I was 15 yrs old when i started working at this hotel. It was one of the most beautiful places i knew at the time. Too bad it took so long for someone to notice it.
With Hurricane Irma devastating the Carribean right now, it reminded me of Half Moon Bay Hotel in Antigua. I stayed there in 1978, my first visit to the Carribean and I fell in love with the place. It was so beautiful then and so shocking to see your video and the state of it now. Tragic. The beach is still beautiful thank goodness.
Hi Charlotte, thanks for watching and sharing your memories of the hotel. It was indeed quite shocking as I walked around shooting this video. This was shot back in January, and there were a couple of workers there beginning to slowly clear the massive site.
Beautiful place. Thanks for the memories Stephen. I was married on the beach on Valentines Day 1994. The hotel organised everything including trips to St John’s to complete the formalities. After the ceremony the hotel kindly gave us the honeymoon suite for the remaining 7 days. Traditional roast beef lunch on Sundays. Wonderful cocktails. Lots of Brits there when we visited. Lovely long walks around the bay & fun on the quaint 9 hole golf course. Had lots of laughs with the front of house doorman called Steadman. I hope one day someone will make use of the lovely location.
Graham Hodgson Thanks a lot for sharing your memories of the hotel. I had a long walk around the grounds, was quite sad seeing the current state of the place..
We got married here in August of 95. so very sad to see. We looked on line a few years ago and read that it had not been rebuilt. These are the first images I've seen since 95 other than our photos and videos whilst we we there. Brings back so many memories. You can see our room in the east wing. Can't believe we played golf and tennis, all swallowed up. I really hope something gets done. We always said we would like to go back for one of our anniversaries!! Brings a tear to the eye. Thanks for producing the video. Phil & Michelle.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. Wow you were still the hotel just before it was hit by the hurricane.. It was very sad to walk around this place I must admit. I just felt that there was not enough images or video footage online showing the hotel in it's current abandoned state. So had to pay it a visit and make this. I also have two other videos on here from the hotel. One from just walking around, and the other just footage from above only. From what I understand, a Canadian developer called Replay Resorts now own the land, and what I shot this video, I saw evidence that the site is slowing getting cleared by a couple of workers.
Quite a few of the local staff who worked there said that a bad storm was coming due to the way that a lot of seaweed was getting washed up on the beach only a couple of days before we left. We took it with a pinch of salt. How right they were. Always listen to the locals!!!!
Stayed there as a little girl nearly 50 years ago . Best family vacation of my life. Remember how beautiful it was. Hurts my heart to see it in this condition 💔. (* Hey Damon, remember the hermit crab races?) #sweettrolley
We were there on our honeymoon in the mid 80s. Beautiful place with really nice people. Spooky comparing this video to our old honeymoon photos. Thanks for posting, I think...
Really great video, even though haunting and sad. We stayed at the hotel back in the early 1970s and it was incredible for us kids. The beach is absolutely spectacular, with fine white sand and warm blue waters - one of the best I've ever see!
Ed Stanley Thanks a lot for watching.. and commenting. Its great to hear from people who actually stayed at the half moon bay hotel.. I have another couple of videos from the hotel area on here..
My husband and I spent our honeymoon at the Half Moon Bay Resort in May, 1994. It was our first trip to the Caribbean, and simply lovely. It was an all inclusive resort. The food was fabulous, the staff friendly, and our room opened to a short grassy lawn distance away from the beach. Mid-morning Pina Coladas on the beach were wonderful! It was magical. We were so spoiled. It saddens me no end to see it now. I hope that the locals have now survived Irma.
I was there a few weeks ago they've cleared the buildings down now. There's a sign on the road near the half moon bay turn off saying a new development is going up - will wait and see.
My wife and I lived in Antigua from 2002 -2006 and used to drive out to Half Moon Bay every so often and go to the public beach next to the hotel. It was a fantastic beach with only a few people around, mostly locals. We also walked the then vacant resort and its so sad to see it remain deserted. I miss those days. The area is truly beautiful.
