Room 1
Antigua holidays
There are postcard-perfect beaches all over the Caribbean, but not many islands can claim hundreds of them. Antigua can. With spectacular bays dotted all around the island: white sanded, hill-backed, palm-fringed and with water so calm, clear and blue, Antiqua will blow your flip flops off.
- Flight time
- 9h
- From London
- Currency
- EC$
- Eastern Caribbean dollar
- Time zone
- GMT -4h
Getting to Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda’s main port of entry is V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU). Built in 2015, it’s located 4 miles from the capital and has direct flights from London Gatwick (LGW) which take about 8 hours.
Some hotels provide their own transfer services, but if not you can catch a cab or rent a car. Taxis wait outside the terminal and usually operate with fixed fares that should be confirmed before you set off. Last time we checked, taxis to resorts around St John’s were priced (in US$) around $13-20, getting to the Jolly Harbour area cost $24, transfers to Carlisle Bay and English Harbour were $31 and the drive to hotels near Willikies on the east coast was $28.
Car rental companies also operate from the airport. Before you can drive in Antigua, you have to buy a local licence which costs around US$20. Driving is on the left-hand side.
Average weather in Antigua
- Temperature (°C)*
- Rainfall (Inches)*
Holidays in Antigua
Dickenson Bay in St John’s is buzzing come nightfall, especially on a Friday and Saturday night. Make Putters your local for the week, joining in with Trivia Thursdays, Saturday Charity Bingo and big matches on the big screens. For drinks by the beach, check out the wine lists at Coconut Grove and Ana’s (preferably just in time to see the sun setting…). Studio 79 is popular for its drinks deals and pool tables, transforming into the Bliss Nightclub for DJ’s and dancing on Fridays and Saturdays. If you’re feeling lucky, head to King’s Casino which has 16 table games and hundreds of slot machines.
Further south, Jolly Harbour’s best venues include Sugar Club for DJ’s and big screens and the Crow’s Nest for happy hours.
Meanwhile on the south coast, English and Falmouth Harbours are the life and soul of Antigua’s party. Abracadabra near Nelson’s Dockyard serves tasty suppers then becomes a nightclub with resident and guest DJ’s. Falmouth’s shining star is Skulduggery, where the Espresso and Chocolate Martinis are an absolute must-try. There’s also good old Cloggy’s, which serves tasty cocktails, with TV screens for watching sport. Shirley Heights has been hosting its legendary Sunday night BBQ parties for over 30 years now, with island sounds played on steel pans and party bands later-on.
Saint John’s, English Harbour and Jolly Harbour have bulk of the restaurants on Antigua, which range from seriously swish fine dining outfits to humble huts selling homecooked nosh.
If you’re celebrating a special occasion in the capital, book a table at Le Bistro in Hodges Bay for fine French cuisine and excellent wines. When it comes to scenery, Ristorante Stella’s a winner serving Italian favourites up in the hills looking out to Dickenson Bay. Hemingways is another good un for long lunches and watching the world go by. For pizza, head to Big Banana on Redcliffe Quay and follow up your meal with ice cream or waffles from Fred’s. Or join a mix of locals and tourists at Papa Zouk’s, where you can feast on seriously good fish and all kinds of rum.
Around Jolly Harbour, Sheer Rocks on Ffryes beach is one of the best dining spots on the island - positioned on the cliffside looking out to the sea. Chef Simon Christey-French (who previously worked at Necker Island and The Square in Mayfair) takes local produce and transforms it into beautiful tapas for lunchtime, and an amazing evening a la carte menu. At Jacqui O’s, owner Lance gives a warm welcome, providing a lunch menu of tasty seafood and cocktails with loungers and beach beds to hire for afters. And when it calls for something a little more low-key, don’t miss the pizzas at Melini’s.
English Harbour has a super mix of eateries, from roti at Grace Before Meals and pizza at Seabreeze, to the fine dining fare at Catherine’s. Catherine’s Café Plage has been dazzling Antigua’s visitors with excellent food for nearly 20 years now, and recently relocated on Pigeon Beach taking its fabulous menu with it. For families, groups and a laid back atmosphere, we love Cloggy’s Café at the AYC Marina where you can tuck into seafood and burgers, sip punch and watch sports on the big screen.
