Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua likes to say it has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year, and whether or not you count them all, the coastline is full of sheltered, white-sand bays. English Harbour, on the south coast, is home to Nelson's Dockyard, a restored Georgian naval base that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the center of the island's famous sailing scene.

Above the harbor, Shirley Heights hosts a Sunday evening party with steel pan, reggae and a view of the sunset. Barbuda, a flat island to the north, is known for its long pink-sand beaches and a large frigatebird colony in Codrington Lagoon.

Photo: David Stanley via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua is a regional hub with direct flights from North America and the UK and connections throughout the eastern Caribbean. From Jamaica, you may find regional connections or route through Miami.

Barbuda is reached by a short flight or ferry from Antigua.

Antigua is smaller, flatter and drier than Jamaica, without big mountains or rivers, but it matches Jamaica for beaches and beats it for sailing. The pace is calmer and there is less hustle for tourists.

Like Jamaica, Antigua is cricket-mad and English-speaking with a British colonial past. The island produced cricket legends like Sir Viv Richards. Antigua Sailing Week each spring and Carnival in late July and early August are the biggest events of the year. Barbuda was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and is still recovering.

• Explore Nelson's Dockyard and English Harbour.
• Watch the sunset from Shirley Heights at the Sunday party.
• Snorkel Cades Reef or take a catamaran trip around the island.
• Take a day trip to Barbuda for the pink-sand beaches and frigatebird colony.
• Visit Devil's Bridge, a natural limestone arch pounded by Atlantic waves.
• Relax at Half Moon Bay or Darkwood Beach.

The dry season runs December to April. Sailing Week in late April and Carnival in summer are the busiest events.

The northwest coast, around Dickenson Bay, Runaway Bay and Jolly Harbour, has many resorts and calm beaches. English Harbour and Falmouth in the south suit sailors and history lovers, with inns close to Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. Many all-inclusive resorts are spread around the coast in secluded bays. On Barbuda, options are limited and still recovering after Hurricane Irma, so most people visit on a day trip from Antigua.

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD); US dollars are widely accepted
• Language: English
• Driving: left-hand side
• Best for: beach lovers, sailors, couples and all-inclusive holidays

Try the local national dish of fungee (a cornmeal dish similar to coo-coo) and pepperpot. As fellow CARICOM citizens, Jamaicans can generally visit without a visa, but check the latest entry rules first.