Thanks for watching and commenting, It was a sad place to explore, I must admit. I do find abandoned places fascinating though. I believe that the site is very slowly being cleared and that 'Replay Resorts' of Canada will be building a new hotel.
I lived there for a year (2000) and used to frequent the beach bc it was so beautiful and secluded. A big friendly Lab always visited our blanket; he had a tag that read, don’t feed me. Thanks for making this video. I had walked around the outside a few times but never went in. Beautiful place.
I stayed in this hotel in December 1994. Great video but very say to watch as had some lovely memories and made some great friends who I'm still friends with.would love to go back there one day
My wife and I honeymooned at HBM in Aug 95, we must have left just days/weeks before Hurricane Luis hit (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Luis), at one point all the guests actually sheltered in the Ocean View Restaurant as one storm hit. Was it evacuated when Luis hit? I originally watched this video a few years ago and I thought I'd look it up again, however my initial searches threw up the new development up on the hillside, I guess they've restored the beachfront to it's natural state as you can't see the buildings (and the comments below indicated that they were being removed). I could well have used one of those golf bags as we hired a set to play a round and of course used the tennis courts. I was suprised that the paper in the office hadn't rotted over the years, a feature of the climate I'm sure. I'm glad you captured it before it was torn down and posted it on UA-cam for posterity. Need a few bob to move into one of the proposed gaffs! Developers information: ua-cam.com/video/QKX89fZb8Jg/v-deo.html
Fantastic work! This venue has deteriorated even further. I would think construction would have been begun by now! Thanks for visiting my page and commenting on my homemade video, Stephen!
Thanks for the video. I stayed here for my honeymoon in June 1995. It's so sad to see this video. It was beautiful and I would love to return there if they ever rebuild.
Louise Hearne Thanks for the comment, thats great that you stayed at the hotel before it was destroyed. I believe a new hotel is finally Being built on the site.
I stayed there with my grandmother and mother about fifty years ago. No TV or AC, dinner outside next to the pool. Very simple. It makes me feel wistful, as they are gone and it feels like a reminder of impermanence.
Thank you. I was married here in 94. So sad what the hurricane did. Here's hoping 2020 is the year someone finds a way to invest again, ethically and sustainably, in this magical place.
When was this filmed? I don't see any Sargasso grass on the beach so either this was filmed 10 years ago or major clean up has happened, aerial shots anyways.
I'm just starting to look into Antigua for my vacation in February. Does Antigua gets a massive amount of seaweed? I'm looking for something like this beach in the video.
Thanks for watching.. yes unfortunately I shot the walk about bits with a handheld gopro. The days before I had a handheld gimbal hehe.. I would go back and reshoot but the site is now clear.. 8)
I visited this beautiful resort about 5 years before the hurricane hit… it beaks my heart to see how such a magical resort was, reduced to this state, because of political corruption…. I stayed in one of the ground floor rooms, with an ocean view, across manicured green lawns, with an uninterrupted view of the ocean… i recall that there were humming birds, who used to visit the plants on the patio…. Every morning, really lovely women, would bring breakfast on huge platter’s balanced on their heads, to our apartment…. I remember making friends with the maids to our apartment, as the majority, of these lovely women, came from the Dominican Republic, and were working in Antiqua, to provide for their children and family back home…. We had an all inclusive package including meals and drinks, over Christmas, so dining in the restaurant, overlooking the ocean was amazing. What I do remember, to this day Is the smell of the table candles, the sugar ants, walking up onto the table, and the salt containers with rice grains in them, which I had never seen before…we hired a jeep, to explore the island, and used to pick up the locals on the road… and they used to tell us their story of living on the island. Spending Christmas, in Antiqua, was so different, , as on Christmas Eve, instead of being a frantic buying of presents and food in supermarkets, as in in the UK, it was always just so chilled out…I remember visiting one of the local towns, all the supermarkets were empty, and I remember a guy walking down the high street, with a roll of carpet, on his shoulder….I look back to this wonderful, fascinating time spent in Antigua, as a privilege to have been able to spent the time there. I remember leading a Congo, around the pool…whilst the local band sung Bob Marley songs…and drinking wonderful Pina colada’s every evening, at the pool bar…looking at this video, the two giant coconut trees to the seaward part of the swimming pool, were destroyed in the hurricane:-(. Thank you for posting this video, although it breaks my heart to see this amazing hotel wrecked - it has sparked so many memories of the wonderful time which I spent there :-)
