A Mind Trip to Antigua!

Here's the deal.  Last night I decided that I wanted to take a virtual trip this week and I left it up to my followers on Facebook to suggest locations.  There were a number of very good suggestions.  However, Tricia Mixson was first to respond with Antigua and since I have had questions about Antigua in the past anyway, I thought it would be the perfect place to start with.  So, after just a little bit of research, I have put the following trip together. Now, you must keep in mind that since this is a virtual trip we aren't paying for it. With that in mind, we aren't going to settle for anything but the best.  MONEY IS NO OBJECT!  I LOVE saying that!

So, we're flying from DFW to Antigua with a short stop in Charlotte via US Air and will be on the island by 3:30 in the afternoon.  We'll be staying at the all inclusive Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa in a Caribbean Beachfront Grande Luxe Club Level Room.  I looked at the Butler Level Suites, but I didn't want to get spoiled during this mind trip we're on so I decided to just stick with the beachfront club level room. Sandals includes roundtrip airport transfers.  So, we're saving like $25 on that so why not splurge?  Right?

If we were paying for this trip, our total price for the 7 night package including All In One Travel Protection would be $6792.  But lucky for us, we're just taking a cheap little mind trip and that doesn't cost a penny!

Caribbean Beach

Depending on which type of room you choose you could be on one of two beaches.  We've chosen a Caribbean Beachfront room which means we are in one of those rooms in the photo above that actually looks out onto Caribbean Beach.  Nice, huh?  Honestly, you could probably stick me in a broom closet in this resort and I wouldn't complain too much.  What's to complain about?  I just want to lay on one of those chairs in that pool and have this smiling young man wade up to me bringing more champagne all day long.  As long as I can get one of these pool chairs, I don't care what kind of room I'm in.

Hey!  How did I get in that picture?  Oh wait, that's just a girl who LOOKS a lot like me.... ;-)

Who could resist a nice moonlit dinner with ships passing by in the background?  Not me!  At Sandals, premium drinks are included in the price and you have a mini bar in your room which is refilled regularly.  There are a couple of pools, the big one above and this smaller pool below which is located close to Caribbean beach where we'll be staying. Although I could spend all week just laying around this hotel, I think we're going to need to get out and explore the island. So, lets rent some scooters and take a drive!

At Cheke's Rentals, we can get scooters by the day or week.  They are $400 each for the week or we can just get them by the day for $65.  If we choose to keep them for 2 days or more, the price is $60 per day. We're probably going to need scooters for at least 2 days.  So, I'm thinking we'll take a taxi over to Cheke's on Monday and pick them up for 2 days.  The island is only about 54 miles around so we ought to be able to see most of it in a couple of days.

Our hotel is located at St. John's and we are picking up our scooters at Falmouth in English Harbor which is on the south side of the island.  So we'll start off by exploring Nelson's Dockyard.  It was named for Admiral Horatio Nelson who actually lived there in the 1780's. Since Antigua is a big sailing destination for the rich and famous, this is a great place to go and see some amazing yachts and sailboats.  There is also a museum in the dockyard as well as various shops and restaurants.  There's even a wine bar.... They had me at wine.

English Harbor including Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights

English Harbor is a deep water harbor and is well protected making it a safe harbor during storms.  Just around the corner from Nelson's Dockyard is the Pillars of Hercules.  We can get there on foot from the dockyard.  Just off shore is a great place for diving but not so great for snorkeling since the water is about 30 feet deep.  But the currents are strong here.  So you'll want to be careful.

Pillars of Hercules

After leaving the English Harbor area, we'll make our way up the coast to Devil's Bridge for a photo opportunity.  This is an area where the water has eroded the rock creating a natural bridge.  If you wait around for 30 minutes or so, you are sure to get a shot where the water is spraying up on you as you stand on the bridge.

Devil's Bridge

There is much more to see and do in Antigua and it can't all be done in a day so I'll finish telling you about it tomorrow.  I hope this little trip to Antigua is helping you to warm up on this miserably cold day.  The heater repairman is on his way to my house right now.  So, I'll talk to you tomorrow!