Travel Guide: Yacht Week in Antigua

Hey guys! It’s been awhile since I put out a new Travel Guide and since our little bambina has restricted our travel this year, I figured I would share a little bit about a trip Russ and I took a few years back. It is Yacht Week in Antigua and I thought ya’ll might want a behind the signs look at all the fun!

Antigua, also known as Wadadli by the native population, is one of two islands in the West Indies. This Caribbean nation is an island oasis with plenty of historical and adventurous journeys to set off on. Russell and I planned a 7 day vacation full of sun and sand and we knew just the place to set up shop. We decided to stay at the all-inclusive and luxurious, Sandals Grand Antigua Luxury Resort in St. John’s.

With over 11 restaurants to choose from and a plethora of frozen tropical drinks, Russell and I enjoyed the sunsets from a different cabana each night. The food was phenomenal at all the dining options. We enjoyed Eleanor’s and Mario’s Italian Cuisine for dinner most evenings. Barefoot by the Sea featured the comforts of home while Bella Napoli had some pretty great pizza for lunching by the pool. Our favorite meal took place at the Soy Sushi Bar. We had a little bit of everything and then lounged in one of the nearby hammocks. I highly recommend the coconut gelato!!

One day, we choose to take a Circumnavigation Tour around the island. We opted for the Antigua Adventure, a 360 Xtreme Circumnav Boat Tour and could not have been happier with the results. Our first stop was to the Devil’s Bridge, an interesting archaeological site on the eastern side of the island. This trip included a visit to Stingray City. Though Russ was brave and jumped in, I just took photos from the dock!

The next stop on the tour included a private lunch at Green Island. We munched on fresh seafood and rested on the beach for a good part of the afternoon before setting back out on the water again. Word to the Wise: Now is a good time to PUT ON MORE SUNSCREEN!

Before heading to the infamous Nelson’s Dockyard, we made our way to the Pillars of Hercules for a guided snorkeling trip around the volcanic boulders beneath the surface. Again, I am a chicken so this was more of a Russ thing. I swam close to the boat.

 Our next and last stop was Rendezvous Bay, an exclusive and extremely secluded beautiful part of this exotic country. We managed to spend 8 hours touring our way around the entire island. This boat ride was worth every penny guys!

Nelson’s Dockyard is the largest of Antigua’s National Parks. In the early part of the eighteenth century, this Dockyard was used by the Royal British Navy because this particular harbor provided a safe place to dock your boats during the hurricane season. What can you do here? Well, I recommend taking a tour of the Admiral’s house, grabbing a bite to eat or just taking a gander at the sailboats and yachts that find their way into this historical landmark.

Half Moon Bay Beach is beautiful stretch of crystal pink sand beach. We chose to leave the resort for a day and head out to somewhere more secluded and this happened to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. The views were outrageous and it was nice to get away from the resort crowd for a little bit. Our driver dropped us off with a cooler of beers and we posted up in this quiet. After a few hours of swimming and lounging out, a rain storm hit and we ran for cover at a nearby restaurant, The Harmony Hall and managed to grab some appetizers and a few glasses of wine for lunch.

Ffryes Beach had some of the most beautiful waters we saw on the entire island. It was bright turquoise and the snorkeling opportunities were out of this world. We saw so many different types of marine life. We had a wonderful time exploring this crescent of the island. Where to eat: Dennis Beach Bar and Restaurant . Try the grilled lobster or if you are lucky, try to attend the pig roast. You won’t be disappointed.

Though we stayed close to Dickenson Bay, a fairly popular area on the island,  Runaway Beach was idyllic. Located on the Northwest coast, we enjoyed the exploring the rocky Corbinson Point. If you are looking to make a day out of visiting this beach, make sure to grab some jerk chicken off the side of the road before you get there. We had no trouble finding a local vendor and I still dream about this chicken.

What most people don’t know about this island is that several celebrities have chosen to make this island getaway their own private getaway. The late Whitney Houston, Oprah Winfrey and even Eric Clapton have contributed greatly to the island community. In fact, Eric Clapton owns a crazy gorgeous property near Hercules Pillars and helped found the Crossroads Centre. The Crossroads Centre is a 12 Step Treatment Facility dedicated to drug and alcohol rehabilitation in a therapeutic and supportive environment. The locals had a lot of positive things to say about this centre and the impact Eric Clapton has made on the island.

We spent our last day in Antigua by venturing to Shirley Heights. This famed lookout point featured a Jamaican steel drum band, a Sunday BBQ and yummy rum punch. We had the pleasure to meet new friends to share the sunset with and after all these years, we still keep in touch. We watched the sun set over the harbor and said goodbye to our time in the sun.

We hope to travel back to this beautiful island one day and soak up more sunsets, rum punch and jerk chicken!  Until then, stay tuned for more Travel Guides in our #Travel Tuesday Series. Coming up soon…A Weekend in New Orleans, Fall Break in Idaho Springs, Colorado and Farallon, Panama.

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