Best beaches in Antigua

If you leave Antigua without visiting Half Moon Bay you’re seriously missing out. This east coast beach is considered one of the prettiest beaches in the WORLD – amble down the hill and you reach a swirl of white sand, where the reef-protected, blue-as-can-be-sea has calmer waters on the left-hand side and good bodysurfing conditions to the right.

Great for: scenery, bodysurfing, paddling

Between Darkwood Beach and Jolly Harbour Beach, Ffryes is sometimes seen as two beaches: Big Ffryes and Little Ffryes. This is one of our favourites for a dip – still and clear like a vast, natural swimming pool (sans smelly chlorine) – while beachcombers can look out for tiny shells on the shore. On a clear day, you can see Montserrat island in the distance. And the cherry on this icing-sugar soft cake? It tends to be a lot quieter than the other beaches on the west coast.

Great for: swimming, beach combing, scenery

Near Five Islands Village on the west coast, Mother Nature’s mixed some gorgeous features on Galley Bay. Firstly, super clear water, that whips up a gentle surf on one end for surfers and is calmer than calm on the other end for swimmers. Then, pale, soft sand where sea turtles make their nests and you can see hatchlings scuttling into the water if you’re lucky (and very quiet). And lastly those, palm trees, sea grapes and shrubs all gloriously green. The Galley Bay Resort & Spa is here, with snorkels, paddle boards and kayaks to help guests fully enjoy the sea.

Great for: bodyboarding, swimming, turtle nesting site

They say Half Moon bay’s the fairest of them all on Antigua, but we’d wager Nonsuch is a close contender. Stay on the spread of snow white sand or swim out to tiny deserted beaches. Guarded by rugged, forest covered hills and looking out to Green Island, this place is amazing for kitesurfing and windsurfing and feels wonderfully worlds away from home.

Great for: scenery, kitesurfing,

Proof that the best beaches aren’t all on the west and south coasts, Long Bay makes the east coast totally worth exploring. This area is amazing for snorkelling, thanks to very calm, reef protected waters – so blue they’re almost luminous. The sand is soft like talcum powder and small beachfront restaurants serve island snacks and refreshments.

Great for: snorkelling, scenery, food & drink

Up on the northwest coast near St John’s, Dickenson’s the most popular and developed stretch of Antiguan coastline with lots of hotels, restaurants, shops and activity centres. Champagne coloured sand and calm, shallow, gin-clear waters make up this famously pretty beach. Don’t miss the iconic red phone box outside the Siboney Beach Club, and by hook or by crook, don’t miss the sunsets. Dickenson Bay is where you’ll find Sandals Grande Antigua.

Great for: activities, food & drink, sun sets

This beach is home to the famous Andes wreck, and if you come here at low tide you can just about see the mast poking out of the water. So bring your snorkel, or join a scuba tour to explore it more closely. Lush hills slope down to the beach, which is a curve shape of pale sand with water so clear and still as can be. You can walk here from the capital, and Fort Barrington is about a ten-minute amble away if you fancy soaking up some island history.

Great for: scuba diving, snorkelling, near capital

Near Jolly Harbour’s marina and shops, this one’s a frisbee’s throw from restaurants, bars and activities and home to the Jolly Beach resort (the public access is just behind the entrance to the resort). Many come here and don’t budge for the whole week and it’s easy to see why, with amazingly white sand and sea that’s shallow, clear and bath-like warm. Nearby is Cocos Hotel.

Great for: pretty beach, families, activities

Besides being one of the island’s beauty spots, this place has history too – overlooked by the old ruins of Fort James. Plus it’s convenient, near the centre of the capital as well as the cruise terminal. Join locals in a game of beach cricket on the soft, white sand, splash about in crazily calm, clear water or snooze in the shade of a palm tree.

Great for: easy access, near attractions, swimming

On the south coast near Old Road village, Carlisle Bay’s super clear water is perfect for snorkelling and diving. White sand, dotted with palms is backed by rolling, forest clad hills. The Carlisle Bay Hotel usually provide a range of water activities like waterskiing, sailing and paddle boarding.

Great for: snorkelling, diving, sunbathing

In a lovely cove as you enter Falmouth Harbour, PP has shade from sea grape trees and calm as can be sea for swimming, snorkelling and floating about on. Families love it here, thanks to the playground, paddling-friendly waters and endless boats to I-spy. If you come here and can resist a meal at Catherine’s Café Plage, we’ll eat our sunhats.

