This is from one of our clients at Turquoise, read their story of how they got on in Antigua!!
So, where to start!!! I guess the beginning which was with you! Honestly, you were BRILLIANT in every possible way – from being so kind and so patient whilst we went round and round in circles deciding on where to go and where to stay! I really felt that you gave us your full and honest attention to every detail and you really were just so kind to speak to that you made the whole thing actually a joy to organise!
We were so excited when we got the package in the post – it just looked all so incredible and well, everything was.
The flight over was fine and we were met by St. James Travel who kindly took us to the hotel. It was so nice that this had been pre-organised and paid for as although we were semi organised with the cash aspect, it was just easier to know that we had all of this initial stuff cared for so that we could then just arrive at the hotel and settle in a bit before we started dashing off to banks and worrying about costs applicable etc.
Arrival at Curtain Bluff was lovely – so friendly, very one on one and we LOVED our room. Special cards, champagne and flowers in our room on arrival – we were so happy!!! Due to the slight flight delay we arrived a little later than expected so our first day was really just about unpacking, having a quick look around, some food and some sleep!!! We were met by Lornette of St. James the next morning at Curtain Bluff to just go through things and give us some more information on things we could do on the Island. We booked a couple of things and she organised all the bookings and necessary taxi’s to take us etc. As much as Lornette was lovely to deal with and really so friendly, I gather that actually most of these things – including the pick up from the airports are ‘included’ in the Curtain Bluff booking anyway so thought that might be interesting for you. Again, the concierge at Curtain Bluff can book most of the outside activities too, so just a thought! However, we did use Lornette for our extra activities like fishing charter, Sting Ray City and the Canopy tour as I believe it’s better to do so from not only an insurance perspective but I think she knows most if not all of the activity managers / owners so we did get some inside information like making sure we were at Sting Ray City when there were no other guests and certainly no Cruises in!!! We literally had most places and activities to ourselves which was exactly what we were after – brilliant.
To be honest you don’t have to go anywhere outside Curtain Bluff – everything is there and with the all inclusive deal – you just can’t go wrong! We were SO impressed with the all inclusive as everything was just of the top standard possible! The food was UNBELIEVABLE. So so good, so fresh, so varied and just so much! We cannot fault ONE meal – they were brilliant and all served with a huge smile. The staff were amazing and friendly! We loved all the activities available and yes, we did EVERYTHING from fishing to tennis to the spa to literally sipping cocktails dawn to dusk! The tennis courts were excellent in particular.
The other major bonus we had and don’t know if you knew this, but the management at Curtain Bluff on finding out that we were honeymooner’s and had travelled from Kenya to London to Antigua gave us ANOTHER upgrade! Johanna, we ended up in the Grace Bay Suite for 5 nights out of our 7! We just couldn’t believe it and they really did go out of their way to make sure we had the most beautiful of rooms and the best of stays!
We had a week and a trip of a lifetime! We LOVED our Curtain Bluff and have just raved all about it to friends and family! It’s a fantastic place whether young or old and just so professionally managed and run, whilst at the same time just keeping in with that ‘laid back’ Caribbean culture. We thought Chelle and the manager Rob were just such down to earth people and made it a lovely home from home feeling whilst making each and every guest feel just so important and treated like King & Queen!
We loved seeing a little of the Island and did a few activities including visiting Nelson’s Dockyard, Sting Ray City (photo for you attached), Rainforest which we loved. One thing I would say however, is that we were quite shocked as to the expense of some of the activities. Some are very reasonable like Nelson’s Dockyard. Some worth the expense like Sting Ray City but others a bit expensive for what you did – like the Canopy Zip Line. We were also quite shocked at the cost of the taxi’s. It seems quite standard talking to others, but we did find that this was a high cost and therefore one of the reasons we decided not to visit St. John’s as we knew that it would cost quite a bit to just get there and to be honest, except for the shopping, everything we needed was at Curtain Bluff. So, I would say that is the only thing that we maybe ‘queried’ slightly – everything else, we LOVED.
We would DEFINITELY go back to both Antigua and would DEFINITELY stay in Curtain Bluff again – highly recommend it for young, old, families etc – a perfect spot and the whole thing will make sure we never forget our honeymoon – it worked out exactly as we could have dreamed!
All in all, it really was a holiday of a lifetime! The perfect honeymoon to have had and we feel very privileged that people were so kind and generous to us including yourself! We will never be able to thank you and the others we met enough for just giving us a week or our lives that we will not forget! Thank you!
So, I think that’s about it – sorry, I have probably bored you senseless! Thank you so much and don’t worry, we will definitely be in touch again in the future to book with Turquoise (and hopefully yourself) for another trip – it was just all too good!!!!
Thanks again – for everything.
Carol
