Antigua

Three Hundred And Sixty Five Beaches, And A Working Dockyard

Antigua's own line is that it has a beach for every day of the year, which is roughly true and slightly beside the point. The more interesting fact is English Harbour: a Georgian naval dockyard, built when this island was the British navy's base in the eastern Caribbean, restored and still operating as a marina rather than preserved as a museum. It gives the island a centre of gravity that most Caribbean islands do not have, and it is why Antigua has a sailing culture rather than only a beach culture.

The planning decision: which coast

The west and southwest, around Jolly Harbour, Hermitage Bay and Valley Church, has the calm Caribbean water and the classic beach days. The south, around English and Falmouth Harbours, is the sailing and dining end, hilly and green, with the most interesting evenings on the island. The northeast around Dickenson Bay is the busiest and most developed stretch. The Atlantic side at Half Moon Bay is beautiful and rougher. West coast for pure beach, south coast for a week with more to it, and the island is small enough that either choice keeps the rest within forty minutes.

Season, and one week that changes everything

December through April is the dry season and the right window, with steady trade winds that make the heat comfortable. May and June are good value with occasional showers. Hurricane season runs June to November and peaks from August into October, when a number of properties close. The exception in the calendar is Antigua Sailing Week at the end of April, which fills English Harbour with racing boats and fills every room on the island, and Classic Yacht Regatta the week before. Either come for it deliberately or plan around it.

Where to base, and getting in

V C Bird International has direct flights from London, New York, Miami, Toronto and good regional connections, which makes Antigua unusually easy for a small island and also makes it the natural hub for onward hops to Barbuda, Montserrat, Nevis and St Barths. Nowhere on the island is more than about forty five minutes from the airport. Barbuda, thirty minutes by air or ninety by ferry, has an almost empty pink sand beach that runs for miles and is the best day or overnight addition here.

Stay strategy

Jumby Bay, on its own island off the north coast, is the most exclusive address and effectively a private resort community. Hermitage Bay on the west coast is small, all inclusive in the good sense, and the most romantic. Carlisle Bay is the design led family property on the south coast. Curtain Bluff, on a headland with two beaches, is the long standing classic with real repeat loyalty. Blue Waters and Galley Bay cover the mid to upper range well. There is also a good villa market around Jolly Harbour and the south coast for groups.

When to begin

Six to nine months for the winter season and twelve for Christmas and New Year, which sell out entirely at the top properties. Sailing Week accommodation goes almost a year ahead. If a boat or a charter is part of the plan, that should be arranged at the same time as the rooms, because the good crewed yachts in English Harbour are committed early. Barbuda day trips should be booked rather than assumed, as the ferry schedule is limited.

Four experiences worth building the days around

• Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbour, then up to Shirley Heights at sunset on a Sunday, which is the one thing everyone on the island does and is genuinely worth it.
• A day sail down the south coast with a swim stop, which is what this island is actually built for.
• Barbuda for the pink sand and the frigate bird colony, which is one of the largest in the world.
• Half Moon Bay on the Atlantic side, a long curve of sand with almost nothing on it.

Who this trip suits

Antigua suits couples, sailors and families who want a beach week with something to do beyond the beach. Its flight connections make it strong for a first Caribbean trip and for anyone combining islands, since St Barths, Nevis and Barbuda are all short hops.

When another plan may fit better

If you want the most refined single beach and total quiet, Anguilla is the better island. If you want mountains, rainforest and hiking, St Lucia or Dominica have far more. And if you need to travel in September or October, look south to the ABC islands, which sit below the hurricane belt.

Plan it with one accountable advisor

Tell us which coast suits the week you want and whether a boat is part of it, and we will hold the room and the charter together. Our luxury leisure travel planning covers it, and our group travel planning handles villa and multi family weeks.