October 23, 2026 — The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua, a $400 million-plus beachfront project on Jolly Beach, has finished its site work and is moving toward vertical construction, Caribbean Journal reported on October 22. The resort is expected to open in 2030; no exact date has been announced (TBA).
What is happening
Developer Ayre Group said in an October 13 project update that land clearing, grading and other pre-construction work are complete and piling has begun. More than 4,600 stone columns and 1,200 controlled modulus columns are already in the ground, and the stone-column program is more than 85% done, putting the project in its final foundation stage. The resort will be run by Nikki Beach Hospitality Group, the company behind the Nikki Beach beach clubs. The developer’s own company profile gives 2029 for completion, while the project release says the resort is expected to open in 2030.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Property | Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua |
| Developer / operator | Ayre Group (developer); Nikki Beach Hospitality Group (operator) |
| Location | Jolly Beach, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda |
| Investment | More than $400 million |
| Status | Site work complete; piling and foundations under way ahead of vertical construction |
| Opening | Expected 2030 (exact date TBA) |
| Hotel rooms | 82 |
| Residences | 134 branded residences (seven four-bedroom beachfront villas and 127 one- to three-bedroom homes) |
| Bookings | Hotel reservations not yet open |
Planned features include five restaurants and bars, two heated pools, an aquatic centre, a kids and teen club called The Reef, and an 11,000-square-foot Nikki Spa + Fitness Centre offering recovery treatments such as cryotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Nikki Beach’s CEO, Lucia Penrod, said this is the company’s first destination to pair branded residences with a wellness-led resort.
What it means for travelers
- Gateway: Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU). Wikipedia’s current list shows U.S. service from Miami and New York–JFK (American, with seasonal Charlotte), Atlanta (Delta) and Newark (United); Toronto–Pearson service on Air Canada Rouge and WestJet; and London service on British Airways (Gatwick) and Virgin Atlantic (Heathrow). The same list shows JetBlue’s New York–JFK route ending October 31, 2026. Check current schedules before you travel.
- A long wait: with opening expected in 2030, this is one to watch rather than book. No hotel reservation date or rates have been announced.
- No disruption for now: the resort is a new build, so no existing hotel or booking is affected.
Sources
- Caribbean Journal: New $400M Caribbean Nikki Beach Project Moves Toward Vertical Construction
- Yahoo Finance (Business Wire release): Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua Advances Toward Vertical Construction Following Completion of Site Works
- Hotel News Resource: Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Antigua targets 2030 Opening
- Wikipedia: V. C. Bird International Airport
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