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