We (me,wife and her sis) stopped here overnight while in transit to BVI. Just about 5 minutes and a very cheap taxi ride from the airport. Room was clean, comfortable and cool. View of the runway and planes provided entertainment but noise from planes was no problem at all. Reception staff were just great and fixed taxi back to airport and ordered take away evening meal and meeting Colin (a lovely gentleman) was a bonus. We would have no hesitation at all booking again.

This small family owned hotel was recommended by another property owner on the island who was booked for the date we needed. Collin responded to (email and one phone call) questions quickly and efficiently. When we arrived in the pouring rain he and his staff greeted our taxi with umbrellas. Check-in was easy and quick (we prepaid) and after a few minutes' chat he helped us with our luggage to our room (one level up and in the back of the building).

The room was spotlessly clean and air conditioned. We were able to connect to the internet. We took advantage of an airport restaurant's delivery option and stayed in to avoid the rain which continued through the night and the following morning.

A simple continental breakfast (we made our selections on check-in) was delivered to our room in the morning. At our request he requested a taxi which picked us up on time. It was air conditioned and spacious (a van).

The only down side to our stay was the loud noise of airplanes landing and taking off which we were aware of when we booked, a loud party and dogs barking at night which were unexpected and likely unavoidable.

Compared to the many other options we considered on the island the location was excellent for us (we need to be in St. Johns the day after our arrival), the price point, service and hotel itself were worthwhile. Other hotels quoted hundreds and thousands of dollars for "luxury" accommodations which sometimes didn't include air conditioning, had dozens of Terrible reviews or in more than one case were an hour's drive away. Given the scarcity of taxis when we arrived (we had to share a taxi with 6 other travelers) we were happy to have picked an easy to reach hotel.

I needed to book a room for my son to overnight in Antigua on his way to join us in Dominica for Christmas and as we had stayed at the Windchimes before we booked him in. As an over anxious mother I had some issues and questions which were all answered promptly and very positively. Colin even took the time to email me to let me know that my son had arrived safely, had food on the way and a wake up call and taxi booked for the morning. The rooms are impecable and you really can't ask for better levels of customer service.

My husband and I recently traveled to the lovely Caribbean island of Antigua before the start of a wonderful southern Caribbean cruise. We had been planning this trip for a long time and I think one of the hardest decisions we had to make was reserving a hotel. Antigua doesn't have any chain hotels to speak of. A lot of the properties on the island are resorts that require a three night minimum stay. This was a challenge for us, since we could not stay more than two nights and had no desire to pay for a night we wouldn't be there.

We chose to book two nights at the Wind Chimes Inn in Antigua, mainly because the Wind Chimes Inn got excellent ratings on Trip Advisor and didn't require a minimum stay. The manager of the B&B, Collin Noel, has a reputation for being very service oriented, yet his hotel only costs about $95 a night. I was eager to make a decision and didn't want to spend and arm and a leg... and we aren't particularly high maintenance people. We sent Collin an email and when he told us he had room, we called to give him a credit card number so he could hold the room. The Wind Chimes Inn accepts Visa and MasterCard and children under age 12 stay free. The rate includes continental breakfast.

Location

The first thing to know about the Wind Chimes Inn is that it's literally located next to the airport's runway. This may seem like a bad thing, but as it turns out, Antigua's airport is not particularly busy. You can sit on the balcony and watch jet airliners take off and land. It's kind of cool if you like planespotting. Getting to the Wind Chimes Inn from the airport by cab costs a flat fee of about $4 per person.

The Wind Chimes Inn is not within walking distance of anything but the runway and that's surrounded by a big fence. Consequently, you will need to rent a car or have access to a taxi. St. John's is perhaps a 20-25 minute taxi ride from the inn. Alternatively, there is a Hertz car rental office right next door.

Checking in

We told Collin we would be in at about 4:00pm. We actually got there a little later because it took well over an hour for us to clear customs. We were given room six, which was on the second floor. The Wind Chimes Inn only has seven rooms and all require at least a couple of steps to get to. Bear in mind that there aren't any porters to help you haul your bags. This property is best suited for people who are able bodied and no frills.

The room

Our room at the Wind Chimes Inn was very simple. We had a tile floor, a queen sized bed, a small television equipped with cable TV and American channels, free WiFi, a wardrobe, and a large balcony. There was a small refrigerator and coffee setup. There are no telephones in the room, though the Wind Chimes Inn supposedly gives guests cell phones to use. We did not get a cell phone to use, but then we never asked for one. The air conditioner is super powerful and controlled by remote.

The bathroom

Our bathroom was pretty tiny and had just a shower to go with the sink and toilet. The toiletries were pretty cheap. The shampoo came in bottles oddly shaped like golf balls. They were cute, but the oddly shaped bottles made getting shampoo out of the bottle pretty difficult.

The shower was nothing fancy, but for what we were paying, I wasn't expecting anything fancy. We had plenty of towels that were clean and did what they were supposed to do.

Breakfast and other food issues

Breakfast is included in the room rate and consists of a juice drink and a couple of pastries. Croissants, muffins, and cinnamon rolls are provided. If you need protein, you might want to provide it yourself. There is neither a restaurant on site or nearby, but Collin and his staff will recommend a restaurant or order in for you. My husband and I enjoyed their suggestion of The Tides restaurant on our first night and ordered in a fantastic pizza our second night. We also ordered some Wadadli beers, Antigua's specialty.

The staff

Collin and his staff are friendly and generally helpful. We did have a couple of issues on our second night, though. First off, after we had returned from our excursion, the power was out. My husband went to ask about it and found the desk receptionist doing laundry. She was unaware that the power was out and didn't know how to fix it, so she had to call Collin. It took awhile for Collin to fix the issue, which turned out to be a tripped circuit breaker.

Secondly, we ran out of toilet paper. For some reason, there weren't any extra rolls in our room and there was no one at the desk to give us any, nor could we purchase any ourselves at a store. Apparently, the front desk isn't staffed 24/7. It wasn't a huge issue for us, since we were checking out anyway, but it did cause me to have to shower twice on the last day.

Transportation

The Wind Chimes Inn has a local cab driver working for them. His name is Jackson and my husband and I found him very helpful, friendly, and reliable. He was a huge help to us on our last day. We had stowed our luggage at the inn while we went on an excursion and had to get from the port to the hotel and back to the port. Jackson showed up right on time in the place where we asked him to be. He helped us get our cruise off to a great start.

Spotty WiFi

The Wind Chimes Inn offers free WiFi. We had some issues accessing it and it was a bit weak, but it worked well enough for us to check email and Facebook.

Overall

I appreciated the fact that the Wind Chimes Inn was economical and basically comfortable. We slept fine on the bed and appreciated the amenities like high powered air conditioning, cable TV, free WiFi, and luggage storage. I would have hoped for slightly better toiletries, extra toilet paper, a phone, and perhaps a slightly better quality breakfast. But again, for what you get, I thought the price was very fair and we enjoyed the staff at the inn. I would recommend the Wind Chimes Inn for people who want to be near the airport, need inexpensive accommodations, and don't want to stay three nights. Just make sure to ask for an extra roll of toilet paper when you check in!