Much of worldwide travel finally opened back up for Americans earlier this year. And travel seems to be back! Many people are itching to explore and wander beyond the places they’ve been cooped up for the last year. Being deprived of my usual frequent international travel, I decided to go to Antigua for a week during the July 4th holiday and I can’t rave about it enough. I actually ended up changing my flight home and extending my stay because there is so much to see and do (and I still didn’t manage to do everything on my list).
I went there with nothing planned. Only flight and hotel reservations. I had the intention of just lying on the beach with my Kindle and a cocktail, but I met incredible people - a mortgage broker from Indianapolis and his family - on the plane who gave me a ton of fun tips. Then I met a couple from NJ at our resort who shared more recommendations. So needless to say, my week of relaxing turned into a week of island exploration and I’m so glad it did. Antigua is incredible!
Top 5 Things to Do
- Boat Tour of the Island (Xtreme Circumnav through Adventure Antigua)
- Such a fun day out! This trip includes a speedboat ride around the entire island with a stop for lunch, snorkeling (gear included), and time at a beach with rum punch at the end of the day. It also includes a stop to swim with stingrays.
- Unlike many other experiences involving wildlife, the stingrays are not kept in any kind of confined or controlled space. They associate the sound of boat engines with food (this originally started when they came to eat the remnants left by fishermen cleaning their haul) and you can see them approaching from all areas of the sea. They are the cutest sea creatures and I couldn’t get enough of them!
- If you decide not to do the boat trip, you can book this separately. Look for tours to Stingray City. For the cost of this alone though, the boat tour is a much better deal.
- Helicopter Tour of the Island (Calvinair)
- Seeing the island from above, with all of its many sandbars, reefs, and colorful houses, was incredible. The more lush and undeveloped side of the island felt like the arrival scene from Jurassic Park. It was nice to be able to see Antigua from the sky by helicopter and from the water by boat, both very unique and different experiences.
- Book in advance, they only do the tours on certain days of the week.
- Dinner at Sheer Rocks
- Book your reservation starting about 45-60 minutes before sunset so you can see the view at various stages of light. Sunset from here was gorgeous and the food was the best we had on the island.
- The restaurant is located at Cocobay Resort. They have lovely grounds and a pool overlooking the sea. Worth a day pass to utilize the resort amenities if you don’t stay here.
- Water Sports
- Most of the resorts on the island provide kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkel gear, and even hobie cats.
- Check out nearby bays and spend some time enjoying the crystal-clear water! The sand on some of the beaches here was also some of the softest I have ever experienced.
- Shirley Heights Lookout
- Shirley Heights is a restored military lookout and gun battery that offers a spectacular view over English Harbour. You can drive or hike to the top and on Sunday nights from 4-10pm, there is a BBQ and live music.
Note
At the time that I went, the country was a CDC level 1 – the lowest risk of COVID with almost no cases. They opened up to wider travel including visitors from the UK in July, so unfortunately now they are a level 4 on par with the US and most of Europe. However, I was very impressed with the COVID protocols they had in place, including requiring a negative test to board your flight. Most activities and dining are outdoors/open air, so there are many options available if you aren’t comfortable being indoors with crowds.
Prefer to visit a current level 1 or 2 country? Check out the updated list here.
