Royalton CHIC Antigua

The overwater bungalow was a great place to unwind during our Jan 31-Feb 10th stay. We could jump straight into the ocean from the private deck, enjoy the infinity pool, and watch everything around us. The location was peaceful, yet a short walk took us to busier pools and bars. The room itself was excellent, although the hammock was broken. Our butlers helped with dinners and excursions, but I got tired of asking every day for the bar, snacks, or ice to be restocked. The food and entertainment were good. We have visited 7 other Caribbean islands, and this was one of our top locations, though it was also more expensive. My wife and I really enjoyed it. The extra-cost overwater dinner was not impressive, and we were also disappointed that we ended up paying for taxis to and from the airport after being told the transfer was included. The entrance sign was another odd choice, with music and young girls in revealing leather outfits dancing around it. It reminded me of a late 80's strip club and did not give the impression of a 5 star hotel.

The resort and beach are beautiful, but my 6 days in diamond club room 6403 were deeply disappointing. The one person who gave me good service was my concierge, Nickesha. Many other staff, especially the women, came across as rude, lazy, and indifferent. Greetings were sometimes met with dirty looks, as if guests were being judged on whether they could afford the diamond club. The room had urine-smelling dirty towels, ripped towels, and dirty linens. Food was another major problem. Havens Grill and the food truck were the only places I thought were good, while the buffet was terrible and usually served cold food. Some male employees catcalled women in our group, looked at us sexually, and made sexual advances. I wondered if it was because we are black. We felt uncomfortable and unsafe walking through certain areas and darker parts of the resort. There were 3 power outages, each lasting over 1 hour. During the first, we sat outside the lobby while staff behind the desk laughed instead of explaining what was happening. The lack of courtesy and basic common sense added to the problems with service, food, and even food being denied. This expensive resort was not worth it at all. I will not return to Antigua.

The beach was beautiful and easy to reach, and our group had a great time. The poolside cabana was enjoyable, and the massage and spa facilities were very nice. Syana from the vibe team was a real highlight, along with Kourtney and Johnny. They made the vacation lively with pool games and conversations, and their energy made the trip more fun. Service at some restaurants and bars was less successful. We had 9 people at Pescari, where the food arrived cold and some ordered drinks never came. Although it is presented as a luxury seafood restaurant, the menu did not offer many seafood choices. The dancers and DJ also took away from the overwater atmosphere. I would not recommend paying for that restaurant.

The property is attractive and clearly has potential, but our 5-day stay at Royalton CHIC Antigua was far below what we expected from a premium adults-only resort. Power failures happened several times, with some lasting over an hour. They interrupted dinners, evening routines, and sleep, while guests received little or no information. We were left without reassurance or even basic updates. Room service was also unreliable. Calls often went unanswered, and orders that were accepted arrived very late or incorrectly. We had to chase them repeatedly without getting a clear resolution. Check-in had already been chaotic, with long waits, poor communication, and little urgency from staff. Many employees seemed dismissive and unprofessional. A few people were polite, but there was no consistent hospitality, accountability, or urgency when concerns were raised. The repeated outages, operational failures, and weak communication made the beautiful setting much less important. At this price, we expected a smooth luxury experience. Management needs to address these service and operational problems before I could recommend the resort.