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Driving in Antigua – for the best way!
Getting around Antigua is a bit of a pain (unless you drive yourself) so this article is probably one of the best online reads on the subject. Let us know in the comments bellow if you got some value.
Don’t miss out on key information by hiring a local guide. Please note in the information here we didn’t mention St Johns Cathedral which should most definitely be part of a St Johns walking tour.
I took a tour today with my friend Dalston an old local salt who knows this country and St Johns well. We choose cruise ship day as I wanted to get some shots of the single ship in port today as its low season. But first a walk down a residential area showed some characterful houses and shacks. A shanty town I think Dalston referred to it, though I felt no malice but I did see some poor houses that were a bit dilapidated. We had just earlier had some bread and cheese from a local bakery on St Johns Street. The bread is a little sweet but it is one of the few inexpensive things here and I have to say I quite like it.
We also checked out the museum which is worth an hour and has information on how Sugar Cane is made the slaves how they arrived were bought and sold for example and previously the islands Arawak Indians and some artefacts. Entry is 8ECD.
We checked out the ship – its off season now so just 1 per week on a tuesday. The area around here called Redcliff Quay has nice shops a casino and all you could need as a cruise ship passenger. It must be manic the moment they first get off the ship. We entered the casino and saw all the slots the card games looked like a little Black Jack.
Yours truly getting a local haircut he kept asking me how much I wanted off and in the end it seemed he didn’t listen, but I always told him just go with what you feel – so I got a local cut, very neat and I can see around the edges where the sun didn’t get through as now I have white border!
We got some food at lunch time and today really the heavens again opened so we did our fair share of dodging it. For lunch we tried I think its called abracadabra or something like that and it serves really good local food and coffee (from ethiopia). It has a fountain with some fish in in the attractive courtyard. I had a breakfast dish which was saltfish served with some toast and boiled eggs – perfect.
Around the market area you can find also the fish market, its by the water unsurprisingly but get there earlier than we did as the catch is mostly already gone. But you can watch the guys make the fishing cages and take a look at the charismatic boats. If you came in by Jolly Harbour you can catch the bus straight out of here direct.
You will only ever find about 10 colours in the Caribbean it seems. The fishing boats green is one that I have seen often. The stink around this area is more than a little fishy.
If you are interested in booking a guided tour please let us ask the guides for you.
It is unfair to compare Luxury across islands places and budgets.
Luxury is a very easily used word (especially online) and we become somewhat immune to it. Luxury is also very subjective so we took a risk using it for the title of this sample resorts guide. Nevertheless consider the following reports as Luxury for Antigua.
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Where to start if you have never visited Antigua and want to get the most out of your trip ?
I was very happy to get to work with my jobby and new toy my 30x optical zoom camera from sony during the whole trip. Today promised an amazing opportunity to test the zoom magnification out from Shirley Heights lookout. Indeed I wonder what magnification they had back then telescopes history for spotting attacking ships?
Here is what you can do with a tripod mounted 30x optical zoom…
If you pardon the pun I may be in your boat; liking the idea of sea fishing but being denied by the cost (unless you can build your own group).
Tony from Tony’s Watersports in Dickenson Bay was for once a welcome beach vendor!
Coming to vacation in Antigua? Want to see the 365 beaches or any one of the attractions that are around? Then of course you’ll need to get around the island.
You know you have that amazing vacation rental or that simply unique caribbean property on the beach for sale but just how do you communicate the quality immediately to your potential customers ? Talk is cheap online and indeed we are fed up reading how amazing something is to find with a bit more research it isn’t what we though it would be.
Antigua has some truly amazing properties for rent and for purchase, to show them off to their full potential then you might get some video and or aerial photography produced that shows your property at its full potential.
Flickr unsurprisingly has some great stock of Aerial Photos for Antigua – find that here https://flic.kr/s/aHsk7WUAo4
Videos are more likely to get shared as well and they are a more honest portrayal than STANDARD non aerial photos as photos can hide a lot that video would show. Videos really do get the viewer engaged and help them believe that your proposition is what it says it is. Even aerial photography is better than single perspective shots which don’t show the bigger picture by themselves.
This video is great even though it doesn’t have a pro standard gimbal that takes the shake out. Gimbal’s have servos that sense a motion and send the camera exactly the opposite amount – very cool tool.
