After booking our trip to Antigua (10 days); started to search for reviews of the island and the hotel. Didn't look too good, but we decided not to find other accommodations. We got our room on the top floor with ocean view. Go for it! Room was clean, no problem with water and no shortage with hot water either. Beach is beautiful and don't forget about the Andes shipwreck! You can swim to it!
Beach bar was open for lunch and drinks, public restrooms were very clean, swimming pool clean as well.
Very helpful stuff was at the front desk 24/7 and 2 computers with internet connection for the guests. There is WiFi service in the rooms as well but US$10.00 for 24 hour usage is too much. We wanted to enjoy the beach........
Stuff was lovely, we had a good time! And wasn't a Ghost Hotel! Dinner price is at the high end but food was excellent!

We took a boat cruise with with Aqua Adventures which originates its sunset cruise from the Grand Royal Antiguan Beach Resort. We took a cab ride from the Galley Bay Resort (a wonderful place to stay) to the Grand Royal Antiguan Beach Resort on a Thursday around 3:30 PM and the first thing we noticed is that there was no one there. No one on the grounds, no one in the lobby or the restaurants, no one at the pool and only 4 locals at the beach (which was really beautiful and wide). It was really eerie. The place really looked deserted. We also noticed that the property was falling into disrepair with cracks on the walls and the grounds pretty neglected. At the end of our cruise it was pretty dark and as we walked outside we didn't see more than 5 rooms in the entire resort with any lights on. Nor did we see anyone in the lobby (which looked pretty interesting), bar or restaurant. No guests, no staff , no one. We asked the cab driver if the Resort was closed for repairs and he said no but also said very few people stay there. He menitioned that the resort was sold a few years ago and the new owners did not seem interested in advertising or keeping the place up. He also mentioned that he has taken tourists there who booked for a week or more who checked out the very next day. Not sure what is going on with this resort (you can tell at some point many years ago that it was really grand and beautiful) but it certainly would not be a place we would consider staying. Especially with the number of great choices in Antigua.

This place is what The Shining would be like if it was set in the tropics. Steven King would have a field day. A huge dated building with an institutional 1960s vibe and it has a real eeriness about because there's no one here. Not a soul. The grounds haven't been maintained for years, so weeds and vines cover everything including the tennis courts and the kids play area. Rooms are dated, and I don't know when they last washed the bedding...maybe 1982? After sitting down for 5 minutes I had numerous bites on my legs that itch like crazy. The restaurant is overpriced and not good (as in $US35 for a 'half chicken' dinner that turned out to be all wings and legs). I agree with the reviewer who said the way to improve it would be to tear it down and start over. Truly an awful experience.

We were in this hotel due to a Virgin flight cancellation last week, this had to be the worse hotel I have ever stayed in, and I have worked and lived in several 3rd world countries.
First impressions were ok, from then it went down hill, the hotel had not been open for several months - so we were told, and the beds had been made and left that long, it was damp, smelt awful, they did not turn the water on until the next day, after 5 hours on the tarmac and then 2 more hours getting our luggage and been allocated hotels all we wanted to do was get a drink of water and go to bed - no drinks were available. The hotel had a creepy feel about it and I can assure you the only people there were the Virgin passengers, the food was awful, the pool was filty, the beach was lovely alas the beach loungers had seen better days. Upon plugging in the filthy hair dryer the next morning the socket collapsed back into the wall - it was so damp. The only good thing I can say about this Hotel was that the staffed tried their best. Beware all Virgin travellers to Antigua if the airline offers to put you up overnight here - say no