Antigua - Just back
 

This was our first trip there, but if you have any questions, I will try to help.<BR><BR>Lois

Hi Lois,<BR><BR>Please tell me, how were the beaches? Were there affordable good restaurants in the area or at the hotel? What hotel did you stay at and did you like it?

Lois, am headed next week to Antigua for first time. Heard they had water shortages in Trinidad. Are there problems with water in Antigua? Don't mind if island's brown, just don't want to run out of water!! Did you have a good time? Would you go back? Thanks!

Penny don't worry about water in Antigua.It is by tradition one of the driest islands therefore prepared for dry spells and this is the driest since 1981.Firstly every house in Antigua traps it's own rain water from it's roof and tops up from goverment suplies when required .The goverment traps rain water in reservoirs like other islands and unlike other islands has a multi million dollar desalination plant that can take of all the water needed in dry times.This can not be said of the other islands; I understand that ST.Lucia,Grenada and Trinidad have less then 30 days left and most islands have problems .So Penny who wants rain on holiday ,both the beaches and restaurants are good so enjoy yourself knowing there are no water problems .

In reply to several questions:<BR><BR>They have not had rain for 6 months, so it is very brown everywhere. At restaruants you have to ask for water (they do not automatically serve it) and they push "bottled water" for which they charge large sums of money.<BR><BR>The beaches are absolutely gorgeous -- expecially Dickenson Bay (where Sandals &amp; Antigua Village, among others are located).<BR><BR>Some fantastic restaurants I would highly recommend:<BR><BR>Coconut Grove, at waters edge (by Siboney Hotel on Dickenson Bay) -- we ate breakfast there several times, and also enjoyed a lunch one day. Great people, pretty setting.<BR><BR>Amigo's at Barrymore Beach Club (just down the street from Siboney (and across from Kings Casino), has great Mexican food in a casual outdoor setting. Reasonable.<BR><BR>Kings Casino - good food &amp; piano player most evenings. Fillet Mignon around $28 US.<BR><BR>Chez Pascal -- the best food we had on the island. Pricey, but worth it. Be sure to get good directions -- near the bus station you turn to go out toward Galley Bay area &amp; they have signs up to help you find them. Upon on a mountainside, by a pretty plunge pool &amp; you look down over the Caribbean. Lunch was fabulous -- same menu &amp; prices day or night. We enjoyed the daytime view. Pascal is a great chef and quite friendly as is his wife. Definitely would recommend. He used to be chef at Le Bistro, but broke away and opened his own restaurant (prices a little more reasonable here &amp; fabulous food).<BR><BR>Down thr coast at Jolly Beach is a fabulous restaurant -- Coco's.<BR>So good we went back 2 times for dinner. We tried for lunch first time we located them but missed their 2:30 cutoff by 15 min. so just had drinks.<BR>Table 8 great for watching sunset &amp; table 12 or 13 is wonderful for dinner. Lots of menu selections &amp; all were delicious. <BR><BR>Our hotel was a timeshare exchange &amp; was terrible--I told RCI they should pull their certification--it was Marina Bay Beach Resort. If you are booked there, try to find accommodations elsewhere before you go or you will be disappointed. Besides many problems in the unit (after looking at 3 we settled for the best of the 3), the smell outside due to dredging for a "dolphin pool" (which Antigua will not allow, but the owner persists in dredging anyways, it smelled like the sewer the entire week &amp; made sitting outside impossible. The smell was only at this resort -- the others nearby were not affected. In addition to timeshare, most of this resort was just regular rentals. We only saw one other person the entire week we were there. To me it looked as if it was heading towards closing.<BR><BR>Only casino that was more of a true casino seemed to be Kings in town (right where the cruise ships come in), but nothing paid off much.<BR><BR>Lois

Wow, Lois! How awful that Marina Beach was less than perfect! I had seen it in the RCI book when we made our selections and I had never heard of the place, so I always wondered what it was like. What a pity! We ended up staying at the Rex Halcyon Cove's timeshare section, which was just fine.