| About Antigua | Accommodations | Beaches | Dining |
| Shopping | Exploring the Island | Sports | Essential Facts |
Antigua, at 280 square km, is the largest of the British Leeward Islands. With 365 sensuous beaches, Antiguans often boast that they have a different beach for everyday of the year. Though an exaggeration, Antigua has spectacular beaches, most of which are sheltered by coral reefs and the sand is often sugar white.
| All beaches of Antigua are public, some are deserted, and others, particularly those in the northwest, are lined with resorts that offer dining, nightlife, shopping sailing, diving, sailing, windsurfing and snorkeling. The original inhabitants of Antigua were the Ciboney who lived here some 4000 years ago and disappeared mysteriously, leaving Antigua unpopulated for almost 1000 years. Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 but the English took up residence only in 1632. After 30 years of battles involving the Caribs, the English, the French, and the Dutch, the French finally surrendered Antigua to the English in 1667. |
On 1 November, 1981, Antigua together with its sister island, Barbuda, gained full independence.
Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda form the independent nation of Antigua and Barbuda, within the Commonwealth of Nations. Redonda is an uninhabited rocky islet of less than a square mile, located 32km southwest of Antigua. Although Antigua is an independent nation, it is still British in many of its traditions. It has a population of 80,000, mostly descended from the African slaves of plantation owners. Economically, it has successfully transformed itself from a poverty-stricken island of sugar plantations to a modern day vacation paradise. However, there is still a high unemployment rate and a big gap between the rich and the poor.
Compared with St Kitts, Antigua’s inland scenery is not as dramatic but with 365 beaches that it has, you will definitely find one beach that you like. Antigua does not offer high rises or glittering gambling and nightlife though it has one or two casinos. Most of its hotels are intimate one or two-storey inns rather than glitzy, sprawling resorts. In general, the shopping and dining of Antigua is comparable to that of St Kitts but is mediocre when compared to those of St Maarten or the US Virgin Islands.
Most hotels, restaurants, beach bars and water sports facilities are located north of the capital of St John’s, a large neatly laid-out town 10 km (6¼ miles) from the airport and less than a mile from Deep Water Harbour Terminal. St John’s is focal point for commercial activities, shopping and also where the government sits. With its cobblestone sidewalks, weather-beaten wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs and Caribbean verandahs, St John is a charming town. Most tourists usually visit St Johns for a day of shopping or a trip to the English Harbour.
We will also be introducing Montserrat, Antigua’s neighbor, once a haven for American expatriates and a Caribbean island of choice for the likes of Paul McCartney before it was covered by volcanic ashes when its volcanoes erupted.