Starfish Jolly Beach Resort & Spa - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

335 reviews

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  Be prepared to queue your whole holiday

  We went here in July 2025. The hotel itself was pretty good for the kids with pools and a small waterpark and in a very good location. However, it was massively overcrowded and the hotel does not do enough to facilitate the amount of guests We queued for 2.5hrs on a arrival to check in with 4 young kids. Every time you needed a drink/food we had to stand in massive queues. The restaurants were chaos because they were so busy and the food wasn't great compared to other all inclusive holidays we have been on. Definitely won't be staying at this hotel again if we return to Salou

  Aug 25, 2025
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  Perfection Per Usual <3

  My partner & I adore Jolly Beach Resort so much so we come twice a year; if life permitted, we'd come even more often...maybe in the future. We arrived at the end of July and stayed 19 days. Usually we stay 3 weeks because time here flies so easily & we can't seem to get enough of Jolly! Nothing beats the beach only steps away from the hotel! If you a beach bums like us, this is your place! The beach is impeccable & is the main reason we love coming here time after time. It's utter perfection unlike anywhere we've experienced in the world. You can also explore the other 364 beaches of Antigua while you're here, but we feel Jolly is #1!! It's like coming home to a second home when we come here that's how much we love it here, and we miss it so much when we leave. The staff overall are very nice & personable. Keon helped us upon arrival with our bags & rum punch that punched.. that was awesome!. The rooms all have an ocean view which is amazing because not a lot of resorts are like this at all if you've traveled around. Although a bit outdated, we don't come here for the decor. We always have a clean and extremely comfortable bed, clean shower with hot water & clean towels. The bathrooms are stocked with hand soap, body wash, shampoo & conditioner if you happen to forget yours. I make my own bed anyway whether I'm here or another place, so housekeeping not coming daily is not a big deal for us. I clean my own space, but do love when housekeeping tidies my room for me every week for a refresh. We enjoy spending time on the deck of the room when we awake in the morning and watching some sunsets in the evenings if we aren't still on the beach. The air conditioning is powerful for those hot days, and there's a screen on the door if you prefer the ocean breeze in your room. We just love the cozy, laid back vibe here! Meals here are delicious. There is a great variety. My partner is the biggest fan of the breakfast here as he gets his fresh omelettes made to his liking. I adore the salt fish mornings & baked beans daily with eggs & sausage or bacon. There's also an assortment of fruit, yogurt, cereals, bread & pastry along with hot teas & coffee. Lunch is my favorite for the freshly baked cookies for dessert: sugar, chocolate chip WOW! I asked to meet the baker because she deserved an applause & appreciation for those cookies. It was a pleasure to meet her! There's always salads, an array of dressings, a fish and chicken dish. You can also opt to eat at the grill by the pool on the beach & have any drink you desire. Dinner menus change daily & there is a schedule located at the front desk showing you what menu to expect each night. You can also go to the Italian restaurant on site & make a reservation for it. It's delicious! Our favorite servers are DelMarie, Dion, Donelle & Jason. Much love to them. I can't remember names of a few others, but the staff in the kitchen and dining areas here are absolutely wonderful! When you got to the beach, there are plenty of chairs & umbrellas, the only decision is where you want to plant your towel. The grounds are well maintained & the locals on the beach are all pretty friendly. We don't go in the pools because we prefer the beach, but can say they are clean and well maintained as we walk by them daily & can sit by them in the evenings. The resort has a spa on the beach where you can get a professional massage or other spa services from Yolanda who makes my body feel pain free & like brand new every time she gives me a hot stone massage. She is an asset for sure! Yes, Jolly is a 3 star resort. We know this & therefore don't have 5 star expectations although we feel we get that 5 star treatment when we come here because everything here suits our needs perfectly. We can't wait to return again & again & again!

  Aug 23, 2025
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  You get what you pay for, don't expect much

