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The Barbuda Express is the way to go when travelling between ST. John and Barbuda. The 90 minute ferry ride leaves from St. John five days a week. Ferry schedule can depend on weather conditions so check ahead of time before travelling.
Taxi's are plentiful especially in the downtown area. Even if you don't need one; you'll be asked 100 times if you need a Taxi. Make sure to negotiate the price ahead of time before heading off to your destination.
St. John's, Antigua is a very popular cruise port in the Caribbean. My wife I took a 12 night Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette and St. John's was one of our cruise ports.I know many people look down on "cruising" but I enjoy it. It's a way to relax on the sea days and get a taste of each island you visit. Many time we have visited an island in port and have decided to return for a full vacation due to what we experienced. The ship we sailed on was brand new; it first set sail in July 2011. It was spectacular both inside and out. We had an Aft balcony and loved the views we had especially at sea.
We soon discovered that all the locals know exactly when & which cruise ships are arriving. Therefore it is relatively easy to find a local 'taxi driver' who will show you the highlights of his island for a very moderate sum as they turn up in droves at the port to welcome the ships! Sometimes you have to wait a while until they have filled their mini-bus making it more lucrative for them, but if you are fortunate enough, you will get the guide all to yourselves, as we did! In Antigua, we were soon approached by Sean John - a local minister & family man with his own taxi! He was a lovely friendly man & kept us well informed throughout our trip. He knew the island inside out & took us on a whistle-stop tour cramming in as much of the island in 1 day as is possible! He knew we wanted to spend some time on a nice beach & left us at his recommended choice of beach relaxing while he went off...
I would avoid renting a scooter or motor bike. The roads on Antigua are very poor, to say they are littered with potholes is an understatement they are more like craters.If you hit one of these on a scooter of motor bike you are going to have an accident, in a car it will probably only result in a puncture.Also be very wary about visiting remote beaches, there has been a big increase in crime on Antigua and recently a girl from a cruise ship was murdered on a remote beach, so be warned.
A lot of tourists come to Antigua for the day by cruise shipIn 2010, our ship (Celebrity Mercury) backed in to the dock. Next to us - bow in- was Ocean Village, and on the next pier over was NCL Gem. The photos taken from the helicopter show all three of them. In 2007 when we came on the NCL Pearl, there were three other ships in port with us. One was the Astoria.According to BBC News, "Antigua and Barbuda is one of the Caribbean's most prosperous nations, thanks to its tourism industry and offshore financial services." Local vendors complain that different cruise ships bring different passengers and different types of spenders. Some days the beach can be full and only a hand full of sales are made. Other days there can be just 50 persons and you make more on that day than the rest of the week.
We took a taxi from the cruise ship dock to the heliport, but it was part of the excursion. On our first visit in 2007, we saw a list of approved fares for taxi tours and there was also an hourly rate. There were folks hanging around the cruise ship dock waiting to take people on tours. Taxi license plates are yellow with black letters (photos 3, & 5)A tour to Nelson's Dockyard was $72.00 (US) or $18/person.Hourly rates for not less than 2 hours are $24.00 U.S./hourEach additional person over 4 people is – 25% of full fare or U.S. $6.00Waiting time $5.00 U.S. per ½ hourN.B. Baggage 1 – 4 pieces free - $2.50 E.C. each additional pieceYou can also book a tour like we did from the cruise ship (photo 4) with a tour operator such as:Scenic Tours AntiguaTours and TransportationP.O.Box W1639, St. John'sPhone: 1 (268) 764 3060/720 4020Email: tours@scenictoursantigua.comWebsite:...
There is some local bus service; schedules and routes can be obtained through the hotels. You can rent a scooter at the cruise ship docks (photo 5).You can also rent a car which will cost about US$40-50 per day. A permit to drive in Antigua is required. The rental agency can assist you in getting this temporary license, which costs approximately US$20 and is valid for three months. Don't forget that driving here is on the left side of the road! Rental car license plates are white with red letters.Here is a listing of rental agencies:Budget Rent A CarTel: 268-462-3009Tel: 268-462-6702Capital Car Rentals and ToursTel: 268- 462-0863/461-2165Carters Rent A CarVC. Bird Int AirportTel: 268-463-0675Dions Rent A Car & Taxi ServiceVC Bird Int Airport CoolidgeTel: 268-462-3466/461-3267Dollar Rent A CarTel: 268-462-0362Tel: (268)-0123/460-7699VC. Bird Int Airport Tel: (268) 462-8802Hertz Rent A...
If you are not doing a cruise trip or are on your own boat, the obvious choice to get to Antigua is the aircraft. VC Bird International Airport, named after the country's first president, is one of the larger airports in the east Caribbean. Unfortunately, it is only large in terms of traffic - the buildings are rather small and not fitted out for the number of passengers it handles. So, the airport building is often overcrowded and especially in the departure lounge it is quite difficult to find seats at certain times. With this comes a long queue for security area - please plan some extra time as you might still stand in this queue while your flight is departing...Antigua has flights to many airports in the USA. Air Canada connects Antigua with Toronto while British Airways, bmi and Virgin Atlantic have the only scheduled services to Europe (London and Manchester). Beside that ,...
Taxis are associated with day-tours around the island in Antigua. But of course, there are also taxis driving you from one point of the island to another. These are the same vehicles, so it may be harder for you to find a taxi when one of the cruise ships is arriving and all taxis are tyring to get some of the lucrative day-tourists. But it is not impossible, as on other islands like Guadeloupe, for example. A taxi drive from St. John’s to the airport takes you around 9 US$ or 30 EC$. Higher fares are expected for longer routes or at night.
Rex Halycon Cove Saint John's
1 Review and 0 Opinions We hav stopped at the Rex Halcyon Cove for the our last 2 trips to Antigua. On our first trip the...
Galley Bay Hotel Antigua Island
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Reviews and photos of Antigua and Barbuda attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Antigua and Barbuda sightseeing.
Q: Need to provision a Sail boat in couple of weeks. We are chartering out of Jolly H. Where are the best prices for staples such as...
A: thanks for your help but we are the crew..there are plenty of provisioning services there but the whole idea is to do it your self and safe$ We always do our own stuff...
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