Antigua and Barbuda
The next solo trip came in quick succession towards the end of July 2021. I chose Antigua and Barbuda as my destination. A&B has 365 beaches and their tourism slogan reads, “365 beaches, one for each day of the year.”
Why Antigua and Barbuda?
There is a popular evening game show in the USA called “Wheel of Fortune.” As the name suggests, contestants spin a wheel and some of the more fortunate ones get to visit Caribbean countries such as Antigua and Barbuda. I wasn’t a contestant on the show but had watched the show enough times to figure Antigua and Barbuda is a tourist-friendly country to visit. Also, going back to my early childhood, I was a fan of cricket. The country produced a few famous cricket players (Sir Viv Richards, Sir Curtly Ambrose) who went on to play for the West Indies in international cricket. Lastly, I don’t like crowded beaches and in the pandemic, both islands – especially Barbuda – offered pristine pink-sand and white-sand beaches with hardly any crowds. See the video from an isolated beach in Barbuda below if you don’t believe me.
Where did I stay?
Antigua and Barbuda did not have any hostels on Hostelworld, so I ended up choosing a cost effective guesthouse from the approved list of accommodations on the A&B tourism website. During the pandemic, A&B restricted which properties tourists could stay at while in the country. The guesthouse I stayed at was not in the best part of town in St John’s, the capital of A&B. The only positive was that it was situated at a roughly equal walk (~15 minutes each) from the East Bus Terminal and West Bus Terminal in St John’s. Due to the exorbitant taxi fares and lack of ride-share options in A&B, I preferred to take public buses to reach tourist attractions.
What did I do there?
It was only fitting to experience the sand and waters of some of the beaches during my stay. I visited a handful of them, with my favorites being the pink-and-white sand beaches in Barbuda. The island of Antigua also has a nice selection of beaches, but not nearly as pristine as those in Barbuda. I recommend Jolly Harbor Beach in Antigua. One of the most memorable ones – not necessarily my favorite – in Antigua was Siboney Beach Club (free entry to the beach). The reason why this specific beach is famous is it is located very close to a Sandals Resort and also has this iconic red telephone booth on the sand.
I have a thing for panoramic views, so I visited the lookout at Shirley Heights and Nelson’s Dockyard – both were of strategic importance to the English navy during their stay in the country. Shirley Heights required a bit of a walk to reach the top so if you are not shy, hitchhiking may be the way to go once you are in the vicinity of the road leading up to it. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if hitchhiking does not work out; safety comes first. Nelson’s Dockyard was also a bit of a hike to reach from the public transport drop-off point but the views did not disappoint.
Sorry, I am blocking the view a bit in that picture and I am not wearing my facemask (it’s in my left hand)! I did not make the same mistake at Nelson’s Dockyard and got you a complete frame of what I saw. After checking out Nelson’s Dockyard, I hiked back down. I attempted to visit a popular sailor bar in the area called Cloggy’s but it was closed for some reason when I visited. Perhaps, next trip!
In St John’s, I did my first-ever e-bike sightseeing tour. It was a pedal-assist bicycle and that was a lifesaver on the hilly roads of Antigua. On the day I did the e-bike tour, I happened to be the only person signed up so I got proper support and explanations from the tour guides. The e-bike operator charged a separate fee to tourists but they somehow determined I was a local so they gave me a nice discount. I recommend them: eBikes Tour Inc. (not sponsored).
Lastly, for anyone into cricket, I saw the cricket stadium that hosts international matches in A&B. The cricket scene is alive and thriving in Antigua with plenty of young kids playing after school and on the weekends. Sir Viv Richards is a VIP there and from what I heard from locals, he is very approachable.
Where did I eat?
Two places I ate at and would recommend to fellow travelers are The Roti King and Hemingway’s, both located in St John’s town center. It was difficult to find good, cheap eats in Antigua but these two places stood out to me for their nice portions, quality and prices.
Tips for other solo travelers?
One new tip, which may seem a bit hypocritical, is to rent a car. The public transportation was convenient but not super well-connected and not very time-efficient. I missed visiting Half Moon Bay (home to world-renowned beaches) because I didn’t have a car. I managed to visit the Devil’s Bridge, which is another tourist attraction, on the bus going east and caught a glimpse of crescent-shaped Half Moon Bay out in the distance from Devil’s Bridge.
To reach Barbuda from Antigua, there is a ferry service called “Barbuda Express.” The price I paid included a round trip from-and-to Antigua and also included a small group tour of top attractions on the island of Barbuda. I highly recommend this day trip! The tour-guide/driver I had in Barbuda took the group to his fully-equipped hurricane hideout cave in a cliff. In prior years, there have been devastating hurricanes that left their mark on Barbuda and psyche of people who live in Barbuda. He had handmade cups carved out of coconut shells in his cave. A sobering experience, indeed.
All other tips shared in previous posts still apply. I found St John’s to be generally safe, but I still wouldn’t recommend walking alone in the dark in secluded places or places where you are likely to stand out as a tourist.
Would I visit again?
I hope! I still have many other beaches in A&B I could not visit due to not having a full year there. It will be some time before I make it back but I would not mind going back to A&B someday.
A personal fun-fact about Antigua and Barbuda: I paid the most here out of all countries I visited during the pandemic for my mandatory Covid-19 antigen test ($100 USD) needed to return to USA.
See you in the next post. Thank you for reading if you made it to the end!