I fell in love with Antigua the moment I arrived.
Antigua’s corrugated coasts cradle hundreds of perfect little coves lapped by beguiling jewel toned water, while the sheltered bays have provided refuge for everyone from Admiral Nelson to buccaneers and yachties. If you can tear yourself away from the beach, you’ll discover a distinct English accent to this island. You’ll find it in the busy capital of St John’s, in salty aristocratic English Harbour, and in the forts and other vestiges of the colonial past. Antigua is also classic Caribbean: full of pastel houses and churches, a rum-infused mellowness and engaging locals.
Barbuda, Antigua’s captivating sister island 30 miles north, walks on the wilder side. Whilst Antigua is relatively well developed, in contrast, Barbuda retains its unique cultural flavor. Its resilient population of around 1300 is still recovering from the 2017 Hurricane Irma, which flattened most of the delicate, low-lying island and necessitated the complete evacuation of its human inhabitants. Its extraordinary beaches were unaffected, so traveler’s wishing to lounge on white sand, snorkel around pristine reefs and watch the famous frigate birds should not hesitate to journey here.
