First time here--love the beach

[mitsugirly]

This will be our first time in this port (but seasoned cruiser) and I have no idea where to start. We will be here from 8-5pm

 

About us...we love the beach and also love snorkeling. We have our own equipment. We can pretty much do anything (and have done it all from secluded and no vendors or restrooms to your regular hopping beach bar with facilities type of thing) and I'm open to suggestions for this port.

 

We love the beautiful beaches with palm trees lining them to the rustic beach with snorkeling.

 

Give me suggestions along with how to get there and how long it takes along with a price for transportation. Also any charges to get in to a beach or if they have chair/umbrella rent and pricing if you have it. Also if any vendors and what they might serve (food and drinks).

 

Or...if you have any other suggestions, let me know. We've done the odds and ends things too (like zip lining, dune buggies and so on).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Someone on another thread mentioned Valley Church Beach or Bird Island or Tug boat so if anyone has any info on those places or who to take the excursion with, please let me know.

[Maverick!]

We've been to Antigua twice on cruise stops  - we're experienced cruisers, are fairly adventurous, love the water with 2 young kids (6, 3) :

i) First time we spent the day at Mystic Beach - had amenities and a restaurant. The weather was so-so but the water was warm, calm and we had a nice time.

ii) Last week we were there again and did the Eco-Tour excursion with Adventure Antigua (https://adventureantigua.com/the-eco-tour) that took us to Hell's Gate (my 6-Y-O and I swam across and did the climb up to the top), Bird Island, and snorkel stop off the boat at a Coral Reef between there and St John's. We had drinks and delicious lunch served on board at Bird Island where we swam with a guided tour on top for panaramic views.  We had an incredible day and we not only recommend this but can't wait to try their other tour Circumnav speedboat tour with stop at Stingray City.   

Edited February 10, 2019 by Maverick!

[jean87510]

We stayed on antigua back in October 2016 post cruise for a few days and have stopped there via cruises a few times. Snorkeling wise it is not as good as bonaire or Cayman but there are some spots. If you decide to do adventure antigua, their 360 tour stops at pillars of Hercules which has great snorkeling.  We rented a car (you can do a cab but its really expensive) and drove from where we were staying near sandals and drove to half moon bay beach. Best beach on antigua and great snorkeling. If you dont want to do an excursion, I'd go to half moon. But rent a car. And make sure you have a GPS or download Google maps and drop a pin for half moon. If you like snorkeling, you'll love this spot. We are big snorkelers and antigua is not known for snorkeling from the shore. 

[PelicanLvr]

Mitsugirly - I see you've been to many ports in the Caribbean....how did you manage to miss Antigua?  Seems every cruise we go on stops there.  That's funny!

 

Check out Runaway beach.  One beach bar (Mystic - I think it's called) and the rest of the beach is unspoiled.  No watersports there....but a bar with chair rental if you want and a nice uncrowded beach.  Gets you away from the crowds if that's something you like.

 

 

[PORT ROYAL]

On 2/9/2019 at 6:49 PM, mitsugirly said:

This will be our first time in this port (but seasoned cruiser) and I have no idea where to start. We will be here from 8-5pm

 

About us...we love the beach and also love snorkeling. We have our own equipment. We can pretty much do anything (and have done it all from secluded and no vendors or restrooms to your regular hopping beach bar with facilities type of thing) and I'm open to suggestions for this port.

 

We love the beautiful beaches with palm trees lining them to the rustic beach with snorkeling.

 

Give me suggestions along with how to get there and how long it takes along with a price for transportation. Also any charges to get in to a beach or if they have chair/umbrella rent and pricing if you have it. Also if any vendors and what they might serve (food and drinks).

 

Or...if you have any other suggestions, let me know. We've done the odds and ends things too (like zip lining, dune buggies and so on).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Someone on another thread mentioned Valley Church Beach or Bird Island or Tug boat so if anyone has any info on those places or who to take the excursion with, please let me know.

