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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Antigua - Things not to miss?

22 replies

Hulababy · 04/08/2013 12:00

Thought I'd start three of these for the places we are visiting on holiday this summer. I'm keeping them separate as think it will be easier for me to work through any ideas suggested :)

We are going to Antigua for 7 days, Saturday to Saturday.

Going is me, Dh and 11y DD - we will have just finished 4 nights in Washington and 3 nights in NYC. We have a car hired for the week and we are staying at Non Such Bay. We aren't really all day sunbathing/ beach people, including DD - so although we will do some beach/see stuff, and a bit of sunbathing - we aren't the type to spend whole days laying on the beach.

So has anyone any ideas, recommendations, suggestions of what we should not miss?

TIA

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Hulababy · 05/08/2013 09:12

Bump

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TheDoctrineOfAllan · 05/08/2013 09:16

. There's a harbour area (Nelson's harbour maybe) that's worth a good mooch. And I think there's some rainforest.

TheDoctrineOfAllan · 05/08/2013 09:19

You could probably go by boat to another island too - Barbuda? Anguilla?

HaveToWearHeels · 05/08/2013 09:22

Nelson's Harbour is worth looking round, apart from that not much else apart from beaches.

MumnGran · 05/08/2013 09:40

Ummm ... Antigua is all about long lazy beach holidaying. Or pool. Snorkelling.
There is a donkey sanctuary!
Museum & municipal building. Fort.
That's about it.

Wondering why you would choose the location if you are not into beach holidays, really?

Hulababy · 06/08/2013 07:47

MumNGran - we are having 4 nights in Washington, 3 nights in New York and then the week here. And the house belongs to a friend of DHs via work so it's also free to go, bar the flights. So Antigua is the chilling week. We will go to beaches and the sea, but not for full days. I will do a fair bit of photography I am thinking, DH and dd will be in the sea much more - just not really beach very much.

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toomuchcoffeetoomuchwine · 06/08/2013 14:15
  1. Nelson's Dockyard
  2. Dinner at "Le Bistro" restaurant nr Hodges Bay www.antigualebistro.com/home/
  3. Shirley Heights sunday night party nr English Harbour
  4. English Harbour is pretty pleasant
  5. Eli's Eco Tour (boat trip) was AMAZING when we did it a few years ago. It is now called Adventure Antigua www.adventureantigua.com/the-eco-tour/
Hulababy · 06/08/2013 22:00

Ah - Shirleys Height place - been recommended that by the people who own the house :)

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Hulababy · 10/08/2013 07:43

On way to airport. Have US leg first then a week today we fly from NYC to Antigua :)

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TheDoctrineOfAllan · 10/08/2013 22:52

Safe flight!

PestoSwimissimos · 11/08/2013 17:05

Don't bother with Shirley Heights, very uneven steps - a lady we met there a couple of weeks ago slipped on the way down and broke her leg severely and had to fly home
a week early.

What we found fun was a day's speedboat trip right round the island which stopped off at Stingray City (a reef where the stingrays hang out), a Robinson Crusoe style picnic on Green Island, a trip into Nelson's Dockyard and several stop-offs for snorkelling. We even fed the fish with bananas!

The last stop of the day was on a totally secluded beach for rum punches, can't recommend the trip highly enough. It's run by Adventure Antigua.com and uses 2 Xtreme speedboats which go in tandem - truly fantastic trip Grin and well worth the money!

PestoSwimissimos · 11/08/2013 17:07

Oh and in addition to the very interesting commentary on the way round, we also saw Eric Clapton's house (well one of them!)

PlumBear · 11/08/2013 17:19

Avoid avoid avoid Shirley heights - complete tourist trap. We were in Antigua in June and went one evening. The hotel had a trip organised and it was truly crap. A few stalls selling rubbish and a very expensive bar.

I would echo what other posters have said - antigua is all about relaxing on the beach! If you're sporty, there are plenty of water sports on offer though. The only thing we really did was take a guided car tour of the whole island, which was great. If you're into history, nelson's dockyard and Betty's hope (former sugar plantation) are worth a visit.

I'd never been on a beach holiday before we went in June, and was worried I'd struggle with just lying on the beach today. 12 days and many poolside cocktails later I realised I have no such problems with such a holiday Wink

Hulababy · 18/08/2013 15:17

Been here since yesterday afternoon. It really is beautiful. The villa we are staying in is a great size, Dd is loving her super king bed! The view is amazing. The resort is also perfect, small private beach, boats on hand to take us to the local island. It's all ideal really.

Sat on the balcony at the moment watching hummingbirds on the flowers, just wishing by zoom lens hadn't broken a few days before coming away really.

Already feeling lazy :)

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OrangeLily · 18/08/2013 15:18

Go swimming with wild stingrays!

Hulababy · 19/08/2013 14:23

Sounds interesting. Maybe one for DH though.

Currently sat on balcony again watching hummingbirds and the odd mongoose in the garden. Off to ST Johns later.

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ArtexMonkey · 20/08/2013 14:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hulababy · 20/08/2013 15:57

Have changed password and hope that helps. Not really sure what I can do.

Joy of using wifi abroad is it then? Have signed in at the odd restaurant/cafe out and about. Maybe should just stick to the house wifi instead then?

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ArtexMonkey · 20/08/2013 20:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hulababy · 22/08/2013 00:51

Went to devils bridge today. Hopefully got some good shots :) So Frustrating with no telephoto lens though - it broke week I came away - could have had some great shots of frigate birds.

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Hulababy · 26/08/2013 19:22

We are now home and we had a lovely, chilled week in Antigua. We had a car all week so every day bar one we went out for part of the day - normally over lunch time and into the mid afternoon. It is official off peak over there so everywhere was lovely and quiet :)

We visited:

Shirley Heights - Sunday early afternoon, so not during the party/BBQ. Was very quiet. Got some great photos of the views from the lookout.

Nelson's Dockyard - spent a good hour or two here looking around, enjoying the museum and the sights, etc. We then went for a drive to the boatyard over the opposite shore and had a lovely meal at a restaurant - Paparazzi.

Devil's Bridge - lovely place to sit and watch the sea crashing against the rocks as huge Frigate birds circled overhead. We spent an hour at Long Bay just round the corner after on the beach.

Jolly Harbour - nice walk round the harbour area, another lovely meal at an Italian there too. Lots of lizards here to watch and some stunningly coloured birds too flitting about.

St Johns - spent half a day looking round the Heritage Quays and the other quay with the expensive watch/diamond shop. Had lunch at a pizza place round here. Went up to see the big church and also went in the little Antigua museum. Dh was keen to see Viv Richards bat :)

Dickinsons Bay - lovely beach, nice and quiet, just up from the big Sandals resort. Would have stayed longer but I got stung by a jellyfish - ouch! Then spent the following hour finding the local pharmacy for sting cream and antihistamines! nevertheless the beach and the sea here were lovely.

Darkwood Bay - had a lovely drink and snack in the beach bar. Again - beautiful beach and lovely warm sea.

Rest of time we pottered about, on our own beach at Non Such Bay, meals, cocktails, pools, etc or in our own villa sat on the terrace by the pool or sat on the balcony reading and watching the wildlife.

Will definitely return - but a week is long enough for us. Was great doing it after a week of busy cities.

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Hulababy · 26/08/2013 19:24

We also went to Betty's Hope too - nearly forgot.

And we had to pull up at the big cricket ground for DH to have a look! Pity it doesn't have a visitors centre there really.

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