The Escape at Nonsuch Bay Resort
The Escape at Nonsuch Bay is the adults-only, all-inclusive section of the wider Nonsuch Bay Resort on Antigua's quiet east coast, set apart from the resort's Residences and tucked among trees and mangroves on Ayres Creek. It is small: 40 suites, all 600 sq ft, every one with a private plunge pool and an outdoor soaking tub, in four categories that climb from Garden View through Deluxe and Bay View to Premium Bay View. Nobody under 18 stays here, and the whole place is built around couples who want privacy, bay views and very little noise.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Every one of the 40 suites is a 600 sq ft plunge pool suite with a king bed, an outdoor soaking tub and day beds beside your own pool, so even the entry Garden View category gets a private pool
- +Strictly adults-only (18 and over) and small enough that staff learn your name and routine within a day or two
- +A la carte dining with no buffet: the Drift Restaurant & Bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner over Ayres Creek, with afternoon bites and afternoon tea between meals and reservations for lunch and dinner
- +Snorkeling gear and kayaks are included, and paddling the mangroves of Ayres Creek and Nonsuch Bay is one of the quiet pleasures here, with boat trips to uninhabited offshore islands for reef snorkeling and picnics
- +On Antigua's quieter, undeveloped east coast, far from the cruise crowds of St. John's, with Half Moon Bay a short drive away
- +Romance add-ons are a real strength: floating breakfasts in your plunge pool, flower baths in your tub, in-suite massages and private dinners in hand-picked spots, with package deals that cut the total
Cons
- −Mosquitoes are the most repeated complaint: the resort sits among trees and mangroves on Ayres Creek, and even with fogging twice a week, guests using strong DEET still report bites at dinner and overnight, so bring your own repellent
- −The Escape has no beach of its own; the calm Nonsuch Bay Beach is over at the Residences side of the resort, a short walk or shuttle away, with no drinks service on the sand
- −One full restaurant only: Drift serves every included meal, and the Sea Grape Beach Bar near the beach (paninis, cocktails, light bites) opens only at certain times of year, so the food rotation is narrow on a longer stay
- −No gym, no in-room dining, no laundry service and housekeeping only on alternate days, which is thinner than the price implies
- −Steps lead to every pool, the restaurant, the bars and the beach, so it is a poor fit for anyone with limited mobility
- −About 40 minutes from VC Bird airport and roughly 30 minutes by taxi to English Harbour, with nowhere to walk to, so you are on-property unless you pay for taxis or rent a car
- −Evenings are quiet with no entertainment program; the main bar closes at 10:30pm and an elegant-casual dress code (collared shirt, long pants or dress shorts, closed shoes for men) applies after 6:30pm
The all-inclusive covers breakfast, lunch, afternoon bites, a la carte dinner, poured drinks, snorkeling gear and kayaking. Drift Restaurant & Bar handles every included meal (breakfast 7:30 to 10am, lunch 12:30 to 2pm, dinner 6:30 to 9pm, reservations needed for lunch and dinner), and the Sea Grape Beach Bar on Nonsuch Bay Beach adds paninis and cocktails at certain times of the year. The beach itself sits on the Residences side, a short walk or shuttle away, and reef snorkeling means a boat trip out to the offshore islands. Wellness here means massages and flower baths booked between 9am and 4pm, self-guided yoga on the dock or in the gardens and nature walks through the mangroves; there is no gym. The recurring downside is insects: mosquitoes come with the mangrove setting, and the resort fogs twice a week.
The Escape is best for couples who will happily spend most of the day in their own plunge pool and want a quiet, adults-only base on Antigua's undeveloped side. Its prices sit well below Antigua's top-tier hideaways like Jumby Bay and Curtain Bluff, with fewer facilities to match, and it feels far calmer than the large Sandals and St. James's Club resorts. Half Moon Bay is a short drive away, English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard about 30 minutes by taxi, and the front desk books island tours and offshore picnics.
Common Questions
How bad are the mosquitoes, really?
What does the all-inclusive cover?
Is there a beach, and is the snorkeling good?
How far is it from the airport, and do I need a car?
Is it really adults-only?
Is The Escape good for a honeymoon?
What's nearby
Shirley Heights35 min drive · 14 mi
Devil's Bridge30 min drive · 12 mi
30 min drive · 13 mi
Galleon Beach30 min drive · 14 mi
Darkwood Beach40 min drive · 23 mi
20 min drive · 9.2 mi
More things to do (24)
- Long Bay Beach · beach25 min drive · 12 mi
- Stingray City snorkel trip · excursion25 min drive · 9.6 mi
- Ffryes Beach · beach40 min drive · 23 mi
- Deep Bay Beach · beach40 min drive · 20 mi
- Half Moon Bay · beach12 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Antigua's Donkey Sanctuary · wildlife20 min drive · 7.4 mi
- English Harbour · town25 min drive · 13 mi
- Falmouth Harbour Marina · marina30 min drive · 13 mi
- Pigeon Point Beach · beach30 min drive · 13 mi
- Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre · museum30 min drive · 13 mi
- Wallings Nature Reserve · nature30 min drive · 16 mi
- St. John's · town30 min drive · 16 mi
- Government House Museum · museum30 min drive · 16 mi
- Antigua Rainforest Zip Line · adventure park30 min drive · 16 mi
- St. John's Cathedral · historic site30 min drive · 16 mi
- Museum of Antigua and Barbuda · museum30 min drive · 16 mi
- Barbuda day trip by ferry · excursion35 min drive · 17 mi
- Cedar Valley Golf Club · golf35 min drive · 17 mi
- Dickinson Bay Beach · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Fort James · ruins40 min drive · 19 mi
- Jabberwock Beach · beach40 min drive · 18 mi
- Fort Barrington · ruins40 min drive · 20 mi
- Jolly Harbour Marina · marina40 min drive · 22 mi
- Turners Beach · beach40 min drive · 23 mi
Amenities
Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Antigua gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.3 · 158 reviews
“Room 3901. Quiet peaceful location. Staff is amazing for smaller resort. Only one restaurant, food was good. Only issue we had which is not the resorts fault was someone was smoking marijuana near our room the first night. So we did not enjoy the...”
“So we’ve just spent a week here in September and have to say we were pleasantly surprised with this holiday. Just so we can be clear this holiday with BA was the same price as a week in Tenerife so value for money is outstanding. We wanted a very q...”
“A lovely hotel! Really relaxing. The staff are wonderful - always smiling and friendly. The setting is great with views out over the water, but this does invite the odd mosquito or two, so take sprays and long clothes for the evening. We did get bitt...”
