idleweiss

Loved Antigua -- Would like to return. We were there in Feb. of 2005 and the flag was always up on the beach at Hawksbill and GB - WE want to know if this part of the island is always choppy in winter or if it was just an unusual phenomenom last year. Many returning guests said it always was like that -- others said this was rare. Your answer is important to us because we would go back in a heartbeat if we could swim in the water. We do not go for pools when in the Caribbean.Thanks for your help

bosoco

When I was there two years ago, there was always a bit of a swell on these beaches. But it didn't stop people from swimming. Jolly Beach is dead calm most of the time.

lizz

We were at Galley Bay this April. For about 6 days the sea varied between choppy or very choppy!!! However for the rest of our fortnight it was quiet and relatively calm.
From what i have been told the sea in that area can change from rough to smooth quite often. I think it is 'pot luck' what you get. Apparently G.B was once called Galley Bay Surf Club or something similar!!!

idleweiss

Bosoco-Thanks for your reply. It sort of confirms what our experience was at Hawksbill last Feb. No one was in the water with the exception of a few snorkelers who were very strong swimmers. Aside from Jolly Beach Resort which we felt was too crowded for us, did you visit Pineapple Beach resort and do you know if it is calmer there? LIZ- you also confirmed our problem. If the water was choppy in April,my uneducated guess is it would be worse in Fb. Also GB has a lovely pool. Hawksbill has a small pool but is more in our price range. THANKS

ejcrowe

The beach at Galley Bay has always been somewhat choppy during my visits (never stayed there), even if the water at the Hawksbill beaches was not. I stayed at Hawksbill once in November a couple of years before it went strictly AI. Each of the four beaches was lovely and calm for swimming. Beach #4, the CO one, was not choppy but the rocks in the water did make it a bit difficult to enter and exit the water.

The beach at Grand Pineapple is called Long Bay, and while I've never stayed at GP, my favorite hotel on the island is on the same beach and shares its name--the Long Bay Hotel. In the winter the sand is generally washed away, leaving a much more narrow strip of beach than the rest of the year.

In my many visits to Long Bay, the water was always calm except for one visit. It was also in November and during my whole stay there was a tropical depression hovering over the area. I split my vacation between Nevis and Antigua and the water visibility was zero in both locations. Too much sand being churned up by the wind and waves. The water at Long Bay was okay for a little light swimming but still pretty choppy. The water out by Devil's Bridge, where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, had swells that I would've sworn were in the 8-10 foot range.

I'm not a fan of AI resorts in general, but if you read through the forum of Trip Advisor for Antigua, there's a poster there named Terry who travels to GP 1-2 times a year and loves it there. I'm sure he could give you an enthusiastic reply. I can tell you that the grounds are lovely without being fussy and that the many times I've seen it, between May and November, it has never looked remotely crowded. But keep in mind that's the offseason, too.

idleweiss

ejcrowe--Was hoping you would respond-read many of your posts and think you have great insight and detailed info. Since we had been to HB in the past and genuinely found it to be very relaxing, low keyed, we would rather go back there again. I asked about PB because IF the water was generally calmer there,we would try it. If not then we would go back to HB as long as the water is generally swimmable in Feb. What do you think?



I think tou have combined Antiqua with St. Kitts for vacation. I am the person who has to stay in AI for health reasons. There are practically none In SK. One is Bird Rock and the other is Sugar Bay. Neither of them excites us and there appears to be marvellous places to stay but without going into more details, my MD will not permit me to. Would you visit ST Kitts if these were your only choices? We would love to do sightseeing there as it is one island we have never been to. Would love your candid opinion, and of couse anyoe else who has neen there. THANKS

ejcrowe

Idle, I wish I could help you with predicting what the weather and waves will produce in Antigua when you plan to go. But I've never traveled there during the winter months and have zero experience to go on. I'm sorry. But I can tell you that I agree with your assessment of Hawksbill as being lowkey and relaxing. I greatly prefer the atmosphere of HB to GPB because I like the 4 beaches at Hawksbill, which guarantee a patch of sand for guests wanting to get away from the throng. At GPB, the beachfront is very small for the number of rooms in the resort.

You're close in remembering my previous trip. It was Nevis and Antigua. I've actually never been to SKB before.

4 seasons might offer an AI plan, I'm not sure, but it would be radically more expensive than the places on Antigua you're considering. But several places there offer a full meal plan, so all you would have to do is buy your beverages. If you're not big drinkers, you'd probably come out ahead that way anyway. Nisbet is on a beach, but the water there is consistently pretty rough. I went in the water every day but mostly just bobbed around rather than swam. Oualie is on a much calmer beach.

There are also the mountain side plantation inns, but I gather that you'd prefer being on a beach.

Good luck with your decision!