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Gordan or Lawerence please advice


scottie86

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Spent the day with Gordon last week, What a Great Guy ! We were early at the meeting spot, so was Gordon. He took us to all the "must see" spots, Devils Bridge was one of my personal favs, and of course the all important BEACH TIME. Such a lovely day. He's a local boy who loves his island a great ambassador for Antigua. Would love to go back and spent a few days.

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4 of us toured with Lawrence of Antigua last week. He met us at the pier and had a sign with my name on it. Fortunately, as Lawrence is soft spoken, his minivan is equipped with a microphone and for $35/person he gave us a narrated tour of the highlights of Antigua, with stops as requested, and provided drinks from his cooler. A beach stop would have been $10 extra. On the way back to the ship he detoured to let 2 of us off so we could visit the cathedral and shop in St John's and then he transported the others back to the pier. My daughter and son-in-law toured with Lawrence last year and had the same good experience that we had.

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Our party of 6 had a private van with Gordon last week and enjoyed the trip, including a stop at Darkwood Beach. He provided drinks and snacks

and was a total gentleman, helping one of our group who is disabled. I returned home to find his email thank you note!! Those who choose Gordon will have a fine experience.

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If you can, book Lawrence. We've personally been on his island tour four times and he knows to change things up for us, so it's never been the same. He'll give you your $$$ worth for the island. His new van and PA system are great. Our cruise group includes about 200 including TAs who refer to him because he's reliable. There are plenty others who are too, but Lawrence gets the job done. Just don't ask him to book a party of 25, because that's not what he does. Antigua is a very pretty island and to get the best overall tour, Lawrence will not disappoint.

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I would definetly recommend Gordon. He was very nice and drove very safely. I wanted someone that came highly recommended from these boards. I won't get into a vehicle with someone that I don't know or have never heard of so after reading these boards you feel like you already know him before you even get there. He is extremely nice. We went to Turners Beach after the tour and it was great. I love Devil's Bridge. Also liked the windmill. He gave us alot of great info on the windmill. In fact, he was very knowledge on all of Antigua. Happy Cruising :)

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If Gordon drops you off at a beach after the tour, does he come back to get you and drop you at the ship or do you have to get a cab back? :confused:

 

Hi Green-eyed Lady!

 

When Gordon took us to Turner's Beach, we invited him to have lunch with us there. [it was Christmas Day.] Afterwards, he waited until we had enjoyed the beach for as long as we wanted to. Such a lovely man--you won't go wrong with Gordon or Carl. We've used them both. :D

 

GG

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I am happy to recommend Lawrence of Antigua very highly. We arrived for our cruise a couple of days early and were lucky to have arranged with Lawrence ahead of time, so that he was available. He gave us a thorough tour of Antigua; he was very pleasant, helpful, and informative, and got us into tours of the national park with no waiting. He drives a new Toyota tour van, which was very comfortable. A beach stop was a possibility but we chose to go into town for lunch instead, since there was a beach at our hotel. Lawrence recommended Hemingway’s, which turned out great, and he waited for us.

 

We couldn’t have asked for a better day, and we felt we had gotten excellent value for our money.

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  • 1 month later...

We booked an island tour with Gordon at http://www.antiguabeachrunner.com to take us on a tour in Antigua as we heard good things about him. He was suppose to pick us up at 9:30 at the pier as we were on a cruise. At 9:30 we were waiting with a family of four for Gordon. The other family had to call him and he was at home "I think in bed." He showed up around 10:00 a.m. only to inform us that he had booked a large group for 11:30 a.m. (Double booking) Apparently he was not concerned about our smaller group as when he arrived he had not made arrangements for someone else to take us. The other family was so disappointed that they backed out of the tour and went on their own to find someone. A friend of Gordon's named Abe who has his own Taxi service ended up taking us which was just me and my husband. Although it was not financially a good decision for him to only take two when he could have had a full van he felt bad for us and he could not find another couple or family to join us. I have to say we had a great tour and it ended up being a wonderful day. It is obvious that Gordon is not realiable and does not have good business sense. So if anyone considers booking him for a tour I would be hesitant especially if he double books and has no concern for the other party. Also, there are many taxi services at the pier who will take you on the same tour for the same price so not to worry. Just get off the ship and talk to one of the taxi services and book a tour and a price.

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Gordon did e-mail me to apologize for the situation in Antigua. However, keep in mind that there are many taxi services fully capable of taking you on a great tour in Antigua you absolutely do not need to worry about booking ahead. Enjoy Antigua.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am coming back to Antiqua and I won't be using Lawrence. Our group used him last Oct. He took on about 45 people he couldn't handle. Shoved us on top of each other in 3 vans/buses. People complained so he got one other taxi. Followed each other around. Our driver wouldn't even stop so I could take a picture I wanted. We stopped when the group stopped. The stop at Nelson's Dockyard was a joke, 20 minutes, no tour guide, nobody knew where to go or what was going on. Got to the beach and they had ran out of food, I know that was not his fault, it just topped off a really bad day. Not a single person was happy. He took on way more than he could handle, just for the $$.

