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Antigua and Barbuda: 365 Reasons to Visit
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Submitted by by
Kim Kinrade
2 year(s) ago
(via
travelmills.com
) |
In many parts of the world the definition of beaches varies from ground-up lava to mud flats. However, in Antigua and Barbuda the beaches are the real thing - fine sand - and there are 365 of them, one for each day of the year. No Caribbean holiday would be complete without seeing at least two week’s worth of them!
For all the activity going on there the main island of Antigua is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide. Within this area of 108 square miles you can find almost everything you need for a tropical vacation: beaches, nightlife, shopping and, of course, food and drink. Only 17 degrees north of the equator the temperature is stabilized by the brisk Trade Winds and varies between the mid-seventies to mid eighties. The absence of a rainy season makes Antigua and Barbuda a very sunny place with a comfortable humidity level.
The big crop in Antigua used to be sugar cane. The British raised it for a couple of centuries and the island was very important to the rum trade of the British Empire. During the past thirty years, however, tourism has taken over as the main employment for Antigua and the sound of the sugar refineries is as forgotten as the click of the cane knives.
History abounds in Antigua and the hero of Trafalgar was once stationed here. Before he became an admiral, Horatio Nelson was Senior Naval Office of the Leeward Islands. His quarters were in the dockyards that were later named for him and remain a large tourist attraction for the island. To thwart invasions by the French, the Spanish and pirates the British protected Antigua with a ring of 40 forts and the large fortifications at Nelson’s Dockyard still remain as they did in Nelson’s time – complete with his original bed.
But what’s so special about this place? Well, Oprah Winfrey and Eric Clapton think it’s just fine and have houses there, as does Richard Branson, the owner of the Virgin empire. Tourists can relax in 5-start hotels in Antigua, as well as villas and vacation rentals in the big towns of St. John’s and Falmouth. The water activities are endless as catamarans stream in and out of St. John harbor, the island’s capital. Fishing, parasailing, windsurfing and diving are big industries here.
Barbuda, a 90 minute ferry ride away, is 15 miles long and 8 miles wide. It is mostly very rocky and flat and covered in bush. As with Antigua water sports are big here as is cycling and bird watching. Because of the Trade Winds ships had a rough time in these water so wrecks abound for diving exploration.
Antigua vacations can be booked through a travel agency or online and there are regular flights from the U.S.
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