 

If you're seeking a wonderful beach experience, with great good, service and drinks being well away from T'erds.  Then the choices are, Jacqui O's, Cecelia's, or for an AI contact Curtain Bluff to ask if they have any availability.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

On 2/9/2019 at 8:38 PM, Maverick! said:

We've been to Antigua twice on cruise stops  - we're experienced cruisers, are fairly adventurous, love the water with 2 young kids (6, 3) :

i) First time we spent the day at Mystic Beach - had amenities and a restaurant. The weather was so-so but the water was warm, calm and we had a nice time.

ii) Last week we were there again and did the Eco-Tour excursion with Adventure Antigua (https://adventureantigua.com/the-eco-tour) that took us to Hell's Gate (my 6-Y-O and I swam across and did the climb up to the top), Bird Island, and snorkel stop off the boat at a Coral Reef between there and St John's. We had drinks and delicious lunch served on board at Bird Island where we swam with a guided tour on top for panaramic views.  We had an incredible day and we not only recommend this but can't wait to try their other tour Circumnav speedboat tour with stop at Stingray City.   

 

 

I will check out Mystic Beach. Is there an entrance fee? How much is chair rental?

 

Now the Eco-Tour excursion looks AMAZING! Definitely something I'm interested in for sure. Thanks so much for this information!

 

 

On 2/10/2019 at 7:01 PM, jean87510 said:

We stayed on antigua back in October 2016 post cruise for a few days and have stopped there via cruises a few times. Snorkeling wise it is not as good as bonaire or Cayman but there are some spots. If you decide to do adventure antigua, their 360 tour stops at pillars of Hercules which has great snorkeling.  We rented a car (you can do a cab but its really expensive) and drove from where we were staying near sandals and drove to half moon bay beach. Best beach on antigua and great snorkeling. If you dont want to do an excursion, I'd go to half moon. But rent a car. And make sure you have a GPS or download Google maps and drop a pin for half moon. If you like snorkeling, you'll love this spot. We are big snorkelers and antigua is not known for snorkeling from the shore. 

 

I really don't want to have to rent a car and if the taxi is too expensive, then that's probably out of the question. I'm just not comfortable driving around on a cruise day on an island that I'm unfamiliar with. 

 

It sounds amazing though. 

 

On 2/11/2019 at 8:37 AM, PelicanLvr said:

Mitsugirly - I see you've been to many ports in the Caribbean....how did you manage to miss Antigua?  Seems every cruise we go on stops there.  That's funny!

 

Check out Runaway beach.  One beach bar (Mystic - I think it's called) and the rest of the beach is unspoiled.  No watersports there....but a bar with chair rental if you want and a nice uncrowded beach.  Gets you away from the crowds if that's something you like.

 

 

 

I know...isn't that funny? And I don't even have all my ports or ships listed in my signature line either because I ran out of space. I haven't found any with Carnival or NCL that goes there (at least during any of the times that I have searched for cruises when we have available time). But I'm glad that I'm getting a chance to go this time. I love new ports. 

 

I will check out Runaway beach and Mystic. Do you know how long it takes to get there and the cost for a taxi? Also, do you rent chairs there and if so, the cost?

 

Thanks for the info. 

On 2/13/2019 at 6:38 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

 

If you're seeking a wonderful beach experience, with great good, service and drinks being well away from T'erds.  Then the choices are, Jacqui O's, Cecelia's, or for an AI contact Curtain Bluff to ask if they have any availability.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. I will check into these places. 

[PelicanLvr]

51 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

I know...isn't that funny? And I don't even have all my ports or ships listed in my signature line either because I ran out of space. I haven't found any with Carnival or NCL that goes there (at least during any of the times that I have searched for cruises when we have available time). But I'm glad that I'm getting a chance to go this time. I love new ports. 

 

I will check out Runaway beach and Mystic. Do you know how long it takes to get there and the cost for a taxi? Also, do you rent chairs there and if so, the cost?

 

Thanks for the info. 

 

Thanks for the info. I will check into these places. 

Runaway bay is pretty close to port.  I believe it was $7 per person each way - about a 10-15 minute ride.  It's right near Dickenson beach which is pretty popular and busy.  Yes the Mystic bar has chairs and shade for rent.  Don't know the price because we have a Portabrella travel umbrella and set up our own shade further down the beach.  

