5 Day February Girls Trip to Antigua & Barbuda

When it’s winter in NYC, and the sun is setting early, and it’s cold outside, all I crave is vitamin D and the beach. So this year, I decided to initiate/partake in a 5 day February girls trip to Antigua & Barbuda. It was a short flight (roughly 4 hours in the air) and the flights were reasonable given that we only booked a little over a month out.

Confirmed learning on this trip: all inclusive resorts are… difficult for me 🙂 I prefer to set my own schedule, plan my own excursions, and select my restaurants rather than be limited to the all-inclusive options (though on the latter part, it is nice to not be overwhelmed by food choices). Most go to all-inclusives because there’s less decisions to make. However, since we wanted to have a lot of experiences off the resort, we had to make all the decisions while there. This actually took away from the rest and relaxation part of the vacation for me. So all in all, great for families and for some, not for me – to each their own!

Quips of Antigua

• Antigua and Barbuda only gained independence in 1981, having been previously colonized by English settlers in 1632 and 1638 (Antigua and Barbuda respectively). We observed remnants of old English architecture around the island and also passed a few of the old sugar mills.
• They drive on the opposite side of the road, and the wheel is on the right. Our driver said that if you’re a motorcycle driver, there are no restrictions on engine size (people have motorcycles that are larger than cop’s motorcycles, so in theory you could outrun them)
• Cricket is the national sport; soccer and cricket are the two most popular sports
• Their current prime minister (Gaston Brown) has been in power for 10 years
• Most common industries/jobs: tourism, engineering, construction
• There are three universities on the island, two of which are medical schools
• Cab drivers said the best fruits on the island are mangos, the Antigua black pineapple, coconuts and watermelons
• Soca is the dance of the Caribbean
• Celebrities buy real estate on the north side of the island (we were told Oprah and Robert De Niro have homes there). We were also shown Eric Clapton’s home at the Shirley Heights lookout.
• This island felt incredibly safe for three girls to travel around in. I have only been to a handful of other Caribbean islands, but I will say that the people here felt the nicest/most genuine. To me it felt that they really wanted you to have a good time, were never too pushy, and never tried to take advantage of us.
• My food critique is only limited to our resort, the sister resort, and one place in St John’s, so take this with a grain of salt: the food was not bland, but was nothing to rave about. I attempted to try all the fish available (tilapia, red snapper, shrimp, sea bass, and other white fish varieties) and all were great, but again nothing outstanding. The pineapple salsa (and strangely the creamy spinach) on the resort were my standout picks. Most of the meats were overcooked, though the hot dog at Shirley Heights was fantastic.
• Cab culture in this country was phenomenal. Drivers told you costs upfront based on your destination(s) and number of people. They wait in between stops or at the stops as long as you like – you only have to give them a heads up if you’re running late. If you like the cab driver you used, then they can essentially be “assigned” to you for your trip duration. And best of all, they make you pay at the very end, so there’s no concern they’ll leave you stranded after paying them them.
• Unsurprisingly, but I always forget just how hot, it is sweltering most days between 10am-4pm. After a few days, or even several hours, the exhaustion from the heat did heavily kick in for my friends.

5 Day February Girls Trip to Antigua Itinerary:

Day 1: Flight from NYC -> Antigua -> arrive at hotel & explore the property/eat dinner
Day 2: Devil’s Bridge Walk -> Water Activities (kayaking / paddleboarding) -> Nelson’s Dockyard & English Harbour -> Shirley Heights BBQ
Day 3: Excursion swimming with stingrays & Laviscount Island (including a tour of the island’s turtles, parrots, vegetation) -> St. John’s (capital)
Day 4: Relaxing day at the sister property to ours (Pineapple Resort)
Day 5: One last swim at Long Bay and the Donkey Sanctuary

Our hotel (The Verandah)- pink marker on the map

This hotel was located on the northeast coast of the island in Willikies.

Advantages of this hotel:

• Several water activities were included (kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, etc.),
• The location allowed us to cross off a lot of our to-do’s,
• The food was decent and the room-size/balcony were quite nice. A waterview suite meant seeing the water from a distance.  
• Long Bay was walkable from the hotel (a beautiful stretch of a white sand beach).
• You could get a one-day pass to the sister property, the Pineapple Resort. The resort is literally across the street, has a far nicer beach, and all the amenities are centralized. Lunch is included at The Outhouse, and I thought the food here was superior to the meals we had at our resort.
• Sadly, I didn’t get to take advantage, but there are also included activities such as mini-golf, tennis, pickleball, shuffleboard, pool/ping-pong. I did shoot a few balls around the pool table and it felt like a 50 year old ragged table 😉 
• It is an adults-only resort

Disadvantages:

• It was very spread apart (the reception, pools, restaurants, the beaches were sometimes a 10-15 minute walk). I enjoy this, but some may not.
• The beaches had a lot of seaweed that you had to weed through (pun intended) to get to the clearer parts of the ocean.
• The drinks were far too sweet; none of the bars had ginger beer to make me a moscow mule and even lacked the ingredients for a mojito – so I did not make use of this property in the way one intends to at an all-inclusive.

My verdict: if you don’t care about the ocean, this is a perfectly suitable hotel. If you’re like me and should have trusted your gut instinct, the west side has the best beaches to swim in and I do wish I had stayed on that part of the island. This is obviously subjective – I travel to the Caribbean primarily for the ocean!

