No one can remember. It’s our best kept secret, along with why our famous Black pineapples aren’t black. Oh yes, and why there’s a red telephone box on Dickenson Bay...
Yet even though our twin island nation does have a powdery white sand beach for every day of the year, no one’s suggesting you visit all 365 of them in one go. But it’s still well worth dipping your toes in the water – of a good handful of them at the very least.
Dickenson Bay, Darkwood Beach, Ffryes Beach, Pigeon Point, Long Bay and Turners are all acknowledged showstoppers and then, of course, there are our world-beaters. When the Insider website asked international travel journalists to name their favourite beaches around the globe, it was no surprise when Forbes magazine picked Half Moon Bay. Readers of the UK’s Guardian newspaper ranked Shoal Bay as the third best beach on the planet. Condé Nast Traveler included the crescent-shaped stunner at English Harbour in its ‘24 Best Island Beaches in the World’.
And now you can combine your own favourite beach with your own favourite tipple. Antigua’s recently launched Beach Bar Trail follows the same concept as a London Pub Crawl, but instead of spit and sawdust you get sea and the sand. The 30 or so drinking venues are all equally varied, of course, ranging from the glamorous and the candlelit to the shabby chic and unashamedly rustic. And if you plan your ‘trail’ just right, you’ll be able to enjoy the best the island has to offer – splendid coastal scenery, authentic Caribbean cuisine, delicious rum-based cocktails, and a good ‘lime’ with the fun and friendly locals.
Maybe start off with a life-enhancing stroll along Half Moon Bay before wetting your whistle at the local hangout that is Beach Bum Bar & Café. You could then linger over lunch at the equally rustic Bumpkins on Pigeon Point Beach – think Pina Coladas, Baby Back Ribs and plenty of yachting action – before taking a leisurely drive up the scenic west coast. And you’d be forgiven for sticking around for sundowner at popular watering holes like Turners and Jackie O’s because the sunsets and views of the Montserrat volcano can be spectacular. Although maybe Salt Plage and Ana’s are calling you further up the north coast, these fashionable venues on Dickenson Bay offering everything from tables in the sand to all the latest tunes...
For more information see The Antiguan Travel Guide 2022 www.theantiguan.com