Great for: swimming, families, food & drink

Antigua’s top spot for windsurfing, the cove can be found the north coast of the island in legendary Dickenson Bay and has fabulously white sands and still, shallow water.

Great for: windsurfing, activities, families

Near St John’s, this white-sand beach and blindingly turquoise sea is the last thing you’ll find us running away from. Instead, hire some loungers, sip rum punch at the Mystic Bar or hop on the back of a horse with the help of the Uprising Horseback Riding Stables.

Great for: sunbathing, horse-riding, pretty beach

Home to the Rex Resorts complex, Hawksbill Beach is split into four sections, with the third being the island’s only clothing-optional beach if you fancy a spot of skinny dipping...

Great for: activities, swimming

This may be called Darkwood but it’s actually bursting with bright colour: fluorescently-blue sea stretching out forever, a horseshoe of emerald hills behind you, sunsets that turn the world orange and a long stretch of white powdery sand to enjoy it all from. Once your eyes have adjusted to this dazzling piece of coastline, see if you can spot the isle of Montserrat in the distance.

Great for: activities, families, sun sets

If we ever chose the solitary life of a hermit, this spot on Antigua’s west coast is where we’d spend our days. Because who needs civilisation when you’ve got over a thousand feet of pearly white sand, the brightest turquoise water and wraparound rolling hills? One of the best hotels in the area is Hermitage Bay.

Great for: scenery, quiet beach, swimming

South of Jolly Harbour, Valley Church tends to be one of the less crowded bits of the west coast. Palm trees line up along the sand - which is a super stretch for beachcombing - and the sea is gentle for swimming and paddling.

Great for: quiet beach, swimming, beach walks

Perhaps the name has kept the crowds at bay, or the fact that you have to cross some rather bumpy terrain to get here… But slather on the insect repellent – or just leave before nightfall - and hire a 4x4 and you’re in for a marvellous time. Recognised by the two tamarind trees that flank the beach, the cove is incredibly beautiful and often completely empty.

Great for: quiet beach, scenery, walks

At Johnson’s point where the south coast meets the west, restaurants line the seafront and market stalls sell colourful clothing, cold beers and fresh seafood. Cooling breezes blow in from the sea, where the water is usually calm and sometimes choppier – but always brilliantly blue.

Great for: food & drink, scenery

Galleon Beach takes a little more time to get to, but that’s by Antiguan standards, as most beaches here are a short stroll away… This one can be reached by water taxi from English Harbour (or you can drive, but the parking area isn’t huge). Trust us when we say it’s worth the effort. Stretch out under a palm tree and watch the boats bobbing about on Freeman’s Bay or set off on a hike to Shirley Heights for an awesome view over the bay and harbour. The Inn At English Harbour is one of the only hotels in the area.

Great for: walks, sunbathing, exploring

On the south coast near Old Road Village, Morris Bay is backed by an army of coconut palms and one of our favourite places for beach walks, swimming and watching the sun go down.

Great for: walks, swimming, sunsets

If you like your beaches to come with an air of adventure, set off on a search for Rendezvous Bay. Accessed by a footpath from the rainforest, boat or along a rickety road in a 4x4, this one’s usually kept secret by sailors who spot it from the water and anchor up for a spot of desert island deliciousness – gorgeously undeveloped with sloping emerald hills behind you, silk-soft sands and water protected by colourful reef. There’s a good chance you’ll have the whole bay to yourself, which is nothing short of magical.

Great for: walks, quiet beach, scenery

No need to beware this Jabberwok, my son – there’s not a jaw or claw in sight (unless you count the tiddly crabs that sometimes scuttle along the shore). Instead, you’ve got a long stretch of white sand that must’ve been made for beach walks, and palm trees bending in the breeze that leave windsurfers and kitesurfers grinning ear to ear.

Great for: kitesurfing, sunbathing, beach walks

Dutchman’s is a quiet, reef-protected bay with good conditions for kite and windsurfing. It’s near the airport, so great for spending your last few precious hours on the beach before you reluctantly peel yourself from the shore and jet off home.

Great for: kitesurfing, easy access