staying in antigua first
Antigua is a beautiful island with a painful history as are most of the Caribbean islands. But it has recently transformed itself into one of the most popular tourism destinations in the Caribbean. You can come to Antigua on a giant cruise ship, sail to Antigua on a luxury yacht (or just a little one) fly to Antigua on a 747 with 400 other people, or come on a private jet. Antigua has a lot of visitors and they are all made most welcome. There are many locally run events most of the year round, the beaches are lovely, the people are kind and friendly, the food is delicious (especially if you buy home-made local street food) and it’s easy to get round in a day or two. You will love it – all kinds of places to stay from a cheap and cheerful local guest house to a 5* hotel or private villa over-looking the waves.
Antiguans don’t travel to Barbuda as much as we travel to them, so until recently many of them hadn’t been to Barbuda more than once or twice in their lifetime. Since Barbuda Ocean Club opened they have now started to come to Barbuda to work. If you book a tour to Barbuda try and book it direct with a Barbudan guide from this site and you will have made a big difference to the Barbudan economy and will get good local knowledge in return. However, there are a few experienced local businesses on Antigua that know Barbuda well and some of them do boat day tours or charters to us.
It’s sometimes possible to make the local flight connection straight over to Barbuda after arriving at the airport in Antigua – SVG airlines leave for Barbuda around 7am and 4pm, or you can come by helicopter. But if you prefer the ferry you will have to stay at least one night in Antigua, so we recommend that you take time to enjoy our sister island and spend a more relaxing time there before you come to Barbuda.
antiguan guest houses
There are many guest houses in Antigua but we Barbudans have our favourite places for various reasons. Some are good for being close to town for shopping and then the cargo boat, and others are closer to places of interest to meet friends and family. Some are on airbnb, some have pools some don’t, some are on the beach, some have great views…you decide. There is a high season (cool breezes, sunny days, eveything is open, winter everywhere else) and a low season (potential for hurricanes, much hotter weather, people close their businesses and go away) and so the prices are obviously much higher in the high season!
