Pineapple Beach Club

I wanted to share an in-depth review of Pineapple Beach Club ("PBC") as it was so fantastic and it should provide you with more information if you wish to visit.

A little background, PBC is an adults only all inclusive resort in Antigua, Caribbean. It's owned by Elite Islands Resorts and up until 2016, it used to be part of the Sandals group. These speaks volumes as to the type of resort it is.

If you're looking for a traditional, laid back Caribbean resort which doesn't require a golf buggy to get you around (although the buggies are available if you're feeling a little lazy) then this is the place for you.

Let me walk you through what's available on the resort and our experiences.

Check in:

We were greeted by several members of staff who asked us to take a seat and we were offered a refreshing cool towel and either a rum or a fruit punch. Our luggage was left safely outside and we were speedy provided a form to sign and given our room cards and padlock for the safe.

We were lucky to arrive just us and another couple so the process was very quick and within minutes we were on a golf buggy heading to our room.

Rooms:

Initially I had booked a beachfront room however I spoke to the reservations team ahead of arriving and queried these rooms as I wanted to ensure everything was perfect as we were celebrating my boyfriend, Peter, birthday whilst we were there. We were checked into a Waterfront room however I will provide some details regarding the other rooms on the resort.

Waterfront rooms:

We were checked into room 526 which was on the first floor and the third room from the end. These rooms are prime location for the action. A few steps from the large main pool, beach, bar and buffet restaurant.

As we opened the door, we were greeted by the refreshing air conditioning and saw straight away the super king sized bed. The room was spacious with a large closet, ample draws and high ceilings with a fan.

I loved the sea breeze style décor and the light colours (grey/blue/white) within the room. We had a sliding door which opened onto the huge private balcony which overlooked the stunning Long Bay beach and ocean.

The bathroom was the only disappointment. It appeared very dated and although the shower was large with great water pressure, there was no room to put any toiletries outside of the shower and we had issues with the toilet constantly filling up and making a noise. It was eventually fixed but this was after about three days.

As I said before, the location of our room was perfect. Close to everything we needed and no steep incline.

Another lovely touch was not only the complimentary bottle of red wine (this was part of our Expedia booking) but also the bottle of sparkling wine to wish Peter a Happy Birthday.

Beachfront rooms:

Whilst we were staying (last week of November 2018) the beachfront rooms in the second block from the beach were being worked on. There was extensive work during the day and it was very noisy if you sunbathed in this area.

It's good that they are being updated but I did notice that there is no private balcony. You simply walk in the front door and then there are no other doors. There is a large window but that's it.

Garden rooms:

We managed to use a shower room before our flight home (just speak to reception the day before you check out and they will provide a room for 30 minutes to use). This was located in the block behind reception and it was room 306.

There were two flights of stairs which are quite steep so if you have mobility issues, these rooms would not be good for you.

The rooms were very small compared to our room and quite dark however they had a nice sized bed and the bathrooms were new.

Restaurants/Bar:

Topaz

This is the main restaurant which serves all three meals as a buffet style. You're able to order drinks from the bar although sometimes it's quicker to bring a drink in.

At first glance, I must admit I wasn't impressed with how the food looked however it tasted wonderful so it shows you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

One thing to watch out for is the naughty birds. They love to drink from your drinks and help themselves to your food if you leave it unattended. 

Breakfast:

The best eggs are made by Jo-Ann and Winston. I had the best omelettes and you get to chose whatever you want in them. Peter would have his three poached eggs each morning and they also served hard boiled and scrambled eggs in the buffet.

You can get a fresh smoothie made and there are lots of ingredients to choose from. There is also the traditional cooked breakfast, pancakes, waffles and continental offering. Don't forget to try the coconut muffins and the monkey bread.

Also you must have a mimosa at breakfast (treat yourself you're on holiday) and you can order lattes, cappuccinos etc. but these often take a little time to arrive.

Lunch:

Usual buffet offering a selection of hot dishes and salads. We found the buffet to be very focussed on one particular cuisine which I quite liked otherwise you end up with a plate of random food.

