Adventures in Antigua

We decided to stop for a few days in Antigua to break up our trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos and thought we would try their sister hotel – Grand Pineapple.

Located in picturesque Long Bay which is one of the prettiest stretches of beach on the island, Grand Pineapple is a lovely three star all-inclusive resort. We found all the staff to be friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. In fact this was one of the friendliest places we have ever stayed.

They offer a range of room types from standard rooms located towards the back of the resort, to ocean front rooms that are higher up with great sea views and tropical water view rooms situated right in front of the ocean. We were lucky enough to get one of the refurbished tropical water view rooms with a balcony right on the beach. Our room was spacious enough for the two of us with plenty of wardrobe space and a large bathroom with a great walk in shower.

Whilst the hotel is part of the Sandals Group, this is a more down to earth resort with fewer facilities but, in my opinion, offers great value for money.

There’s a host of activities to get involved with during the day including volleyball and cricket on the beach as well as tennis courts and a fully stocked gym and a selection of non-motorised water sports are included. There’s a buffet restaurant available for most meals as well as an A La Carte restaurant you can book on certain nights.

Antigua is a great island with lots of heritage so we spent a day touring around the island. Shirley Heights offers great views over Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour. We went there in the afternoon, but apparently it’s THE place to be on Sunday evenings for a great mix of food and music.

We popped over to Nonsuch bay for a lovely lunch. This is a great spot for sailing and they offer a range of sailing and water sports so we have a great trip out on a hobie cat.

The resort is quite remote and perfect for those looking for some peace and tranquillity. They have a selection of gorgeous one, two and three bedroom spacious apartments with stunning views and large patio or balcony areas and have a number of amazing infinity pools.

I also visited Sandals Grande Antigua whilst on the island. If you are familiar with the Sandals brand you will know that Sandals is aimed at couples in love and offers an ultra-all-inclusive accommodation. There’s no end of things to do, unlimited water sports, places to eat and bars. They offer a wide selection of rooms from standard rooms, concierge rooms and butler suites and would make an ideal location for a romantic break.

We also found time to visit the rain forest and try out zip-wiring for the first time which I can thoroughly recommend!

Before we knew it, it was back to the airport to catch out flight to Providenciales and our next stop; Turks and Caicos.