Antigua has been getting a bad reputation of late as crime is up on the island and the number of murders on the island has increased in the past few years. Last year, several Carnival passengers were arrested during an altercation with police. Recently, Star Clippers and Carnival Victory have both removed Antigua from their itineraries.
We have visited this island several times and it is one of our favorite stops. We always exercise caution, no matter what island we are on and this holds true for Antigua. Stay on the main streets where there are lots of people and avoid isolated areas both in, and out of, town; don’t wear expensive jewelry/watches or flash lots of cash around and always be aware of your surroundings.
Traffic in St. John’s is very slow so, no matter where you are going, it takes some time to get out of town. The island roads can also be very bumpy!
MAPS
Island map - http://www.antigua-barbuda.org/Agmap.htm
St. John’s map - http://www.antiguanice.com/v2/printmap.php?print=stj
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA WEBSITE - http://www.antigua-barbuda.org/
TAXI CABS
For Government regulated taxi fares see: http://www.antiguanice.com/v2/documents/Taxi%20and%20tour%20fares%20-%20ABTB%20final.pdf
Regulated cab fares are based on 4 passengers. The more people are in the cab, the cheaper the fare. Although regulated fares are listed for most destinations in this post, there is some room to negotiate and you may be able to get a better deal if you have more then 4 passengers…or if you have excellent negotiating skills!!
PUBLIC BUSES
This island has an excellent public transportation system. On exiting the pier area, walk ahead two blocks and then turn right onto Market Street. It is about a 5 minute walk down to the bus station. The bus station is on your right across from the public market. There is a small shed at the entrance and, if you tell the lady where you want to go, she will tell you which bus to take. The buses are small to medium sized vans that generally take up to 15 people and will stop at just about any beach or main attraction on the island. The cost usually runs between $1.50 and $2.00pp each way. Pay the driver before boarding.
NOTE: Drivers wait until the bus fills up before they leave the bus station, so you may have to wait for awhile before you get on your way. Cabs are always faster (if speed is important) but you can’t beat the cost savings of taking the bus. Ask the driver to let you know when you get to the beach that you want to go to.
To catch the return bus, simply go back to where the bus dropped you and wait for one to come along. You can wave it down but they will not stop if they are full. Another bus will come along, usually within 10-15 minutes. Later in the afternoon, the buses get quite full with locals heading home from work. For this reason, start heading back to the ship around 3pm or so to try and beat some of the congestion. Cabs will stop and tell you that the bus won’t be around for another hour so be aware that they are not telling you the truth and just want your fare.
Bus #22 is the bus that will take you to several fantastic beach stops: Jolly Beach is the first beach stop, then Valley Church Beach and Darkwood Beach after that.
SHOPPING
Sarah Fuller’s Pottery Stand - http://www.sarahfullerpottery.com/ - is mentioned often on the discussion boards and is located in Redcliffe Quay, which is a 5 min walk from the pier. Sarah creates pottery made with local clay adorned caribbean blue glazes.
Heritage Quay – located within easy walking distance of the pier, Heritage Quay is an open-air mall with many shops and restaurants.
Vendor’s Mall – located near Heritage Quay is a spot where vendors sell local crafts and souvenirs.
For a full list of shopping options, see: http://www.antiguanice.com/v2/thingstodo.php?cat=13
ATTRACTIONS/SIGHTS
Nelson’s Dockyard – http://www.antiguamuseums.org/nelsonsdockyard.htm
Located at English Harbour on the south coast of Antigua, the dockyard’s original purposes was to service Royal Navy Warship’s in the Caribbean. It was named Nelson’s Dockyard in 1951 in honour of Horatio Nelson. If you are interested in history, this is a must-see stop. Admission $5pp. Most island tours will stop here but, if you go on a ship’s excursion, you will only likely get about 40 minutes to wander around. From the pier, the drive will take 45 minutes to an hour as traffic in town is very slow. You can take a cab, or local bus, and take your time at the Dockyard. Regulated cab fare is $24US each way however, if your negotiating skills are strong, you may be able to negotiate an island tour for around $20US per person with a stop at the Dockyard, Shirley Heights and a beach stop as well. You may want to wait until the initial wave of passengers have disembarked so that you will have more bargaining power with the cabs that remain. The bus will cost you around $1.50pp. There is a bakery behind the museum sells pineapple turnovers that visitors rave about.
