15 Reasons To Stay At Jumby Bay In Antigua

Located 2 miles off the coast of Antigua, Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, is a 300-acre private-island resort with 40 guest rooms and suites, and 36 privately owned residences. Here are 15 reasons why we loved staying at this luxurious property.

The all-inclusive room rate includes meals at the resort's four restaurants, drinks, non-motorized water sports and tennis. With two beaches, an oceanfront infinity pool, three miles of hiking and biking trails and Sense, a Rosewood Spa, your stay can be as active or as restful as you choose.

As you glamorously approach the resort by a private boat transfer, your first glimpse of the paradise that awaits is Jumby Bay Beach. Those thatched-roof bohios are calling, and you're picturing yourself there, cold drink in hand. Thankfully, the check-in process is quick and easy, so it won't be long before the fantasy is a reality.

With over 1,300 square feet of living space, Jumby Bay's one-bedroom pool suite feels like home. A home you'll never want to leave. From the private entry courtyard to the enormous four poster bed, every detail is thoughtfully and elegantly designed.

Yes, your own private pool. Other touches like Wi-Fi (accessible even out by your pool), a minibar and a large flat-screen TV make it easy to settle in for a nice, long stay.

The toughest choice you'll have to make after a long day at the beach is whether to shower off in your private outdoor rain shower or soak in your outdoor garden tub.

Take a video tour of the property below:

All suites come equipped with bicycles for exploring the island. Just remember to ride on the left since Antigua is a former British colony.

Jumby Bay Beach is the hub of activity on the island. Swim out to the floating dock, stopping to see the brightly colored starfish along the way or catch a nap in a hammock.

The Beach Shack offers quick and authentic local food on the sands of Jumby Bay Beach. Inspired by the West-Indian-style food shacks found around Antigua, the casual spot serves up everything from jerk chicken to ceviche made from locally caught fish. Food can be delivered to your beach bohio or you can grab it to go and snack in solitude by your suite's private plunge pool.

What's a vacation without a little day drinking? The Beach Bar is your go-to spot for frozen concoctions while you spend your day sunning, swimming and splashing. Beach butlers attend to each thatched-roof bohio, delivering cold drinks and chilled towels to keep you cool and refreshed.

Hawksbill turtles, octopus, and lobster all inhabit the mile-long Paradise Reef, one of Antigua's best snorkeling spots.

Watch the video below to see more:

Every Sunday when the sun goes down, Jumby Bay Beach is transformed into a sea of tiki torches and white tables for the resort's weekly White Night Beach Barbecue. Don your finest white attire — the resort's boutique has plenty for purchase in case you're unprepared — kick off your shoes and dine on grilled meats, seafood, and rum-flamed banana crepes with your toes in the sand while Gemonites Steel Orchestra plays local tunes.

Similar to the famed spot in Grand Cayman, Antigua offers its own Stingray City. Don your mask and fins and snorkel with wild stingrays.

Watch the video below to see more:

A quick call to concierge and you and your loved one can enjoy an intimate candlelit dinner for two atop this 18th-century sugar mill.

Tour Great Bird Island, a 20-acre island that's home to brown pelicans, West Indian whistling ducks, and red-billed tropicbirds. It's also a popular snorkeling spot.

Watch the video below to see more:

Founded in 1987, the Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project has monitored nesting of the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle on the island as part of a privately funded research project sponsored by residents of the islands 56 private homes. Jumby Bay Resort offers a Hawksbill Turtle Experience which includes a call list to notify guests when turtles are up on Pasture Bay Beach nesting. The beach is patrolled hourly from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. during nesting season (June through November) by the turtle research team, and resort guests who wish to see the process are outfitted with red headlamps (so as not to disturb the nesting process) and can watch as researchers log every turtle who comes ashore.

How to Get There

Fly into Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU). You'll be met by a representative of Signature Flight Services who will assist you with immigration, customs, and baggage collection, then escort you to your private car service to dock. From the dock it's just a seven-minute boat ride to the island.

When to Go

Turtles nest and hatch from June through November and the resort offers special Hawksbill Turtle Experience packages in July and August.

What to Pack

A GoPro with water housing and GoPole for snorkeling excursions — you never know when you might snorkel with a turtle!