While sailing through the eastern Caribbean with Oceania Cruises ^THC, I grabbed at the chance to stop over for a day on the island of Antigua to visit three new partners in The Hideaways Collection®: Galley Bay ^THC, St. James's Club & Villas ^THC, and The Verandah Resort & Spa ^THC. My whirlwind tour was made even more enjoyable by the people I met at each resort; everyone greeted me with a sunny, genuinely warm smile and seemed happy to have me there.

The all-inclusive Galley Bay resort is a nature-lover's retreat with a hint of romance. It's nicely secluded and set well off the main road on the island's west coast. Since it was just 10 a.m. when I arrived, Caribbean time (think lazy and laid-back), it was still very peaceful and quiet, with only the sound of birds rustling in the trees and waves lapping at the shore. Most of the guest rooms and suites are set in beachfront clusters; some have a small patio right on the beach. I preferred the larger, stand-alone Gauguin Cottages, set back behind the pool area and adjacent to the bird-sanctuary lagoon. Each has its own private splash pool, a small wet-bar, flat-screen TV, and nice furnishings in muted tones. Not being a "big-resort" girl, I liked that everything about Galley Bay is convenient and walkable, from the restaurants and outdoor bar to the natural-looking swimming pool with its own waterfall.