Antigua and Barbuda Favorites

  Snow on the Mountain
by grandmaR
 
  • Snow on the Mountain
      Snow on the Mountain
    by grandmaR
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
      Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic...
    by grandmaR
  • More Snow on the Mountain
      More Snow on the Mountain
    by grandmaR
  • Main street
      Main street
    by grandmaR
  • ST. BARNABAS ANGLICAN CHURCH
      ST. BARNABAS ANGLICAN CHURCH
    by grandmaR
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Cruise stop

by Dabs

One of the best places for information on what to do in various ports is Cruise Critic. The Cruise Critic Antigua forum board was very useful in planning shore excursions, whether the ones offered by the ship or independent, and there is also Antigua port information with hints on where to go, what to do, where the ships dock, where to eat and how to get around.To find out how many other cruise ships will be in town along with you, check Cruisett.com. The more ships in town, the more competition for independent guides and tours and the more crowded the main attractions will be.The ships dock at Heritage Quay in St. John's, the island's capital. You can find shopping, restaurants, bank machines and local transportation within a few blocks of the Quay.

Money matters

by Dabs

Antigua uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar but most vendors will take US dollars. We didn't have any need to use a credit card or ATM but you should be able to use your credit card or ATM card with no problem. Cruise Critic says that ATMs are available across from Heritage Quay.I always like to bring small bills with me when we go to the Caribbean, that way you can hand the taxi drivers exact change, have money for tips for guides or buy things at the market without having to get change. If you are coming in by cruise ship, the passenger services desk can break larger bills for you.

Mail Your Purchases

by grandmaR

At Nelson's Dockyard as you walk in, there are some gift shops and boutiques in which to shop for souvenirs as well as some stylish items of clothing. In addition there are also banking facilities, and a bakery. The gift shop next to the museum in the Naval Officer's House is one of the best in Antigua (although I didn't buy anything there. It carries old maps, plans and charts of Antigua as well as a quantity of local handicrafts. There also was a post office which, when I saw it, I took these photos. You could mail your souvenirs home to yourself. I liked the red metal post box.

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Green Stones

by grandmaR

When I took the picture of the church "of the parish of St. Paul with St. Barnabas, on the island of Antigua, in the Anglican Diocese of North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba - Province of the West Indies", I didn't know that it is one of the most photographed churches in Antigua or that it was the oldest church on Antigua at over 250 years old. I had to do a good bit of searching of photos on the internet before I even found the name of the church in my photo. Confirmation of the church identity is photo 3. One source says that the bricks that were used to build this church were brought from England on HMS Royal Navy Ships but I'm pretty sure that the green stone originated on the island. This church is still in use to this day.The book "The Birth of the Village of Liberta, Antigua" saysAs you enter Liberta from the north on the main road that runs through the village is Barnabas Hill.......

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Money

by Airpunk

The official Currency in Antigua and Barbuda is the East Caribbean Dollar, which is also the official currency of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the british overseas territories of Anguilla and Montserrat. It is the successor of the British West Indies Dollar, which it replaced between 1965 and 1983. Since 1976, it is pegged to the US$ at a rate of 1:2,70.East Caribbean Dollars are quite hard to get outside of the Caribbean and it is recommended to pre-order them at the bank. Even at places where you would expect to get this currency (Heathrow Airport), it is hard to find some EC$ notes.The US$ is widely accepted too, especially at places frequently visited by tourists. Although pegged, it is possible that the US$ is accepted at a less favourable rate. If a price is not clearly marked as “US” or “EC”, ask before you buy or it may get...

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Tourist information office

by Airpunk

The tourist information office is not a really well-kept place in Antigua – more a well-kept secret. It was in a cottage in Heritage Quay, now it is hidden in the 1st floor of a small shopping center called “Vendor’s Mall”. You’ll find that at the eastern end of heritage quay. Staff is very friendly and will do the best to answer the questions you have around your stay in Antigua. The office is open during usual opening times, which means it is closed in Sundays and opens somewhen around 9:00 a.m.Their homepage will answer many FAQs, but keep in mind that also this page is focused on cruise ship tourists and wealthier people. A good example is found among the 25 tips when travelling to Antigua and Barbuda:13. Best shopping deals are found at Heritage and Redcliffe Quays“Best” is a good description for “Most expensive” in this case, as these places are among the most touristy ones on the...

Free Map

by Airpunk

There are several maps for Antigua and Barbuda, many of them are available for free. The most common one is a pocket map from Skyview (in 2008 it had a canopy tour advertising on the front page). The map is good to get an overview of the island and is sufficient for walks around St. John’s. However, hiking with that map is like trying to sail around Britain with a road atlas. Roads are sometimes not where they are supposed to be and distances may be shorter or larger than they appear on the map. But the worst error on the map is the scale of Barbuda. They just forgot the zeros – for the miles as well as for the kilometers. That made me believe that Barbuda had a size of around 5 square kilometers – which proved to be an error….Free maps (Skyview and others) are available almost everywhere where tourists are found: Airport, shops, hotels etc.

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Before departure: Planning your trip via internet

by Airpunk

If you do not want to rely completely on the advice given you by a travel agency (which is the most expensive option), a lot of research is necessary. Internet research is the obvious method, but is focused on high-fare tourists. But what is even worse is the reliability of antiguan websites and e-mail adresses. Many pages weren’t updated for a long time and e-mail adresses do not work. On the other hand, phone calls may just rocket up your bill without bringing you closer to the information you wanted. Nevertheless, I still opt for the internet, but beware that a lot of patience is needed until you get the information you need.The websites below are a good point to start the search through Antigua’s tourist information websites. The museum site is the best when it comes to get facts about all the sites on the island. I was forced to book a new hotel for a date in the beginning of the...

Supermarkets

by Airpunk

In Antigua, you won’t find a supermarket chain like Wal-Mart or Tesco. All supermarkets I saw had a somewhat archaic interior and surely most of them were family-owned. It’s the kind of shop you’ll also find in the more rural regions of South America. As there are no chains, every supermarket is different, with some even offering warm meals inside. Also, some round up or down to the next 10 (or 25) cents, elminiating the smaller coins. One some, you have to leave your bag at the front desk or cashier, no matter how small it is. Anyway, going shopping in one of these supermarkets is something many tourists miss. But it’s another simple way to get in touch with everyday culture. In St. John’s you’ll find many supermarkets, a couple fo them are located around the market hall. Perhaps the best known and one of the largest is Miami Supermarket (for some reasons, called in the spanish manner...

Day-tour by taxi

by Airpunk

A day-tour by taxi is a popular way to explore the island and a good choice, if you are arriving on a cruise ship with only little time to see the island. That and the fact that it is a very important income source for the locals are the reasons why I don’t have this tip under tourist traps. However, it is also one of the most expensive ways to get around in Antigua: Most-basic day-tours start from 70 US$, haggling down your driver is possible, but may result in a more “limited” version. Extensive day-tours with more stops may go up to 300 US$.If you are on the island for more than a single day, rental cars may be a good alternative. I prefer to explore the island via public transport. How to do that? Check out my tip about the bus system in Antigua.

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Need to provision a Sail boat in couple of weeks. We are chartering out of Jolly H. Where are the best prices for staples such as... 

te81611 profile photo

A: thanks for your help but we are the crew..there are plenty of provisioning services there but the whole idea is to do it your self and safe$ We always do our own stuff... 

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