Activities

Nelson’s Dockyard & English Harbour – blue marker on the map

Both are exactly what they sound like, but more impressive than I expected. The Dockyard had larger boats than I was expecting and gave me subtle hints of Monaco. English Harbor was a British port built in the early-to-mid 1700’s. Previously a naval facility, it now has a small town with boutique shops (souvenir and clothing stores) as well as bakeries/delis. Admittedly, I’m unsure if we came too late, as it appeared that some stores were closed – but it’s also smaller than it appears on a map. We did hear that English Harbour is where all the fine dining options are.

Sunday BBQ at Shirley Heights – purple marker on the map

Shirley Heights is where many tourists and locals go to on Thursdays and Sundays, but it is the place to be on Sunday late afternoons. This may have been my favorite activity of the trip. We stopped at the very windy Shirley Heights lookout first (where we got a glimpse of Eric Clapton’s home) and made our way to Shirley Heights. This is a well-oiled machine filled with an average of 500-1000 people all awaiting drinks and BBQ food (ribs, burgers, hotdogs, jerk chicken of course, etc).

While waiting, (it was long, much better to go with several friends who can conquer the different lines), there is a high-energy and spectacular band playing the steel drums. Interestingly, a cab driver later told me that the steel drums originally came from Trinidad in the 1930’s. Once the band concludes, there is an emcee and a dance floor. The place had picnic tables and a lawn and string lights – I’m a sucker for string lights, so I loved it.

Swimming with Stingrays & Laviscount Island – green market on the map

On my first day swimming at the hotel, a stingray swam under me and I was, extremely alarmed, to say the least. It was huge, slimy, and I think I kind of stepped on it. So when the excursion came around, I was fearful. I may have yelped when holding it the first time, and may have yelped when feeding it, and yelped several times after when other stingrays approached me under the water 🙂 I even unconsciously pulled my friend’s bathing suit out of fear. Our stingray tour guide on the other hand licked the stingray’s stinger. I guess you don’t decide your fears (such as the turbulence that I’m experiencing on this plane ride back home while writing this). While I do recommend the experience, it felt short-lived (about 45 minutes swim time), but still worth it.

Afterwards, we went to Laviscount Island where we had a hysterical tour guide teach us about red spotted and Aldabra turtles and a variety of birds on the island. Red spotted turtles live 25-50 years whereas giant Aldabra turtles can live up to 200 years! Until they turn about 25, their gender is indiscernible and they can’t reproduce.

Devil’s Bridge Walk – grey marker on the map

One morning, we took an early morning stroll here before it got too hot (which was the right move) and enjoyed the views from the cliff as we walked around it’s perimeter. Seeing as how we didn’t take an official tour here, I learned the sad history of the place later. Devil’s Bridge National Park (it’s tiny!) is a natural stone arch where enslaved African labourers would end their lives by throwing themselves into the tumultuous waters of the Atlantic Ocean to escape slavery, being guided to do so by the “Devil’s” voice.

Donkey Sanctuary – orange marker on the map

I have mixed feelings about this activity. From our standpoint, the donkeys are obviously quite adorable and docile (although there was a section of wild donkeys we weren’t allowed to approach). They’re great for kids and adults, and 30-45 mins here is more than sufficient. From their standpoint, the sanctuary is quite small, there is little room for them to walk around in (the majority of them seemed to all stand in a straight line where the shade was), they didn’t seem to have much food in the way of hay (just patches of grass remaining). It looked like their droppings hadn’t been cleaned in a while (though to be fair, there’s a lot of them and they release a lot ;)). That being said, it is an animal hospital, so it’s greater purpose is to nurse them back to health, and one could even adopt a donkey!

St. John’s – red marker on the map

This is the capital city of Antigua & Barbuda. We got here in the late afternoon and went to the main tourist shopping area, known as Heritage Quay. There were a variety of stands, boutiques, souvenir shops, a duty free store, and even some chain stores. This is the area where all the cruise ships dock so if you’re not on a cruise, ask around to try to come when they’re not there (so it’s not overly crowded). We also ate at Alligator’s Bar and Restaurant, where they cook the food right in front of you (the shrimp at this spot was the best I had on the island). Worth it to do some shopping if you like!

Diabetic Quips:

• When staying at an all-inclusive with no access to delis/stores, one thing I did every day for my activities and bedtime routine was to use a water bottle and fill it up with juice at the bar.
• The Antigua airport is strange. When I told security/bag check people that I carry a juice with me for blood sugar lows (and carry a doctor’s note to do so) – they didn’t even test the drink (which is uncommon). When I asked to be patted down instead of going through the metal detector, they didn’t make me touch my medical devices to check what’s on my fingers (something most airports require). I was almost uncomfortable as to how lax it was. Yet, when I got stopped for a “random check”, they did the most thorough job I’ve seen in a while.

If there’s a next time or for some extra tips:

• I would have stayed on the north/northwest coast of the island by Dickenson’s Bay or Jolly Harbour
• I would have watched the live band at Shirley Heights far more (my only other regret) and would have stayed longer and danced with fellow dancey friends
• Stopped at Gilly Gobinet Art Gallery/ceramics store on the way to the airport to support some local artists
• Planned to come to St. John’s and English Harbour earlier (maybe early afternoon to both to get sufficient time)

Thoughts on all-inclusives? Caribbean islands? Traveling with friends for the first time? I’m here for it all 🙂

This entry was posted in Antigua & Barbuda, Central America/Caribbean, The Americas