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.

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


