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How to Spend Your Day in Gorgeous Antigua

12/24/2013

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By John Roberts 
Water, water, everywhere. Our second trip to Antigua, brought us to the port in St. John's, the capital city, on the cruise ship Celebrity Summit. In April, we took a cruise out of Baltimore on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas that included a stop to this spectacular West Indies island. Guess what we did again this time? Yep, a snorkel and beach trip aboard a catamaran.

The morning outing was followed by a stroll uptown. We were on the hunt for a spot away from the touristy port area, a place where we might enjoy a couple beers among the locals. After navigating a few bustling streets -- just past workers braving the hot sun and humidity renovating a retail building, school girls in uniform window shopping on their way home after a day of classes, Antiguans just going about their lives -- I spied a restaurant's chalkboard sign at street level promising three Carib beers for $10. Up we went to the outdoor porch that overlooks the street activity below, high enough to glimpse the cruise ships in the distance.

We easily stood out as tourists, what with our pale complexions, backpacks and eager beer-thirsty looks on our faces. But we just as easily welcomed by friendly smiles by staffers and customers downing their lunches -- heaping plates of delicious looking meats and rice. And the bonus: The beers worked out to be about $1 each. Turns out the board listed the deal in Antiguan dollars.

Great deals on tasty beers are available if you just put in a little effort looking for them. Here are a few other reasons to spend time in Antigua.

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Reefs galore. The waters surrounding the island are filled with a large system of reefs. We have been snorkeling in the area twice. What we've found that distinguishes Antigua snorkeling from most other sites we've tried in the Caribbean and West Indies is that the waters here have fairly strong currents and the reef areas where it's safest to snorkel tends to be in deeper waters offshore. Therefore, you should wear a life vest or be an experienced snorkeler to be most comfortable in these waters. Also, use flippers. You'll swim out against a current but be rewarded with a nice easy drift on your way back. 

Boone Reef, where we went this time, is protected as a recreation site by the country's national parks service.


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The beaches kick ass? We heard a few cruisers arrive back from the day in port with stories about how they had just been to the best beach they had ever seen. We also had a great time during our beach stops. Smooth, sandy bottoms drop off very quickly from shore, but the waters are so warm and salty, you feel like you could just float around forever. All beaches are public, and you'll find vendors selling local wares, bars, eateries and plenty of sea glass to add to your collection. 

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Shop around. We grabbed a couple pieces of homemade jewelry on this trip, but we wished we had more room in our luggage for some of the unique paintings we saw. Pretty swimsuit coverups and wood carvings also caught our eyes. And I was tempted to snag a steel drum when I kept hearing how awesome Christmas songs sounded as the musicians played them all day. It was very hard to remember that the holiday was just a couple weeks away as we enjoyed the mid-80s temps.

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A flavor to savor. A shot of Cavalier Antigua Gold Rum warmed me right up after an hour snorkeling. The nice spices also add just the right flavor to a rum and coke. It's got a nice sweet kick, distilled to 43 percent from fermented molasses. 

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Our Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas

4/13/2013

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What a way to kick off my reunion with the wife and set up the next phase of my life: a 12-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

Seven months apart while she settled in to her new job and while I said my drawn-out bye to my newspaper career was difficult but no doubt the right choice for our goals.

Now that we have endured, we are fully under way in our lifestyle that will involve plenty of travel and other adventures.

I plan to document most of it here. You’re always welcome along as a way to keep in touch.

After a wonderful sendoff in Norfolk, I drove to Baltimore to meet with Colleen who Amtrakked down from Jersey. We consolidated our travel items over the weekend, caught up after a three-week period apart and got on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas on April 1, a Monday. After a bit of car trouble and a bout with the flu in Norfolk during my final two weeks there, I was ready for a relaxing warm-weather destination. 

Bonus: Cuse made the Final Four, and we get to watch the Orange during the big event while onboard.

After three days sailing south, we would begin a run of six ports in six days.

First stop: Labadee, Haiti
The water was a little cloudy and the fish small, but the island provided a great chance to knock off some snorkeling rust after the long winter.

We hit six ports in six days. The itinerary kept us busy, but afternoon naps helped keep us refreshed. Add this to the growing list of signs that I realize I’m getting older: I really need a daily nap.
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Port 2: San Juan, Puerto Rico
This big old city offered a great chance to get out and about for some exploring, as we had no firm plans for the day while we waited for former Utica Observer-Dispatch colleague Aaron Christiana to get off work from his shift at his new job, editing a paper here. We had not seen Aaron for more than 11 years, so this port of call was very fortuitous. While we waited, we explored the city, enjoyed some local beers and toured a castle. However, our time with Aaron and his son Isaiah – already 12, wow! – was far too brief. We were able to grab a quick snack and some more beers. We will be back in November for a longer stay, so we’ll have another chance soon to fully catch up.

The Christopher Columbus Statue.
Old San Juan Food Court.
The Castillo de San Cristóbal.
Just like the good ole O-D days.
Port 3: St. Thomas
This is the lone port where we had previously visited. This time, we ventured to a new (to us) beach (Sapphire Beach) and got in some more snorkeling. This was much better, with tons of fish. Vacation was fully under way, now. I know this because I completely forgot what day it was and let slip from my mind that Syracuse was playing in the Final Four that evening.

Oh, that. Yeah, we had a good time watching both games poolside on the big screen, and I wasn’t even that perturbed at how the refs mucked up the end of the loss to Michigan. 

Port 4: St. Maarten/St. Martin
We blasted through both the Dutch and French sides of this island on a speed boat excursion that I forever will dub “The Spine Tingler.” Let’s just say the pace of the ride back to port after the snorkeling excursion was one helluva ride! What a fun day. We hit three snorkeling spots, had a great lunch and all the beers we could want. Saw hawksbill turtles, starfish and loads of other fish, including some extremely hungry and friendly little buggers that took a liking to a swimming CMac (see video). The island is great and now on the list of definite must-come-back-agains.

Port 5: Antigua
Snorkeling! Notice a theme? CMac loves her water time. Another great day, this time on a catamaran – with a canopy. Phew. My back needed a break from the bouncing and our skin a break from all the sun. Learned about a lot of the ecology of the island, swam out to Hell’s Gate for a hike up and over that bridge, surveyed a huge reef, visited a few beaches, had lunch and rum punch. What else could ya want?

Much better ride a day after the speed boat.
Hell's Gate
A quick hike.
Saw these cuties waiting for their mom outside a shop.
Port 6: Tortola
This marks six days in a row of waking up in a new port, and after so much sun and water, we decided to take it easy in Tortola. CMac’s skin was a little burned and itchy in spots, and my bald dome also needed a break. A leisurely stroll around the town for some shopping netted a nice swimsuit cover-up for Colls. We also grabbed a few postcards and were set for the three days at sea for the return to Baltimore.

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After a stroll through town, we found a view of the ship from the far side of the port.
Heading home
More trivia: We won quite a haul of prizes, some not too bad either, winning competitions focusing on topics ranging from 70s music to bar drinks to sports to a “Millionaire” style event.

Beer: Cozied up to the bar and met a whole lotta folks from all over the world and scored some free drinks from our super-cool bartenders, too.

Hit the gym daily: Had to earn the daily meals and desserts, ya know.

Nap time: See above. These daily snoozes are glorious, I tell ya.

Thanks for reading. Stay in touch. Next dispatches will be from our life together in Pennington.
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