The key things to get right with aerial RC and Drone videography are common with regular photography and videography too.
Composition and the shot are as key as ever and maybe harder to get right from an aerial perspective. You will not always get it right and may need to revisit some shots. Having access to the actual frame helps do this quickly. Having a top end gimble will make sure that when it is right factors such as wind wont ruin the sequence. Getting the right distance away from the subject is a matter of gauging the art and is not so evident always. Are you showing the estate or the scale of the property or a closer frame.
A key winner is being able to imagine what path the user would want to turn their head. If you show the decking and poolside area that looks out onto a fantastic ocean view then a ‘yaw’ showing that truth is essential. Photography cannot easily demonstrate this to the viewer.
This is a very nicely made compilation of aerial shots in Antigua
Having the right lighting will take some planning but usually the Caribbean is obliging. You don’t want too many areas cast in shadow a reverse problem from having the excellent light source that is the sun, but its a detail.
The equipment is key and knowledge of the RC world and electronics is important as having the skills in videography and post production. With 20 years in the business of video and digital radio control aircraft you will be in safe hands. Our 2 man crew will plan and asses the job on a job by job basis.
After the shoot which is a part of the work we are far from done. Merging the work with some stills and regular interior camera work will give your audience the full property experience and this footage is all done in POST (Post Production) take a good piece of music to back the video up and you are showing your property at its best on all devices from mobile to tablet and desktop machines mac and PC. Your covered.
Finally marketing your video through the social channels and traditional methods will get your property to the top of the pile. Talk to us here to get a quote. From 2000 USD for the smallest of properties for a produced aerial video edited and edited to give you an idea of minimum costs involved we can start the ball rolling on getting your property shot and marketed to the next level.
Sport fishing in Antigua usually means offshore boat fishing (aka Sea Fishing) but there is an increasing amount of lake and brackish water fishing like the salt flats as an example. But firstly lets run down the usual sport fishing that takes place in Antigua.
There are 2 kinds to concern yourself with deep sea and bottom fishing. The former is more expensive and for the more experienced. this doesn’t mean you should discount it outright but you might get more seasick and find it a bit less relaxing, some call this the ultimate kind of fishing indeed a 400 lb fish is extreme. Don’t expect that by the way, one of the joys of visiting the Antigua fishing tournament is that you can see sometimes what such a fish looks like. Even a 200 lb Marlin is very impressive but you won’t see Marlin as they are protected and catch and release applies.
Read this real life experience of a sea fishing tour in Antigua.
Deep sea fishing usually involves trolling lures that this fast pelagic fish kind hit. Fish such as Mahi Mahi (also known as dolphin fish and rainbow runners) King fish, Tuna Marlin Sail fish and Baracuda are on the cards oh I forgot Wahoo too ! This is usually in deeper waters and this is why these kind of charters are more expensive as the boat diesel for a start to get out 10 miles plus is a factor. You might try bottom or regular boat fishing or reef fishing for the fish that inhabit the reefs. Grouper might be your big target fish though in danger as they have a long time before they reach sexual maturity and can’t breed while young. So fishing out a bigger older fish deprives the reproduction. You don’t see many scuba-diving these days. More likely candidates are snappers and hind and grunt fish. Your boat might be able to anchor in calmer water but unless you are used to it sea sickness can affect novice fishermen. This fishing is much more relaxing and less taxing as the fish are smaller but the rods not as powerful. You most likely won’t need a harness here. In deep sea fishing the crew will be ready to get the harness on you should you hook in to a big one. There are lures that have no hooks and that are designed to wrap around the bill of the marlin and sail fish though not common on charters. Because smell is important the bait could be a hybrid bait plus lure so the first part is a lure with bright attracting thingys and then there is the hook where you would hook your baitfish.
Prices for bottom fishing are cheaper and you can get around 6 fisherman on the boat from 450 USD splitting the cost (based on a 4 hour fishing session). For trolling or deep sea it is a bit more and expectation is for a longer trip up to 12 hours costing in excess of 1000 USD.
The folks at Antigua Island have organised perhaps the best value and very real trolling fishing tour in Antigua just for their readers ! Click on the contact us and mention you want to book the sea fishing tour that’s all !
