Description
A member of Leading Small Hotels of the World, Carlisle Bay opened at the end of 2003 and has rapidly established itself as the place to stay on Antigua.
The hotel offers 82 luxuriously appointed suites with cool, calm interiors and fantastic ocean views from your own private terrace or balcony. The rooms have been interior designed by Mary Fox Linton and combine stylish minimalism with comfort – nothing has been forgotten here, right down to the Gaggia coffee machines provided in each room.
Carlisle Bay has three outstanding restaurants; Indigo on the Beach offering delicious healthy grills, barbeques and seafood, East restaurant serving mouth-watering Asian cuisine in a stunning contemporary space and the recently opened Ottimo! located by the pool and features a wood burning pizza oven and classic Italian dishes. There are also three bars, the exceptional Blue Spa featuring six luxurious treatment rooms, saunas, plunge pools, hair salon, chill out zone and a yoga and Pilates pavilion, a fitness centre, library, nine tennis courts and a luxurious private screening room.
Guests can enjoy a variety of water sports including sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving (no jet skis!) and kayaking adventures to historical attractions. Or why not explore the surrounding area with a boat excursion, an island tour, or guided hike through the rainforest. And as an incredibly family friendly resort, Carlisle Bay has excellent facilities for children, including clubs suitable for all ages.
Accommodation
Carlisle Bay offers six Garden Suites, 30 Beach Suites (with small separate bedroom for children therefore ideal for families), 42 Ocean Suites and 4 Carlisle Suites with three bedrooms. Fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, rooms feature cool, calm interiors, bespoke furniture, luxurious silks, crisp Frette bed linen and breathtaking ocean views from your own private terrace or balcony.
The rooms are fully equipped with up to date technology: complimentary Wi-Fi, DVD and CD players, satellite TV, bedside optic reading lights, Gaggia espresso machine mobile telephones available for hire and international dialling.
| Garden Suite | Spacious (72m2), split level, open plan bedroom/sitting room, garden suites have king size beds and sleep up to two adults. The luxury suites have lush, tropical garden views and partial ocean views. |
| Ocean Suite | Spacious (72m2), split level, open plan bedroom / living room, Ocean Suites have a king size bed and sleep up to two adults. these luxury ocean view rooms are set in the tropical gardens. Ocean Suites can interconnect making them ideal for families. |
| Beach Balcony Suite | Positioned just steps away from the water, these suites (68m2) have a bedroom with king size bed, sitting area plus a separate study or second bedroom with twin beds and balcony (upper level). These suites sleep up to three adults or two adults and two children aged between six and fifteen. |
| Beach Terrace Suite | Positioned just steps away from the water, these suites (68m2) have a bedroom with king size bed, sitting area plus a separate study or second bedroom with twin beds and terrace (ground level). These suites sleep up to three adults or two adults and two children up to the age of fifteen. |
| Carlisle Suite | These suites (163.5m2) have three double bedrooms, two with king size beds and the third with twin beds, all en suite, a large sitting room and kitchen. Both the sitting room and the master bedroom open out onto the double width beach front balcony. The suites can sleep up to six adults, or two adults and four children. |
Childcare
Children are beautifully catered for at Carlisle Bay, with a range of clubs and activities for all age groups. "Cool Kids Club" is for children from six months to six years (Mon to Sat 8.30am to 12.30pm and 1.15pm to 4.15pm). Facilities include a sand pit, paddling pool, jungle gym and mini tennis courts, and activities range from painting to treasure hunts and turtle watching. The resort organises programmes during the school holidays - "Crew Blue" is from seven to 12 years of age.
"Crush" is designed for those between 13 and 18 and offers a special teen lounge where they can hang out, enjoy table football and table tennis. The hotel also organised fun and appropriate activities, from zip-ling to Hobie Cat racing and from sting ray excursions to sports afternoons on demand.
Children's movies are shown in the afternoons in the screening room and complimentary high tea is also provided. A comprehensive and healthy children's menu is available, which caters for even the fussiest of eaters. There is no charge for children from two to 12 years and babysitting can be arranged on request.
| Crush | Operating during the school holidays, Crush is specifically aimed at 13 to 18 year olds. They have their own chill-out space, complete with a Wii entertainment system, pool and fussball table, and the option of exclusive teen activities and events, including private movie screenings. There are a host of adrenaline inducing activities available all year round, including wakeboarding, waterskiing, zip-lining through the rainforest, tubing, tennis workshops and yachting. |
| Crew Blue | A complimentary programme specifically designed for children between seven and 12 and running just during the school holidays, Crew Blue offers a range of fully supervised daytime activities. From mini-Olympics to mega-doughnut rides, from designing a T shirt to going on a mangrove tour, there is something for everyone to enjoy. |
Facilities
The facilities at Carlisle Bay are exceptional. There are three outstanding restaurants serving local, Italian and Asian cuisines, and guests can order from an extensive menu and have their food brought to the beach or the pool. And a private romantic dinner on the Jetty can also be arranged for couples. For a cooling drink by the pool, or a cocktail before dinner, there are three stylish bars to choose from. The resort features a swimming pool, Spa, sauna, plunge pool, hair salon, yoga pavilion, gym, nine tennis courts (four floodlit), library with books and CDs and a screening room (with films for children and adults).