Dinner:

Similar to lunch with a specific cuisine. We tried the Mexican and Mediterranean nights. Both very nice and yummy.

They offer wines by the glass at the restaurant or you can order a drink from the bar. I loved the sparkling wine with dinner.

Chef Pietro's:

We dined here one night. The service was absolutely fantastic! Very fast and attentive. However, the food was a little average.

I had the scallop ceviche for starter which was lovely and Peter had the melon and Parma ham but this was a tiny portion. My main was the chicken gnocchi which was nice and Peter had the sword fish which was overcooked and too salty. The pana cotta wasn't a traditional one and more like a mouse however the chocolate lava cake was nice.

Pineapple Grill:

Whilst the food was yummy, the service was incredibly slow and not as friendly as other places to dine. I can't remember our starters but I had the one pot chicken for main which was lovely. I thought it might be more 'traditional' however it was still good.

You can opt to pay extra for the steak and lobster.

Street party:

On Wednesday nights, they alternate between a street party and a beach party. We had our most enjoyable meal at the street party. So many traditional dishes such as curried goat, ox tail and mashed plantain. The desserts were also the best!

I liked being sat with other people and it's a great way of chatting to some other guests. The steel band playing in the background and all the street lights made the perfect setting.

Pelican Grill:

This is the place to grab a quick bite to eat. We had the burger and chips for lunch one day at it was yummy. You can also get great ice creams here.

They serve nice wraps, sweet potato fries, onion rings, cookies and a few other quite bites.

Mary's Outhouse:

We loved this for our lunch spot. It's a little walk to the top but you're greeted by the friendliest staff and amazing views. Help yourself to a cold Sol from the cool box and enjoy the amazing ribs, chicken and coleslaw.

Keep and eye out for the mongoose who roam around and maybe through them some scraps. Also, don't forget to either take a plaque with you to nail up or they can give you some wood and markers to leave your stamp for others to see.

Sly Mongoose:

This was the main bar and opened at 10:00am. They have a cocktail list with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. The strawberry daiquiris, cosmopolitans and pretty much every cocktail we tried was fantastic!

The bar staff were so friendly and often I'd just ask for something fruity and rum based and they would surprise me.

Daily entertainment:

Water sports:

The water sports desk is located on the beach to the right and here you can get the snorkelling equipment to explore over to the right. We saw lots of colourful fish and corals.

We briefly went out on the stand up paddle boards but I got a little bored (no pun intended!).

The lovely Kevin also took us out on a Hobicat and was telling us all about life in Antigua.

There is also kayaks to take out and if you sail, you can take one of the smaller Hobicats out yourself.

Activity board:

Each day there would be an update on the chalk board telling you the host of activities available. These varied from day to day but do check out the yoga on the beach at 7:30am on a Thursday. Also the same teacher has a Pilates class on Tuesday evening.

Each day there was aqua aerobics in the main pool at 10:30am and volley ball at 4:00pm. Other days there were tennis lessons, mixology classes, beach cricket and learning about Antigua. There was always something to get involved with.

If organised activities is not your thing then help yourself to one of the board games on offer, there was also giant scrabble, giant connect four, giant Jenga and a pool table.

There's also a book shelf to help yourself to books and also leave some behind. I often left my magazines I'd finished with here.

Evening activities:

The activity board also provided the details for the evening entertainment. Sometimes it was a local band playing however they also had a Couples Quiz (we took part and it was great fun) and karaoke (we also took part and it was cringe but adorable - thanks Peter for singing to me).

All the action was in the main area of the Sly Mongoose bar. This made popping to the bar nice and easy during the evening.

Swimming pools:

There are three pools at the resort however I must confess we only spent about half an hour in one of them one evening as we loved the beach so much.

The pools all appeared clean and had ample sunbeds available. The main pool, with the aqua aerobics, is located next to the Sly Mongoose bar.

Beach:

I loved Long Bay beach. It was cleaned of the seaweed each morning. Towards the end of our holiday, there were issues with a lot of seaweed in the sea but this is not the resorts fault and simply can not be helped.

