Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua is an improbable splotch of an island. It's splat-like shape means it has a large number of bays and harbours for an island its size. Some with white sandy beaches and shallow turquoise water, and others of deep blue that allow for the harbouring of yacht after yacht, after catamaran after luxury cruiser. The Antiguans claim that the island has 365 beaches. Conveniently, one for every day of the year. While I have to admit some skepticism about that number, who am I to doubt them until I've spent a year in Antigua testing out a beach a day.

We ended up spending a few days in Antigua almost by accident. When we realised there was a public holiday looming, we looked into flights around the Caribbean only to find that almost every flight over that weekend was booked out. We were left with two choices - Antigua and Curaçao, and for no particular reason we landed on Antigua. So, we got there with no expectations and little knowledge of the place and we were very pleased by what we found.

We had time on the beach by our apartment and circumnavigated Antigua on a catamaran, stopping for lunch and snorkelling on Green Island off Antigua's east coast. We hired a car to drive around the island and down to Shirley Heights at the southern most point. We saw and marvelled at the volcanic island of Monserrat on the horizon and spotted the rock of Redonda. Our experience of Antigua was wonderful; partly the Caribbean that we foreigners expect to see on the cover of a travel brochure and partly the tangled mess and gritty charm of a West Indian island - relaxing and real.

Acquainting ourselves with our local beach on day one.

Samuel practicing his spin bowling. Pretty accurate, too.

The "Excellence" picking us up on the beach by our apartment.

The captain's view. Not a bad day job.

Pulling into St. John's Harbour to pick up some more passengers.

The pumping Port of St. John's.

Oprah Winfery's Antiguan get away.

An 18th century boat ramp at Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour.

Nelson's Dockyard.

One of the many ruined forts on the points of Antigua's harbours and bays. This one is by English Harbour.

Enjoying the catamaran ride.

The Excellence at rest on Green Island, just off the east coast of Antigua.

Green Island looking back towards the "mainland" of Antigua.

Some fellow Excellence passengers enjoying a rum punch by the boat.

Samuel practicing swimming under water in preparation for his first snorkelling session.


Practicing the snorkel float.

And he is off. We were astounded by how easily he took to snorkelling. Then again, I guess he's seen a fair bit of it going on in the last 18 months.

Jesse practicing for when he's a "bigger boy".

Fruit punch served on the beach. Could it be any better?

After all the running and playing what else could there be to do?

"Follow d leader, leader, leader, follow d leader"

Someone's not cooperating.

Arriving back at our local beach after circumnavigating Antigua.

The Excellence leaving us behind.

A mobile market.

Photography courtesy of Samuel.

And again.

Definitely the best way to get around Jolly Harbour.

The boys giving their tanned limbs a break from the sun.

Monserrat in clear view from Antigua's south western coast.

Pineapples! Antigua grows a lot of pineapples and proudly so. The display the pineapple on statutes, on building, everywhere.

A view of English Harbour from Shirley's Heights.