The Resort - October 2001
On arrival at the Rex Halcyon Cove, we were greeted by the reception staff who arranged for all new arrivals to have a complimentary glass of fruit punch while we were being checked in. First impressions were 'wow'. The staff were so friendly and had a smile on their face throughout the whole fortnight we were there.
As we were being married in the complex, our accommodation was automatically upgraded from Standard to Superior, a very nice touch and something that took us both by surprise. On arrival at our room there was another surprise for us, a complimentary bottle of champagne and a bowl of fresh fruit.
Facilities
The rooms are excellent. All have en suite facilities, massive beds, satellite TV and telephone. They are very clean and you have a daily maid service.
There are two restaurants, the Arawak Terrace and the Warri Pier, there's also a snack bar called Frosties and not forgetting the beach barbecue. So no matter the time of day, there's always somewhere to eat.
The Arawak Terrace is where breakfast and dinner are served. Breakfast is amazing and everything you could ever imagine being available for breakfast is there in abundance. When it comes to eggs, there is a guy who makes your eggs to order and he is absolutely fabulous. Nothing is a bother to him and he can make your eggs whatever way you want - no matter how obscure your request may be.
Dinner in the Arawak Terrace always has a theme e.g. Italian, Mexican, Carvery, etc. As with breakfast, there is just about everything you could imagine being available for eating and again there is plenty of it. The food is fabulous and the presentation is amazing.
The Warri Pier is an a la carte restaurant and you are required to book a table for lunch or dinner. Meals at the Warri Pier are not included in the 'all inclusive' package although 'all inclusive' guests do receive a voucher towards the cost of their meal at the Warri Pier.
Frosties is a snack bar serving sandwiches, tea and coffee, etc.
The beach barbeque serves all you would expect at a barbeque and, as with the other restaurants in the complex, there's plenty to go around. On occasion, dinner will be at the beach barbeque (weather permitting), rather than the Arawak Terrace.
There are three bars within the resort, The Piano Bar, Cibony Lounge and of course there's one on the beach, again no matter the time of day, you'll always get a drink. As well as local beers and spirits, cocktails are part of the 'all inclusive' package and believe me the do have a kick. Be very aware of Antiguan Rum, although very pleasant and ultimately essential to most of the cocktails available, it is extremely potent and guaranteed to have any hardened drinker admitting defeat after just a couple.
There is also a selection of shops in the complex including a hairdresser and taxi service offering various guided excursions of the island. All facilities are opened at different times between 10am and midnight.
The Rex Halcyon Cove is an ideal complex for that 'chill out' holiday with the 'biz' right on your doorstep if you want it. There is organised entertainment every night of the week including steel bands, disco, karaoke, limbo dancers, theme nights, quiz nights, etc. Most of the entertainment takes place in the Cibony Lounge but on some nights, again (weather permitting), it takes place at the beach bar.
If you want to 'chill out', you can go to the piano bar at the reception or you can just sit in, watch Sky telly and order room service!!!!!!!!!!!
The Beach Back to Top
The beach is absolutely amazing. We visited a couple of other complex's while we were there and found the beach at Rex Halcyon Cove to be one of the best on the island. You will find quite a lot of beach vendors but they really are quite harmless and will leave you alone if you say no.
St Johns
St Johns is not the big bustling capital that a lot of us will be used to and is quite a small town compared to European capital cities. Although there are a few designer shops and some souvenir and duty free shops, you may be disappointed if you are used to the commercialised resorts in Europe. Having said that, we managed to buy everything we were looking for........................and more!!!!
Airport Back to Top
Antigua's national airport is VC Bird. Don't be put off by first impressions as the airport is very basic but serves the purpose.
There is no luggage carrousel and all luggage is handled manually. Employees of the airport load all of your luggage onto trolleys and transfer them to your transport. The 'going rate' for this service is approx $1 [US] or $3 [EC] per piece of luggage. Be aware that this service operates on your homeward journey also so ensure you have some loose change to pay for the service.
Another point worth mentioning is that VC Bird is a non smoking airport so if you are a smoker, don't check in for you homeward journey until you've had a cigarette outside..............yes, check in is on the street and a basic corridor off the street is passport control and the departure lounge.
Our Wedding Back to Top
On the second day of our holiday we met Nica, our wedding co-ordinator. She was absolutely brilliant and arranges everything for you, including the trip into St Johns to the registrars office. She explains everything that is included in the wedding package (registrar's fee, bride's flowers, groom's flower, cake and wedding certificate) and what optional extras are available. We chose to have a steel band, video and photographs as extras to our package. We did feel a bit sceptical about the video, but we were delighted with the quality, as for the photo's - well - you can see for yourself.
Leading up to our wedding day, Nica was fabulous, she made sure everything would go as planned and contacted all the people we would require for our wedding day e.g. photographer, camera crew, band etc. It would appear that no two weddings are the same as each are tailored to the individuals involved.
Prior to our wedding day, Nica had given us the choice of being married on the beach, in the gardens or on the Warri Pier. We chose to be married on the beach and earlier on in the day of the wedding, Nica walked us along the route we would take to get to the area of the beach where we had chosen to be married. We were also given the choice of a meal at the Warri Pier or a champagne breakfast as a wedding present from the complex. We chose to have a meal at the Warri Pier and arranged for our wedding party to have a meal with us.
On the day of the wedding, Nica and the camera man arrived at our apartment having made sure that the groom, best man and the rest of the wedding party were in place and ready for the ceremony to begin. We then made our way to the beach and when we turned the corner, it appeared that the whole beach had emptied and all were in attendance at our wedding. We were greeted with approx 100 people clapping and wishing us luck while 'Here Comes The Bride' was being played on a steel drum. It was amazing.
Our marriage officer was called Denis Bowers and he was absolutely fabulous. He made a point of making us all feel so much at ease prior to commencing the ceremony and it appeared that the words he spoke were so personal.
Following the ceremony, it was photo time. As well as the wedding photographer, we had many other holiday makers wanting photos of the men because of the kilts.................and each and every one of the men were more than willing to oblige.
We had photos taken on the beach, in the gardens and on the Warri Pier. We also signed our wedding certificate and had our reception on the Warri Pier complete with wedding cake, complimentary champagne and snacks, all to the sound of a steel band in the background.
Our wedding meal in the Warri Pier was excellent and was accompanied with more complimentary champagne and personalised scroll type wedding menus.
All in all, it was a fabulous day and if we had to do it all again, we wouldn't change a thing.