Antigua Holidays
Antigua is renowned for its stunning beaches - a mixture of picturesque coves, palm fringed bays and stretches of fine white sand with gently lapping turquoise waters. And there are 365 in total! Antigua also boasts some of the best water sports in the Caribbean, with celebrated sailing and magnificent diving. Explore the crystal clear waters, the kaleidoscopic coral reefs and don’t forget the shipwrecked dive sites.

If you can tear yourself away from the beach, Antigua has so much more to offer. The landscapes are breathtaking and a visit to the rainforest is a must. The island’s colourful character and unique history is apparent wherever you look, with colonial architecture and charming windmills.

The capital is great for duty free shopping with quaint streets along the harbour front. There are many great restaurants, many off the beaten track, offering a variety of French, English, Italian, Indian and traditional Caribbean fare.

The locals have a very spirited approach to life and you will always find lots to do on this wonderful and very typical Caribbean island. Oh and don’t forget, there’s a party every Sunday at Shirley Heights and the whole island is invited!

Weather
Temperature ranges from the mid 70s (winter) to mid 80s (summer). There is often a gentle north easterly breeze and the island has low humidity year round. It also has very little rain compared to the other Caribbean islands.By Day
The island has a huge range of activities to get in involved in; Cricket is the Antiguans favourite sport, but if that’s not your thing Antigua has some great golf courses. How about a game of Tennis, or why not hire a mountain bike and take a ride through the rainforest? There are many tours on offer so you can get out and see the island - you can even take a ride in a helicopter! Add this to the windsurfing, diving, kayaking snorkelling, fishing, hiking and all the other activities on offer, and you can imagine why you’ll never run out of things to do in Antigua!By Night
Antigua’s nightlife is quite low-key with most entertainment based in the hotels, but you’ll find a few lively bars and clubs, some playing live calypso music, in the main areas of St Johns, Jolly Harbour and English Harbour.Top Attractions
• Shirley Heights – The fortified hills above English harbour afford magnificent views.
• Nelson’s Dockyard – Developed as the base for the British Navy (incl. Nelson Museum).
• Fig Tree Drive – A rare corner of vegetation that escaped the 17th and 18th century sugar cane boom.
• Harmony Hall Art Gallery – Various exhibits, and one of the best panoramic views on the island
• Museum of Antigua & Barbuda – A complete history of the islands.
• Betty‘s Hope Sugar Plantation – The island’s first large sugar plantation.
• Indian Town National Park – One of the island’s most spectacular sights.
• Fort James – Originally intended to guard St Johns Harbour.
• St Johns Cathedral – Erected in the 19th Century, the dignified wooden interior is well worth a visit.
• English Harbour – One of the safest natural anchorages in the world, this was the British Admiralty’s base.
Events
Cricket world cup (Mar), Antigua Sailing Week (29/4 – 5/5), Tennis competition (May), Carnival (July/Aug), Heritage Day (31/10,) Independence Day (1/11), Antigua’s Artists Exhibition & Craft Fair (Nov).Local Flavours
The food in Antigua is generally based around beans, meat and dumplings. Fresh fish is also available in most places and is usually barbequed with fresh herbs and spices - the lobster and shrimp are simply delicious. There’s plenty of fresh fruit on offer too, which really offers a taste of the tropics. And let’s not forget the Caribbean favourite - rum! The shops are bursting with duty free items; locally made souvenirs, batik clothing, the local spices and rum are very popular. History
Artfully crafted shell and stone tools have been discovered at many locations across the island indicating that Antigua was first inhabited around 2400BC, by settlers known as the Siboney. The Arawaks succeeded the Siboney and brought farming to the island but were displaced by the Caribs. The earliest European contact with the island was in 1493, when Christopher Columbus sighted the island in passing and named it after Santa Maria la Antigua, the miracle-working saint of Seville. Due to the Caribs dominance it wasn’t until 1632 that Englishmen from St Kitts successfully established a settlement on the island and in 1684, Sir Christopher Cordington arrived at the island bringing with him the latest techniques in sugar cane farming. Sugar then dominated the economy so much, that by the 18th century the island was dotted with more than 150 cane processing windmills, each the focal point of a sizeable plantation. By the end of the 18th century the island had become an important strategic port known as the “gateway to the Caribbean” and its position enabled control of the major shipping routes. Slavery was abolished in 1834 but by this time the sugar industry was beginning to deteriorate, and with it the Antiguans wealth. Antigua gained independence from the UK in 1981 and recent decades have seen prosperity rise once again with the development of tourism.Size & Location
Antigua is the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, about 14 miles long by 11 miles in wide. The highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), which is located in the south-western corner of the island and the island itself is roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadeloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin. Population 80,000.