 

Beaches on Antigua are really lovely.  IMHO, some of the nicest.  Where ever you go, you will enjoy it.  Have fun!

[mitsugirly]

44 minutes ago, PelicanLvr said:

Runaway bay is pretty close to port.  I believe it was $7 per person each way - about a 10-15 minute ride.  It's right near Dickenson beach which is pretty popular and busy.  Yes the Mystic bar has chairs and shade for rent.  Don't know the price because we have a Portabrella travel umbrella and set up our own shade further down the beach.  

 

Beaches on Antigua are really lovely.  IMHO, some of the nicest.  Where ever you go, you will enjoy it.  Have fun!

 

 

Thank you

[PORT ROYAL]

2 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

I will check out Mystic Beach. Is there an entrance fee? How much is chair rental?

 

Now the Eco-Tour excursion looks AMAZING! Definitely something I'm interested in for sure. Thanks so much for this information!

 

 

 

I really don't want to have to rent a car and if the taxi is too expensive, then that's probably out of the question. I'm just not comfortable driving around on a cruise day on an island that I'm unfamiliar with. 

 

It sounds amazing though. 

 

 

I know...isn't that funny? And I don't even have all my ports or ships listed in my signature line either because I ran out of space. I haven't found any with Carnival or NCL that goes there (at least during any of the times that I have searched for cruises when we have available time). But I'm glad that I'm getting a chance to go this time. I love new ports. 

 

I will check out Runaway beach and Mystic. Do you know how long it takes to get there and the cost for a taxi? Also, do you rent chairs there and if so, the cost?

 

Thanks for the info. 

 

Thanks for the info. I will check into these places. 

 

Remember, you have to book lunch and your day well in advance at JO and C.

Don't forget to sign the visitor's book.

 

[Maverick!]

I will check out Mystic Beach. Is there an entrance fee? How much is chair rental?

 

It is a public beach - part of Runaway Bay - so no entrance fee and the chairs & umbrella were likely not more than $20 as I recall.

Surprising that the recent reviews are mixed; we were there Feb 2018 so maybe things have changed ?

On the Adventure Antigua ride, we passed a small private island with a white sand beach front - I think there was a ship excursion to spend a couple hours there - Robinson Crusoe experience.  Looked intriguing also....

 

There's also Jolly Beach and BeachLimerz that may be worth exploring...

[Carolina Girl 99]

Kim- we visited Antigua for the first time last March on a port stop and were excited to visit as many of the island's 365 beaches as we could. We enjoy snorkeling, but it was not a priority for us so we booked the 'Beach Hop' tour with Lawrence of Antigua to accomplish our goal. We met them right off the ship at 8:45 am and they brought us back by 4 pm, so it was a full day. 

We started at Long Bay Beach on the east end of the island and spent about an hour before making our way SW for a stop at Turner's Beach where we rented 3 chairs and palapa for around $20 and ordered lunch/drinks. We then headed off to Darkwood and Valley Church (didn't stay at either- more info later), then a stop at Ffrye's for a while, then finished off the afternoon at Jolly Beach before heading back to the ship. We had an excellent day seeing beautiful beaches - there were only 3 of us, so we basically had our own private driver for the day and cost was $50 pp, paid on return to the port. WE have booked them again for our upcoming trip next week.

Now the backstory- we sailed at the beginning of March last year, and a nasty Nor'easter had just come down the eastern seaboard wreaking havoc just before our departure. We had rough seas and high surf - so bad that we skipped our first port at Nassau due to being unsafe to dock. Fine with us- we got extended port time in St Thomas which gave us just enough extra time to take the ferry over to St John for the afternoon. Well, to our surprise, that nasty nor'easter had caused trouble all the way into the Caribbean. How bad was it? Trunk Bay on St John had rough surf (6-8+ foot swells) and the snorkeling trail was closed! I also heard that they were surfing at Sapphire Beach on St Thomas for the past 2-3 days. Fast forward to Antigua- you guessed it! Rough surf and high waves breaking near shore- they had small backhoe type machines leveling all the new sand that had washed up on Turner's beach the day before. Darkwood and Valley Church were littered with debris and they were still cleaning up, so we chose not to stop. 

