02 May 2024

 

Antigua

We offer a wide choice of cheap flights to Antigua together with Antigua hotels, tours and self-drive itineraries.

A right royal getaway

It might sound long haul – but Mark Palmer hopped on a plane to prove that Antigua is just perfect for a long weekend

Antigua - A pool view of the exclusive Carlise Bay Antigua - Watch the sun go down at The Indigo Bar Antigua - Famous English Harbour

1 A pool view of the exclusive Carlise Bay 2 Watch the sun go down at The Indigo Bar 3 Famous English Harbour

HOW FAR ARE YOU PREPARED to travel for a long weekend? The only plausible answer is that it entirely depends on what awaits once you get there.

So, how about a romantic island less than eight hours away, with some of the best beaches in the world, where you will be welcomed by people whose sunny expressions mirror the near-perfect weather?

Specifically, how about a hotel on that paradise of an island that warrants a perfect 10 when it comes to style, comfort and the ability to recharge the lowest of batteries? Done deal, surely. Certainly, it's why the Duchess of Cornwall was once squirrelled away in Antigua's Carlisle Bay for four days before accompanying her husband on a royal tour of the Caribbean.

And it's why many more of us should think of doing the same thing – well, staying at Carlisle Bay if not embarking on a royal tour.

A combination of the favourable time difference and obliging flight schedules make it a tempting proposition.

All it requires is three days off work in return for a four-night stay that will redefine your notion of a perfect weekend break.

Catch a flight from Britain on a Friday morning and you'll be on a white sandy beach by late afternoon local time.

No problem man!

That gives you the rest of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and most of Tuesday before you board an overnight flight home that gets you back on Wednesday morning, more or less ready for a full day’s work.

‘May I tell you a bit about Antigua?’ asked our driver, as we left Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport. ‘Please do,’ I said.


And for the next 15 minutes we sat back and received a selective history of the island, with the words ‘no problem’ bolted on to each fact or figure. ‘We are the largest of the Leeward Islands – no problem,’ he said.

‘We have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year – no problem; we have many churches – no problem; you must go to Shirley Heights on Sunday – no problem; if you need me for anything my name is Leroy and here is my number – no problem.’

Believe me, arriving at Carlisle Bay is no problem.

The atmosphere was unhurried

Reception is reached via a little wooden bridge over a pond filled with lilies and from then on, it’s all chic matt finished plantation shutters, white sofas, terracotta floors and orchids galore.

Every room is a suite, all face the sea and all have balconies big enough to house a double day bed, plus a grey rattan table and chairs.

From the outside, the flowerclad buildings blend perfectly with the rain forest behind the hotel.

For those who want it, there’s a gym, spa, flood-lit tennis courts, a 45-seater cinema and a library with free internet access.

The planting is lush, the atmosphere unhurried and the staff ceaselessly cheerful. One morning, we asked if we could be taken by boat to English Harbour and I'm glad we did. It's the only remaining Georgian naval dockyard outside Britain.


Of course, it’s changed a bit from when Nelson was there in 1784. For his part, Nelson hated the mosquitoes that ‘pinched me woefully’.

Such was his irritation that he would start his day by having six pints of salt-water poured over his head and drinking a quart of goat’s milk.

We hardly encountered a single mosquito and stayed well clear of goat’s milk.

As instructed, we went to Shirley Heights to watch the sun go down and drink rum cocktails, while a steel band warmed up the crowd before handing over to a reggae outfit. Charles and Camilla also visited Montserrat – as did we.

But we did so from the vantage point of a helicopter piloted by an American with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the island that was almost completely destroyed following the volcanic eruption in 1995.

Descending into the Zen-like state

By the time Tuesday afternoon came along our spirits were sinking.

So we enjoyed a festive late lunch, safe in the knowledge that we would sleep off any excesses on the flight home.

Which we did, descending into the Zen-like state that prevails at Carlisle Bay – and which makes a long weekend here one of life’s sure-proof investments, no problem.

This article was featured in the February 2010 DialAFlight magazine. All information was correct at time of going to print.

0330·100·2220i 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X
 
Close
Close