Papillon Point Panorama RetreatN°001
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolGardenAir conditioning
From $5,680 per night
Photo by Kelcie Papp on UnsplashA beach for every day of the year, and trade winds to match
Antigua is the sailing capital of the Caribbean, an island of sheltered harbours, reef-bright water and, as the saying goes, a beach for every day of the year. A private villa here, whether on Jolly Harbour's waterfront or the hills above the west-coast beaches, pairs pool-and-sea living with concierge ease.
- Beaches from Ffryes and Darkwood on the west coast to Half Moon Bay in the east
- Nelson's Dockyard, the Georgian naval yard at English Harbour, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Sunday evenings at Shirley Heights with steel bands and harbour views
- World-class sailing, from Sailing Week to day charters and Barbuda trips
- Villas with private pools around Jolly Harbour and the calm west coast
Known for365 beaches, English Harbour and UNESCO-listed Nelson's Dockyard, world-class sailing, Shirley Heights sunsets
Best time to visitDecember to April for the dry season; late April for Sailing Week; summer for Carnival
Nearest airportV.C. Bird International (ANU), with nonstop flights from London, New York and other hubs
Ideal forSailors, beach connoisseurs, honeymooners and families wanting calm Caribbean water
Oceanfront Villa with Private Beach AccessN°002
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolSea view
From $3,750 per night
Oceanfront 4-Bedroom Retreat with Infinity PoolN°003
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolSea view
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Beautiful Retreat with Infinity Salt Water PoolN°004
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolSea view
From $3,750 per night
Oceanfront 4-Bedroom Villa with Panoramic Caribbean ViewsN°005
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolSea view
From $3,750 per night
Oceanfront Oasis with Infinity Pool and Caribbean ViewsN°006
Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Private poolSea view
From $3,750 per night
7homes available
4–6bedrooms
up to 12guests
7with a pool
Antigua in pictures
Events not to miss in Antigua
- Late April to early May
Antigua Sailing Week
One of the world's great regattas, drawing racing yachts and crews from across the globe to the south coast. The parties at English Harbour and views from Shirley Heights are as celebrated as the racing.
- April
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Historic schooners, ketches and classic beauties race under full sail off the south coast. For spectators it is the most photogenic week of the Caribbean sailing calendar.
- Late July to early August
Antigua Carnival
Ten days of parades, calypso, steel bands and street parties culminating around the first Tuesday of August. The island's biggest cultural celebration commemorates emancipation.
- Early December
Antigua Charter Yacht Show
The superyacht world gathers at the island's marinas to open the Caribbean charter season. English Harbour and Falmouth fill with some of the most spectacular yachts afloat.
Antigua through the seasons
- High season (December – April)
Trade winds, regattas and perfect beaches
Dry, breezy and reliably sunny, with the yachting calendar building from the December charter show to April's Classic Regatta and Sailing Week.
- Early summer (May – June)
Warm seas and quieter sands
The winter crowds ease while the weather stays fine. Calm west-coast water is at its most inviting for swimming and snorkelling.
- Carnival season (July – August)
Steel bands and street parades
Antigua Carnival fills St John's with costume parades, calypso and steel-band competitions. The island is at its most exuberant.
- Green season (September – November)
Lush hills and villa value
The quietest, greenest months, with brief showers, warm seas and the year's gentlest rates. Ideal for unhurried, crowd-free beach days.
The Area and Where to Stay
Antigua's coasts each have a personality. The west, around Jolly Harbour, is the classic villa country: a marina community with a golf course, shops and restaurants, fronted by calm, sunset-facing Caribbean water, with the lovely sweeps of Ffryes and Darkwood beaches just south. The south coast around English Harbour and Falmouth is the island's yachting heart, where Georgian dockyard buildings meet a lively season of regattas and rum bars. The capital, St John's, in the north-west, brings the cruise port, markets and cathedral, while the east coast is wilder, with reef-protected bays like Half Moon Bay. Villas concentrate on the west and south, from waterfront homes with docks in Jolly Harbour to hillside estates with panoramic sea views, all supported by concierge service for provisioning, chefs and boats.
Things to Do
Sailing comes first: charter a yacht or catamaran for a day along the coast, join the circumnavigation crowd during regatta season, or simply watch the fleets from Shirley Heights. The beaches invite a different plan daily, from swimming at Ffryes to snorkelling reef gardens off the north-west coast, and stingray encounters in the shallows off the east coast are a family favourite. History fills half a day easily at Nelson's Dockyard, the restored Georgian naval yard where the young Horatio Nelson served, with hiking trails climbing to Shirley Heights for the famous Sunday sunset party of steel bands and barbecue. Day trips run to Barbuda's pink-sand beaches and its frigate bird sanctuary in Codrington Lagoon. Golf, deep-sea fishing, ziplining in the rainforest canopy and spa days round out the roster.
Food and Local Flavour
Antiguan tables mix Caribbean soul with a cosmopolitan yachting crowd. The national dish is fungee and pepperpot, a hearty cornmeal-and-stew pairing, while grilled lobster, conch fritters, saltfish and rum punch headline the beach bars. The island's black pineapple, small and exceptionally sweet, is a point of national pride. English Harbour and Jolly Harbour hold the densest clusters of restaurants, from dockside seafood to refined dining rooms that fill during the sailing season, and roadside barbecue on a Friday night is a local institution. At the villa, your concierge can arrange provisioning, a private chef for lobster on the terrace, or a bartender to perfect the sundowner ritual.
When to Visit
December to April is the dry high season, with steady trade winds, low humidity and days around 28 to 30 degrees, and the social calendar builds to the Classic Yacht Regatta and Sailing Week in April. Summer stays warm and turns livelier ashore, crowned by Carnival's parades and steel-band competitions from late July into early August. September to November is the quietest stretch, greener and hotter with the highest hurricane risk, though many weeks pass fine and villa value peaks. Early December sees the yachting world return for the charter season. For guaranteed beach weather with the island in full swing, the winter months are the safest choice.
Getting There
V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU), just outside St John's, is one of the Eastern Caribbean's best-connected gateways, with nonstop flights from London, New York, Miami, Toronto and other hubs, plus regional links across the islands. Jolly Harbour is around twenty five minutes from the airport, English Harbour around forty. A hire car is useful for beach-hopping, though many guests rely on drivers and villa concierge transfers instead. Antigua is also a natural yachting arrival point, with full marina facilities at Jolly Harbour, Falmouth and English Harbour, and day boats or helicopters connect to Barbuda.