I will say that the beaches we did visit were lovely and i'm looking forward to a do-over on Feb 26th. I'll post an updated review when we get back!

 

[mitsugirly]

On 2/14/2019 at 11:25 PM, Maverick! said:

I will check out Mystic Beach. Is there an entrance fee? How much is chair rental?

 

It is a public beach - part of Runaway Bay - so no entrance fee and the chairs & umbrella were likely not more than $20 as I recall.

Surprising that the recent reviews are mixed; we were there Feb 2018 so maybe things have changed ?

On the Adventure Antigua ride, we passed a small private island with a white sand beach front - I think there was a ship excursion to spend a couple hours there - Robinson Crusoe experience.  Looked intriguing also....

 

There's also Jolly Beach and BeachLimerz that may be worth exploring...

 

 

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. 

 

18 hours ago, Carolina Girl 99 said:

Kim- we visited Antigua for the first time last March on a port stop and were excited to visit as many of the island's 365 beaches as we could. We enjoy snorkeling, but it was not a priority for us so we booked the 'Beach Hop' tour with Lawrence of Antigua to accomplish our goal. We met them right off the ship at 8:45 am and they brought us back by 4 pm, so it was a full day. 

We started at Long Bay Beach on the east end of the island and spent about an hour before making our way SW for a stop at Turner's Beach where we rented 3 chairs and palapa for around $20 and ordered lunch/drinks. We then headed off to Darkwood and Valley Church (didn't stay at either- more info later), then a stop at Ffrye's for a while, then finished off the afternoon at Jolly Beach before heading back to the ship. We had an excellent day seeing beautiful beaches - there were only 3 of us, so we basically had our own private driver for the day and cost was $50 pp, paid on return to the port. WE have booked them again for our upcoming trip next week.

Now the backstory- we sailed at the beginning of March last year, and a nasty Nor'easter had just come down the eastern seaboard wreaking havoc just before our departure. We had rough seas and high surf - so bad that we skipped our first port at Nassau due to being unsafe to dock. Fine with us- we got extended port time in St Thomas which gave us just enough extra time to take the ferry over to St John for the afternoon. Well, to our surprise, that nasty nor'easter had caused trouble all the way into the Caribbean. How bad was it? Trunk Bay on St John had rough surf (6-8+ foot swells) and the snorkeling trail was closed! I also heard that they were surfing at Sapphire Beach on St Thomas for the past 2-3 days. Fast forward to Antigua- you guessed it! Rough surf and high waves breaking near shore- they had small backhoe type machines leveling all the new sand that had washed up on Turner's beach the day before. Darkwood and Valley Church were littered with debris and they were still cleaning up, so we chose not to stop. 

I will say that the beaches we did visit were lovely and i'm looking forward to a do-over on Feb 26th. I'll post an updated review when we get back!

 

 

It sounds like you had a lovely day!  I'm all for exploring all the beaches I can. 😉

 

So far I'm probably seriously considering the beach tours with Lawrence, but he did quote me $50 pp and we have to pay for 4 people (even though we only have 3 at this point). So, the charge would actually be $200 for us to do that tour. 

 

The other option I'm seriously considering is the eco tour mentioned above and snorkeling and going over to Bird Island. It sounds similar to other excursions we've done in the past and had a great time. 

 

 

Ahhhh, decisions....:)

[Carolina Girl 99]

5 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. 

 

 

It sounds like you had a lovely day!  I'm all for exploring all the beaches I can. 😉

 

So far I'm probably seriously considering the beach tours with Lawrence, but he did quote me $50 pp and we have to pay for 4 people (even though we only have 3 at this point). So, the charge would actually be $200 for us to do that tour. 

 

The other option I'm seriously considering is the eco tour mentioned above and snorkeling and going over to Bird Island. It sounds similar to other excursions we've done in the past and had a great time. 

 

 

Ahhhh, decisions....:)

I looked into the eco-tour, I think there are a couple of companies that do similar, but we already have a boat/snorkeling tour in St Maarten booked. Decided to go with Lawrence again in hopes of visiting some of the beaches we skipped last time. I thought $50 pp for the whole day with a driver to take us anywhere we wanted was a great price. We are actually traveling with 4 of us this time, but still way cheaper than anything we could book through the ship and we get more stops this way

[Maverick!]