Shirley Heights – This is an area not far from the Dockyard with partially restored military fortifications. Its claim to fame is the incredible view overlooking English Harbour. A spectacular photo opportunity!
Dows Hill Interpretation Center – near Shirley Heights, the Center offers a multi-media presentation of the island’s history.
St. John’s Cathedral – located within walking distance of the pier between Long and Newgate Streets in downtown St. John’s.
Museum of Antigua & Barbuda - http://www.antiguamuseums.org/ - located on Long Street in St. John’s.
Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour - http://www.antiguarainforest.com/
There are several tour options listed on the website under “Tours”. The most popular is the full canopy tour where you zipline 40 to 300 feet off the ground in Antigua’s rainforest canopy. This tour takes roughly an hour and a quarter to complete and includes an Indiana Jones-style suspension bridge, 9 zip-lines and a controlled 36-foot vertical descent. All visitors must go through a full safety briefing to learn all about the equipment and safety rules. The trip to the canopy location takes around 40 minutes. See website for maximum height and weight and other helpful details.
Sting Ray City – http://www.stingraycityantigua.com/
Swim with the sting rays off the coast near Seaton’s Village. You can take a cab to the location on your own or arrange a tour with Eli’s Eco Tours (see info under ‘Tours’ below). Regulated cab fare is $19US each way for 4 passengers.
Devil’s Bridge – is a natural limestone arch carved by the sea and is a popular stop on island tour’s for its dramatic arch and crashing waves. It is located on the north-eastern coast near Long Bay Beach.
BEACHES
The beaches on Antigua are some of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. All beaches are public and free via public access paths. Since resorts are usually on the beaches as well, you may need to look for an entrance that does not go through the resort. You can find a beach that will meet your personal criteria and I don’t think you can go wrong, no matter where you choose to spend your day. As on other islands, there are vendors patrolling most of the beaches. They will usually leave you alone after a polite “No, thank you”.
Below are a few of the most well-known beach stops. The first three options are all on the same bus route along the southwest coast:
Jolly Beach – access to this beach is free. The Jolly Beach Resort is located on this beach but if you want to use the resort’s loungers, facilities or access their pool, you will need to buy a day pass (see DAY PASS section below). Down the beach from the resort is Castaways Restaurant which rents loungers for $5 and umbrellas for $10. Regulated cab fare is $18US each way for 4 passengers or you can take the local bus (#22) for around $1.50 each way. The ride takes around 15 minutes. There are tons of shells on this beach for collectors.
Valley Church Beach – gets very good reviews. There are bathroom facilities and a beach bar called “The Nest”. Loungers $5 Umbrellas $10 and there are some palapas and trees for shade, if you get there early. There are ½ hour massages offered for $25. Regulated cab fare is $26US each way for 4 passengers or you can take the local bus (#22) for around $1.50 each way. The ride takes around 20 minutes. The bus will drop you at the end of a dirt road and you will see a sign for “The Nest”. Walk to the left from where the bus drops you and it is about a 5 minute walk to the beach. Most visitors rave about “The Nest’s” coconut shrimp but it is quite pricey at $16US for about 4 jumbo shrimp and a salad. Jetski rentals available for $40US for ½ hour or $80US for an hour. Watch out for the small burr’s that drop off the trees…very prickly and will hurt if you walk on them.
The next three beaches are all along the same stretch of coastline on the well-developed northwest coast and are all within 10-15 minutes drive from the pier:
Dickenson Bay Beach – is a popular beach for visitors as it has many amenities and watersports available and is close to St John’s. Sandals Antigua Resort is located on this beach. There are beach bars, restaurants and vendors all along the beach. Snorkeling is decent at either end of the beach. Loungers $5 however I cannot confirm the price to rent an umbrella. The bus drops you quite a walk away from the beach so it is probably easiest to take a cab. Regulated cab fare is $12US each way for 4 passengers.