I stayed there with a lovely young lady in the early '80s for a week. They were photographing models for Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition quite a clientele that week. One of my fondest of memories, sad to see it this way
In the early 80s I was in the US Navy aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Eisenhower CVN-69, as a Chief Petty Officer. Our ship visited the Island, anchoring off-shore. The Owners Son was in the Navy, and as a tribute to the Navy, he would host 10 sailors each day for a full day of the activities available, and a dinner with a nights stay, all for free. The only stipulation was that we bring our Dress White uniform for dinner. I was one of the 10 selected to go. We were met ashore by a van, which took us around the Island to Half Moon Bay Resort. We were greeted at the reception area and told of all the activities available, and that the resort was free for the day. I played golf, some tennis, others snorkeling, and still others learned to sailboard. After a full day of fun, we all gathered in the reception area, where we were picked up by a van and taken to the Owner's residence, for cocktails. Then it was off to dinner seated at the Owner's table. After plenty of activity, and given the Navy chow we had been dining on, we all had worked up a pretty good appetite. The steak was one of the best I'd ever had, cooked to perfection and delicious. Afterwards was more entertainment, by a steel drum band, by the pool. The rest of the evening was more cocktails and dancing to the music, until the wee hours. I was awakened by housekeepings knock on my door. I jumped up got dressed and rushed down to find out that I was welcomed to stay another day, in that only nine had showed from our ship. Unfortunately with the headache I was sporting, and responsibilities at the ship, I decided to head back. I should've stayed and sent my uniform out to be cleaned for another night. Drinking and dancing in Whites isn't good for the uniform.
Hehe thanks a lot for the nice words. Well I'm not trying to be a youtube celebrity, so have got my stupid face and voice all over it hehe. Just like to share my videos with people. Thanks so much for watching.
Nice stuff! I just finished making my own edit of the place, been going for 25 years a shame that it is still like this but it makes HM Bay like a private beach
Of all the hotels I ever visited in my life this was the most special. Just wonderful.
Thanks a lot for watching..
I was 15 yrs old when i started working at this hotel. It was one of the most beautiful places i knew at the time. Too bad it took so long for someone to notice it.
Thanks for the comment, and for watching.
Did yo know Byford on the water sports, Pee Pee and Marvaloo both of who worked the bar. Sorry if I have spelt names wrong.
@@grahambull5270 sorry I don't remember those names. I remember the bellhops.
With Hurricane Irma devastating the Carribean right now, it reminded me of Half Moon Bay Hotel in Antigua. I stayed there in 1978, my first visit to the Carribean and I fell in love with the place. It was so beautiful then and so shocking to see your video and the state of it now. Tragic. The beach is still beautiful thank goodness.
Hi Charlotte, thanks for watching and sharing your memories of the hotel. It was indeed quite shocking as I walked around shooting this video. This was shot back in January, and there were a couple of workers there beginning to slowly clear the massive site.
Beautiful place. Thanks for the memories Stephen. I was married on the beach on Valentines Day 1994. The hotel organised everything including trips to St John’s to complete the formalities. After the ceremony the hotel kindly gave us the honeymoon suite for the remaining 7 days. Traditional roast beef lunch on Sundays. Wonderful cocktails. Lots of Brits there when we visited. Lovely long walks around the bay & fun on the quaint 9 hole golf course. Had lots of laughs with the front of house doorman called Steadman. I hope one day someone will make use of the lovely location.
