Antigua and Barbuda > Antigua and Barbuda Experience

Advantages: escapism & peace & tranquility
Disadvantages: Very Quiet not suited for kids

My childhood dream was to get married on the sunny Caribbean Island of Antigua & boy did it come true.. On arrival at the airport we were all greated by the rather humid temperature..boy was it hot! After a rather slow checkin we were led to queue up outside for our taxi to the hotel which was approx 30 mins from the airport, and was it a ride to remember... We were all sandwiched in to what was described as an Antiguans answer to a Sooty mobile.There ...
...complete with luggage & pushchair, the lady driver would of made Schumaker look slow, we were tossed, turned & literally bounced up & down in our seats! We were driven through the roads at great speed finding it very hard to take in the scenery, the houses lived in are like tin shacks & at times we wondered whether or not we had made the right decision in holidaying there. On arrival at the hotel complex we were greeted by a rather large rum punch ... Read review

Advantages: Beaches are georgous; plenty to do; friendly locals
Disadvantages: Avoid hurricane season, sand flies and mosquitos

Apparently Antigua has a beach for every day of the year - somehow I onoly got round to using the two at our resort - Allegro Pineapple. Allegro is on the west side of the island and is within walking distance of Devils Bridge - a natural phenoninom but play safe and keep away from the edge of the water. The locals were polite and friendly and the beach hawkers took no for an answer if you were not interested in what they were selling. Antigua ...
...the pun) was with the sand flies and mosquitos - a good insect repellant will do well - the bottoms of the ankles seemed their favourite place to bite. There is plenty of things to do in Antigua and to spend your holiday sitting on the beach all day is a waste. Here are a few activities that you can get up to : Nelsons Dockyard; Shirley Heights; helicopter trip to the neighbouring island of Barbuda; Falmouth Harbour; catamaran/yacht around the ... Read review

Advantages: beautiful beaches, gloriously unspoilt in parts
Disadvantages: "all-inclusive" culture, unlovely capital

Some people like all-inclusive breaks. They're safe, reliable and often cheaper than travelling independently. But do you really want to spend every day on the same sunlounger, eating from the same tired buffet every night, while a jaded steel pan band trills out the theme from Titanic? If you're the type who enjoys quantity rather than quality (does anyone really need TWO lobsters for dinner?), perhaps the sanitised paradise experience is right ...
...Antigua. But for the independent traveller, there's a much more authentic and magical experience to be had. Hire a car, first of all. It will get you out of your own hotel or resort and let you visit great places like Nelson's Dockyard (a sweet little heritage port) and Shirley Heights. The latter's Sunday Night Jump-Up is legendary for hot reggae, cheap barbeque and lethal rum punch, but what the tourist guides won't tell you is that you need to ... Read review

Advantages: 365 beaches
Disadvantages: long flight

I travelled to Antigua for my wedding, it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, they say there is a different beach for every day of the year and although we only saw one it was perfect. Very good value as its mostly all inclusive which includes meals, drinks and many watersports. The entertainment is hotel based so make sure you choose one with enough facilities for your needs, we stayed at the Jolly beach resort which has 04 resturants, ...
...entertainment including steel bands playing all the modern songs, very cool to hear "shaggy" it wasnt me by a steel band. The wedding was perfect and the co-ordinator couldnt do enough to help us make our day special. Antigua is one of the few places that you do not need to have been in the country for a number of days before your wedding, also very easy to do as you do not need to visit a soliciter in the UK to arrange the necessary paperwork, this ... Read review

Advantages: stunning, and secluded
Disadvantages: a bit too quiet for some? And too many cruises stop there!

There can be no doubt that Antigua is a lovely island and you would be hard pushed not to enjoy a visit! The island is quite touristy, without being overwhelmed by it, but the cruises that stop in St Johns most days make the capital quite frenzied for a few hours a day and its well worth trying to avoid these periods (usually lunchtime - 5pm). There are completely unspoilt areas too, but the mentality of most visitors to Antigua seemed to us to be ...
...and more focussed towards a relaxing beach holiday with every luxury laid on. Not that there is anyhting wrong with that, but its not for everyone! What I would say is that it is really worth doing your research into the Caribean islands as I don't think Antigua would suit every holidaymaker. One of the main reasons is that the island is very much a package holiday destination. Doing things independently can be difficult (due to lack of information ... Read review