Mahi Mahi, King fish, Tuna (Black and Yellow fin), Marlin Sail Fish, Barracuda and Wahoo. And a host of kinds like snapper grunts groupers and bat fish.
Take a look at the Fishes found in Antigua page.
Take a look at some of these – http://www.superpuppan.se/Antigua2.html
Fishing on the Obsession in Antigua –http://www.charternet.com/charters/obsession/index.html
See our blog post on this trolling in Antigua
http://antiguafishing.com
http://budgetmarine.com/
http://outdoorworldantigua.com
This is a nice account of a guys experience of sea fishing in Antigua http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/antigua-adventure-fishing
Good tips here in this forum post on fishing in st James club dark wood beach and dickenson bay
http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/threads/shore-fishing-at-st-james-club-antigua.763470/
A quick useful and joyful read about fishing from your cruiser Quit Wishin Go Fishin
We are pleased to be able to offer some fantastic properties for your consideration, please ask us and we will personalize your search for you with our island contacts given your requirements. Vacation Rentals in Antigua.
Visit The Antigua Villa Rentals section by clicking here >>
Take action and set up a week or two on our lovely island in a villa of your choice.
Organising your airport transfer in Antigua is something you really should do before arrival. Get organised and be ready to enjoy your holiday. The best price for a private transfer is here!
Please email using the form below.
To the furthest resorts like Pineapple Beach Club or Nonsuch Bay you will pay a lot one way if you go by regular taxi, and come to think of it even for airport transfers to Jolly Beach Resort or Halcyon Rex. If you see the quotations from the global transfer websites (sites serving the world) they are more expensive by a good amount. Go ahead and check your price with them but remember to come back!
We can offer a better more personal service than the official taxi stand. Please allow us to quote you; give us your dates of arrival and departure and your resort or villa. You will also at time of transfer be directly in touch with our knowledgeable guide who can remain at your service during your stay. Further advantages such as being relaxed about stopping to buy immediate supplies can be a real benefit.
“We had a great experience with Best Antigua. We booked an airport transfer and a last minute transfer to a boat tour. All of the transfers were on time. The drivers were so friendly and helpful. Calvin responded to all queries really quickly and organised everything seamlessly. I will definitely use this company again when I return to Antigua.”
– Hannah W UK 2021 review via Google reviews
“Just returned from a fantastic holiday in Long Bay Antigua. This was our first trip to the island and we were lucky to choose the guys at Best Antigua (https://bestantigua.com) for our transportation. Excellent service from beginning to end and far more competitive than the other transport firms we looked at. From first contact to last they were helpful, timely and informative, we were collected and delivered back to the airport comfortably and on time. Lennox our driver offered interesting information about the island and can arrange tours and car hire etc. if needed.
We would definitely recommend these guys and will use again when we return.Many thanks to Calvin & Lennox for helping us settle in and feel at home.
“Mark, Natalie & Charlie.”
“For our second visit to Antigua we booked transfers to the Verandah Resort via the ‘Best of Antigua’ website.
Driver Raymond duly recognised us on arrival and 30 minutes later we were enjoying the customary welcome rum punch at the resort.
Raymond offered his services during our stay but we decided to generally stay in the resort as we had already visited most of the local attractions.
Prior to our departure Raymond made contact to confirm pick up.details etc and the journey back to the airport was duly completed. Safe driving, good conversation and a totally reliable service.
If we come back to Antigua we would have no hesitation in booking Raymond’s services through ‘Best of Antigua’ – after all, everybody loves Raymond!
Thanks again and best wishes.
Adrian and Helen.”
Enquire now and get that part of the holiday organised! If you are not able to see a form below then click contact us and ask us to book arrange your quotation.
This is a typical Antigua airport taxi
As an example see airport transfer prices ROUNDTRIP (USD) based on a couple sharing:
Airport to Jolly Beach, Cocos or Coco Bay 70.00
Airport to Rex Hawksbill Resort 70.00
Airport to St James Club 80.00
Airport to Pineapple Beach Club 75.00
Airport to Rex Halcyon 50.00
Airport to Admiral Inn , Galley Bay 80.00
EAOE
Book Now – use our contact form and get in touch. We use PayPal to secure your online safety and money. Alternatively book online at our sister website Best Antigua Transfers
Antigua drivers are cheerful souls but they don’t find it easy to use things like paypal and online banking. It is very hard for us to pay them so we get you to do that on arrival and on the return (50/50)..
