This villa feels like a millonaires retreat.

A fantasticaly well equiped villa, in a equally fantastic location. The patio and decking over the harbour made the villa feel like a millonaires retreat. Our mornings were spent dangling our toes in the water whilst trying to catch fish for dinner from the end of the pontoon, with the sun just appearing over the hill in the background, and the water as sitll as a mirror. And our evenings were out on the patio drinking home made pina colada's with the BBQ crackelled in the background. All in all a holiday we will never forget, and will quite possibly never be able to better. My only regret is that we didn't have a yacht to moor on the private pontoon!

Great Alternative to hotels or all-inclusive resor

Just got back from a week at Emerald Dreams. This was the first time I went on vacation to the Caribbean and didn't stay at an all-inclusive resort. I was a little nervous at first renting a place from a private owner but my fears were unwarranted. The villa was as described and located in a safe area (very important to me because I was traveling solo). Prior to arriving in Antiqua, Tara would answer any questions I had very quickly (e-mail responses usually within a couple of hours). Once I arrived at the villa, the ladies from the management company were available to answer questions, help arrange tours, transportation, ect..) A pre-paid cell phone was provided with the villa and that came in very handy. The villa is located a very short walk from a beautiful beach. I did not rent a car or golf cart while I was there and didn't have a problem getting around. Everything in Jolly Harbour is a short walk. I would not hesitate to recommend this villa to my family or friends. Its a great alternative to staying in a hotel or all-inclusive resort.

14 days of pampering at emerald dreams

first let me say that this villa has everything (except a chef) just look and you will find what you need, hats off to paul and tara. all our 14 days started with coffee on the rear porch watching the sun rise over the hills, thank god for the awning. this villa has all the comforts of home, do not over pack, there is a washing machine (hint to my wife) lol.there are plenty of things to do and see in antiqua so do go on some island tours, whether by boat or car, we met a gentleman (lennox scottland) who is a tour operator and can arrange anything you want, we left his card in the villa so do use it and mention (paul, Melissa and Janine) he will look after you. we took 2 trips into saint johns, not far away, once without a cruise ship in port, and once with a ship in dock, what a difference, place was much more alive when a ship is docked! all the views are beautiful in antiqua so take lots of pictures , we did make it to devils bridge and got a short video of a blow hole which did spout while I was videoing, lennox asked for us to send him the video, he says no one has caught the spout, while with him. do take the trip to Shirley heights on a sunday night, 8 dollars US to get in, but well worth it, there is food and drinks and a large steel band that plays until about 8pm, then there is a local band that plays for another few hours, we had a blast there, my wife even got on stage and I am not allowed to post that video, lol . the currency on the island is the east Caribbean dollar.....one US dollar is about 2.65 EC, when you use US dollars you will get EC for change, it wouldn't hurt to bring a small travel calculator, all bills are in EC, most of the places we ate at have a service tip of 10 % added, as well as the taxes so read your bill, if your service was excellent than add a little extra if you wish. we ate at al porto twice, very nice water front restaurant, Thursdays are all you can eat pasta, and Tuesdays are 2 for one pizza, also the crows nest is a great place for lunches and drinks, karaoke was fun to watch. I gave this villa a 5 star rating because it deserves it, could find no fault....actually being there in mid September with the daily temp at 30 plus Celsius and then humidity on top of that, the shower water was not cold enough for me! lol . so I would recommend this villa to everyone. almost forgot to mention the beaches....amongst the best I have been to, and I have been to many, so go and try the island and this villa, we will be back.

Extremely well equipped villa in a great location

Paul and Tara have a beautiful second home here in Antigua. They have thoughtfully provided everything you could possibly need for a comfortable holiday. Just looking at the photos, I long to be back there, bur some of us have to work ...... We had the pleasure of the company of several pelicans on the dock - Elvis and Evelyn were the regulars!. We also spotted a dolphin near the dock and a barracuda as well, strange how the shoals of little fish disappeared ! Loved the song of the tree frogs in the evenings, it's all recorded for posterity. I actually managed to get a photo of the little frog - how can such a loud noise come out of such a small being?? Antigua is expensive to eat out but there are special offers at the local restaurants to help numb the pain. Also the local supermarket has an amazing range of food, including the Waitrose Essentials range! So eating in is always an option especially in the well equipped kitchen. We were out of season and so managed to get the north finger beach all to ourselves - we actually got a bit miffed if anyone else turned up. This is the nicest beach - loads of shells and friendly fish. It is actually my first thought now when someone mentions Antigua. We went out on the Creole cruise for a lobster lunch on Bird island. Great snorkelling there. We also had a private tour of the island with Elmo, check him out on Tripadvisor, he's well worth it. Don't hesitate to book this villa, it is in a brilliant position and so comfortable - you will need a golf cart to get around though - great fun and very cheap to run.

