is home to one of the island’s best beaches, sun-worshipping and salty sea swims are undoubtedly the orders of the day here. Wake up in spacious, beachfront suites, where whitewashed interiors are punctuated by calming dashes of blue and green; after spending the day getting stuck into pickleball tournaments and diving school, you’ll be spoilt for choice between the hotel’s four restaurants, which offer Japanese, Italian, and local cuisine.
Prices: Rooms from around £680 per night.
Blue Waters Resort and Spa
This family-owned resort is nestled within a private bay on the island’s northwestern coast, encompassing a quaint 17 acres of tropical foliage and powder-soft sand beaches. Colonial-style bedrooms have been carefully refreshed with elegant furnishings, and all have their own private terraces or balconies - with a handful of larger villas ideal for family takeovers. The hotel’s four bars and restaurants offer everything from elevated suppers to relaxed dining with your toes in the sand, and days are spent alternating between reef snorkelling, boat rides, and exploring the shoreline’s coves.
Prices: Rooms from around £940 per night.
Galley Bay Resort and Spa
For an understated, adults-only oasis, Galley Bay is the ideal sanctuary for newlyweds (for more options visit our edit of the world's best hotels for honeymoons). Sandwiched between the ocean and an expansive lagoon, you’ll be surrounded by nature’s best, from dense tropical thicket to ancient tortoises and colourful birds which nest at the hotel’s various animal sanctuaries. Bed down in stripped-back beachfront suites, and wake up to the chirrup of wildlife around you; meanwhile, leisurely afternoons are spent parked on a sun lounger, being pampered at the spa, or in the water (snorkelling, kayaking and paddle boarding are all part of the hotel’s all-inclusive rate).
Prices: Rooms from around £650 per night.
