Sejur Antigua & Barbuda

Corals and delightfully beaches

Antigua is a beautiful island in the Caribbean, with its beaches 365 of them, one for every day of the year. Protected for the most part by coral reefs, the beaches of Antigua are often sugar white. If you want high-rises and glittering gambling and nightlife, head to Puerto Rico. Antigua does have some casinos and most of its hotels are intimate one or two story inns rather than glitzy, sprawling resorts.
It`s a haven, however, for some celebrities you might not have automatically thought of Giorgio Armani, Oprah Winfrey and Eric Clapton each maintain homes here, and the island`s bankers are gaining a name for themselves as cooperative and indulgent advisors and enablers for offshore billionaires in search of flexible solutions to thorny problems.
Most locals will treat you with respect if you show them respect, but Antigua is hardly the friendliest of islands in the Caribbean, too much unemployment, too great a gap between rich and poor.
The best beaches are Dickenson Bay, in the northwest corner of the island, and Half Moon Bay, which stretches for a white sandy mile along the eastern coast. Most major hotels open directly onto a good beach, so chances are good yours will be built on or near a strip of white sand.
Barbuda is part of the independent nation of Antigua & Barbuda. It`s the Caribbean`s last frontier, even though it is home to two of the region`s most expensive and exclusive resorts: the K-Club, which is reviewed below, and the Coco Point Beach Resort which has an exclusive atmosphere. Charted by Columbus in 1493, the island is 42km, 26miles north of Antigua. There`s no lush tropical scenery, no paved roads, few hotels, and only a handful of restaurants. The water temperature seldom falls below the average of 75°F, 24°C.
Visitors gravitate to Barbuda to see fallow deer, guinea fowl, pigeons, and wild pigs. Anglers can also negotiate with small-boat owners to fish for bonefish and tarpon.
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Stanford Antigua Sailing Week rolls thrilling races, barbecues and rum punches into one unforgettable package. The gathering of over 200 participating yachts of varying sizes in Falmouth Harbour and English Harbour is truly a majestic sight. Aside from the number of windward-leeward races, a race around the island and tacking duels around the boys, the week offers endless beach parties and widely-attended activites such as the Miss Wet T shirt competition.
The Caribbean is one place you`ll find carnival celebrations happening all year round. Come July, it`s Antigua`s turn to stage this colourful and spectacular street party with exciting steel band and calypso competitions featuring the island`s best musicians and performers.
The colourful Parade of Costumed Bands, the Miss Antigua Pageant and the Caribbean Queen Competition are just a few of the key events every year.
Antigua`s carnival began over 50 years ago and has its roots in slavery. The festivities are a celebration of the emancipation of the slaves, commemorated in local concerts, food fairs, parades and cultural shows all over the island. Locals crack open the Cavalier and English Harbour rum and lose themselves in the spirit of fun patriotism.
Day visitors usually head for Wa`Omoni Beach Park to visit the frigate bird sanctuary, snorkel for lobster, and eat barbecue. The frigate bird sanctuary is one of the world`s largest and a very impressive sight. You can see the birds, fregata magnificens, sitting on their eggs in the mangrove bushes, which stretch for miles in a long lagoon accessible only by small motorboat. Various hotels and resorts on Antigua arrange tours to the sanctuary. The island attracts about 150 other species of birds, including pelicans, herons, and tropical mockingbirds. While you`re here, look into the Dividing Wall, which once separated the imperial Codrington family from the African islanders. Also visit the Martello Tower, which predates the known history of the island. Several tours explore interesting underground caves on Barbuda, stamp collectors might want to stop in at the Philatelic Bureau in Codrington.
Delving into the islands`recent colonial and post-colonial past the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda also presents fossil and coral exhibits some 34 million years old. Squeeze cassava through a traditional grass sieve and learn about the local sugar plantations. Visitors can also see a replica of a wattle and daub house, a real Arawak canoe and even the island`s 1920s telephone exchange.
English Harbour is a pleasure for history enthusiasts and nature fanatics alike, Nelson`s Dockyard is a perfectly-preserved, working Georgian dockyard and the epicentre of English Harbour, a breathtaking national park.
In St. John`s Cathedral is dominating the skyline with its white baroque towers, the present building of St John`s Cathedral has stood since 1845. See figures of both St. John the Divine and St. John the Baptist, freed from a Napoleonic ship bound for Martinique.