HERMITAGE BAY

Hermitage Bay holds thirty villa suites on a private bay at Jennings, on the west coast. The resort closed for a complete rebuild and reopened on 12 October 2025, following a thirty-million-dollar investment led by hotelier Daniel Shamoon. It now belongs to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, holds two Michelin Keys, and tops the TripAdvisor ranking for all of Antigua and Barbuda at 4.8 out of 5.

Hermitage Bay at a glance

Thirty villa suites, a private bay, no neighbours. It is the smallest property on this list and the best-rated on the island: 4.8 out of 5 across nearly two thousand TripAdvisor reviews, and first place in the Antigua and Barbuda ranking across all categories.

The house closed, was rebuilt from the ground up, and reopened on 12 October 2025. The investment, some thirty million US dollars, was led by hotelier Daniel Shamoon with Luxury Hotel Partners managing. The resort has since joined the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and holds two Michelin Keys, awarded in 2025.

What the renovation changed

All thirty suites were rebuilt. The spa was relocated: it now occupies a beachfront setting with treatment rooms open to the sea, rather than its earlier position set back from the water. A new restaurant, the Beach Club, opened at the water's edge for lunch, with live music and lobster as its speciality.

A fleet was added: a thirty-metre vintage schooner for sunset sails, a fifteen-metre sport-fishing boat, helicopter excursions to Barbuda and a Barbuda day trip in partnership with Nobu. These are substantial additions, not cosmetic ones.

Fourteen and over: the exact rule

Here is a nuance most booking sites flatten, and it has concrete consequences. The resort presents itself as adults-only but in fact welcomes travellers from age fourteen. There is no children's programming.

In practice, a couple with a fifteen-year-old can stay, where the label adults-only would have put them off. To occupy a villa alone you must be eighteen. An AquaTerra advisor will verify this for your dates. Call 1 866 628-6241.

Which villa to choose

Four categories, split between the beach and the hillside. Beachfront Suites open directly onto the sand, closest to the water. Sea View Garden Suites look at the sea from the gardens.

On the high ground sit the Hillside Pool Villa Suites and the Hillside Garden Pool Villas, both with a private pool, served by golf cart. The trade-off is the classic one: immediate beach on one side, private pool and view on the other. With only thirty units, the best categories go far ahead.

Where you eat on site

Four venues for thirty suites, which gives a sense of the ratio. The Restaurant handles breakfast and dinner. The Beach Club, opened with the renovation, serves lunch at the water's edge with live music and lobster as its speciality.

The Tree Bar offers sushi and an omakase service on the beach in the late afternoon. The Lounge Bar rounds things out. In-villa dining runs from half past seven in the morning to nine at night. For a property this size, four outlets is close to luxury in itself.

Is it an all-inclusive?

Yes, and of a different kind from what is found elsewhere on the island. The plan covers three meals daily, afternoon snacks, cocktail-hour canapés, premium spirits, house wines, unlimited cocktails and a minibar restocked each day. Top-shelf liqueurs are settled separately.

One inclusion deserves flagging: private airport transfers are complimentary for stays of three nights or more, a real saving given the distance. Our advisors confirm the detail of the plan before you book.

The spa, the pool and the excursions

The spa was moved to the beachfront during the 2025 works, with treatment rooms open to the water and organic, locally sourced products. Treatments given in the villa carry a supplement.

A shared pool sits beside the Lounge Bar, and every hillside villa has its own. Excursions are part of the personality of the house: a vintage schooner at sunset, sport fishing, helicopter flights to Barbuda, a Barbuda day with a Nobu table. Add a yoga pavilion, a gym and cooking classes. The resort holds Green Globe environmental certification.

Who this resort suits

It fits couples and travellers looking for the best of the island without compromise, in a thirty-unit setting where the staff know every guest. It fits anyone travelling with a teenager of fourteen or older, which most addresses of this calibre refuse. It fits anyone who wants an all-inclusive without ever feeling like they are on one.

Families with young children cannot stay. Anyone looking for entertainment, several restaurants to choose from or a large resort will be better served elsewhere. The resort also observes an annual closure whose dates are not published: your advisor will check them before booking off-season.

What to know before you book

The resort states about forty-five minutes by road from V.C. Bird International Airport. Private transfers are included from three nights. Antigua lies inside the hurricane belt, whose season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with a peak in August and September.

The East Caribbean dollar is the official currency, though US dollars circulate everywhere, and driving is on the left. The resort runs partly on solar power, recycles its water and holds Green Globe certification. For entry requirements, consult travel.gc.ca before departure.

Booking Hermitage Bay with an advisor

Thirty units, a recent reopening and an unpublished annual closure: this is the Antigua address where availability takes the most work. An advisor who follows the house gets you the right villa on the right dates.

Reach a Voyages AquaTerra advisor at 1 866 628-6241, or explore our Antigua all-inclusive packages, our Antigua and Barbuda travel guide and the full range of southern all-inclusive vacations.