The 9 most beautiful beaches in Antigua

01.03.2024 - 08:31 / lonelyplanet.com

The undulating coast of Antigua contains a multitude of tucked-away coves and quiet beaches – rumor has it there's one for every day of the year.

Travelers flock to the Caribbean because of its reputation for impeccable stretches of sand but Antigua is on another level. You're never more than a few miles from a beautiful white-gold shoreline at any time.

From full-scale resort beaches sporting all the facilities, bays offering the best surfing or snorkeling action, and lonesome desert island coves that you have all to yourself, these are the nine best beaches in Antigua.

For travelers in search of a full-on, full-facility island beach, head 5km (3 miles) north of the cruise terminal to Dickenson Bay. Antigua does not provide a more developed beach package than this, where jam-packed resorts jostle with some of the island’s best restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks and water sports for a bit of prime beachfront.

It is certainly the most packed strip of sand, especially when the fun seekers from the biggest of the Sandals Antigua resorts descend.

But because the bay stretches to over a mile in length, there is invariably space to separate yourself from the masses, and the tradeoff for the crowds is the excellent array of activities for when you tire of moving between your beach towel and the azure ocean.

Have a leisurely lunch at a distinguished restaurant or try a Jet Ski session, wakeboarding, parasailing or tubing.

Planning tip: The calm, shallow waters at Dickenson Bay are perfect for tiny travelers new to splashing around in the sea.

If you're visiting Antigua as part of a Caribbean cruise, this is the beach for you. It is the closest quality beach to the cruise port in St John, a mere 3.5km (2.2-mile) drive away (or, for those with time and inclination, a nice walk).

Yet despite sporting a long, lovely fringe of white-blonde sand and the intriguingly moody ruins of the 18th-century Fort James at the headland on the southern end, it sees far fewer visitors than the perennially popular Runaway Bay and Dickenson Bay just to the north.

It is a much-frequented spot by locals, however, who create a wonderful atmosphere with their spirited games of volleyball and beach cricket, and there are a couple of low-key but very good eateries near the fort.

To the west of St John’s sprawl, the peninsula containing Five Islands Village buts into the ocean in a shape resembling a goat’s head. It's especially beach-rich, even by Antigua’s exemplary standards, and the Hawksbill Bay quartet of strands at the western end is simply stunning.

The Hawksbill by Rex resort complex straddles much of the shore here; to reach beaches two, three and four, visitors have to pass through the resort entrance and security post – it is fully