Runaway Bay – located near Dickenson Bay, Runaway Bay is nearly a mile of beautiful white sand beach and is conveniently located near St. John’s. It tends to be a quieter beach than Dickenson with fewer crowds. Regulated cab fare is $26US each way for 4 passengers. They have loungers and umbrellas available for rent.
Fort James Beach – located next to Runaway Bay on the northwest coast, this beach is the closest to the St. John’s pier and is a favorite with locals. It tends to be quiet and you can take the opportunity to explore Fort James located at one end. There is a restaurant and spot to rent loungers and umbrellas. Beach glass enthusiasts are said to find lots of treasures here. A cab will run you $12US each way for 4 passengers.
Half Moon Bay - located on the island’s southeast coast, is known as one of the island’s most beautiful beaches and is a National Park area. It is not a very developed beach and is a bit of a drive to get to so there aren’t a lot of amenities there. There is a small bar with facilities and some loungers to rent, but not much else to speak of. The surf is very rough at one end of the beach, but things generally are calmer at the other end where the snorkeling is said to be spectacular. If you want to get away from the crowds and just enjoy the peace and quiet, this could be the spot for you!
Long Bay Beach – located on the easternmost part of the island (on the opposite coast from St. John’s), Long Bay is a 30-45 minute cab ride, depending on traffic. Regulated cab fare is $26US each way for 4 passengers. It is not a very large beach and can be crowded as Grand Pineapple Beach resort is located here. There is a reef offshore that has some good snorkeling, but is a bit of a swim to get there. There is a restaurant with facilities that you can use if you buy food or a drink. It will cost you around $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella for the day. The beach is located about 5 minutes from Devil’s Bridge, so get your cab to make a stop there to check out this unique offering.
RESORT DAY PASSES
If you are interested in enjoying the facilities for the day at one of the resorts on Antigua, below are several options. The pros to this approach are that you can spend the entire day at the resort, enjoy their amenities, meals, drinks, some watersports, etc and it is all included in the price. On the con side, you are limiting yourself to only one spot and day passes tend to be costly. Quite often, you can access the same exact beach and arrange to rent your own chairs/umbrellas from one of the beach vendors for a much lower cost. Some resorts will not book any day passes until within 30 days of the date of arrival as they need to gauge their room inventory and determine if they can accept additional day guests. Email the resort for details and to confirm current rates.
Jolly Beach Resort– this is considered the ‘budget’ option for an all-inclusive on this island. For day pass info, click on http://www.jollybeachresort.com/sites/S1/File/2009.21.08%20%20JBR%20Day%20Pass.pdf Most people select option #2 at $60 per person.
REX Hawksbill Beach Resort – http://www.rexresorts.com/_caribbean/_antigua/index.html (the spaces are underscores). This resort offers day passes $60 for 9am-5pm. $45 from 11am – 5pm. If you want a quiet and peaceful getaway without lots of crowds and loud music, this is the spot to go. The day pass includes lunch, drinks and access to non-motorized watersports. The resort has 4 gorgeous white sand beaches to choose from (one of which is a nudist beach). We took a cab to the resort but didn’t want a day pass. The guard let us onto the property as long as we agreed that we could not use their loungers, etc. We were pretty much the only people on the beach all morning and it was a delightful break from the crowds.
Sandals Grande Antigua – http://www.sandals.com/main/antigua/an-home.cfm
Sandals is located on Dickenson Bay Beach. This all-inclusive definitely falls into the ‘splurge’ category as a day pass will set you back $110.50pp for access from 10am-6pm. They do not have any reference to day passes on their website, but previous visitors have emailed the resort to get information. You can catch a cab to the resort and arrange for a day pass on site, but it is best to email the resort in advance to ensure that you won’t be turned away if they are full.