Graham Hodgson Thanks a lot for sharing your memories of the hotel. I had a long walk around the grounds, was quite sad seeing the current state of the place..
We got married here in August of 95. so very sad to see. We looked on line a few years ago and read that it had not been rebuilt. These are the first images I've seen since 95 other than our photos and videos whilst we we there. Brings back so many memories. You can see our room in the east wing. Can't believe we played golf and tennis, all swallowed up. I really hope something gets done. We always said we would like to go back for one of our anniversaries!! Brings a tear to the eye. Thanks for producing the video. Phil & Michelle.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. Wow you were still the hotel just before it was hit by the hurricane.. It was very sad to walk around this place I must admit. I just felt that there was not enough images or video footage online showing the hotel in it's current abandoned state. So had to pay it a visit and make this. I also have two other videos on here from the hotel. One from just walking around, and the other just footage from above only. From what I understand, a Canadian developer called Replay Resorts now own the land, and what I shot this video, I saw evidence that the site is slowing getting cleared by a couple of workers.
Quite a few of the local staff who worked there said that a bad storm was coming due to the way that a lot of seaweed was getting washed up on the beach only a couple of days before we left. We took it with a pinch of salt. How right they were. Always listen to the locals!!!!
Stayed there as a little girl nearly 50 years ago . Best family vacation of my life. Remember how beautiful it was. Hurts my heart to see it in this condition 💔.
(* Hey Damon, remember the hermit crab races?)
#sweettrolley
Thank you Stephen, it was great meeting you, it's wonderful to have a bird s eye view of Antigua!!!
Thanks for the nice comment, It was great meeting you guys too.
We were there on our honeymoon in the mid 80s. Beautiful place with really nice people. Spooky comparing this video to our old honeymoon photos. Thanks for posting, I think...
No problem Jems
Really great video, even though haunting and sad. We stayed at the hotel back in the early 1970s and it was incredible for us kids. The beach is absolutely spectacular, with fine white sand and warm blue waters - one of the best I've ever see!
Ed Stanley Thanks a lot for watching.. and commenting. Its great to hear from people who actually stayed at the half moon bay hotel.. I have another couple of videos from the hotel area on here..
My husband and I spent our honeymoon at the Half Moon Bay Resort in May, 1994. It was our first trip to the Caribbean, and simply lovely. It was an all inclusive resort. The food was fabulous, the staff friendly, and our room opened to a short grassy lawn distance away from the beach. Mid-morning Pina Coladas on the beach were wonderful! It was magical. We were so spoiled. It saddens me no end to see it now. I hope that the locals have now survived Irma.
Thanks for watching, wow you stayed there just a year before the hotel was destroyed.
I was there a few weeks ago they've cleared the buildings down now. There's a sign on the road near the half moon bay turn off saying a new development is going up - will wait and see.
Thanks so much for the update on the place.. Im glad I got the footage before they demolished the buildings....
My wife and I stayed there the year before the storm it was like a dream.
Loved this hotel and the beach. Attended 4 or 5 times so it is very special to me. Sad to see the damage. Beautiful site and beach as well.
My wife and I lived in Antigua from 2002 -2006 and used to drive out to Half Moon Bay every so often and go to the public beach next to the hotel. It was a fantastic beach with only a few people around, mostly locals. We also walked the then vacant resort and its so sad to see it remain deserted. I miss those days. The area is truly beautiful.
Thanks for watching and commenting, It was a sad place to explore, I must admit. I do find abandoned places fascinating though. I believe that the site is very slowly being cleared and that 'Replay Resorts' of Canada will be building a new hotel.
I lived there for a year (2000) and used to frequent the beach bc it was so beautiful and secluded. A big friendly Lab always visited our blanket; he had a tag that read, don’t feed me. Thanks for making this video. I had walked around the outside a few times but never went in. Beautiful place.
