Antigua
1 PIGEON POINT BEACH & ENGLISH HARBOUR About 13 miles south of Antigua’s capital city and the cruise ship docks in Antigua, Pigeon Point Beach has calm, shallow waters that are a favorite for snorkeling among colorful tropical fish against the backdrop of a crescent of golden sand. Set up under the shade of one of the many palm trees or stands of sea grape trees lining the shore and spend your time bathing in the warm, tranquil waters. At Catherine’s Cafe, fronting the sea on the same beach, you can enjoy a relaxed French-style lunch (perhaps a charcuterie board or a fruits de mer platter). Just a five-minute drive east from Pigeon Point Beach, some of Antigua’s most storied history awaits at English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates to 1725 and once housed Royal Navy warships. Today, English Harbour is home to the world’s last working Georgian- era naval dockyard. It’s a pleasure to ogle the sailing yachts docked here while strolling past restored historical buildings or setting off on a heritage tour of the area with a local guide.
2 LONG BAY BEACH & BETTY’S HOPE SUGAR PLANTATION Travel about 15 miles across the island from Antigua to reach Long Bay Beach, located on Antigua’s east coast in the small settlement of Willikies. Here, you’ll encounter another heavenly strand made for kicking back and relaxing, with powdery white sands lapped by gin-clear waters. On the island’s Atlantic side, the waters at Long Bay Beach can sometimes be rougher than elsewhere on Antigua. But when it’s calm enough for a swim, you’ll
want snorkel gear in tow, too, as eagle rays and all manner of reef fish can often be seen patrolling the shallowing waters. On your way back to Antigua along the road from Long Bay Beach, make time to stop at Betty’s Hope, a historic sugar plantation that dates to 1651 and was one of the first on Antigua. You can see two of the more than 100 sugar mill towers that dot Antigua here. In the onsite interpretive center, learn more about the hardships endured by the people brought here from Africa as slaves who later worked on the plantations as laborers, following their emancipation in 1834.
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