For me going out to eat is one of my favorite things. I do not love cooking or cleaning up after a meal. Especially on this trip, as a wife, I want some elegance and romance with my spouse. In June 2022, my husband and I went to stayed at Coco Bay All-Inclusive Resort in Antigua, and dined throughout our time there, at Rafters.
First Impression
We were greeted at the host station by very friendly and welcoming staff. In the morning they would take our lunch and dinner reservations, and then seat us immediately. No matter where we would be seated, the view was unreal. Water was supplied immediately, and we were given a moment to review the menu, before our orders were taken. Food came out pretty quickly. For breakfast we were offered 3 options, a continental breakfast a full breakfast, or the special. Lunch offers a choice of 3 different starters, a main, and a dessert. Dinner has choices of appetizers, soup/pasta, main dish, and dessert. Some of the options on the dinner list come at an extra fee.
Dining Experience
Food all came out fairly quickly and was all displayed in an appetizing manner. Temperature of food and serving sizes were perfect. I had the opportunity to try the full breakfast, as well as the continental breakfast with guava juice one morning, and peach juice the following morning. Their version of bacon is Canadian bacon, not American. The breads were all warm, soft and the muffins and sweet breads were all sweet and interesting flavors. For lunch on the first day, I had a shrimp and avocado salad followed by chicken kabobs with pineapple rice and passion fruit in a sweet chili sauce. It was a fabulous blend of sweet and savory. The second day I had chicken wings with an island salad and a chicken wrap with french fries, with a coconut crush to drink, which if you are not drinking alcohol, is so delicious! I only ate dinner at Rafters once during our stay, and I had such a blast all day I can't say I honestly remember all that much about it. I know I had the butterfly coconut shrimp, and some delicious drink. All of the meals were amazing, and the staff was extremely attentive.
Pros and Cons
Pros: The view, food presentation is impressive, food tastes great, creative flavor blends
Cons: You are limited to what you can have each day. Every day the menu changes, but for that day you only get a choice of 3 things, and if you're picky you might not find something you like. I was not a fan that there was additional charges for some of the dinner options.
Overall Restaurant Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, its kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Rating |
wait time | 4 |
staff friendliness/helpfulness | 5 |
comfort & Seating | 4 |
View | 5 |
Menu Choices | 4 |
Food Appearance | 5 |
Taste and Temperature | 4 |
Portion size | 5 |
Drink selection | 4 |
Dessert Selection | 4 |
Average | 4.4 |
Rafters was a great dining experience, with really attentive staff, creative meal options, and a view of paradise.
Dined at Rafters Restaurant and Bar? Feel free to leave a comment and share your experience.