  Real talk from an avid traveler. I have been all over the world and to many all inclusive destinations. I know we got a great deal on this last minute vacation getaway to Jolly Beach on what people would say a "beer budget". So my expectations weren't extremely high, I read the reviews, didn't see anything about bed bugs (super traumatized from past experiences), so I thought, let's try it. And we went with a group of family members. The Pros: The beach is absolutely phenomenal. It is that picture perfect, white sand beach with no seaweed anywhere and gorgeous sunsets. I could have lived on the beach every day. The food: It was decent for an all inclusive. I cannot complain about the food, it was pretty good. The Pool: Fantastic, I loved the swim up bar area and the music played at the pool every day. It was never crowded and you always got a seat, several seats for a family of 7. The Cons: You get what you pay for in the building condition. Jolly Beach is a very old building and it is really showing in the rooms. I felt like I was staying at a Super 8 motel or Roadway Inn. The handle to the bathroom sink fell off in my hand, the air-conditioning was broken and not working well (in 90 degree weather) so it made it very uncomfortable to sleep at night. They literally give you 2 towels and 2 pillows, barely a blanket to sleep with. It's bare bones on amenities in the room. You have a beautiful view from any room and a balcony, but don't expect much. Popcorn ceilings and walls if you see my picture. The Service: I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt. We tourists coming up in here taking all of the water resources of the island when locals have to rashion for water on the island. But it is not our fault that the government is run that way. People who worked at the resort were pretty nasty and uncomfortable to us. First day on arrival, I asked for pool towels when we arrived so that we could enjoy the pool. The woman at the front desk said "pool cabana is closed after 5pm", but the pool is open until 7pm. I had to beg for pool towels and she said that I should go to my room and use my own room towels (WTH). Luckily, a security guy opened up the cabana and brought me 4 towels. I shouldn't have to beg for towels at an all inclusive, especially when I have just arrived and the food was closed as well until 6:30pm (we checked in at 4pm). The people at the buffet also looked pissed off at you when you just walk up! The woman seating us looked as if we asked for her first born child when we asked to be seated at a table. I just don't understand the attitudes. If you don't want to work there, don't work there. Restaurant Hours: This was very strange to me. There are about 3 restaurants on the premises that rotate breakfast, dinner and lunch hours. But it rotates every few days? Nothing is really open between 4-6:30pm (when most people check in) including the Beach Bar Grill with burgers and hot dogs and there is no room service option if you were starving for something after hours. Everything closes at 10pm. Only the Long bar was open until midnight. Entertainment: It was almost non-existent on this resort. There is a band or a DJ that plays for a few hours from like 6-9pm at the long bar and that is it. It is 1 area and you are lucky to catch it after dinner. Overall: I would recommend it to those seeking a vacation at minimal costs. College kids, families who just want a quick getaway, those on beer budgets. I would actually even consider coming back just for a quick time on the beach (because that beach was worth it). But I would set my expectations very low. Knowing what I am getting into. Jolly Beach, you have to spend money upgrading the resort buildings and infrastructure and fire your workers who are just angry at the world. Customer service is EVERYTHING at a resort and it is not the tourists fault for what the government is or isn't providing for you.

  Aug 09, 2025
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  Awesome value for money

  Have had a wonderful 12 days here at the Jolley beach. Yes the hotel is dated but so am I. The rooms are basic and need an upgrade but the beds are comfy and all you need is somewhere to shower and sleep. The food has been great especially the breakfast and the lunch at the coconut grill was delicious. What really stands out with this hotel is the staff. I found that they were all so friendly and always ready to help. Special shout out to Joanne and Winsome for the omelettes and Patrick at the long bar for the drinks. Margaret at he tour desk was really helpful. From the moment I checked in and the staff realised I wouldn't be able to manage the stairs to the original room and they went above and beyond to get me a ground floor one I knew we had made the right choice and I can see why there is so much repeat business. Would return in a heartbeat.

  Aug 09, 2025
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  Still pleasant time at Jolly beach resort

  In general, I had a good time at the Jolly Resort. Best things there are the beach, plenty of shadow and space in any part of resort. The resort beautifully kept. Staff is very friendly. All rooms have a sea view. I liked white stones walls interior in the room and buildings. I was a solo, so, not perfectly closing door in the room was not bothering me and size of the room with spacious balcony was also good. More important that AC was working great. Unfortunately, there was only one place where I could charge the phone located high on the wall. The all-electrical switches were in bad condition, so my small travel kettle was broken on 3rd day. I had it to have a coffee in the room since you need to go for coffee outside which is inconvenient as first things in the morning for me. By the way coffee they have is literally awful, the worst I have ever had. They also do not have any kind of sparkling wine. But still I would really complain only about the food - this need to be improved. Breakfast and bakery food was ok. All other food was very poor in choices, no meat, small, strange chicken cuts. Pizza Factory restaurant is also no good, in spite they were trying to serve better. I found the great solution with food getting this at Coconut Grill - it was very good. You can comfortably eat on the 2nd floor at the hut under shadow with a lot of space, looking at the blue sea - that was a pleasure. So, except of the food and coffee all other things were very good. There were also a lot of fun at night with dancing, live music and singing. People of all ages were dancing and having fun. It was not boring at all in the evenings. In general, I still can say I had a pleasant time, and I would recommend Jolly beach resort, especially considering very budget price.

  Jul 22, 2025