Antigua Beachcomber Hotel

... clear blue/green water while their neighbour had cloudy water with no visibility. Some offered loads of local produce but little else, while others grew nothing but shipped in pork pies from England (not enough of these islands for Adrian) and Grape Nuts cereal from the US (that's for Dana). And the comparisons go on as did our constant adjustments as we island hopped from one to another; some part of the same chain, while others were separate countries.  Just as we got used to ...

Sunday 05/04/09 St Johns - Antigua Temps Air 28°C Sea 27°C Our berth once again is ideally placed being right alongside the city's main waterfront, straight off the ship to the many bars & cafes. Although it's Sunday the place is already humming as already berthed is the Holland-America Lines ship Maarsdam, and 15 minutes after our arrival the Fred Olsen Lines Booddica arrived and there's another due in later in the day We'd ...

... island's history from prehistoric times to the present time. It was quite impressive, interesting and well done. A short, guided tour of the ruins was taken afterwards where we enjoyed panoramic views from the observation deck.

Thereafter, we continued on to another Lookout point on the island for a picture perfect view of Nelson's Dockyard below plus various secluded coves. At that exact moment, what a wonderful feeling I had. The entire ...

... hoping to make a few dollars off of us tourists. Later in the day, we took a tour of the island and saw two gorgeous beaches: Dickinson and Runaway. Antigua is the larger island of the two island nation of Antigua and ...

... We stayed at the old swim up pool bar and met Marcia for her specialty - so far our favorite and then joined a game of water volleyball at 11:30 - we won both games - amazingly enough the other team didn't find the weakest link (me) consistently enough. We ate lunch at bayside and then stayed in the courtyard at for a putting contest at 1:30 - this was very laughable - empty tennis cans taped on the tile floor - sheer luck. An ...

... events held on the island. Now, let's move from the south end of the island toward the east, to Indian Town, another of Antigua's fabulous national parks! I t is here at Indian Town that you will discover a sight that will leave even the most seasoned traveler awestruck. Devils Bridge is definitely an Antigua "must see". In fact, I have been to Antigua many times, and have never left the island without a Devils Bridge visit. It is an amazing testament to the power of nature ...

... and a one hour delay. You should have seen our accommodation in Antigua, I am moving there, it was absolutely beautiful. The only problem with this place is that it has been burdened down with bureaucracy.

... the water, other times it was on the ******** Friday morning we were raising the genoa when it caught partway up and two of the Profurl sections separated. We tried to lower it but it was stuck! Great...and of course the wind began to pick up. We did our best to secure the sail and discussed our options. Al got out the Topclimber (bosun's chair) which of course we had never test rigged on Free Spirit. It took us a while to get it rigged correctly and then we had the challenge of ...

... at the Big Banana, and headed back to catch the bus. I should note that clearly Valentine's Day is a big event here. From street vendors to shop windows...everywhere we looked things were decorated red and white ...clothes hanging, baskets made up with teddy bears and candy, huge artificial flower arrangements...more like Christmas decorations at home). When we returned to Jolly Harbour I went to the large new (since my 2004 visit) Epicurean supermarket to pick up a few ...

... offered just a plate of fruit salad and some cheese, and we are all very angry. The leader gets nervous and tries to calm us down and the chef from the kitchen tells us that this is what they eat in this exotic island for lunch, so we should not be demanding. I then go straight to the people of the group and tell them to deny eating this ...