Royalton CHIC Antigua Review: A Luxury All-Inclusive Resort Experience

For my birthday vacation this December, I traveled to the beautiful islands of Antigua & Barbuda and stayed in the Royalton CHIC Antigua. This resort just opened in the Spring of 2024 and is nestled in the Dickenson Bay. The following review details my experience during my stay.

Important note: I reserved the Diamond Club level for my stay, which will be a different experience for those with a regular reservation. I will note throughout when there’s a discrepancy between Diamond Club and regular reservations.

First Impressions

Upon entering the Royalton CHIC – Antigua, it is clear that this resort is completely new. Everything looked clean and well decorated for Christmas, with an open airy sitting area. The sitting area is for the most part outside, so if you’re traveling in the summer just expect to be hot and sweaty while you’re waiting to be checked in. The processes seemed relatively simple for most guests so you shouldn’t have to wait very long. 

Diamond Club does have its own sitting area to the side that is air conditioned and has snacks and beverages (both alcoholic and nonalcoholic). It was really nice to be able to sit in the AC while waiting to check in. 

From the sitting area you can also see the beach which was incredibly beautiful with perfect water. The pool area was also very clean and well maintained. There were three pools on the property with one separate for Diamond Club. 

Problem #1: I hate to bring negativity to this review, and I considered omitting it, however this was an issue that other guests at the resort mentioned to me as well. During booking, I made sure that the room had 2 queen beds, however upon arrival I was told that they didn’t know that I requested 2 queens and the only option was a king bed. I found the initial booking confirmation which confirmed the room type and showed it to the concierge. 

There was a bit of back and forth, and I was told that they were able to find a room but we had to wait for it to be cleaned. We waited around an hour for the room to be ready and finalize the check in process. I wanted to assume this was a one off mistake, however during my stay I met a social media influencer, and his room had the exact same issue. His issue actually escalated to senior management because he didn’t get the 2 queen beds, which he originally requested. I’m unsure about how the rest of his trip panned out, but I do wonder if he didn’t have social media influence would his situation be different? Would the average guest without a social media following be able to speak with senior management too?

Accommodations

The room types at the Royalton CHIC Antigua vary from ocean view, pool view, garden view, with a few over-water bungalows. There’s only 4 of these bungalows but they are stunning! My room was in the Diamond Club section on the top floor with a balcony. It was very spacious and the bathroom had a separate room for the toilet and shower. 

I found out that the king sized rooms were on the smaller side, however the queen rooms were very spacious. Everything was completely new and very clean. At the Diamond Club level, rooms are cleaned every day with an option for turndown service.

Staff Service

Problem #2: After further research, I learned that this problem was specific to the Royalton, which is a separate resort from the Royalton CHIC, however I will include it because service issues still exist throughout the island.

Tourism/hospitality is probably the biggest industry on the island however the workers are severely underpaid (most make around $60 USD per day). Right before my trip there had been a strike amongst the employees at the Royalton, which left the guests at the resort to fend for themselves (some were even behind the bar making drinks!). Although this didn’t happen at the Royalton CHIC they were still severely understaffed. It was clear when restaurants would be completely booked, but once you arrived less than 10 tables were full. Or it would take forever for literally any service to be completed. 

Another issue that I noticed was that some staff members seemed like they didn’t have the answers to any questions, such as where certain activities or restaurants were located. It was obvious that many were new. I found that our butler service, which came with the Diamond Club level, was not very attentive and sometimes took a while to respond. Others had a really great butler experience, so I think this would be a hit or miss.

I want to note that none of the staff members were rude (everyone was very friendly), however it was clear these people were likely overworked and underpaid.

Activities

On the Resort 

At the Royalton CHIC Antigua, there are tennis/pickleball courts, a very nice gym, spa and water sport activities (e.g., jetskis). Things have to be booked well in advance or it’ll all fill up very quickly. I booked a massage and with Diamond Club you get an included hydrotherapy bath. The outdoor massage on the beach had a very beautiful view but I feel like it could’ve been noisy due to the proximity of the pool and other guests, thankfully I booked it very early in the morning. 

I was excited to see the tennis courts, however I was unimpressed by the upkeep. I’m a big tennis nerd so it was disappointing to see the court was basically in a parking lot and the surface was cracked and peeling. I expected a new resort to have a pretty new court as well. 

Nightlife at the resort also seemed pretty dull. I was told by other guests that came during the summer that the resort was a lot more lively with a younger crowd. However, the nightlife seemed dull even though there was an attempt by the staff and live performances, which were great! I think during the holidays more families come to the resort rather than just young people looking to party. 

Off the Resort 

There are off resort activities that can be booked through the resort, however I cannot recommend them since we booked activities through Viator. I find that Viator has a lot more options, which are cheaper as well.
We did a Private Snorkeling and Sightseeing Tour of Antigua with Johnny, that I cannot recommend enough! We learned so much about the island and he took us to a great spot to snorkel and see all kinds of sea creatures.

Food

I find that all inclusive resorts in general don’t always have top tier food. It’s usually pretty average with a few standout restaurants. That is also true for the Royalton CHIC Antigua. The buffet and some of the lunch spots were mostly average food. The standout restaurant was Pescari which had very good sushi, however this restaurant is only included for the Diamond Club level. If you did not have Diamond Club you’d have to pay separately. 

As I stated before, the staff shortage did mean there were pretty long waits for the food sometimes, and it meant that certain restaurants were closed on certain days. We never got to try the Hunter’s Steakhouse because of this. 

Sustainability Efforts 

I always like to look into the sustainability efforts of any resort I stay in and that influences whether or not I’d recommend it to clients. From my research, Royalton resorts has publicly published a Corporate Sustainability Policy, that includes some pretty average commitments. I didn’t see any metrics, goals, or targets. I also didn’t see anything specific for the Royalton CHIC Antigua. Based on what I learned from the locals about their poor wages and the lack of environmental sustainability, I would not say this resort has strong sustainability and socially responsible practices. 

Final Thoughts

Overall the Royalton CHIC Antigua has a lot of work to do. It’s a beautiful facility on an incredible beach so there’s a lot of potential. I believe the biggest challenge is the short staffing which impacts all the entirety of the resort experience. Guests pay thousands of dollars to stay at the resorts while employees are barely making a fraction of that. If the Royalton CHIC Antigua invests in its staff this could be an amazing resort that I’d recommend to all of my clients. However for now, I’d rate this resort as a work in progress.

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