We got home yesterday from our 2 week holiday in Harmony Suites. We had read all the reviews before we left and had high expectations. We were surprised when we suddenly arrived at the hotel entrance set in a small road, just off the main road in Rodney Village. The check in was quick, but despite 4 emails to the hotel and Rep, requesting a top floor waterfront suite, we were allocated a ground floor suite! The staff did change this immediately we asked, but denied that we had requested it.
We were given a mobile phone to use in case they needed to contact us, and inisted we could receive calls from home without charge on it. We had to sign it in/ out and could ask reception to add credit if we needed it. We could use it to contact reception or The Edge restaurant directly, but also had a phone in the room, so not quite sure why we needed it. We tried to give it back early, as it was not being used, but they wouldnt let us.
The room itself was large, a little dark, ( more windows could have been put in when it was built), but had all the necessary equipment. The fridge was very quiet, but no freezer compartment for making/ storing ice cubes. This was ironic as the room supplied large wine glasses and an ice bucket! We had room 215, which had a VERY squeaky mattress / bed which made a noise on minimal movement and woke us up every time we turned over. There was a jacuzzi in the room, which was lovely, but we felt too guilty to use it as there is severe water shortage on the island. (Rumours are that there is only 60 days water supply left if it doesnt rain soon.) The decor was ok, but the ceilings could do with being painted as the previous colours remain.
The pool was small but clean and very warm. There were only about 8 loungers around the pool but this was not a problem as people seemed to come and go. It would have been nice to have some umbrellas with the loungers as it was too hot to sit out unprotected all day.
When paying for B&B, Breakfast is served in the highly acclaimed restaurant set in the grounds. The Edge restaurant serves nouveau cuisine type food, which is highly priced. The were 4 choices for breakfast and you could not mix and match. The service was often slow and could take up to 90 mins from start to finish. The food was good, even though the portions looked small initally, they did fill us up. An option for more fruit would have been good. Staff were not particularly friendly or happy, until they knew it was your last day, when they didn't stop talking. We think they expected a tip.
There was a car hire shop, mini market, beauty salon and diving school on site. The Diving School started work at 7 AM and were very noisy when moving the cylinders to the boat (right ouside 4 of the 8 luxury waterfront suite windows). We were woken up every morning at 7 am by them. We're surprised no-one has mentioned this before.
Our sleep was also disturbed by the local night clubs. These started at 10pm and ran until 5 am every Fri, Sat and occasional Sunday. If you're a light sleeper you will need ear plugs to drown out the bass.

Local restaurants were within easy reach, but were mostly on the expensive side. We found a few that we liked and were the best value for money. We liked Spinnakers, and The Red Snapper. A small meal at these cost around $60-70 US dollars per couple, without wine. Razmataz ( indian) was a little more expensive, but service was excellent and the portions were big. Most of the people we spoke to also shared our views. There is an excellent ice cream parlour under the Red Snapper ( separate business) selling gorgeous italian ice cream.

A few tips for others -
When arriving, if you want small, basic meal, head for Rituals Coffee place (like Costa Coffee). They do wraps, painini's etc and are ideal on the first day when tired.
Take Eastern Carribbean Dollars, rather than US, as everything is priced in EC and they all make up their own exchange rate when you pay with US dollars. Change will be given in EC dollars.
They will not accept US $100 notes and some not liking US $50 notes either. They dont take US coins or any torn or ripped notes.
Beware of beach sellers. They come along all the time with different things to buy. If you give in once, you seem to get targeted for the rest of the day. Sunbeds and umbrella are about $20 US dollars per day.

Having been to Antigua twice before, we expected friendly service with a smile from the locals. Sadly this was not the case. Most of them seemed put out by having to serve you. This included restaurant/ bar, shop staff and taxi drivers.
Overall we had a good holiday as we wanted a good room, with sunshine and heat. We would have liked a quieter area as every night sleep was disturbed by either bed, music or diving school. (even with all windows and doors fully shut with air con on!) We chose this hotel as it was adults only and small. The hotel did not really disappoint, but other influences impacted on our enjoyment.

We stayed two nights in a waterfront "luxury" room- this is not a luxury place, like Coco Palm, but a value. It was a very good sized room, with a great jacuzzi tub. Amenities not great, bed was just okay, but being on the water was awesome. Steps away from one of the most creative contemporary restaurants in the area, The Edge (worth a reservation to sit on the water). Parking lot has only a few very small spaces... Wifi left a little to be desired.

I am writing this review from my balcony at harmony suites , I was surprised at the last review , but then I wouldn't class this as honeymoon type resort , its can't be compared to a luxury allinclusive resort but then if you have read the reviews you should know what you are getting , we have a waterfront suite , the suite is a good size and it is a bit dated but its ample for the independant traveller , the location is ideal , short walk to beach and there are plenty of very good restaurants around , the comment on the room being very cold made me chuckle ........the air con is very efficient !!! All in all I am very pleased with the accomodation , we paid half of what it would have cost to stay in the cheapest AI and it has exceeded my expectations ......I think some people have unrealistic expectations .....oh an. Wi fi free too

This was our honeymoon destination for which we had paid a supplement for a " luxury " waterfront suite. What we got was a dingy, smelly, dated room which was icy cold and uninviting when we arrived tired and fatigued after having travelled for over12 hours.

The entrance was down a dingy corridor and through a rotten front door. When we entered the room the damp,musty smell was horrible. When we explored our wonderful honeymoon destination we decided that there was no way were unpacking one stitch of clothing, and that one night was more than sufficient at Harmony Suites.

The wardrobes were fronted by grimy looking louvered doors and the safe wasn't! There was a bidet in an open corridor space, the shower was antequated and dark and the frame to the toilet door was rotten. Their idea of a Welcome Pack was 2 soaps in a dish and a couple of tea bags in a caddy

Ironically the view across Rodney Bay and from The Edge restaurant were delightful, although we were so tired and disolutioned that we couldn't enjoy any of its culinary or visible delights.

All we can say is............don't stay at harmony suites - it's horrible!! KNOCK IT DOWN AND START AGAIN!!