I stayed in this hotel in December 1994. Great video but very say to watch as had some lovely memories and made some great friends who I'm still friends with.would love to go back there one day
Thanks a lot for watching, and commenting. Wow you stayed at the hotel, under a year before it was destroyed.
Ray Jenkins, it’s sad to see what happened here, I got married at half moon bay on December 15th 1994!
How beautiful it must have been❤️
It's a great spot, thanks for watching.
My wife and I honeymooned at HBM in Aug 95, we must have left just days/weeks before Hurricane Luis hit (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Luis), at one point all the guests actually sheltered in the Ocean View Restaurant as one storm hit. Was it evacuated when Luis hit? I originally watched this video a few years ago and I thought I'd look it up again, however my initial searches threw up the new development up on the hillside, I guess they've restored the beachfront to it's natural state as you can't see the buildings (and the comments below indicated that they were being removed). I could well have used one of those golf bags as we hired a set to play a round and of course used the tennis courts. I was suprised that the paper in the office hadn't rotted over the years, a feature of the climate I'm sure. I'm glad you captured it before it was torn down and posted it on UA-cam for posterity. Need a few bob to move into one of the proposed gaffs! Developers information: ua-cam.com/video/QKX89fZb8Jg/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for watching my video, and sharing your memories of the hotel.
Fantastic work! This venue has deteriorated even further. I would think construction would have been begun by now! Thanks for visiting my page and commenting on my homemade video, Stephen!
Thanks for the comment dude.
Thanks for the video. I stayed here for my honeymoon in June 1995. It's so sad to see this video. It was beautiful and I would love to return there if they ever rebuild.
Louise Hearne Thanks for the comment, thats great that you stayed at the hotel before it was destroyed. I believe a new hotel is finally Being built on the site.
I live 2 village away
I stayed there with my grandmother and mother about fifty years ago. No TV or AC, dinner outside next to the pool. Very simple. It makes me feel wistful, as they are gone and it feels like a reminder of impermanence.
Thank you. I was married here in 94. So sad what the hurricane did. Here's hoping 2020 is the year someone finds a way to invest again, ethically and sustainably, in this magical place.
Thanks so much for watching, and taking the time to share your memories of the hotel..
this is sad to see such a wonder be blown away in just a few seconds.
Like others who have commented, our honeymoon was here in 1989. We'll never forget what a great place it was!
Thanks so much for watching, and sharing your memories of the place.
So sad, I was there 35 years ago. It was old school elegant
I might have been working there when you visited
When was this filmed? I don't see any Sargasso grass on the beach so either this was filmed 10 years ago or major clean up has happened, aerial shots anyways.
Stephen Watt Thanks for watching.. I shot this in January 2017.. wow exactly a year ago now... time flys..
I'm just starting to look into Antigua for my vacation in February. Does Antigua gets a massive amount of seaweed? I'm looking for something like this beach in the video.
Interesting video and awesome drone footage but the walkabout camera work was far too shakey! I got dizzy!
