In The Loop Travel
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • The Americas
    • Caribbean
    • Mexico
    • Europe
    • Asia/Pacific
    • Africa
  • Fitness
  • Cruising
  • Travel Tips
  • Videos
  • Work With Us
  • My Work
  • About
  • Colorado Craft Brewery Guide
  • Media Kit
  • TBIN Influencer Network

How to Spend Your Day in Gorgeous Antigua

12/24/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
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.

Picture
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.


Picture
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. 

Picture
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.

Picture
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. 

Subscribe today to get the latest reviews, tips and tricks to help you have your best adventure ever.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    July 2019
    May 2019
    May 2018
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    April 2013

    Categories

    All
    Airbnb
    Amadeus Cruises
    AmaWaterways
    American Cruise Lines
    American Queen Steamboat
    Amras Cruises
    Anthem Of The Seas
    Antigua
    Arnhem
    Australis
    Barbados
    Baseball Hall Of Fame
    Belize
    Bronx
    Cancun
    Carnival Corporation
    Carnival Cruise Line
    Carnival Cruise Lines
    Carnival Cruises
    Cartagena
    Celebrity Cruises
    Colombia
    Cooperstown
    Costa Concordia
    Costa Cruises
    Costa Rica
    Cozumel
    Craft Beer
    Croatia
    Cruise Shipping Miami
    Crystal Cruises
    Cunard
    Disney World
    Dominican Republic
    Dublin
    Dubrovnik
    Egypt
    Ellis Island
    England
    Ephesus
    Fathom Cruise
    Fitness
    Galveston
    Germany
    Global Entry Program
    Greece
    Haiti
    Harmony Of The Seas
    Holland America Line
    Honduras
    International Expeditions
    Ireland
    Key West
    Kusadasi
    London
    Lueftner Cruises
    Mexico
    MSC Cruises
    MSC Divina
    Navigator Of The Seas
    Netherlands
    New Jersey
    New-jersey
    New York
    Norfolk
    Norwegian Cruise Line
    Norwegian Epic
    Oceania Cruises
    Olympia
    Orlando
    Pennington
    Pennsylvania
    Princess Cruises
    Princeton
    Puerto Rico
    Quantum Of The Seas
    Regent-seven-seas
    Roatan
    Royal Caribbean
    San Juan
    Scenic Cruises
    Seabourn Cruise Line
    SeaDream Yacht Club
    Sirince
    Statue Of Liberty
    St. Lucia
    St. Maarten
    St. Martin
    St. Thomas
    Theme Cruises
    Tortola
    Travel Tips
    Tsa Precheck
    Turkey
    Un Cruise Adventures
    Viking Cruises
    Viking River Cruises
    Virgin Cruises
    Washington Crossing
    Windstar Cruises
    Yankee Stadium

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2013 | All rights reserved | Ewing, New Jersey.
Contact | About | Media Kit