My trip to Antigua and Barbuda

[MILANCHAMP]

Just come back from my 10 days holiday, hereby my opinions about main issues:
Antigua is pretty nice and people are really kind and friendly (a lot of times offered me their help as I was looking at my map). There are a lot of beaches, not all of them so unbreathable but most are good for sunbath and staying in the water. The best in my list are: Deep Bay, Dickenson Bay, Curtain Bluf, Carlisle Bay and Rendezvous Bay.
You can travel around by bus, but be prepared to wait for a long at Market Street Bus Station (buses leave only when are full). So it's much more advisable (but of course more expensive) renting a car or a motorbike. I choosed the second option and didn't regret: it was cheaper and safe, as Antiguans way of driving is not as crazy as I read in this forum and as I found in far east countries.
I stayed at Inn La Galleria Hotel, in Five Island Village. Despite of its beautiful terrace (where you have breakfast) and large and confortable rooms (most of them fully provided with all stuff for cooking), I can recommend it only to people who don't care to be totally isolated and far from everything. No shops, no pubs, no restaurants within walking distance (apart from expensive restaurants of 2 hotels in the neighbourhood). Only a barbecue stall opening on the week end and nothing else (but you can go go on foot to some nices beaches). Besides, the internet wi fi connection of the hotel is working only 20 minutes a day (if you're lucky) and the owner doesn't seem to care of it. If you don't mind all above, this is the right place for you. Otherwise, if you don't want to be slave of your vehicle you had better staying in English Harbour or Runaway Bay.
I even spent a couple of days in Barbuda and it's really wonderful. I stayed at Carriage House, a big 2 bedded rooms house in the centre of village and I felt it cheap (75 $ per day) and confortable. I joined a nice trip to the lagoon and to Low Bay, then I rent a Jeep and went to the fabulous beach next to Coco Lodge: unbelievable postcard beach! I don't have enough words to describe it: just can say to go and see.
Hope have been helpful. Feel free to ask me more if you need.

[Donna]

Hi Milanchamp

Thanks for posting your report. I wonder what the highlight of your trip was?? You provided really good information for future travelers.

Cheers Donna

[MILANCHAMP]

Hi Donna,
no doubt about your question: Barbuda is the postcard that will remain overall in my mind.
Cheers

[jburton]

I stayed at Inn La Galleria Hotel, in Five Island Village. Despite of its beautiful terrace (where you have breakfast) and large and confortable rooms (most of them fully provided with all stuff for cooking), I can recommend it only to people who don't care to be totally isolated and far from everything. No shops, no pubs, no restaurants within walking distance (apart from expensive restaurants of 2 hotels in the neighbourhood). Only a barbecue stall opening on the week end and nothing else (but you can go go on foot to some nices beaches). Besides, the internet wi fi connection of the hotel is working only 20 minutes a day (if you're lucky) and the owner doesn't seem to care of it. If you don't mind all above, this is the right place for you. Otherwise, if you don't want to be slave of your vehicle you had better staying in English Harbour or Runaway Bay.

I am sad and sorry that Inn La Galleria didn't meet your needs well. I was happy to recommend it as our stay there was a good one. I apologise if you feel mislead by my positive posts about the Inn.

I am also surprised to hear of your internet troubles. I'm a computer guy and other than the hiccups in the middle of many multi-megabyte uploads, I didn't have any trouble. I was on the net at various times during the day. Not disputing your difficulties, just surprised after my own experience just a few weeks earlier.

there are bars and restaurants in the three nearby resorts - but not really "nightlife" places. Five Islands is somewhat "quieter" than other areas of the island.
(depending on how you drive) St. John's is about 10 - 15 minutes drive. Jolly Harbour and Sugar Ridge are about 25 minutes away. Darkwood beach is not far beyond that.

I live in a city that is quite sprawling, with substantial separation of residential from commercial, so perhaps having to drive 10 - 15 minutes to get to St. Johns is not a red flag for me. I have to drive at least 15 - 20 minutes to get to most restaurants in my city (other than chain fast food places). Again, I apologise if my report/comments were misrepresentative.

[MILANCHAMP]

Hi James, don't worry and don't apologize: your advices were so useful anyway and didn't mislead me, even because I had booked my staying at La Galleria before reading them. Probably I was particularly unlucky about the internet connections troubles, but can assure that they'd been kept on for the whole holiday and it was very irritating to note that the owner didn't care about it at all. I was forced to go outside the King Casino in St John's, where I could connect very fastly without any troubles.
As I've just said before, La Galleria can meet your needs if you don't mind to be slave of your rental vehicle for everything (apart from some very nice beaches reachable on foot). I like to drive as much as you and it's not a problem to use my car to get to restaurants, but at home! On holiday is quite different, even because it becomes expensive as you pay about 50 $ a day for rental. And I should say that even in St John's there isn't a great night life, as after 7 pm it's so hard to find a restaurant or some pubs open (the only one I've seen is the outdoor pub outside the Kings Casino). I would be curious to hear from you about Jolly Harbour and Dickenson Bay, if you've been there by night.