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Antigua and Barbuda Planning:

The routing of this Caribbean trip was San Juan–>Saint Kitts–>Antigua–> Barbados–>Grenada or SJU–>SKB–>ANU–>BGI–>GND. Antigua and Barbuada are part of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies. I visited Antigua in April 2023.

Capital of Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 is Saint John’s

Flights:

I flew into Antigua from St-Kitts on British Airways by paying 9,250 Avios +1 USD. My Outbound flight form Antigua was by InterCaribbean Airways to Barbados, for which I paid 162$ using Capital One points. Please look into my Barbados trip review to know more.

I have to mention that the Executive lounge in Antigua VC Bird International Airport which could be accessed with Priority Pass has very comfortable seating. I relaxed very well here before take-off to Barbados.

Currency:

Currency of Antigua and Barbuda is East Caribbean Dollar. US Dollar is generally accepted everywhere on the Island. ECD is pegged to US Dollar. 1 USD=2.7 XCD

Accommodations:

I booked an Airbnb for my stay in Paynters, close to Sir Vivian Richards cricket stadium. Basically, my stay in Antigua was quite short, just for one day.

Boots on the Ground:

Day 1:

I visited Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on the day, I was on the Island. West Indies Matches are held here at this stadium. Vivian Richards was a great cricketer, who was the captain of the West Indies team in 1990’s. This stadium is named after him.

Places of Interest on Antigua Island:

This Caribbean Island is quite stunning, with some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. As I was at beaches on 3 other Caribbean Island Nations on this visit, I wanted to do something that I am not getting to do on other islands. So, I decided to check out the Cricket stadium in Antigua.

I compiled a list of best beaches and places for someone wanting to spend couple of days in Antigua, here on the Google Map below. The blue tear drop is Vivian Richards Stadium. The orange tear drops are the places of interest, I would recommend someone visiting the Island, depending on the time you would have. Please click on the tear drops to see what is waiting for you.

• Sting Ray City. (I skipped this because I have done this in Cayman Islands). But it’s a must do, if you have not experienced this earlier, as it lets you have a close encounter with the String Rays, which is very unique in this part of the world.
• The Best beaches in Antigua are Half Moon Bay (east coast) and Dickenson Bay (northwest coast).
• Devils Bridge National Park is a natural limestone arch with lots of blowholes. It is the meeting point between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, so it’s a famous spot in Antigua.
• Betty’s Hope was the largest sugar cane plantation in Antigua before the emancipation of slaves.
• Museum of Antigua and Barbuda is in Downtown Saint Johns. It is quite small, but they cover topics such as the island’s geological origins, colonial history, slavery, archeology, sports, and political independence in 1981.
• Shirley Heights Lookout is where tourists get panoramic vistas in Antigua. Both English and Falmouth Harbors can be glimpsed below from this outlook.

Final Thoughts:

All the above places are highlighted in the google map above. Depending on your time you could plan your vacation, around this gorgeous Island. I personally thought that public transit is not as efficient as in Barbados. Though the roads are not the best, you could plan to rent a car to go from one spot to another easily.