What to discover in Antigua

Caribbean islands are known for their beautiful white sand beaches, glorious sunshine, rum punch and friendly locals, but each island has it’s own story and Antigua no less than the others. As it was the strategic naval base for Nelson, Antigua offers a unique insight into a part of British history, which can be found in its near original state and therefore gives the lovely Caribbean island the historical edge.

Featuring the original dockyard buildings, the important naval site of Nelson’s Dockyard takes you through history to discover the way of life of the officers posted there and the history of Nelson himself. The museum even shows the bed that he slept in and various other artifacts, including cannons, ship figureheads and old photographs. As you walk around the stone buildings, you can imagine how they used to live, you can even take a bite at the working bakery, take a look around the living quarters and the masthead buildings. There is also the option to grab a drink at one of the bars in one of the converted buildings.

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As with many of the tropical islands, sugar was the main source of GDP for many years and you can visit Antigua’s first major 17th century plantation not far from Pares Village. Tourism has now taken over as the main source of income for the majority of the islands as the price of sugar has fallen too much in the last decades to be profitable. Here you can reflect on lives of the slave workers and those in charge and find out about how the sugar was processed and exported at a time when it was in demand.

Other natural fruits of Antigua can be found on an awe-inspiring trip through Fig Tree Drive, a mixture of colours, species of plants and indigenous creatures roll on by as you breathe in the fresh tropical air. Pass by and snap photos in the lush interior, of banana, mango, breadfruit and coconut trees, where they thrive in abundance.

Antigua boasts that it has 365 beaches (a theme which Dominica continues with its 365 rivers) and the size of the island is only 12 miles across, meaning that wherever you are, you are not too far from the beach. Time at the beach is a must whilst visiting and the experience will normally consist of locals’ invitations to take part in water sports, have a relaxing massage and eat some fish of the day at one of the open-air beach huts.

If you want to have the atmosphere of a Caribbean town, then St. John’s is a pleasure to look around, with it’s lively persona and delicate architecture, you can really get to know the characteristics of its people and background. The impressive St John’s Cathedral an interesting site to look around in the town.

You can find out more about excursions like these by enquiring at Caribbean resorts or the local tourist information.