I heard that Adventure Antigua was the only tour that actually stops and swims @ Hell's Gate, but maybe that is no longer the case. 

 

Antigua is such a beautiful island that no matter what tour you choose, I'm sure it promises to be a great time. 

Cheers & enjoy !

 

[BURNSMN]

Kim:

 

We have been to Antigua on numerous cruises and have done many of the excursions that have been mentioned:

Adventure Antigua Eco-Tour, Lawrence of Antigua Tours, taxis to various beaches, Excellence Catamaran and others. The Eco-Tour was our favorite but now we enjoy just taking a taxi to Valley Church Beach and putting our towels under the trees. Drinks and food are available at the Nest Bar. The water is an amazing color of blue but is not clear for snorkeling. There is a bit of a drop off down to the water but that should not be any problem for your family. It is now one of our favorite beach days and we will be back again in April.

[existentialtraveler]

On 2/9/2019 at 1:49 PM, mitsugirly said:

This will be our first time in this port (but seasoned cruiser) and I have no idea where to start. We will be here from 8-5pm

 

About us...we love the beach and also love snorkeling. We have our own equipment. We can pretty much do anything (and have done it all from secluded and no vendors or restrooms to your regular hopping beach bar with facilities type of thing) and I'm open to suggestions for this port.

 

We love the beautiful beaches with palm trees lining them to the rustic beach with snorkeling.

 

Give me suggestions along with how to get there and how long it takes along with a price for transportation. Also any charges to get in to a beach or if they have chair/umbrella rent and pricing if you have it. Also if any vendors and what they might serve (food and drinks).

 

Or...if you have any other suggestions, let me know. We've done the odds and ends things too (like zip lining, dune buggies and so on).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Someone on another thread mentioned Valley Church Beach or Bird Island or Tug boat so if anyone has any info on those places or who to take the excursion with, please let me know.

Here are my youtube videos on the beaches we like in Antigua...Darkwood, Valley Church, Beach Limerz. Our favorite, however, is Beach Limerz. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbtNk6zA-BA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUgLneBwn0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP65CAPvZuw

 

[mitsugirly]

On 2/16/2019 at 10:56 PM, Carolina Girl 99 said:

I looked into the eco-tour, I think there are a couple of companies that do similar, but we already have a boat/snorkeling tour in St Maarten booked. Decided to go with Lawrence again in hopes of visiting some of the beaches we skipped last time. I thought $50 pp for the whole day with a driver to take us anywhere we wanted was a great price. We are actually traveling with 4 of us this time, but still way cheaper than anything we could book through the ship and we get more stops this way

 

Yea I think $50 a person seems like a great deal (however, at this point we only have 3 going so I guess the charge will be more like $66 pp) to have a personal driver. It's definitely an option.

 

On 2/17/2019 at 8:16 PM, Maverick! said:

I heard that Adventure Antigua was the only tour that actually stops and swims @ Hell's Gate, but maybe that is no longer the case. 

 

Antigua is such a beautiful island that no matter what tour you choose, I'm sure it promises to be a great time. 

Cheers & enjoy !

 

 

I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time. Thanks

 

On 2/27/2019 at 2:15 AM, BURNSMN said:

Kim:

 

We have been to Antigua on numerous cruises and have done many of the excursions that have been mentioned:

Adventure Antigua Eco-Tour, Lawrence of Antigua Tours, taxis to various beaches, Excellence Catamaran and others. The Eco-Tour was our favorite but now we enjoy just taking a taxi to Valley Church Beach and putting our towels under the trees. Drinks and food are available at the Nest Bar. The water is an amazing color of blue but is not clear for snorkeling. There is a bit of a drop off down to the water but that should not be any problem for your family. It is now one of our favorite beach days and we will be back again in April.

 

Good to know the Eco tour is one of your favs. It sounds like we can't go wrong.

 

19 hours ago, existentialtraveler said:

Here are my youtube videos on the beaches we like in Antigua...Darkwood, Valley Church, Beach Limerz. Our favorite, however, is Beach Limerz. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbtNk6zA-BA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUgLneBwn0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP65CAPvZuw

 

 

Out of those 3 (looking at your vidoes) I like the way Limerz looks. Beautiful. Thanks for the videos. 