Thanks for watching.. yes unfortunately I shot the walk about bits with a handheld gopro. The days before I had a handheld gimbal hehe.. I would go back and reshoot but the site is now clear.. 8)
I visited this beautiful resort about 5 years before the hurricane hit… it beaks my heart to see how such a magical resort was, reduced to this state, because of political corruption…. I stayed in one of the ground floor rooms, with an ocean view, across manicured green lawns, with an uninterrupted view of the ocean… i recall that there were humming birds, who used to visit the plants on the patio…. Every morning, really lovely women, would bring breakfast on huge platter’s balanced on their heads, to our apartment…. I remember making friends with the maids to our apartment, as the majority, of these lovely women, came from the Dominican Republic, and were working in Antiqua, to provide for their children and family back home…. We had an all inclusive package including meals and drinks, over Christmas, so dining in the restaurant, overlooking the ocean was amazing. What I do remember, to this day Is the smell of the table candles, the sugar ants, walking up onto
the table, and the salt containers with rice grains in them, which I had never seen before…we hired a jeep, to explore the island, and used to pick up the locals on the road… and they used to tell us their story of living on the island. Spending Christmas, in Antiqua, was so different, , as on Christmas Eve, instead of being a frantic buying of presents and food in supermarkets, as in in the UK, it was always just so chilled out…I remember visiting one of the local towns, all the supermarkets were empty, and I remember a guy walking down the high street, with a roll of carpet, on his shoulder….I look back to this wonderful, fascinating time spent in Antigua, as a privilege to have been able to spent the time there. I remember leading a Congo, around the pool…whilst the local band sung Bob Marley songs…and drinking wonderful Pina colada’s every evening, at the pool bar…looking at this video, the two giant coconut trees to the seaward part of the swimming pool, were destroyed in the hurricane:-(. Thank you for posting this video, although it breaks my heart to see this amazing hotel wrecked - it has sparked so many memories of the wonderful time which I spent there :-)
I stayed there with a lovely young lady in the early '80s for a week. They were photographing models for Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition quite a clientele that week. One of my fondest of memories, sad to see it this way
Thanks for watching the vid , and taking the time to share your memories..
I seen the beach and I was ready to book it.
I've meant to go check it out the last 3 times I've been on the island but I never got a chance!
Now I'm here...
In the early 80s I was in the US Navy aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Eisenhower CVN-69, as a Chief Petty Officer. Our ship visited the Island, anchoring off-shore. The Owners Son was in the Navy, and as a tribute to the Navy, he would host 10 sailors each day for a full day of the activities available, and a dinner with a nights stay, all for free. The only stipulation was that we bring our Dress White uniform for dinner. I was one of the 10 selected to go. We were met ashore by a van, which took us around the Island to Half Moon Bay Resort. We were greeted at the reception area and told of all the activities available, and that the resort was free for the day. I played golf, some tennis, others snorkeling, and still others learned to sailboard. After a full day of fun, we all gathered in the reception area, where we were picked up by a van and taken to the Owner's residence, for cocktails. Then it was off to dinner seated at the Owner's table. After plenty of activity, and given the Navy chow we had been dining on, we all had worked up a pretty good appetite. The steak was one of the best I'd ever had, cooked to perfection and delicious. Afterwards was more entertainment, by a steel drum band, by the pool. The rest of the evening was more cocktails and dancing to the music, until the wee hours. I was awakened by housekeepings knock on my door. I jumped up got dressed and rushed down to find out that I was welcomed to stay another day, in that only nine had showed from our ship. Unfortunately with the headache I was sporting, and responsibilities at the ship, I decided to head back. I should've stayed and sent my uniform out to be cleaned for another night. Drinking and dancing in Whites isn't good for the uniform.
Gerald Harper Thanks so much for taking the time to share your memories of the time you spent at the hotel. And thanks for watching..
I like that you don’t talk the whole time. Most of the other guys say stupid shit throughout the whole video.
Hehe thanks a lot for the nice words. Well I'm not trying to be a youtube celebrity, so have got my stupid face and voice all over it hehe. Just like to share my videos with people. Thanks so much for watching.
What a waste and a shame :( gorgeous beach
Nice stuff! I just finished making my own edit of the place, been going for 25 years a shame that it is still like this but it makes HM Bay like a private beach
Oliver Porter Thanks for the comment,. I look forward to seeing your video..
nice one
Thanks man
Looks like they've cleaned the place up some.
I heard they started tearing it down
Cybdiver Underwater Ahh ok thanks for the update, 8)
I stayed there. Great place super relaxing. Remember taking a walk up to the blowhole up on the cliff to the right if the restaurant
Right of resort, not restaurant. Good luck to this place with Irma
Thanks Bill, for watching and sharing your experience at the hotel. I wonder what hurricane Irma will do to the area.