It’s easy to slide into comfortable sloth in Antigua: breakfast, swim, sleep, read; lunch, swim, sleep, read — a morsel of frozen fruit on a stick or afternoon tea here, a snorkelling trip or paddle in a glass-bottomed canoe there. Then perhaps a game of tennis or trip to the spa, followed by dinner.
But you’d be a fool to snooze your time in Antigua away. We made some wonderful discoveries. Who knew you could go zip-wiring through rainforest here? I came away with three top tips: first, avoid St John’s, with its cruise ships and KFCs, and head south instead to English Harbour, where row upon row of big boats wink at you like nautical pornstars. Have grilled lobster at Catherine’s Café on the waterfront, a rowdy but fun Antigua institution. Second, have dinner at Sheer Rocks, a lovely little restaurant set into the cliff reached by flare-lit walkways.
Best of all, drive over to a tiny hotel called Harmony Hall and take their $5 ‘ferry’ over to Green Island, a tiny gem with gorgeous water and great snorkelling. Timing is key — catch the 11-ish boat and any other visitors will be moving on by the time you arrive. We were the only people there, shaded by palm trees watching flying fish shoot out across the water. We spent two hours lolling on the sand and swimming around the reef before pottering back for lunch. It felt like that scene from Dr No (with me as Ursula Andress) and I’ve been replaying it in my mind on the tube ever since.
Lucinda Baring stayed at the Carlisle Bay Hotel.
Comments