Grand Pineapple Beach Resort – http://www.grandpineapple.com/main/antigua/an-home.cfm
This resort is located on Long Bay Beach on the northeast coast about a half hour drive from St. John’s. Regulated cab fare is $26US each way for 4 passengers. A day pass costs $55pp for access from 9am – 5pm and includes breakfast. There is also a $45US option from 10:30am – 5pm without breakfast. Email the resort for more details and to confirm pricing.
TOUR OPERATORS
We are not cruisers who usually book any excursions through the cruise lines, unless it is something that we really want to do and it is only available through the cruise line. Some lines require the operators to offer their tours exclusively for ship’s excursions when a ship is in port. We find that it is much more cost-effective and we enjoy a much more intimate group size when we make our own arrangements. We have never run into any problems getting back to the ship on time. We only use well-recommended operators and since their livelihood is tied to their reviews, they are very conscientious to get their guests back to the pier on time.
Below are a few operators who receive great reviews on the discussion boards:
Paddles Antigua – http://www.antiguapaddles.com/index.html
Paddles offers a Kayak & Snorkel Eco Tour for $58US pp. We have personally been on this tour twice and it is well worth the cost. They pick you up at the pier and drive you about ½ hour to their location in Seatons. They offer two tours a day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The tour includes a kayak outing and you are also taken by speedboat to Bird Island (see photo on right below) where you wade into shore and take a hike to the look-off point above. There is a chance to snorkel at Bird Island as well. I wouldn’t say it is the best snorkel ever as there is a lot of seaweed and you have to swim out a bit to get to the rocky area where the fish and coral are. Still, snorkeling is always a fun time, in my opinion. Back at the clubhouse, they serve you a delicious punch and banana bread and, if you are lucky, you can get a photo with Sweet Pea, their parrot ‘mascot’! (below on left).
Eli’s Eco Tours – http://www.adventureantigua.com/
Eli offers a wide variety of tours on several different types of boats (see website for options and pricing). He gets great reviews from past visitors. Lunch is the “best barbecued chicken ever” (according to several reviews), a green salad, pasta salad, plantains and banana bread. The ‘Xtreme Circumnav’ tour is very expensive, but those who have been on this tour confirm that it is worth the splurge. It makes 5 stops including Hell’s Gate, Nelson’s Dockyard, Stingray City, and a snorkel at Pillar of Hercules.
Creole Cruises – http://www.creolecruisesantigua.com/
Offers several boat tours. They get excellent reviews for their Lobster Lunch Cruise at $120US pp, but all say it is well worth the splurge!! Check out their Facebook page as well.
Segway Antigua – http://www.segwayantigua.com/
There are several segway tours available. Their “Conquerors of the Fort” tour is very popular at $59US for 2 ¾ hr guided ride. Cab fare to their training centre will cost an additional $12. You can also find them on the pier, near the information booth.
Helicopter Tours - http://www.caribbeanhelicopters.com/
If you really want to splurge on a unique outing, you can take a helicopter tour to view the volcano in Montserrat. The cost is $240USpp for 45 minutes. There are also tour options to see the island of Antigua from the air. The company is sometimes blocked from making personal tour arrangements when a ship is in port as a cruise line may have priority on bookings. Contact them in advance for arrangements. See their website for tour options and pricing.
Spring Hill Riding Club - http://www.springhillriding.com/ - offers private (maximum 4 riders) trail and beach rides for $50US pp for an hour’s ride and they start around 9:30am to avoid the worst heat of the day. There is an option to take a ‘swim’ with the horses for an additional $20US each. There are a couple of different ride locations to choose from. See their website for additional information.
ISLAND TOURS
There are lots of operators who will provide you with an island tour. Island tours generally will visit sights such as Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights, and Devil’s Bridge, to name a few. They will also usually have a beach stop fit into the tour. You can hire most any cab outside of the pier area and they will take you around the island. You can also make advance arrangements with well-recommended operators via their websites/email. Below are three operators who all receive great reviews from past clients:
Gordon’s Tours - http://www.tourguidegordon.com/
Lawrence of Antigua - http://www.lawrenceofantigua.com/
Antigua Premier Tours (Carl) - http://www.antiguapremiertours.com/index.html
Enjoy a fantastic day on this beautiful island!!
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