Winters are long in Canada, so we try to find every excuse to leave the cold for the tropics. Last November the weather was awful, so we took advantage of some work travel and added a one week pit-stop in Antigua. There aren't many affordable resorts I'd want to stay at in Antigua, so we rented an Air BnB with this gorgeous view. It was in Halcyon Heights, near the capital St. Johns and overlook Dickenson's Bay - Home of the Sandals Grande Antigua.
This is the best way to do Antigua. Rent a car and a nice condo, it was affordable and there are great grocery stores on the island like Epicurean Fine Foods. We would usually go out once a day for dinner or a late lunch, stop at a couple places for drinks and then eat at our place. Get a place with a view.
One of the restaurants we went to was called Boom, it's very famous because of the location on English Harbour. You can see Nelson's Dockyard in the background with the boats, they have a pool here and some rooms. To be honest it was overpriced and the curry was a mistake, locals make way better food, this was meant for someone who can't handle any spice and lives a bland, yachter's life.
We went there for the view, it was a lovely couple of hours and I could stop somewhere else for a snack afterwards. You need reservations at some of the nicer places, especially if you want a good seat. In this area there are a few other great restaurants. The view from the Yacht Club restaurant is below, I had a burger and didn't think it warranted a photo, it met my expectations. This place is better than Boom.
Another great place is in the area is Catherine's Cafe, very pricey, but it's a very classy beach club catering to people who own yacht's and who don't mind spending a few hundred dollars on a few drinks and a light meal. Another area with good restaurants is closer to Jolly Harbour on the other side of the island from English Harbour.
It was a beautiful day when we arrived for an early dinner. This place has pools you can rent and again, don't expect to spend less than a couple hundred per couple. The ambiance was incredible and it was the best restaurant we ate at on the island. The menu was unique and we had a tapas style meal with various tastes of the island.
This photo was taken near Karnagio a Greek resaurant with a lovely owner and an equally lovely view. It was on my favourite beach (links below) and we just had a couple drinks but I'm sure it was fantastic as the reviews were great. You need a car to get here and it is fairly isolated but well worth it.
The only place we went back to was called OJ's Beach Bar and Restaurant. The seafood chowder was great, the curry was amazing and the prices were reasonable. This is a place where cruise ship passengers would go to as it's not that far from the capital and the beach is nice. Antigua is never crowded but this area isn't in a town or village so it's not that difficult to find a seat. There were people renting toys on the beach and the reviews don't do it justice, this is the best value for quality on the beach we could find that had some decent ambiance.
Wadadli is the national beer of Antigua. I drink this or Carib most of the week. It's the kind of island where water is almost the same price as beer and just as refreshing. We hope one day to return to the island, it has the best of everything the Caribbean has to offer.
Previous Blogs about our stay in Antigua
Antiguan Beaches and Ocean Views
All Photos Taken with an S22 or iphone 13 pro