The main bundle of shops can be found along the seafront in St John’s: a boulevard from the cruise terminal leads to the Heritage Quay area, where you can bring your passport and travel docs to make the most of the duty-free shopping. Brands include Longchamp, and the Abbot’s Jewellery & Perfumery stocks pieces by TAG Heuer and Gucci. For clothes, check out the Cattleya boutique, Makai and Island Beach Bums.
Within easy walking distance, Redcliffe Quay is a shaded, car-free area where you can buy beachwear at Exotic Antigua and jewellery at Silver Chelles and Goldsmitty. We like the Coco Shop, which has been selling clothes and accessories since 1949, and the pottery shop for one-of-a-kind Antiguan pieces.
The town also has a public market (for fresh, colourful fruit and veg) and next to it an Art & Craft market where you can buy locally made artwork, clothing and homewares.
You’ll find more shops around the harbours, like Candle Factory at Jolly Harbour and the Island Secret Boutique at Nelson’s Dockyard – both selling local products that make wonderful gifts to take home with you.
Activities in Antigua
We could easily spend all week snoozing on the beach in Antigua, but when you see the number of activities available, sitting still isn’t so easy...
Watersports
Diving in Antigua
Often the first thing you hear about diving around these waters is the masses of shipwrecks around Barbuda – but actually Antigua has a much more established scuba scene. Just off the south and west coasts you’ll find all manner of sites, with favourites including Cades Reef and the Pillars of Hercules, both swimming in corals and tropical fish. The Andes is the most famous wreck here: a three masted English sailing ship sunk upright in Deep Bay in 1905, shallow enough that the top pokes out of the water in low tide. You can join tours of these and more – or get your PADI qualification – with diving companies around Jolly Harbour and English Harbour, including Jolly Dive, Indigo Divers, Dockyard Divers, Soul Immersion and Dive Carib.
Surfing in Antigua
Though kitesurfing is hogging the spotlight these days, there are some decent breaks for good old fashioned surfing if you know where to look during a storm swell. Hint: the best conditions can be found between November and March, and when waves are good the places to be are Galley Bay and Turtle Bay. Bodysurfers have tons of fun at Half Moon Bay, and you can sometimes surf the reef here too. We didn’t find any board rental companies last time we checked, so you’re better off bringing your own if you’re keen to catch the waves – however for more consistent conditions, surf schools and hire shops check out Barbados.
The calm nature of the sea here is perfectly suited to standup paddleboarding, and in this department, hire and tuition’s easy to come by. If your hotel doesn’t have its own instructors and paddleboards, check out Turtle’s Surf Shop at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina, Salty Dogs at Jolly Harbour, and SUP Antigua on Dickenson Bay.
Windsurfing & kitesurfing in Antigua
Mother Nature must keep kite and windsurfers in mind when it comes to Antigua’s east coast. Kiting’s definitely the more popular of the two these days, but that’s not to say you can’t have a whale of a time windsurfing here too – especially when you visit between November and July. Nonsuch Bay and Jabberwock are our favourite kite beaches: Nonsuch is home to 40 Knots, where you can book IKO certified lessons and hire equipment, and on Jabberwock you’ll find similar services at Kitesurf Antigua run by Olympic windsurfer Eli Fuller. That’s far from your lot though, with reliable conditions also around Green Island, Halfmoon Bay and Dutchmans Bay. For windsurfers, Buccaneer Cove on Dickenson Bay has long been the island’s top spot.
Sailing in Antigua
Sailing is huge here, with consistent trade winds and top-notch marinas. You can choose to dock at Jolly Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, the Antigua Yacht Club or historic Nelson’s Dockyard. Both crewed charters and bareboats are in plentiful supply, whether you want to circumnavigate the island, cruise along the coast or visit deserted islets (favourite sail-to spots include Prickly Pear, Green Island and Great Bird). There are two RYA sailing schools - Miramar in Jolly Harbour and Ondeck Sailing in Falmouth – and the bigger all-inclusive resorts often have Hobie cats and Sunfish boats for guests to play about on. To see how loved sailing is in these parts, visit during Antigua Sailing Week or the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (both usually around the end of April – early May).