We would definitely hire from Tara and Paul again

This was an absolutely perfect holiday villa rental. It had everything we needed. It was especially good to have both dishwasher and washing machine. The location is outstanding, and it was lovely to have breakfast on the patio with the sea as our closest neighbour. Plenty of extra towels were supplied, so it is not necessary to bring many from home. We cooked some dinners at home, but found it easier to eat out. Portions were so large that we usually only needed either lunch or dinner. We highly recommend the beach bar "Castaways" for breakfast and lunch. The two best places we ate were the Greek restaurant and the Italian Al Porto - tip: half price pasta and pizza on Tuesdays. The lobster (!) was especially good, but also the pizza. Both places had very friendly staff. In St.Johns, we ate three times at Hemmingway's - recommended. We did not travel much around the island, but took the local bus to the capital many times. It runs frequently and is cheap. In addition, we found it easy to get to know the locals. Shirley's Heights is a must on Sundays, with a delightful steel band, great food and views. We went on several tours, but the best was definitely the circumnavigation - a full day of great sailing, snorkelling, food and drink. Antigua is a perfect destination, albeit quite expensive. Nevertheless, we heartily recommend the island. We bought many lobster, fresh mangos and, of course, rum punch but otherwise it can be a bit hard to figure out what is authentic Caribbean cuisine. However, we ate good food everywhere and never got sick. It was very nice to be picked up at the airport and to have Margot on site, arranging everything we needed. She was also very happy to book tours for us. Tara was of great help in advance, and followed our journey in a way that made us feel very well looked after. The four of us have had a time in the paradise that we would recommend to anyone, and yes, we would definitely hire from Tara and Paul again.

Villa Emerald Dreams, Antigua

We fell in love with Antigua, it is Paradise! The owners Tara and Paul were so helpful with info about the island before our vacation, they truly want everyone who stays at Emerald Dreams to love it as much as they do. When we arrived, Amy and Margot were there to greet us and explain everything. They are the most efficient team, so friendly and helpful...just amazing. They were happy to answer questions and give us advice on what to see whenever we contacted them that week. The Villa was perfect, everything as advertised and more, so it felt like home right away. Our daughter and son in law fished from the dock daily with the poles at the Villa and the location allowed us to walk to the restaurants and grocery store in Jolly Harbour so we didn't need a golf cart. The cell phone at the Villa was so helpful to us, we took it with us on our day trips out if we needed to call a cab. We didn't rent a car and found it very easy to get around the island on either a bus or by cab. Our cab driver Glenn drove us over a good share of the island in the 8 days we were there, he was awesome and fun to talk to. We hired a guide from Indigo Divers to take us snorkeling for 4 hours at Cades Reef, a first for me so was a little nervous but absolutely loved it! Would highly recommend! There is also Jolly Dive on Jolly Beach. Other favorite spots for snorkeling is Long Bay...beautiful beach with a reef just off the beach, fun place to spend the day. Pigeon Beach was probably my favorite for snorkeling... awesome...like being in an aquarium and again, right off the beach. Both had great little bars/restaurants there also. Favorite restaurants were Castaways, always a fun place to eat and hang out, The Crow's Nest, good food, beautiful view of the harbor and live music often during the week, Miracles, Akropolis (Greek)...all an easy walk. Sugar Ridge was a favorite as well...amazing property, we had breakfast there and used the pools for the afternoon. Check out the infinity pool on top of the hill at Carmichael's, gorgeous! Other favorites; Turner's, O.J.'s and Sheer Rocks at Cocobay Resort (another amazing property to go to, even if it's just for drinks). All excellent food and service and highly recommend. We like to eat out on vacation and felt we had a wonderful selection of places to go, the meals were all amazing. Be aware that you are on Island time there, nothing is ever quick but no problem, we're on vacation. We highly recommend the Villa & Antigua, we'll be back!!

