The beach is just the beginning
Antigua & Barbuda have an amazing 365 strands of sand, giving visitors a different choice for every day of the year. Begin your exploration at Nelson’s Dockyard. Part of a national park, it’s the only existing Georgian naval dockyard in the world, built in 1725 and once England’s most important naval outpost in the Caribbean. Along the waterfront, buildings are signposted with their dates of origin and former uses, from the Sawpit Shed to the Copper and Lumber Store. In the erstwhile Naval Officer’s House, a museum gives the history of the area.
The dockyard comes alive in April with Antigua’s annual Sailing Week. More than 1,500 sailors compete in this high-speed competition that makes a roundtrip from Dockyard to Dickenson Bay and back. April also features the Classic Yacht Regatta: traditional craft built of wood and steel make this a show that’s more about beauty than speed. American Sailing Week is a June event filled with instructional clinics, races and day sails.
St. John’s, the island’s animated main town, rises from the harbor, backed by a twin-spired cathedral. Visit the Antigua and Barbuda Museum and view artifacts like ancient stone pendants and flint knives, displays on cassava, and for sports lovers the cricket bat of Sir Vivian Richards, a beloved island athlete. Stop in Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine for a moment’s respite. At Redcliffe Quay, a series of historic buildings have been transformed into a little retail village. Originally a slave-trading yard, the buildings were used by merchants and innkeepers after emancipation. In the countryside, almost a hundred towers that are the remnants of Antigua’s sugar mills dot the countryside where over 150 sugar-producing plantations once stood. At Betty’s Hope, founded in the 1650s, twin mills have been restored to working condition.
If it’s utter peace and quiet you’re after, then head to drowsy Barbuda, the lesser-known of the two islands. It feels untouched by progress, with the principal inhabitants being the graceful frigate birds. Take a boat ride through the Frigate Bird Sanctuary in Codrington Lagoon and see these unique birds, which spend most of their time in the air because they can’t walk or swim. On Barbuda, you’re unlikely to see more than a dozen other human beings during your repose.
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA AIRPORTS/GATEWAYS/FLYING TIMES
Airport: V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU) to English Harbour – approx. 14 miles. St Johns downtown – approx. 5 miles. St Johns shopping area – approx. 5 miles. Gateways/Flying Times: Baltimore: 4 hours. Frankfurt: 9 1/4 hours. London: 8 hours. Miami: 3 hours. New York: 4 hours. Newark: 4 hours. Paris: 8 hours. Puerto Rico: 1 hour. Toronto: 4 hours.
VC Bird International Airport (ANU) has become something of a hub in terms of flying. British Airways and Virgin fly direct from Gatwick, and bmi from Manchester. There are also charter flights from Gatwick with First Choice and Excel. Alternatively AA fly from LHR via the states.
CLIMATE
Average temperatures High/Low: Summer 85/77 degrees. Winter 82/75 degrees. Average annual rainfall – 45 inches.
DINING
Usual practice for tipping is 10% if no service charge has been added. Restaurants ranging in wide variety of prices, locations and dishes.
LANGUAGE
English.
NIGHTLIFE
Nightclubs and casinos. Ongoing island activities and events also offer nightly entertainment.
SIGHTSEEING
Museum, art galleries, Harmony Hall (art gallery with restaurant and nearby beach), glass bottom boat trips, visit to the fruit, vegetable and newly opened craft market, a visit to the Antigua Black Pineapple fields, Parham village and visits to renovated forts and sites, such as Nelson’s Dockyard and Shirley’s Heights. Tours: (Day) tours to nature island Barbuda, accessible via airplane and high-speed catamaran. Barbuda attractions include: the Frigate Bird Colony, Martello Tower, Castle Hill, Highland Hill, Bryant Cave and many other caves. Snorkeling, scuba diving, turtle watching, bone fishing, horseback riding, hiking, cycling and herbal tours are some of the many other activities to do. Tours to other neighboring islands, such as ‘volcano’ island Montserrat and Dominica (the island of rivers and waterfalls). Eco-Kayak, swim with the dolphins.
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TO CONTACT CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANISATION IN LONDON CLICK HERE
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