There is a syndicate in operation that many professional drivers are excluded from. This doesn’t mean they are no less professional in any way but the costs and difficulties to join mean these drivers prefer to not be a part of that. They do lose out from the markets the syndicated drivers operate in. But your advantage is getting to know a good driver who is not on the list and doesn’t have the excessive overheads.
So to get the best price fill out the resort and dates above and click send.
There is evidence to suggest that official taxis are asking increased rates than those set out online unless you barter them down ! Here is a big tip. If you plan on arriving and taking a TAXI you must download the official rates from this page and show the driver – you will then be able to negotiate easier. It is so interesting that writer Jamaica Kincaid early on in A Small Place mentions that the Taxi Driver tried to do this exact thing. Taxi Drivers!
Very interesting to see a major airline operating out of Kent. This is from April so you can book tickets now. Now as far as Antigua goes the Dutch airline isn’t flying to Antigua. But the important takeaway is that it may be a new trend as the airlines start to get into other markets lets face it the uk major airports are being very greedy for tax hurting the global tourism industry. Let’s hope this relieves pressure on the hearts and minds as the balls get to relax.
Why might you look at Antigua for an all inclusive holiday? It does seem to be a speciality of the resorts on the island which also includes upscale resorts like the Royalton.
Thomas Cook have a service to Antigua and the prices look very good. The caveat is that it sits only from November to April (in season) currently so its not an option for Antigua Carnival. You might not consider Manchester the ideal airport but Aberdeen is also on offer.
Take a look at the flight link below – pretty good no? And share this site as well to your friends for lots good tips especially if you go flight only as we are experts at helping you find a place suitable for your party. Oh yes the link Thomas Cook Flights Antigua
I will try and find out more but this is great news for those of us who live more in the north. Even for me it’s not much more of a drive to the airport in Manchester compared to ‘London’ gatwick 😉 this may also drive the other airlines to drop prices a bit. I feel a cheeky week in the planning! And speaking of planning here you can book your airport parking and stay the night before or after your trip to Antigua from Manchester.
Manchester Airport Parking and Hotel
Holiday Extras provide you with parking + hotels and other services designed to ease the trip to Antigua.
If you are still struggling to find the best flight to Antigua then Skyscanner can help.
Here is the skyscanner convenient link for SKYSCANNER ANTIGUA
My future wife and I began looking for a honeymoon destination in early 2012, our wedding was booked for November 2012. My wife is a seasoned traveller while I had never even flown before! As Cheryl had been to quite a few places, even in the Caribbean I was on the look out for somewhere very special but would at the same time feel ‘safe’ for me. One day searching on line we came across the Verandah Spar resort in St Phillips Antigua, it looked stunning!
Trip advisor had many glowing reports so we made further enquiries. The Verandah staff were really helpful, answering all our questions and really putting themselves out to make sure our special trip was just that. The flight from London Gatwick with BA was a very long one on the 777 aircraft, not a great deal to see but sea LOL, that was the worst part on the way out really. Arriving over Antigua I and many other passengers eagerly looked out to catch our first glimpse of the promised paradise island! What we saw was a lush green island with very character filled bays surrounded by a most beautiful blue sea! Here is my video of our flight and arrival!
