A premier Caribbean tourist spot

The tiny twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is a popular destination for luxurious beach holidays, as well as being a Caribbean airport hub and a centre for financial services and investment banking. Lying in the Leeward Islands between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Antigua and Barbuda is an independent island state that has kept its constitutional ties with the British Crown since gaining independence from the UK in 1981. From the late 1600s Antigua was used for British sugar and tobacco plantations, and later played an important role as a strategic point for the British naval fleet in the Caribbean, commanded by Lord Nelson from 1784 to 1787. These days Antigua and Barbuda’s coastlines are lined with top-class resorts and second homes for celebrities and mega-rich business people, such as Oprah Winfrey, Eric Clapton and Richard Branson.

Why Go?
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the top Caribbean destinations for blissful beach holidays in luxurious resorts and spa hotels. Laze on the hot sands under the glorious Caribbean sun or wile away the hours with snorkelling, fishing trips, horse riding and day cruises.

When to Go?
Antigua and Barbuda have a superb year-round climate of warm and generally dry weather. Temperatures range from the high 20s to the low 30s for much of the year, although it does tend to drop a few degrees in winter, between December and March. The wet season starts toward the end of September and lasts through November. Hurricane season in this region is between June and November.

How to get there?
Flights to Antigua are available from British Airways and Virgin, departing from London Gatwick Airport. There are no direct flights to Barbuda, the sister island of Antigua, but there are twice-daily shuttle flights from V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU), which is five miles from the Antiguan capital St. Johns. The typical flying time for flights to Antigua from the UK is between 8 and 9 hours.

Must see
The historic Nelson’s Dockyard National Park is the world’s only remaining, fully restored Georgian dockyard. It is the location of the Clarence House mansion, built for the future King William IV when he served as a naval officer under Nelson. Shirley Heights is a series of crumbling hilltop fortifications and gun emplacements that offer superb views of Nelson’s Dockyard and the bay. The museum of Antigua and Barbuda in St. John’s offers air-conditioned relief from the heat outside and has a wide range of exhibits about life on the islands.