Car Hire Antigua - Mini guide to Antigua
Despite its diminutive size, Antigua attracts its fair share of tourists, offering them comfortable resorts, 365 beaches, and a fascinating maritime legacy. It has typical West Indian charm and friendly locals.
St. John's is the tiny capital and can be covered on foot in less than an hour. Heritage Quay is a favorite with cruise ship passengers, while duty-free shopping is found at Redcliffe Quay, among the restored stone buildings and wooden huts. The curious colonial St. John's Anglican Cathedral is vaguely baroque in style, with a remarkable interior. Fort James, located across the bay, has an odd collection of relics dating back to the late 1600s.
English Harbour is the island’s real attraction for it is here that the English navy found the Caribbean’s most perfectly sheltered harbour during their campaign against the French. Young Horatio Nelson was posted here, and today it is professional yachties that populate Nelson’s Dockyard and the adjacent Falmouth bay. The odd collection of ancient buildings and store houses, together with the remains of Fort Berkeley look distinctly out of place alongside the million dollar yachts that spend each winter season here. Every Sunday the sailors head up to Shirley’s heights to enjoy good views, lively reggae, and copious amounts of rum.
Runaway Bay and Dickenson Bay are adjacent strips of gorgeous white sand lined with several resorts. This is about the only lively tourist magnet on the island; most other places enjoy remote privacy. Deep bay, west of Antigua, also has a cluster of up-market resorts; diving here is commendable. There is a submerged wreck, and the remains of Fort Barrington sit atop a nearby promontory.
There is a busy mariner and timeshare resort at Jolly harbour, and nearby is the island’s only rainforest. Despite being mildly undulating, Antigua is generally dry, typified by small coastal villages and coconut palms.
Adjacent Barbuda Island is completely undeveloped and good for bird watching and diving.
Antigua’s international airport receives regular flights from many U.S. and several European cities, making it one of the easiest Caribbean islands to get to. Taxis run from here to all points on the island for a reasonable fee.
