DESTINATION INFORMATION
Antigua & Barbuda comprises three islands; Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda. Low-lying and volcanic in origin, they are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands group in the northeast Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin. Antigua, the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide.
Antigua's coastline curves into a multitude of coves, once volcanic craters, and harbours. There are 365 beaches of fine white sand, fringed with palms. There is little or no current in most places and the water is warm and clear, it's possible to snorkel at many of the beaches. The island's highest point is Boggy Peak (402m) and its capital is St John's.
Barbuda lies 40 kms north of Antigua and is a flat coral island with an area of only 68 square miles, lies approximately 30 miles due north. It is an unspoiled natural haven for wild deer and exotic birds with an 8 km long beach reputed to be amongst the most beautiful in the world. The island's village capital, Codrington, was named after the Gloucestershire family that once leased Barbuda from the British Crown. The coastal waters are rich with all types of crustacean and tropical fish.
Redonda is little more than an uninhabited rocky islet lying 40km southwest of Antigua. Antigua is a sailor's paradise and you can join in the fun circumnavigating the island on a catamaran. Here you'll pass tiny fishing villages and countless pristine sandy beaches.
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BEST TIMES FOR TOURING |
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Hockey [All year] |
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Netball [All year] |
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Cricket [All year] |
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Rugby [All year] |
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Football [All year] |
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Golf [All year] |
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TRAVEL
Apart from inclusive tour charters, the two main non stop airlines are British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. The choice of carrier depends on the deal. Both of these airlines offer us a good choice of flights to other Caribbean islands.
Details of their schedules are:
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British Airways ~ Direct from London Gatwick, five times weekly, departing on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
- Virgin Atlantic ~ Direct from London Gatwick, three times weekly, departing on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
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Other european airlines offer services via their own European gateway.
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FIXTURES
Antigua is a small island and its population reflects the standard and the quality of the fixtures we arrange. The only two sports we can really recommend, where you will get sufficient quality opposition, are cricket and netball. Like all of the Caribbean, cricket is King although the advance of the American universities with their sports scholarships for basketball is having an impact.
Netball is the principal ladies game and is played throughout all the age ranges. It can happen that when organising netball fixtures that give you the correct level of opposition, you will play against a range of ages, some of which may be older than you.
'Shipwreck' is our man on the Island. He has looked after our tours for many years, and has done a very good job. West Indians have a habit of giving people nicknames. His real name is Stanfield Joseph, and he has always looked after our customers particularly well when they have been on his island.
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FIXTURE SUITABILITY |
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Clubs |
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Schools [Prep and Senior] |
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Universities |
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ACCOMMODATION
As tourism is an integral part of the future of the Caribbean, accommodation is available at all levels. Suitable places to stay are self-catering apartments offering very good accommodation at value for money prices, while giving you freedom. Alternatively, we offer hotels up to five-star standard, but billeting is not available.
One of the difficulties with the smaller islands is to find a sufficient variety of restaurants at a reasonable enough price to keep the students well fed, and in a safe and secure environment making it easier for them to be monitored. This is one of the prime reasons we prefer to use Jolly Beach Resort, which is an all-inclusive resort, which means that all food and refreshments are included, therefore you are not required to pay extra for anything.
Surrounded by lush gardens, there is a large pool, and water activities are available on the beach. Other activities include water polo in the pool, volleyball, darts and table tennis. All rooms provide air conditioning, hairdryer, TV, telephone and private shower or bathroom.
Dining options include:
- Hempispheres ~ Buffet restaurant for breakfast and dinner
- Coconut Grill ~ Poolside, offering snacks and light meals
- Lydia's ~ Offering traditional Caribbean cuisine
- Bocciolo ~ Serving authentic Italian dishes in air-conditioned comfort
- Utsav ~ Authentic Indian restaurant
To ensure no child is tempted to imbibe alcoholic beverages, we recommend to the hotel that they give children a particular colour arm band which allows them only soft drinks. If a tour manager wants to arrange otherwise, it can be done but it is extremely important that control is exercised at all times.
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WHAT TO DO
- Nelson's Dockyard ~ Located in English Harbour, the old dockyard has been restored to look much like it did when Nelson was based here in the mid-1780's.
- Antigua & Barbuda Museum ~ Situated in St John's Courthouse, the museum tells the story of Antigua from its geological birth to political independence.
- Island Safari ~ 4x4 vehicles will take you to parts of the island otherwise inaccessible.
- Pirate's of Antigua ~ A new adventure trip on The Black Swan schooner offers day-long trips with Antiguan music, "Pirate Grog" and lunch, with stops for swimming, suitable for all ages.
- Catamaran Trip ~ Organised by Treasure Island Cruises.
- Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour ~ Rainforest tour, with part of the trip using zip wires to get from one place to the other, and concludes with a controlled 60ft parachute jump!
- Great Bird Island ~ Take the glass-bottom boat from Dickenson Bay.
- St John's Cathedral ~ Originally built in 1683, replaced by a stone building in 1745, then re-built in 1845 after having been destroyed by an earthquake.
- Shirley Heights ~ Venue for the Sunday evening 'Jump Up' ~ the weekly music, dancing and BBQ event.
- Cricket Stadium ~ A brand new major cricketing venue is currently being built for the ICC World Cup in 2007, and will be named The Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, named after one of the island's most famous cricket stars.
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