Once we landed on the runway and stepped off, the warmth hit us all, and the informality of being disembarked onto the runway was very novel after the military precision of Gatwick! However, not realising it and eager to catch holiday snaps I took a photo of our 777 aircraft and was politely told not to do so by a security guard, so watch out for that! Customs and immigration was no worse than Gatwick, in fact its air-conditioned and did not take too long at all! The staff were efficient but welcoming and we were soon outside waiting for our taxi. Now, the roads might be a little bit of a surprise to EU guests LOL lets just say they are fast and cheerful, just hold on, ha-ha but in reality we never came to nay harm. Arrival at the Verandah was wonderful, we were met by very friendly reception staff and handed our first rum punch! OH wow! Soon we were on a golf cart heading for our little cottage style accommodation and taking in the sights and sounds as we went. We had arrived around 17:00 local time so the sun was already getting low in the sky as we checked out our room and then made our way onto the balcony overlooking the little bay directly towards the setting sun. Here is a compilation of what we saw:
The warmth and sounds was nothing like I have ever encountered, so relaxing so very beautiful! The sounds of the tree frogs and cicadas and the gentle lapping of the sea together with a stunning sun set made our honeymoon perfect and this was only our first night! Once we had gotten over the amazement of it all we headed off to meet the ‘management night’ and to get our first taste of Antiguan hospitality, now dark the charming clean pathways were lit with subtle lamps, but I had a little torch with me all the same. We were stunned to hear the sounds of a steel band wafting on the breeze as we neared the main pool and location of the Sea Breeze restaurant! How amazing to arrive in the Caribbean to a real steel band, just perfect and a memory never to be forgotten. The next few days saw us exploring our little slice of paradise and saw me setting about capturing on video as much of the local wildlife as I could. Here is my video:
We loved to natural history of this place, helped of course by the fact that the Verandah is located on a nature reserve! Diverse, amazing and colourful, we were treated to small lizards, humming birds and the tiny, tiny tree frogs that have a very loud voice at night 🙂 Of course, the sea and water sports are very much a part of a holiday in Antigua and what really made it for us was the complementary water sports equipment offered by the Verandah! As a non swimmer, I never felt pushed or unsafe and they really took care of me.
To my amazement this holiday would see me not only paddling off in my own Kayak, but also sailing a Hobby cat and even snorkelling! All under the watchful eye and guiding hand of my very proficient swimmer wife 🙂 We also headed over to Long Bay beach which is just down a little road from the resort, not as sheltered as our two bays but very beautiful all the same.
We took a trip to St Johns and then joined the Eco Boat tour! Another amazing experience as we were spirited along the azure blue sea to Hells gate, Bird Island and many other interesting locations! Lunch on the boat accompanied by more rum punch!
Here is my video featuring my snorkelling first time experiences including some views of Hells Gate!
Back at the Verandah we spent our days being looked after and gently exploring more of the resort, even taking a trip to the close by Devils Bridge to see a very precarious stone causeway that is pounded by the sea, a blow hole and much more. Highly recommended this location. All too soon it was time to think about heading home and so we spent our last day at this friendly resort being very spoiled until it was time to make our way to the airport! It was raining quite hard! But we were quite safe in the airport, passport control was very easy going and we eventually boarded a rather delayed BA 777 flight for home, that had come from another island! This was the only real down point of the honeymoon for us! We had specifically booked a night flight in the hope of catching up on some sleep.
This was not to happen due to a truly dreadful screaming baby for 75% of the trip! Very late on the BA staff ushered it and its highly stressed out mother to
the back of the plane and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Not being a seasoned traveller the sense of taking what had to be only a few weeks old baby on such a trip with just one parent seemed madness to me but I guess you can’t plan for such things. Well, we loved it so much that we are heading back in 2013 for an early 2nd honeymoon 🙂 we really can’t wait and plan to visit a few more recommended locations this time. I’ll be putting up my experiences on my YouTube channel so please feel free to browse in and see how we got on this time.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mikesndbs
We are flying with Virgin this time and taking two of our dear friends with us! The Verandah has a facebook page if you want to have a look at the resort
https://www.facebook.com/VerandahResort?fref=ts
Hope this encourages others to give Antigua a chance, you really won’t regret it.
All the best from Mike of Mike’s Movies.
I want to simply drop a link in appreciation of this months sailing humour / humor !
Well written Sir , interesting informative
Check out Cap’n Fatty Goodlander who claims to have been afloat for 53 or his 60 years. There you have it people CHOICE. In the article he writes about the perils of harbouring and the extortion faced bribes and with a great style and patience. So pick up a copy or ask allatsea.net to publish it online !
But to finish it underlines a truism that a great saffer once bestowed upon me while on a dive boat ;
‘If it floats flies or fcuk’s it’s better to rent than buy.’
fatty’s site
Get this button on your website that means that we think your pretty special ! You won’t just get one of these buttons. We must have visited your business and think that it is worthy of our green badge.
