The Inn at English Harbour

People were so friendly Stacey was so sweet

We stayed as a family at the Inn over Christmas 2024 (two parents and two sons (23 & 21)). We had the best holiday ever. The Inn was perfect for our needs. Discreet, small and luxurious. There was enough action in the locality for our active sons (laser sailing, the "Loose Canon" beach bar, Shirley Heights, tennis, etc) while my wife and I enjoyed a very relaxing break sunbathing, reading and swimming. I cannot recommend it highly enough. We had been to Carlisle Bay before but this was better, especially with our sons. The area is stunning and the Inn has the best position. The quiet, discreet 'colonial' style was just to our liking, no sign of celebs or 'influencers'! No need to get up early to reserve a lounger and so on, there are more of those than guests. The staff were amazing, creating a friendly and family atmosphere. Nothing was too much trouble. The food is outstanding, as is the wine list. Go for half board so you have flexibility over lunch or dinner. That said, expect a decent size additional bill for extras; such as drinks, taxis, wine etc. We loved our large, ground floor junior suite/room (20) so we could just walk out to the pool/beach. But all rooms are very well appointed and much of a muchness. That said, some have Queen size beds (why?) so if you want a King sized bed make sure you ask in advance. Likewise for single beds for 'children'. Adjoining rooms can also be arranged (e.g. 29 & 30). It is difficult to find fault. Our one bit of feedback was for the Inn to invest in a Hobby Cat for another option for sailing in Galleon Bay. We will be back once the coffers are replenished!

This was our fourth visit to the Inn at English Harbour and previously I have given 5 star reviews but sadly both my partner and I agree that it's not quite worthy this year of top scores. Here are our reasons and the pros and cons. Pros 1. The resort is stunning and beautifully maintained by the gardening team. 2. The location in English harbour is terrific, you can watch all the boats passing into English Harbour. If you feel like a change of scenery in the day, the short boat ride with Captain Vere provides access to the harbour, sadly this finishes abruptly at 4pm and the times are very regimented. 3. The sand on the beach and swimming is wonderful close to the jetty, but not further along the Bay - see note about Loose Cannon below. 4. The lunch menu is fantastic and the reef restaurant a beautiful location to spend a leisurely lunch. 5. We love playing tennis and hardly any one uses the courts, good to see 8 new tennis balls had been bought, but not enough when both courts are being used. The rackets are also quite old now and could easily be replaced 6. The rooms are lovely, we have stayed in all the room levels and this time chose a cabana. It was small and convenient being next to the beach and I believe recently updated, but really needed decent sized mosquito nets over the bed as the sandflies were rife and small enough to come through the window in bathroom and vents. 7. The reception staff are wonderful as were the reef restaurant staff. Cons 1. Each year there are obvious cuts to quality of food. When we first stayed at the resort there was fresh fruit and squeezed fruit juice delivered to the table for breakfast, now it's self serve and the juice seemed long life. The breakfast is poor, several times I had to send uncooked eggs back or simply leave uneaten, in the end I didn't order from the breakfast menu. 2. The dinner menu is limited and dated and apart from a new pasta section, the menu has not changed in the last 4 years. In our view, the food is below standard for a five star hotel and I have fed this back several times to management. At our first evening meal, fish was served semi frozen in the middle, and we saw another family walk out mid way. As we were staying half board, we chose to have lunch each day and took taxis ($30 round trip) to eat out in English Harbour we didn’t return for dinner, we love Incanto and Catherine’s Cafe 3. Although the location in the bay is beautiful, the noise from Loose Cannon is an issue. The thumping of 'house style' music throughout the day and partying at night has changed the whole perspective and clientele of the Bay. I realise this is not the hotels fault, and for some guests having Loose Cannon may be an added bonus, but the noise… 4. I didn't feel safe swimming the length of the bay due to the constant arrival of speed boats dropping youngsters off at Loose Cannon. Again, not a criticism of the hotel, but it does limit where you can safely swi