[existentialtraveler]

9 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

Out of those 3 (looking at your vidoes) I like the way Limerz looks. Beautiful. Thanks for the videos. 

Beach Limerz is our favorite. Contact Gail at info@beachlimerz.com and she will arrange a taxi ($5pp each way, 10 to 15 min ride) to pick you up and bring you back. Mention that the CONCH FRITTERS GUY recommended Beach Limerz and she will go out of her way to make you feel welcome. You will not regret spending the day there. We are going back in March!

Edited February 28, 2019 by existentialtraveler

[VineyardsGal]

Hi.  Just back from 10 day cruise.  Our favorite island is Antigua.  This was our 4th visit.  Our favorite beach is Jolly Beach.  It has the most turquoise waters in the Caribbean.  We take a shared taxi in town for $6.00 pp.  We go to the Castaways and Sheila's.   Very rustic but local places.  Food and drinks reasonable.   Chairs are $4.00 pp.  Not crowded.  Great walking beach.  Very beautiful.  Been to other beaches here and this tops them all for the water. 

 

 

[cementhands]

On 2/9/2019 at 1:49 PM, mitsugirly said:

This will be our first time in this port (but seasoned cruiser) and I have no idea where to start. We will be here from 8-5pm

 

About us...we love the beach and also love snorkeling. We have our own equipment. We can pretty much do anything (and have done it all from secluded and no vendors or restrooms to your regular hopping beach bar with facilities type of thing) and I'm open to suggestions for this port.

 

We love the beautiful beaches with palm trees lining them to the rustic beach with snorkeling.

 

Give me suggestions along with how to get there and how long it takes along with a price for transportation. Also any charges to get in to a beach or if they have chair/umbrella rent and pricing if you have it. Also if any vendors and what they might serve (food and drinks).

 

Or...if you have any other suggestions, let me know. We've done the odds and ends things too (like zip lining, dune buggies and so on).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Someone on another thread mentioned Valley Church Beach or Bird Island or Tug boat so if anyone has any info on those places or who to take the excursion with, please let me know.

We usually take a cab to Sneaky Pete’s beach bar right next to Sandals resort. Lovely waves and water. A good stretch of beach for walking. We’ve enjoyed Antigua many times but this is our favorite beach.

We also Snorkel from shore but never on Antigua. St. Kitts has Carambola beach club with great snorkeling reef right off shore. St. Lucia has Pigeon island with good snorkeling from shore. I usually look up best snorkeling from shore beach information on TripAdvisor. 

[Jey01]

Mitsugirly did you decide where you’re going? We are stopping in Antigua in oct on a celebrity Cruise (our first time with them!) and I’ve spent most of my day off looking at ALL the different beach bars.....I can’t deicde! First world problems lol. I always enjoy your reviews and have enjoyed many of the same places you liked in your reviews. 

[allentownahoy]

On 3/1/2019 at 2:20 PM, VineyardsGal said:

Hi.  Just back from 10 day cruise.  Our favorite island is Antigua.  This was our 4th visit.  Our favorite beach is Jolly Beach.  It has the most turquoise waters in the Caribbean.  We take a shared taxi in town for $6.00 pp.  We go to the Castaways and Sheila's.   Very rustic but local places.  Food and drinks reasonable.   Chairs are $4.00 pp.  Not crowded.  Great walking beach.  Very beautiful.  Been to other beaches here and this tops them all for the water. 

 

 

Is there a drop off when you get into the water? I find this to be an issue at many Antigua beaches.

[VineyardsGal]

Where we went swimming there was not.  There may have been along beach.  We also stayed at Jolly Beach Resort a year ago and there was no drop-off then.

[mac1_131]

Try pineapple beach. The road ends at a cul-de-sac and the beach is only ten feet away.

[allentownahoy]

On 4/30/2019 at 8:02 AM, VineyardsGal said:

Where we went swimming there was not.  There may have been along beach.  We also stayed at Jolly Beach Resort a year ago and there was no drop-off then.

Thank you.