Fodor's Expert Review Carlisle Bay
Old Rd., Antigua and Barbuda Fodor's Choice
This cosmopolitan, boutique sister property of London's trendy One Aldwych hotel daringly eschews everything faux colonial and Creole, instead providing a monochromatic, magazine-worthy look that combines cool, classy minimalism with unsnobbish warmth. Vast, split-level accommodations emulate the Japanese decorative ideal of perfection through simplicity with white walls, black-and-white snapshots, mahogany-and-teak furnishings, mauve and peach fabrics, and chrome-and-glass accents. The bougainvillea garlanding the enormous balcony adds just the right amount of color. Deluxe gadgetry runs the gamut from fiber-optic bed lights and Nespresso machines to a movie-screening room and futuristically lighted library with Internet stations. The three innovatively trendy restaurants (including the poolside Italian, Ottimo!), complimentary nonmotorized water sports, and a soothing spa enhance the luxe ambience. There are kinks—particularly an admirable but inadequate attempt to separate families and romantically inclined couples—but the buff bodies toting cell phones make this a hip, see-and-be-seen scene.
PROS
- luxurious
- attentive service
- family-friendly
CONS
- no elevators
- aggressively hip
- pricey restaurants
HOTEL INFO
HOTEL DETAILS
Rate Includes: Closed late Aug.–early Oct., Free Breakfast