Great Value , Great Villa, Great Location

Excellent holiday home to very good standard - perfect location 2/3 minutes from lovely beech - will rent again on our next visit to Antigua

Very well equipped 2 bed villa - conveniently positioned for shops and restaurants. good outdoor space on 3 levels. Well maintained with comfy furnishings and all we needed for our stay. General points about the resort (Jolly Harbour): Security good, feels very safe, very good beach, large and spacious - good for an evening walk. Surprised there isn't any recycling - but this may be an Antiguan thing rather than a fault of Jolly Harbour. But, with so much rubbish being generated - recycling should be a priority.

Escaped the English Winter!

From email and Villa Guest Book: Thank you Paul and Tara for a wonderful holiday at Villa Emerald Dreams! Everything was in order and your villa is well equipped. Our tip to your guests is to hire a car and see the island, so lovely! We loved the beautiful sunset and sunshine streaming into the master bedroom every day. It was a great family time for us sitting on your lovely deck at night knowing its snowing and cold at home! Things we enjoyed were diving, Catherine's Cafe for Sunday lunches, Jacqui O's Beachhouse and above all the lovely beaches of Antigua! Thanks again for renting your villa to our family!

Wonderful Holiday Amazing Views

We have just spent 4/5 weeks at Emerald dreams with 4 of our friends ( not all together) and we all agree that this Villa was everything that was stated on the website, we would say that it was much more than was advertised. The views were wonderful from the patio and we spent many hours drinking beers and cocktails watching the sun go down and the boat coming back from their days at sea. The villa had most of what you would expect if you are self catering and it had TV, IPod dock and a good wireless internet. The bedrooms were comfortable and well furnished, both bedrooms have on suite showers which are in a nice condition. The owners Tara and Paul have been very helpful through both the booking of their villa and during our stay, answering any queries and our questions very promptly. The management service Typically Tropical which is run by Amy and Margo make sure that the villa is kept in a very good condition and we found that their staff could not be faulted. Also Amy and Margo were able to help us with things to do on the island. We would suggest that if you don’t want to walk too far, hiring a golf cart is a good idea, especially if you are playing golf as you can use the cart on the golf course. Typically tropically have good daily rates for carts. This is our second visit to Antigua and we must admit that on our first visit we were not impressed with the local restaurants. But in the 3 years since our last visit this has really changed we found that all the restaurants are now really good (more expensive than UK ) we would recommend the new Italian restaurant at the golf club, Melinis’s at main centre, Oceans which is just outside the gates of Jolly Harbour (about a mile) and if you want a simple meal Casterways on the beach should not be missed. Also Casterways has happy hour from 4.30 to 6.30 every days 2 drinks for the price of one should not be missed. We only hired a car for a couple of days as we found the buses very easy to use especially to St John’s and English Harbour, the buses are very cheap under 4EC per trip (about 1 pound) also they can be very entertaining. The only comment we would make is that this villa needs a gas BBQ as charcoal BBQ are messy and time consuming to use. All in all this was a wonderful holiday and we hope to return in the near future to Emerald dreams Sandra and Derek

Great Alternative to hotels or all-inclusive resor

Just got back from a week at Emerald Dreams. This was the first time I went on vacation to the Caribbean and didn't stay at an all-inclusive resort. I was a little nervous at first renting a place from a private owner but my fears were unwarranted. The villa was as described and located in a safe area (very important to me because I was traveling solo). Prior to arriving in Antiqua, Tara would answer any questions I had very quickly (e-mail responses usually within a couple of hours). Once I arrived at the villa, the ladies from the management company were available to answer questions, help arrange tours, transportation, ect..) A pre-paid cell phone was provided with the villa and that came in very handy. The villa is located a very short walk from a beautiful beach. I did not rent a car or golf cart while I was there and didn't have a problem getting around. Everything in Jolly Harbour is a short walk. I would not hesitate to recommend this villa to my family or friends. Its a great alternative to staying in a hotel or all-inclusive resort.