We had no issues findings sunbeds and we would choose the beds close to the Sly Mongoose bar so it was the perfect location. Tip: You can sometimes pick up the free wifi here too.

The beach is approximately 0.50 miles long. We often walked the length and it was lovely snorkelling off to the far right of the beach.

The main area of sun loungers is near the volley ball courts however I found this to be noisy due to the constructions and I much preferred being at the other end of the beach.

Gym/Tennis courts:

If table tennis is your thing, then you'll be pleased with the tables located both to the left of the beach and also outside the gift shop.

The two tennis courts were well maintained but be careful as they were slippery due to the sand. The rackets and ball are available at the court so none of that leaving a deposit at reception malarkey.

The gym was very good. You need a room card to open the door. The equipment is fairly new and comprehensive. Peter is a big gym fan and he was impressed with the equipment too.

Overall:

I feel like I've covered a lot in detail. This was my fiftieth country I've visited and it was actually the best holiday I've ever had. What made it perfect was all the wonderful people we interacted with. The staff genuinely wanted to talk to you, as did the other guests.

PCB has something special for everyone that visits. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email beckyboo1986@gmail.com

A week of pure bliss has come to an end.

I can’t believe we’re back already. Our week of winter sun truly didn’t disappoint.
Antigua was my 50th and best country. I can honestly say I’ve not had a holiday like it before. Huge thanks to Antigua and Peter for making it so special.
The cocktails were free flowing from about 11:00am (unless you class the breakfast mimosa as a cocktail?). We did start taking pictures each ‘cheers’ but we soon stopped as we realised if anyone looks at our photos we may look alcohol dependent.

We spent a lot of time on beautiful Long Bay beach. There are 365 beaches in Antigua - one for every day of the year. We loved the fact the beaches are open to the public so often we’d see the locals going for a swim and the kiddies running and giggling along the beach.
Pineapple Beach Club has as much or as little as you’d like to do. I’ll do a separate post purely on the resort but we definitely took advantage of all they had to offer (and not just the cocktails).
Peter was made up with the gym and we went pretty much every day (except for the one afternoon I napped and Peter went). The tennis courts were well maintained and I took part in a few classes.
My favourite class was the yoga on the beach at 7:30am. It was so relaxing and even when it rained (the five minutes of rain we had all week) it actually felt quite cleansing.
There were lots of water sports available too and Peter even did stand up paddle boarding (SUP) with me. He was adamant he didn’t want to do it but he wasn’t allowed to swim next to me so being the gent he is, he came out with me.

We were also lucky to be taken out on a hobi cat by the lovely Denis and he was telling us about life in Antigua. It sounded just as idyllic as we thought it would be. It seems like they work hard but the normal 40 hour per week. I think sometimes they have other jobs to pick up extra cash. But their downtime is spent fishing for dinner and swimming in the sea.

Although we were doing lots of things, we still had amble time simply relaxing. This resort knows how to relax with so many different ‘relaxation stations’ dotted around. One of my favourite moments was after we finished at the gym one evening, we then laid in a hammock for about an hour simply chatting and chilling.

I have been lucky to visit the Caribbean before but everything was so much more special with Peter. He was chatting to absolutely everyone and it was wonderful seeing how much he makes people smile (although some of his jokes were not understood by the locals).
The people also made this holiday perfect. Every single member of staff was so friendly and accommodating but also all the guests were friendly and even the locals when we were out jogging people would all say hello.
After spending so much time with Peter (it’s the longest we’ve been together the two of us), I’m so sad to be apart again. I know you always get along better on holiday but it honestly was so perfect between us. I truly loved every moment. Even if he didn’t listen to me about staying up late the first night to ensure we don’t wake up early and he slept through but I woke up 4:30am.
We’re so lucky to be heading back to the Caribbean in February. We’re super excited to explore new places together and spend more time together.
This trip has reminded me of a lovely saying I discovered in Costa Rica - Pura Vita. It means ‘simple life’ and that’s exactly what I want from the future.

Beautiful beaches, rum cocktails and swimming with the sting rays.

