Just Got Back From Antigua
 

We just got back from a week in Antigua and had a great time! We stayed at the Royal Antiguan, but rented a car and visited many of the other resorts for their beaches and restaurants, so if anyone has questions about the resorts or island, let me know. Communicate via this site please.

How did you like it. We are doing an all inclusive package. How is the food?

I heard that it wasn't a very nice place and the food was all cold buffet. Give us a few more details please.

We have an opportunity to stay at Trafalger Beach (i think) Villas -- and were thinking of going next Spring. We like seafood restaurants and have found sometimes that's hard to find in the Caribbean! How is Antiqua? What are their specialties? We are sort of hoping for low-key, quiet and relaxing. Don't need to shop or gamble.

If you're looking for a low-key place, you'll love Antigua! We spent a week there last summer and already wish we could go back! <BR> <BR>The BEST restaurant in Antigua is HOME, right ouside of St. John's. It is a small place and is quite popular ,so be sure to make reservations. Some other ones we liked: Miller's by the Sea, and Spinnaker's, Chez Pascal and Pari's. <BR> <BR>No matter where you are staying, be sure to go to Shirley Heights on Sunday night for the jump-up! The sunset is wonderful , and the live steel drum and reggae bands are fun. The whole island comes out and has a great time! <BR> <BR>ENJOY!!

In response to several of you who posted questions on Antigua, we found the Royal Antiguan to be a pleasant surprise. After we had booked the trip, I had read a couple of negative things regarding the resort, as well as a some positives. I, like most people, started focusing on the negatives. However, we found the beach to be one of the nicest and calmest on the island, and the accommodations were clean and up-to-date. The staff was friendly as well. We rented a car and were able to check out other resorts as well. We found many nice places, but with so few people at them. Many of the hotels only have 60-100 rooms and in the slow season, there was hardly any activity at all. We don't like it real busy, but many were absolutely desolate. The Royal Antiguan offered nightly entertainment and had a beach bar and swim up pool bar. Nightly rum punch parties, and daily activities if you chose to do them. We did not purchase the all-inclusive package, thinking we would try other places. Antigua is not like a lot of other islands where there are lots of hotels and restaurant within walking distance, so we ended up eating at the R.A. most of the time anyway. For a nice value, the Royal Antiguan was a good choice. <BR> <BR>For those of you wondering what to do on the island, taking a day catamaran trip is a nice choice. They take you snorkeling and sight-seeing and provide lunch and cocktails. We rented a car, but isn't necessary as cabs can take you downtown shopping and other than than that, there really isn't a lot of sight seeing to be done. <BR> <BR>The other resorts that looked nice were the Pineapple Beach Resort, St. James Club and Galley Bay. We visited these to do some additional snorkeling as well.

There are more excellent places to sightsee: <BR> <BR>1&gt; English Harbour- Antigua's national park. This is where Admiral Nelson headquartered the British Navy back in the 1600s. It has been completely restored and is very beautiful. There are several niceshops, plus local vendors. Go in the morning. The Interpretation Centre on the hill is worth a visit if just for the view. <BR> <BR>2&gt; BoTours Jeep Tour- this was the highlight of our trip. For $60 US per person, we were gone for most of the day! We saw ALL of the island- the rain forest, the mountains, the Devil's Bridge, Betty's Hope, and many beautiful beaches. THe price even included lunch at a local BBQ place- yum! Bring lots of film- I think we shot 4 rolls! <BR> <BR>3&gt; Fort James- overlooks the entrance to St.Johns harbour, and still has its original cannons! It's right down the road from Miller's By The Sea, and is beautiful at sunset. <BR> <BR>H