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Famed for its 365 beaches I knew Antigua could offer me plenty of sun and relaxation in the winter. So on a cold November morning we set off from Gatwick and as soon as they opened the aircraft doors the heat hit us, just what I needed.
We stayed at a wonderful property, The Carlisle Bay hotel. With attentive service, fine cuisine and a beautiful beachfront location set in its own bay this was a dream hotel to stay in. I did manage to make it to the gym every day and even a yoga class during my stay. With cold towels and fresh fruit delivered to me on my sun lounger I knew I couldn’t just stay at the hotel I had an island to explore. That is the travel agent in me I can’t relax for too long I have to go and visit the destination. Firstly we took a trip up into the rain forest behind the hotel organised by the hotel staff. Elliot one of the gardeners was extremely knowledgeable on the local flora and fauna took us on the three mile hike to the top. Not for the faint hearted in the heat but we loved the challenge and the views from the top were breath-taking.
After our rain forest hike we rented a jeep and surprisingly for a small island it is big on scenery and has some delightful places to visit. The island is very popular with the boating fraternity so if you are a keen sailor there are plenty of sailing opportunities to be found, they even hold the Antigua and Barbuda annual sailing week in spring each year. Talking of sailing Admiral Horatio Nelson made English Harbour on the south coast of the island a British naval base in the 18th Century. This was one of our first visits and we had a stroll around the dockyard. It is now a living museum and many of the Georgian buildings have been lovingly restored. This is still on-going and is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction. We walked along a rough track to the end of the harbour so we could look back inland and imagined how it would have been all those years ago when the huge sailing ships entered around the harbour wall.
From here we drove up to Shirley Heights where you get the best view of the harbour and this former lookout point has been turned into a party hotspot where every Sunday the locals and visitors to the island dance to reggae music, local bands play and dine on freshly cooked barbeque delights.
We next visited the devil’s bridge on the east coast. This is a natural arch carved by the sea whereby a soft part of the limestone has eroded away over time by the waves from the Atlantic Ocean. After stopping off for lunch at the famous Outhouse run by Miss Mary where we dined on ribs and chicken I made sure I didn’t leave before writing down my own commemorative message on the walls of the restaurant.
Late in the day we made it to St. Johns the capital of the island. Buzzing with activity as two cruise ships were in port that day and the place was alive with tourists. We had a wander round the streets and stopped off for a drink before our final drive round the west coast and back down to the hotel.
If you are looking for sun, sea, sand with a few diversions then Antigua is the place for you.