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1. A Year of Beaches
The Ministry of Tourism for Antigua and
Barbuda claims 365 beaches between the
two isles — one for every day of the year and enough that you
can sometimes even have a beach all to yourself. The coral reefs
that surround the islands give up sumptuous, light-colored sand,
and in the offshore shallows it reflects the sun in myriad shades
from zinging jade to vibrant turquoise.
On offer is a surprising variety of strands from which to choose.
There are windsurfing and kite-surfing beaches, such as
Jabberwock Beach
(in the north beyond the airport); busy beaches
like
Dickenson Bay
(in the northwest),
Jolly Bay
(west), and
Pigeon
Point
(south); and lovely, secluded beaches, including
Half Moon
Bay
(east) and
Rendezvous Bay
(south, reachable only by boat).
Perhaps the most pleasant are
Ffryes
and
Darkwood
, quite
remote in the southwest, each with a rickety beach bar and a
cracking sunset view.
2. Fortified Festivities
Once there was a fortress every few hundred yards around the
coastline of Antigua. As a key outpost of British naval interest in
the Caribbean, the island was very heavily defended. Now these
bulwarks stand brooding, their cannons silenced, and if they have
been restored, they are used for more modern pursuits. Some
have been adapted into private houses, retaining their original
spectacular panoramas, and others into museums.
The Dow’s Hill Interpretation Centre explains the fortifications
at
Shirley Heights
in the southeast (so formidable that the island
was never attacked). And on Sunday afternoons (also Thursday
evenings), Shirley Heights Lookout is home to the island’s best-
known party, with a steel band and reggae and soca (a blend of
soul and calypso) music and fantastic sunsets.
IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD Spring 2015
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For more than 30 years, residents and
visitors alike have flocked to Shirley Heights
Lookout for the Sunday Barbecue party.
Soft sand and clear, shallow water
make Dickenson Bay one of the
island’s most popular beaches.
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