Good_Will

We are set on 5-6 days on Antigua next August. Where should we then visit for 5 days after leaving Antigua that has direct flight connections to New York ? We were considering St John or maybe Punta Cana. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

RoamsAround

You can't fly into / out of St. John - there is no airport on the island. You'd have to make your way to either Beef Island (Tortola, BVI's) or St. thomas then take a ferry from either of those islands to St. John.

Also, there are no non-stop or even direct flights from Antigua to Punta Cana - you'd have to fly to either Miami or possibly Puerto Rich then get a connecting flight to Punta Cana. Schedules are such the trip would require an overnight stop while on route.

From Antigua you can fly to St. Martin and then fly back to New York. You could also fly from Antigua to St. Kitts then fly back to New York from there (non-stop 2 days per week or daily on a connecting flight via MIA.

Another option would be to fly from Antigua to Barbados and then fly back to NY from there.

Still another option - Antigua to St. Lucia then on to NY.

eastenderusvi

I once visited Antigua and Montserrat on one trip, but am kicking myself to this day for missing Barbuda. Go to Barbuda. ;-)

Check the LIAT website and see where you can fly from Antigua.

Good_Will

We will definitely visit Barbuda by ferry. I do understand that St John is a ferry ride away from St Thomas. St Thomas has good flight connections to NYC. St John looks very natural and under-developed. Barbados is the only other island we have visited before so what I am looking for is a destination that is not like Antigua, but more a contrast. Something different for adventurers who do not like being stuck in resorts

blamona

Really, 10 days is not enough to split!

(unless it's with sister island Barebuda)

You loose a day coming and going, you'll loose a day in connecting.

So really you have about 4 days at 1, 3 at another, which is not enough for any destination!

It's just an expensive tease!

10 days is barely enough to see Antigua and combine with Barbuda.

You'll loose all day flying to another destination. So a 10 day vacation ends up being the days on island I stated above

Now if you had 2 weeks it might be different......

Odin

As others have said, check the LIAT website to see where you can get to from Antigua. For instance, you can get to Guadeloupe which is pretty close to Antigua, in fact you can see Antigua from certain points in Guadeloupe on a clear day. There will not be a direct flight from Guadeloupe to New York, maybe a connection via Miami. Is it worth it, no because there isn't enough time to discover one island let alone another completely different one which is infinitely more beautiful and interesting than Antigua.

Good_Will

Hi Odin and All . Thank you for your advice.

It looks like 8+ days on Antigua and visiting Barbuda.

I would like to know though what your recommendations are for another different island/location in the Caribbean that is infinitely more beautiful and interesting than Antigua might be ? We have only previously visited Barbados.

The truth is that we have cashed in a lot of frequent flyer points to travel around the world. It has been relatively easy to get seats on most One World carriers for most sectors but this year AA is a real headache because it is holding back on the release of any seats in the Americas. I can presently obtain seats out of St Thomas on to NYC but other options have yet to become available.

RoamsAround

Islands with lots of natural beauty, i.e. waterfalls, dense rain forests, and loads of historical culture, include Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, & St. Lucia. The drawback for you is that with the exception of St. Lucia you may find it difficult to get to those destinations using AA Award tickets.

Since you can easily get to/from St. Thomas on AA consider hopping around the US & British Virgin Islands - lots of islands in that grouping that are easily accessible by ferry or very short flights.

Good_Will

After reading through Fodor's Caribbean Guide and particularly the summary page comparing the various island options, I was taken to the idea that Antigua had great beaches, opportunities for adventure, a bit of history and variation and represented good value. We are scheduled to travel there from London on BA. I was tempted by Grenada, but ruled out St Lucia etc possibly because they do not have great beaches. The Grenadines sounds wonderful and particularly Mustique, but alas no convenient incoming flights from London. I am now leading toward 8-9 days in Antigua with a visit to Barbuda. Thank you all for your help and ideas.