Antigua and Barbuda
As an island nation, Antigua and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands (Antigua is the largest island in the group), making up part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago.
It sits right in the center of the Eastern Caribbean Sea, near the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean, with the archipelago of Guadeloupe to the south and Montserrat to the southwest. Saint Kitts and Nevis border this island nation to the west while Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin serve as its northwest neighbors.
The island nation’s unique location points towards its being the perfect place for a tropical island vacation…or to hide a fleet as what the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson did in 1784. With its warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbours, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef, it’s no wonder Antigua and Barbuda became Great Britain’s most important Caribbean base.
Today, roughly 200 years later, Nelson’s Dockyard still echoes the grandeur of the British Royal Navy with trade winds fueling one of the world’s foremost maritime events, Sailing Week. And yet even with Sailing Week drawing to a close in late April, Antigua and Barbuda remains one of the most sought after destinations in the Caribbean year-round.
What to Do
Antigua and Barbuda boasts of no less than 365 beaches and 365 reasons why you should choose this dream island as your luxury Caribbean escape. Its expansive, winding coastline provides excellent hiking trails that open up to a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. Trekkers and hikers love what Antigua and Barbuda has to offer, not only for the visual feast of limestone and volcanic landscapes but also for the many excellent tropical flora and fauna.
Divers and snorkelers also have more than their fair share of underwater sights. The islands’ coral reefs, once the bane of marauding enemy ships and a scavenger’s paradise for its treasure trove of shipwrecks, now provides world famous diving and snorkeling.
Bird watching, boating, sailing, yachting, horseback riding, and lazing around under the heat of the Caribbean sun are only some of the alternatives you have.
When to Go
Antigua and Barbuda’s high season occurs from the middle of December to the middle of April, coinciding with the high season of the rest of the Caribbean. Around this time, visitors in large numbers will flock the islands to get away from the cold winter. Although it can get pretty crowded around these months, the high season remains an appealing time to visit the island as restaurants, hotels, tours, and other services provide more events and options for their guests.
If you wish to avoid the tourist crowd, you also have the option of coming in late in April, just in time for Sailing Week to watch a convergence of luxury yachts and racing boats in Antigua’s English Harbour.