Your first glimpse of Curtain Bluff comes as you round a coastal corner in the tiny Antiguan village of Old Road on the southern tip of the island. Spread out below you, the majestic Caribbean Sea pounds a slither of yellow beach, fringed by swaying palms. From this distance, tiny villas unfurl along the ridge of the peninsula, looking like, well, an enormous, eponymous curtain. It looks beautiful, deserted - not to mention a bit windswept.
All a very different feeling to actually arriving at Curtain Bluff. The wooden lobby is cosy and has the effect of instant familiarity. It’s been a hotel for 48 years and it’s been spared the facelift. Ignoring any passing fads or interiors trends, the décor remains resolutely shabby chic, traditional Caribbean mixed with 1960s Americana. But it’s charming, and all the more stylish for it. Bedside lamps are carved wooden pineapples, the kind of retro cool that wouldn’t look out of place in Liberty’s interiors department with a £200 price tag. The corner bath could have looked hopelessly dated, but, add a tray of miniature Caribbean rums nestled against a huge ice bucket and it’s coolly suggestive of Abigail’s Party.
The centrepiece of the room is the stunning view of beach and the ocean (complete with hammock hanging between two palms). You’re close enough to hear the crash of the waves while you lay in bed. Head outside through the French windows, and you realise that the waves really do crash on the sand. So while it’s exquisitively beautiful and invigorating to feel the spray and wind on your face, there are few guests sunbathing here. But no worries: Curtain Bluff has two beaches. The second is on a bay, with a tranquil, turquoise sea you expect from the Caribbean, and families and couples lounging under thatched umbrellas.
As manager, Rob Sherman says, 'Curtain Bluff isn’t about the nickels and dimes,' (as an interesting aside he adds that he has woken up with frequent Antiguan visitor Keith Richards crashed on his floor more times than he cares to remember). And here, all inclusive means not just food and bar drinks, but more or less everything else too including watersports, the daily 6.30am fishing trips, the afternoon boat hop to the nearby reef and diving excursions. There’s no kids' club, but you wouldn’t want — or need — one here. There’s 15 acres for children to run around in plus water skiing, hobi cats, kayaks, pedaloes, tennis courts, swimming pool, a half-basketball court and even a squash court (who would play squash in the Caribbean heat?). And once a week, there’s BBQ day on the beach, complete with an enormous buffet (lobster salad, shrimps) and a steel band.
Whereas the rest of the hotel is meandering, the spa is sleek. Opened three years ago and located on the bluff, the treatment rooms open onto dazzling sea views. There’s something utterly luxurious about having a massage while listening to the sea. And the Jacuzzi must be on the best situated in the Caribbean. The treatments here are also fantastic — thorough and rejunvenating.
Curtain Bluff doesn’t take itself too seriously — it’s about comfort, enjoyment, great food and wine over style. And unlike some luxury hotels that lose a sense of destination, it still feels like you’re in the Caribbean. It’s a knockout hotel — charming, whimsical and laidback.
BA offer 7 nights at the 5* Curtain Bluff Resort, Antigua from £1,995 per person based on May 2010 departures. Includes return BA flights from Gatwick and all-inclusive accommodation. For reservations visit ba.com/antigua or call 0844 493 0758.
