The beach at Hermitage Bay

Should you consider Antigua for your honeymoon?

Antigua is in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, not terribly far from St Kitts and Nevis, Monserrat and Guadaloupe and St Martin and St Barths.

Antigua’s hotels are spread along a magnificent coastline and range from adult only all inclusive resorts to 5+ star luxury properties with many  small boutique properties.  We stayed at one of the adult only boutique all inclusive resorts in late August 2019 and felt like we were in paradise.

There are 365 beaches in Antigua, one for every day of the year – most are quiet and protected by reefs, so feel free to explore them all!

Most hotels, restaurants, beach bars, and water sports facilities are on the western side of the island (the Caribbean side) for the calmer waters but there are some great hotels (including a brand new adult only all inclusive property on the eastern side bordering the Atlantic .

St. John’s is a the capital city and is also where cruise ships may dock.   This port city is the focal point of shopping.  Protected within a narrow bay, St. John’s is charming, with cobblestone sidewalks and weather-beaten wooden houses with louvered Caribbean verandas. Trade winds keep the wide streets cool. Since all the major resorts are on good beaches, most visitors tend to stay put, going into St. John’s for a day’s shopping  trip or to English Harbour for some history.

When is the best time to go to Antigua?

The high season runs from mid-December through April (basically- before Christmas until shortly after Easter) and that is the time when prices will be highest.  During the lower season, spring, summer and fall, prices are considerably lower and while prices won’t be as cheap as some other Caribbean islands,  for Antigua, it will be a bargain.  Because it is low season, some of the smaller, family owned properties may close from August through October.

Weather in Antigua is pretty consistent with temperatures generally range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer.  Antigua is one of the driest and sunniest islands in the Caribbean.

Low humidity and lack of rain is pretty common even if  most weather reports will anticipate daily rain on the island.  The rainiest months are typically October – December.   My Vacation Lady was there in late August 2019 during the time Hurricane Dorian was in the Caribbean and most of the time, the weather was sunny and hot although, we had spurts of heavy rain and wind from the storm but it didn’t ruin our vacation.

While Antigua does lie in the path of what is considered “Hurricane Alley”, the chances of being hit by a hurricane is rare.  It’s more common for Antigua to be affected by distant hurricanes  which can  bring strong winds, clouds, and heavy rainfall as we had a bit of.  There is never a crystal ball for when a hurricane or bad weather may hit, but Antigua has been lucky when it comes to hurricane season.

Beaches, Beaches and more Beaches

Again, with 365 beaches you have lots to choose from but some of the best beaches are Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay in the Northwest Coast full of resorts and beach bars and restaurants.

Darkwood Beach and Fryes Bay are in the Southwest corner of the island.  Pigeon Point is near the English Harbor if you want a cool reprieve after spending some time in Nelson’s Dockyard

Half Moon Bay and Long Bay are good choice on the East Coast.

Dickenson Bay in front of Sandals

What else is there to do in Antigua besides the beach?

As with most Caribbean islands, the beach and water sports represent a good part of the allure of the islands but Antigua is blessed with a rich culture, history, beautiful scenery and a bit of a night life and shopping.  Some of the more popular excursions and activities in Antigua are:

• Golf
• Snorkeling and Diving
• Swimming with Sting Rays
• Catamaran cruises and Sunset cruises
• ATV or Jeep Tours
• Horseback riding
• Deep Sea Fishing
• Kayak tours
• Zip line Tours
• Biking
• Wind surfing and Kite Boarding

My Vacation Lady is the highest rates honeymoon specialist located in New Jersey on both Wedding Wire and the Knot.  Contact us to see how we can help plan your dream honeymoon to Antigua.