Amaryllis Beach Resort Hotel

“ Although the hotel is rated 4 star here, we would consider it to be more like a 3 star.
The rooms are somewhat tatty, particularly the bathrooms, but generally comfortable, with air conditioning and a good size balcony. One really strange item is that you have to pay extra (even when all-inclusive) to use the small in-room safe - US$2.50 a night.
Our room was an ocean facing room, and was just 30 seconds walk from the beach - which was great.

When booking, I would suggest a room on the first floor or above - some of the ground floor rooms are next to walkways between the hotel and beach, and I would imagine the steady flow of people past your room could be found slightly obtrusive. On the other hand, the ground floor ocean view rooms do open out directly onto the beach, which may be a benefit to disabled patrons.

The hotel is about 30 mins from the airport by taxi which costs US$20.

The staff at the hotel were all extremely pleasant and friendly, and it was good to see security guards wandering around the beautifully kept hotel grounds throughout the day, and generally keeping unlicensed traders away from the beach. This was done in a re-assuring but not overbearing manner. Say "hello" to Rosie, the beach warden, who has been patrolling the beaches for 30 years, and loves to chat with the guests.

We were all-inclusive, and it was made clear on the menus what is and isn't included, but this was never a problem - the local beers -Banks and Carib beer is good, and spirits and cocktails are included. You can choose to have other brands of drinks for a clearly priced supplement if you choose. However, drinks at the beach bar (Turtle Nest beach bar) were served in really cheap disposable plastic cups, which took some of the 'magic' out of it. Alcoholic and non-alchoholic drinks were readily available at two bars throughout the day.

We found the two restaurants to be generally good, but we stayed for just 5 nights. The main restaurant (The Almond Tree Restaurant) had a nice ambience, and was of good quality. However, there were only 6 main dishes on the menu, which is not changed during the season. I would imagine this becomes a boring menu after a week or so. In addition, only one of the main courses is a vegetarian option, and this could be a real problem for all-inclusive vegetarians. The restaurant is a full a la carte experience however, rather than the buffet type we have had on other all-inclusive holidays. This did add to the holiday experience.

Food was also available from 11am to 8.30pm at the Turtle Nest beach bar, but was more of the burger and chips variety. It would have been nice to have had light snacks available such as crisps and peanuts to have with drinks in the evening, but these were not available. A shop within the hotel does sell these, but it would have been nice to have had this included.

Breakfast was excellent with a great choice, and a chef on hand to cook eggs in any way you choose.

When you order food or drinks, you charge the items to your room as with any hotel by signing the bill on each order. The bill has space for you to add a tip - for all charges, which we found slightly tiresome on an all-inclusive stay, especially when you only order something small such as a couple of coffees.

The hotel opens out directly onto the beach. The beach itself is beautiful, with overhanging palm trees for shade during the day, and an enclosed bathing area safe from jet skis etc with snorkeling available - the hotel provides equipment for this free, along with a pedalo, body surfing boards and plastic canoe if you want them. For an additional charge (US$50), you can also hire a jet ski.

Generally we had a great stay, which was relaxing and enhanced all the more by the friendly staff. We never had to wait for service in the restaurants or bars, and the beach was uncrowded and easy to get a good spot in the freely supplied beach loungers. However, we went out of season, and the hotel was nowhere near capacity.

“ Top Tip: Take a walk along the beach right along to the old fort battlements. It is a beautiful sandy walk, and you never know what you might see - we saw a baby turtle running down the sand into the sea!