So far Antigua definitely hasn’t disappointed. After a quick nine hours flight and copious amounts of alcohol (2 wines, 5 Proseccos and 4 vodkas to be precise) we arrived at Pineapple Beach Club and we’re greeted by a cold towel and a rum punch (oh god not more alcohol!).
We were shown to our waterfront room and we’re so impressed with the huge super king size bed and the balcony overlooking the ocean. The moon was huge and it was perfect hearing the sea and the crickets singing away.
Our first night was rather tame as we were both exhausted (and drunk!) so it was dinner, cocktail (yuck!) and bed.
I knew I’d made a rookie error of going to bed too early when I was awake at 4:30am. We eventually both got up about 6:30am and decided to jog to Devils Bridge.
It was only 2.4km away and after jogging along a very dodgy dirt road, we then got back on track and found the sign to Devils Bridge. I was a little confused as the pictures I’d seen before showed this stone bridge that had been created by the ocean crashing into it. We couldn’t see it so we finally headed back to the hotel. I chatted to a member of staff later and she explained it’s actually tiny and lots of people zoom the pictures so it’s no wonder we missed it.

Sunday night was the prime night to head to Shirley Height. We were told it wasn’t to be missed. We arrived to a great steel band playing and were met by an amazing (yet hazy) view. After taking some pictures we had a walk around to see what else was around.

We decided not to eat there so we most hung around and listened to the band. We arrived about 4:45pm and wasn’t heading back till 8:00pm. To be honest, we got a little bored. After seeing the view, having a little dance and a beer, we were ready to head back.
One of the highlights of the evening was seeing Ainsley Harriett. An old colleague saw him in Barbados and it turns out he’s visiting eight Caribbean islands in four weeks.
Today was the day I was super excited for. We’d booked a trip to swim with the string rays. I’m always very conscious when I travel about the travel industry exploiting animals so I did plenty of research on Sting Ray City and discovered the sting rays are completely wild. They hear the boat engines and head over to be feed.
Of course they are wild animals so you have to be cautious. Simply things like when in the water, shuffle your feet along the sea bed instead of taking steps and if you don’t want them close to you, push them away.
The experience was even more incredible than I could’ve imagined. We were so lucky and we’re the first boat to arrive. It was just Peter and I and one other couple. We had about 50 sting rays excitedly swimming around us.
I must admit I did squeal like a little girl multiple times. They were huge! The females can grow up to 6ft wide (taller than Peter) and the males were much smaller (yet they have two penises).

Peter was overwhelmed with the experience too. He had the biggest grin on his face and he was even still smiling when one of the females could a little too excited and gave him a hickie on his leg (ok bloody thigh!).

After the incredible trip this morning we heads back to the resort to chill and play around on the beach. Peter is amazing and humours my requirements to mess around with acrobatic antics.

Antigua is incredible. I’m so blessed that I’ve got to experience my 50th country with the man I love. Peter has loved every moment so far. It’s been utter paradise. Here’s to plenty more rum punches and cocktails this holiday.

Is romance dead...?

I've heard people ask this question before, "Is romance really dead?". Honestly, I don't think so.

Walking around Central Park in Antigua, Guatemala at dust was wonderfully romantic, it's just ashame Stuart isn't here to share it with me.

The park was full of couples kissing and cuddling on benches. All different ages and the lights from the fountain and nearby building made it even more romantic.

Antigua is a beautiful Colonial city. The streets are all cobbled and the low rise buildings are pastel colours.

I've enjoyed today walking around the ruins in the city and just taking in all the beautiful arts and crafts in the shops.

Things are very inexpensive here compared to Costa Rica. I've just bought a lovely necklace for Q35 (about £2.80). I bartered down from Q75.

The main sitting next to me was very impressed. I'm still getting used to having conversations with people without them trying to sell me something. Some people genuinely just want to talk to someone new and I like this.

Tomorrow I am going to hike the local volcano. It's an early 6:00am start but it should be worth it. Then I think I'll try to find the local market in the afternoon.

I'm missing my friends and family a lot but with the wonders of modern technology (and free wifi) I'm in contact with them frequently.