Fishing in Antigua
Both deep-sea and saltwater fly fishing are big activities in Antigua. For the former, tours set off from Jolly Harbour and Falmouth Harbour with local companies like Mystic Amara and Obsession Sportfishing. Year-round catches of wahoo, barracuda, blackfin tuna and yellowfin tuna are usually easy to come by, and if you visit during January and April you’re in for a chance of landing a white marlin. For the country’s biggest celebration of the sport, visit during the annual Sports Fishing Tournament at Nelson’s Dockyard, which usually takes place at the beginning of June.
Fly fishermen can angle for the elusive permit on the Cades Bay flats of the southwest coast, or cast lines for the less elusive tarpon at Jolly Harbour, the Galley Bay Lagoon and Darkwood Lagoon. If you need a guide, Captain Nick Williams is the island’s fly fishing expert and leads brilliant excursions.
Canoeing & kayaking in Antigua
A lot of the larger hotels have ocean kayaks so guests can paddle about on the brilliantly blue waters off the south and west coasts. Tours are available too, like the ones provided by Antigua Paddles (based on the east coast) where Jennie and Conrad take you on eco adventures around lagoons, mangroves and tiddly islands. These are a terrific way to experience another side of Antigua in the hands of a guide who knows the area inside out – sightings of wildlife, facts about tropical plants and disembarking on deserted beaches are only some things you can tick off the to-do list.
Land activities
Golf in Antigua
Of the nation’s two islands, this one’s the home of golf. There are two courses, the Cedar Valley Golf Club and the Jolly Harbour Golf Club, and both are worth visiting for a round or two. Cedar Valley is up in northern Antigua, about three miles from the capital of St John’s. It’s an 18-hole championship course, par 70 with a total yardage of 6157 over scenic hills. With tropical trees dotted around and views of the sea from holes 16 and 17, it’s a dream to play and hosts the Antigua Barbuda Open each year. Down on the west coast, the Jolly Harbour Golf Club is another 18-hole championship course – par 71 and covering 5587 yards. Designer Karl Litton’s done a sterling job here, incorporating seven lakes and fairways tempered by cool easterly winds.
Cycling & mountain biking in Antigua
Antigua’s not too hilly, and its asphalt roads and dirt tracks are generally fine to ride on (as always, have your head screwed on and give way to passing cars etc). Around the south coast, we love the 7-8km route up to Shirley Heights from Falmouth Marina - the view up top is incredible and the ride down is a blast. You can extend the trip by cycling down to Indian Creek before returning to the harbour. Other lookouts worth pedalling to include Monk’s Hill (start off at Cobbs Cross and power through the steep bits – the view’s worth it). If you want to explore the east coast, schedule a stop at Devil’s Bridge into your cycle tour, or to the north, we like to ride along the coast to Fort St James. For bicycle hire, check out Bike Plus in St John’s and Paradise Boats at Jolly Harbour and if you’d like a local in the lead, Antigua Cycling Tours regularly run guided trips.
Walking & hiking in Antigua
If you can resist the magnetism of these island’s beaches, there are some stunning walks to enjoy – up hills, through rainforest and along jaw-dropping coastal paths. Walking up to Antigua’s highest hill, volcanic Mount Obama (which used to be called Boggy Peak), tends to take 2-3 hours and is nice and undemanding – set off from Cades Bay to the south or from the National Park monument to the north. We prefer the latter, as it passes a gorgeous mango grove and takes you into lush rainforest. If you fancy something steeper, scale Sugar Loaf hill from Falmouth, or if you’re a sucker for scenery, don’t miss the views from Shirley Height’s, Monk’s Hill and Green Castle Hill – one of the tallest hills on the island nicknamed the Stonehenge of the Caribbean for its strange rock formations. To hike Antigua with a local in the lead, look up Nick at Happy Heights, Footsteps Rainforest Hiking Tours, the Environmental Awareness Group and the Hash House Harriers.