| Restaurants and bars | Indigo on the Beach - as it's name suggests, has a spectacular beachfront setting. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu features delicious light and healthy food with an accent on grills, fresh seafood and salads. The menus are flexible, so you can order breakfast any time that suits you. Open daily from 7am to 10pm. Opposite is the Indigo on the Beach Bar overlooking the secluded bay. Open from 9am to late, it serves freshly squeezed juices, afternoon tea and delicious cocktails.
East offers an eclectic mix of Thai, Japanese, Indian and Vietnamese food, in a beautiful setting and is a unique dining experience in Antigua. Open for dinner from 6.30pm til 10pm, families with children are requested to eat early.
Ottimo!, meaning "excellent" in Italian, offers classic Italian dishes including delicious antipasto and homemade gelato. Lunch is from 11.30am to 3.30pm, and dinner on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7pm to 9.30pm. Ottimo! also has a children's menu.
Guests can enjoy a drink after a swim at the Jetty Bar - or can even reserve a table to eat privately here one evening (this is very popular so needs to be booked in advance). The Pavilion Bar is an uber chic venue where you can have a light snack or a pre or after dinner drink. |
| Cinema night | Guests can eat at East or Indigo on the Beach then enjoy a movie in the luxurious Screening Room. The room can even be booked for private screenings. |
| Watersports | Carlisle Bay offer a fantastic range of watersports, including Hobie Cat sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and snorkelling, and the resort watersports team are always on hand for help and advice, as well as escorting guests out to the reef and taking them on local boat excursions. Windsurfing and sailing clinics are held on most days and use of equipment is complimentary. Motorised watersports are not available from the beach, in order to preserve the tranquility of the resort, but are available in an adjacent bay. |
| Blue Spa | With its fabulous rainforest setting, Carlisle Bay's Blue Spa offers guests the ultimate in relaxation. Voted by Condé Nast readers in 2012 as the best Spa in the Caribbean, there are six luxurious treatment rooms, including one for couples. Choose from an indulgent list of treatments, therapies or even a Spa package, which could include a massage, facial and a foot scrub for example.
The Blue Spa gym has with the latest equipment, and a personal trainer can devise an individual schedule for you. There are also yoga and Pilates classes held in the gardens. |
Activities
Guests will never be bored with the amount of activities available to them at Carlisle Bay. Complimentary activities at the resort include, sailing, snorkelling, windsurfing, kayaking, use of the gym and tennis. At an additional charge guests can go scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, water skiing and kite-surfing nearby. There are also two off-site 18 hole golf courses.
| Golf | There are two 18 hole golf courses on Antigua - Jolly Harbour is five miles from Carlisle Bay (green fees $40 for 18 holes), and Cedar Valley is 14 miles away (green fees are $45 for 18 holes). Guests will need to provide the name of their club at home and their handicap. Advance tee time bookings are advised. |
| Sailing | With several major international yacht races being held in Antigua, it goes without saying this is a sailing paradise. Carlisle Bay offers complimentary use of equipment and daily clinics to improve your existing skills. |
| Scuba diving | Carlisle Bay is a haven for both beginners and advanced PADI qualified divers. You can gain your qualifications here through expert tuition or just enjoy a couple of reef dives. Cades Reef, situated in Carlisle Bay, is a two-mile stretch of reef, with excellent visibility and is home to a large variety of coral and marine life. |
| Tennis | Carlisle Bay boasts nine tennis courts - eight hard courts and one grass, four of which are lit for night play. Equipment is available on a complimentary basis, and guests can also take advantage of the resident pro, who can teach all ages and abilities. Activity programmes include children's tennis, challenge matches and round robins. |
When to travel
Peak season is December through to April but it's still good to travel to Antigua throughout the summer months. Although, June to November is considered to be hurricane season with the hottest temperatures, the weather is known to be fairly accommodating with the high humid temperatures starting up in September through November.
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Location and directions
South Coast, Antigua
Carlisle Bay is situated in a quiet cove on the unspoilt south coast of Antigua with a backdrop of rolling hills and lush tropical rainforest. The hotel is a 30 minute drive from the capital St John’s, and 20 minutes from Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour.
How to get there
On the northeast corner of Antigua, V.C. Bird International Airport is the point of entry for visitors arriving by air (nine hours from London). Carlisle Bay is approximately 30 minutes from the airport.
Additional notes
Minimum StayMinimum 10 night stay over Christmas and New Year period, no arrivals will be accepted from 25 Dec to 31 Dec.