14 days of pampering at emerald dreams

first let me say that this villa has everything (except a chef) just look and you will find what you need, hats off to paul and tara. all our 14 days started with coffee on the rear porch watching the sun rise over the hills, thank god for the awning. this villa has all the comforts of home, do not over pack, there is a washing machine (hint to my wife) lol.there are plenty of things to do and see in antiqua so do go on some island tours, whether by boat or car, we met a gentleman (lennox scottland) who is a tour operator and can arrange anything you want, we left his card in the villa so do use it and mention (paul, Melissa and Janine) he will look after you. we took 2 trips into saint johns, not far away, once without a cruise ship in port, and once with a ship in dock, what a difference, place was much more alive when a ship is docked! all the views are beautiful in antiqua so take lots of pictures , we did make it to devils bridge and got a short video of a blow hole which did spout while I was videoing, lennox asked for us to send him the video, he says no one has caught the spout, while with him. do take the trip to Shirley heights on a sunday night, 8 dollars US to get in, but well worth it, there is food and drinks and a large steel band that plays until about 8pm, then there is a local band that plays for another few hours, we had a blast there, my wife even got on stage and I am not allowed to post that video, lol . the currency on the island is the east Caribbean dollar.....one US dollar is about 2.65 EC, when you use US dollars you will get EC for change, it wouldn't hurt to bring a small travel calculator, all bills are in EC, most of the places we ate at have a service tip of 10 % added, as well as the taxes so read your bill, if your service was excellent than add a little extra if you wish. we ate at al porto twice, very nice water front restaurant, Thursdays are all you can eat pasta, and Tuesdays are 2 for one pizza, also the crows nest is a great place for lunches and drinks, karaoke was fun to watch. I gave this villa a 5 star rating because it deserves it, could find no fault....actually being there in mid September with the daily temp at 30 plus Celsius and then humidity on top of that, the shower water was not cold enough for me! lol . so I would recommend this villa to everyone. almost forgot to mention the beaches....amongst the best I have been to, and I have been to many, so go and try the island and this villa, we will be back.

Extremely well equipped villa in a great location

Paul and Tara have a beautiful second home here in Antigua. They have thoughtfully provided everything you could possibly need for a comfortable holiday. Just looking at the photos, I long to be back there, bur some of us have to work ...... We had the pleasure of the company of several pelicans on the dock - Elvis and Evelyn were the regulars!. We also spotted a dolphin near the dock and a barracuda as well, strange how the shoals of little fish disappeared ! Loved the song of the tree frogs in the evenings, it's all recorded for posterity. I actually managed to get a photo of the little frog - how can such a loud noise come out of such a small being?? Antigua is expensive to eat out but there are special offers at the local restaurants to help numb the pain. Also the local supermarket has an amazing range of food, including the Waitrose Essentials range! So eating in is always an option especially in the well equipped kitchen. We were out of season and so managed to get the north finger beach all to ourselves - we actually got a bit miffed if anyone else turned up. This is the nicest beach - loads of shells and friendly fish. It is actually my first thought now when someone mentions Antigua. We went out on the Creole cruise for a lobster lunch on Bird island. Great snorkelling there. We also had a private tour of the island with Elmo, check him out on Tripadvisor, he's well worth it. Don't hesitate to book this villa, it is in a brilliant position and so comfortable - you will need a golf cart to get around though - great fun and very cheap to run.

We would definitely hire from Tara and Paul again

This was an absolutely perfect holiday villa rental. It had everything we needed. It was especially good to have both dishwasher and washing machine. The location is outstanding, and it was lovely to have breakfast on the patio with the sea as our closest neighbour. Plenty of extra towels were supplied, so it is not necessary to bring many from home. We cooked some dinners at home, but found it easier to eat out. Portions were so large that we usually only needed either lunch or dinner. We highly recommend the beach bar "Castaways" for breakfast and lunch. The two best places we ate were the Greek restaurant and the Italian Al Porto - tip: half price pasta and pizza on Tuesdays. The lobster (!) was especially good, but also the pizza. Both places had very friendly staff. In St.Johns, we ate three times at Hemmingway's - recommended. We did not travel much around the island, but took the local bus to the capital many times. It runs frequently and is cheap. In addition, we found it easy to get to know the locals. Shirley's Heights is a must on Sundays, with a delightful steel band, great food and views. We went on several tours, but the best was definitely the circumnavigation - a full day of great sailing, snorkelling, food and drink. Antigua is a perfect destination, albeit quite expensive. Nevertheless, we heartily recommend the island. We bought many lobster, fresh mangos and, of course, rum punch but otherwise it can be a bit hard to figure out what is authentic Caribbean cuisine. However, we ate good food everywhere and never got sick. It was very nice to be picked up at the airport and to have Margot on site, arranging everything we needed. She was also very happy to book tours for us. Tara was of great help in advance, and followed our journey in a way that made us feel very well looked after. The four of us have had a time in the paradise that we would recommend to anyone, and yes, we would definitely hire from Tara and Paul again. Thank you!!