Destinations: Antigua

REDD — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:37:00 GMT

Looking for a place to enjoy the spring sun? For the tropically-inclined gentleman, the Caribbean island of Antigua is hard to beat.

Robert Redd was a man of the world, whose deeds and exploits spanned the globe, but Antigua—now the principal landmass of the larger country of Antigua and Barbuda—was one of his favorite retreats: a haven of beauty and exclusivity that never failed to leave him feeling satisfied and refreshed upon returning to business. Originally spotted by Christopher Columbus during his second his second voyage to the Americas in 1493—who named it in honor of the Virgin of La Antigua in Spain's Seville Cathedral—the island remained exclusively the home of the indigenous population until the English established the first permanent settlement in 1632. Since then, Antigua has been a hotbed of intrigue. Lord Horatio Nelson famously presided over Antigua and the larger Leeward Island chain from 1784 to 1787 as Senior Naval Officer. Today, a variety of notable figures, including Timothy Dalton, Eric Clapton, Giorgio Armani and Richard Branson, have lived or own property on the island.

St. John's Cathedral - a notable Antiguan destination

If you ever do embark on an Antiguan voyage, you'll want to make sure you know what to look for. We've provided a handy checklist, tried and tested, comprised of sights and spots you won't want to miss.

English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard - Saturated with colonial history and island culture, Antigua's English Harbour originally served as a base for the British Navy during its golden era of naval supremacy. Since its abandonment and closure in 1889, Nelson's Dockyard has been completely restored, and is now the only Georgian dock in the world.

A dockside view of the English Harbour.

Betty's Hope Sugar Plantation - The first large sugar plantation on Antigua, of which only two sugar mills and the remains of the storehouse survive, and have been converted into an open-air museum by the island's government.

Betty's Hope plantation sugar mills.

Shirley Heights - Offering a breathtaking perspective on the English Harbour, this former artillery fortification site now routinely features "barbecue, rum punch, and the plangent strains of steel band and reggae music." (link)

The view from Shirley Heights.

St. John's - The capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, presided over by the magnificent St. John's Cathedral. A lively center of shopping and dining, with a farmer's market running on the city's southern edge on Friday and Saturday mornings, as well as a cultural museum housed in the colonial Court House.

St. John's, capital city of Antigua and Barbuda

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Destinations: Antigua