Did you know that you can use points to book intimate boutique hotels? We are pleased to say that thanks to the partnership between major hotel brands and boutique hotel collections such as Hilton and small luxury hotels, you can definitely do it.
In Antigua, Hermitage Bay Resort offers all-inclusive laid-back luxury on beautiful beaches and lush hillsides. It offers delicious food, great fun and relaxing. Most importantly, you can use Hilton Honors Points to do everything. Since the resort has recently undergone a multi-million dollar makeover, it has been better than ever.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire – New applicants spend $6,000 in purchases during the first six months of card membership (see rates and fees).
Situation in Hermitage Bay
Situated on the west coast of Antigua, Hermitage Bay is a luxurious, inclusive resort with only 30 spacious, comfortable suites laid on the beach and the hills with breathtaking coastal views. The resort is about 10 miles from VC Bird International Airport (ANU) in Antigua. Although I recommend organizing transportation through the resort, the cost per method is about $40.
The resort has a laid-back atmosphere with cool, calm and effortless design features (I call it Caribbean Rustic). During my stay, I met guests from all over the world, including Americans on honeymoon, points and mile enthusiasts who are cashing in Hilton Honors Points, as well as other friendly people, mostly relaxing in the daytime and slacks, and then enjoying dance and live music at night.
Related: The 21 Best Hilton Hotels in the World
How much does the Hermitage Bay cost and how to book
As a high-end all-inclusive resort, Hermitage Bay is expensive: During the low season, the cash rate for two guests is about $1,800 per night, and it is easy to reach over $3,000 per night during peak seasons. Standard Reward Nights start with 190,000 Hiltons honor points, although supply at this rate may be wide. Unfortunately, many nights cost over 1 million Hilton Honors Points.
When booking Hermitage Bay, you will need to use one of a credit card that earns the most scores from Hilton, as well as a credit card that may offer automatic Hilton Honor Elite identity for added value. These include:
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- Hilton Honors American ExpressSupasspass® Card: The ability to upgrade to Diamond status at the Hilton Hotel, the ability to qualify for purchases, the automatic gold elite status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status at the end of the next calendar year, earning 12 points per year on eligible purchases.
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: The ability to upgrade to Diamond status at the Hilton Hotel, the ability to qualify for purchases, the automatic gold elite status and the ability to upgrade to Diamond status at the end of the next calendar year, earning 12 points per year on eligible purchases.
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: Earn 7 points per dollar on the Eligible Purchase and Automatic Silver Elite Identity at the Hilton Hotel (upgrade to gold at the end of the next calendar year when you spend $20,000 in the calendar year on eligible Purchase Year).
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 14 points for every dollar you’re eligible for purchases for Hilton Hotels and Auto Diamond Elite.
Information on the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Rooms in Hermitage Bay
One of the best things about this property: Guests at Hermitage Bay can expect plenty of space to spread. The resort offers three types of accommodation: beachfront villa, hillside pool villa and garden pool villa.
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Tanner Saunders/The Points Guy
My beach house has a huge deck with lounge chairs, armchairs, a worn glass door that leads to the large villa. The living area has a sofa and two armchairs, a coffee table in the middle, a full minibar and a four with a bug net and its bed. The decor is consistent with what I experienced when checking in. It reflects the atmosphere of the Caribbean style, with tropical patterns here and there, as well as mixed textures, natural materials and neutral tones.
I love looking at the view on the deck and the ocean bed.
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Tanner Saunders/The Points Guy
There is a lot of closet space and one thing I’m particularly grateful for is the staff keep changing reusable glass bottles.
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Tanner Saunders/The Points Guy
The rear of the villa features a bathroom with a large soaking tub and an enclosed outdoor shower that I rushed down under the stars at the end of the day.
The villa is super comfortable, keeps it friendly and feels very private. (Remember, if you stay in a hillside pool villa, expect the climb to walk to your room, or expect to get a lift on your golf cart.)
Dining in Hermitage Bay
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Tanner Saunders/The Points Guy
As an all-inclusive resort, most of the hotel’s meals and drinks are included on the nightly exchange rate and are offered in the main dining area overlooking the beach. (Please note that some top alcohols are charged extra.) The property has two places to eat.
Tree Bar is the main bar on the beach, but Moonlight serves as a sushi counter, and the chef (trains with nearby Nobu Barbuda) offers guests a happy hour of sushi. It was a surprising surprise and one of my favorite (and the highest end) of my stay.
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Tanner Saunders/The Points Guy
During the rest of my stay, I enjoyed many fresh, delicious meals at the main open-air restaurant, including a mouthwatering lobster sandwich (essentially a lobster, toast instead of bread toast), plenty of fresh produce and vegetables, spinning every day, spinning every day, freshly caught fish, beef tartare tartare, bek tartare, work of ious for toilet for nourgh of Brought nourghl of Bover clorl clorl, I’ve been shopping twice, and I’ve been here.
Facilities and things to do
Although the best way to go in Hermitage Bay is to kick back and let life go slowly, there are still many amenities and services to enjoy.
- Garden spa treatments, from hot stone massage and peeling body wraps to face and dorsima color rituals
- Daily Pilates classes on the spa deck, occasional yoga and meditation classes
- Fitness center with high-end exercise equipment
- Weekly cooking demonstration
- Enter the nearby champion golf course and tennis courts
- Non-sports water sports, windsurfing, marine canoeing and snorkeling
- Day trip to Nobu Barbuda by boat or helicopter
- Infinity pool and lounge chairs facing the ocean
- New Beach Club Experience
Internal skills for staying in the Hermitage Bay
- If you book a resort with three or more nights, you will receive a free SUV transfer to and from the airport.
- The hotel is closed seasonally from August 25 to October 11 this year.
- Hilton receives free of charge every fifth night when booking the standard room rewards and points.
- Be sure to let your eyes peel around the resort for an impressive collection of photography.
Accessibility
According to the hotel’s website (and what I’ve seen during my stay), wheelchairs are not available in many places in the hotel. There are usually some public places and private spaces, unpaved walking paths, no lifts to the pool.
As always, TPG recommends contacting the hotel directly for accessibility options.
Bottom line
For me, Hermitage Bay is a very special place. The size of the resort makes it feel like an intimate experience. The relaxed atmosphere creates a sense of luxury that feels simple and refined. On top of that, the all-inclusiveness of Hermitage Bay means that once you get there, you can put your credit card down without having to worry about the price of (almost) anything at all.
That said, if you can find reward availability at a standard rate, you might find a significant reward for burning some Hilton honor points when you consider how much is included in the price. Unfortunately, these affordable dates are hard to find.
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