Beaches
Antigua is often said to have a beach for every day of the year. These are the ones we know well enough to write about, with the homes closest to each.
BeachEditor's PickHalf Moon Bay
East Coast
A near-perfect crescent of white sand on the Atlantic side, backed by low scrub and almost always empty. The swell breaks along the open end of the curve and dies away towards the sheltered corner, so the same beach gives you surf or flat water depending on where you put your towel.
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BeachDarkwood Beach
West Coast
A long, shallow strip on the Caribbean coast where the road runs close enough that you can stop, walk down and be in the water in a minute. Calm most days, and the view west means it holds the light until the sun goes down.
BeachDickenson Bay
The island's busiest beach, and the one with everything on it: flat water, sun loungers, boat trips and somewhere to eat without leaving the sand. If you want a beach that is set up rather than empty, this is it.
BeachFfryes Beach
West Coast
A wide, open bay in Saint Mary with pale sand and a headland at each end. It sits between Darkwood and Valley Church on the same coastal road, which makes it easy to see all three in an afternoon.
BeachGalleon Beach
English Harbour
Across the water from the dockyard, on the far side of English Harbour, with the ridge of Shirley Heights standing over it. Sheltered, easy to swim, and the only beach on the island where the view is a working yacht harbour.
BeachLong Bay
East Coast
On the east coast at Willikies, where a reef lies close enough offshore to take the Atlantic swell before it reaches the sand. That reef is what makes it one of the calmest beaches on this side of the island, and the best of them for snorkelling.
BeachTurner's Beach
West Coast
The southern end of the west-coast run, closed off by a rocky point that keeps the water clear and makes the snorkelling worthwhile. On a clear day Montserrat sits on the horizon.
BeachValley Church Beach
West Coast
The most sheltered of the western bays, tucked behind a headland so the water stays shallow and still a long way out. The pale sand and the reef further offshore give it the flat turquoise you see from the plane on the way in.