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We were in Antigua last week. I didn't take Gordon's tour. But he saw me waiting on the Exotica Antigua docks and saw me in my Red Sox hat and started talking baseball with me. We spoke for about five minutes. He knew I wasn't on his tour but (we took Eli's Eco) but we talked for a while anyway. What a good guy and very personable. We had a great time on Eli's but I will do a Gordon tour next time around.

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I have never been to Antigua however sent "gordon" and email this morning within a couple hours he was back to me!!

Where as I have been waiting days for other tour companies to get back to me for other ports.. This alone I am impressed with...:o

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Just back a week now....did Gordon's "Open Air" tour and had a blast.

 

He met us by Exotic Antigua Clothing store (you can see the name on their roof)....when you come off the ship turn RIGHT onto a BOARDWALK before you even start to head into town. Have your e-mail confirmation with you to give to him (he has a list and tries to make sure he doesn't forget anyone....but please try to be prompt).

 

His "open air" is really a late model well maintained tour bus that he just keeps the windows open (had beautiful Island AC that way :) ). Devil's Bridge was fantastic (many tour operators don't go there since it is a rough road). We had opted for Darkwood Beach but when we got there the water was very rough so Gordon suggested going to the next beach up around the bend where the water would be calmer.....Valley Church Beach. This was a very good choice as it had a much nicer looking (clean and freshly painted) open air restaurant/bar.

 

Gordon also provided cold water (he stopped to fill his cooler with ice along the way to make sure everything stayed cold too), soda, BEER. There were also finger bananas, black pineapple, and a small bag with carrot cake, banana cake & some kind of coconut "pudding" bar.

 

He also did a small trivia quiz....I WON:)

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They charge $35 on up per person.

There is no need to reserve with anyone.There are hundreds of guides at the port just waiting to take you on a tour and they charge only $20.There is not really anything here to see or do except the beach. All the guides go to the same places and they are few in number.

 

Same the extra money and grab a tour when you dock.Tell them to follow Gordon if you want to but you are going to the same place's anyway.

 

Pre-booking is beneficial because it enables you to lock in a reputable and well-regarded tour guide before others. Everyone else is negotiating with the other guides when the ship docks - why put yourself in the same situation?

 

And we pre-booked Lawrence last week based on reviews at various sites. We were very happy with his service, the van was oversized and extremely comfortable, he provided maps to reference while he gives you information over an audio system; and as stated above he provides beer and water and will have other items that you request. An excellent choice for a private, comfortable tour. There are several interesting areas to see in Antigua, and a beach stop is an excellent way to end this tour. $35 for the 3 hr tour, add $10 for a drop off and pick up at Turners or Pigeon Beach.

 

For your next visit to Antigua we recommend taking the Excellence catamaran - what an excellent way to spend the day, beautiful views of the coastline, very similar to the quality experience on the Golden Eagle in St Martin.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We pre-booked with Lawrence & took his tour last week. We had a really great tour in his big, clean, air-conditioned van. Along with the sites he has listed for his tour he also showed us & told us about a lot of other places as we traveled past them. He was waiting for us as we got off of the ship & was very easy to find. He had us back to the port in plenty of time so there was nothing to worry about there. Lawrence e-mailed me a few days before we sailed saying he was looking forward to meeting us and he e-mailed me after we got home saying that he hoped we enjoyed our tour with him & that we got home safely.

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I just got back last night from our cruise. DH and I booked with Gordon and we are glad that we did, our day could have been ruined if he wasn't so kind.

 

While snorkeling DH lost all our money, ID, and a couple of credit cards. Gordon happily agreeded to wait until we got back to the ship to pay him for the tour and to reimburse him for the entrance to Nelson's Dock Yard.

We are forever grateful for his kindness, (and the tour was good also).

 

Since our group was interested in the village life of the people in Antigua, he showed us where he grew up, explaining his daily life as a child. It was a wonderful cultural experience that the cruise ship's excursions just would not include.

 

We also had the added pleasure of meeting Levi of Bumping Tours, who took the tour with us. Though we did not take Levi's tour in Dominica it was a great opportunity to ask him and Gordon many questions about the differences of the two Islands.

 

All in all it was a great day even if we did lose $, credit cards, and Id's.

Thank you again Gordon!

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Hi

 

I have got a quote for a private tour from gordan and from lawerence

 

their is only $5 pp in the price.

 

so which one is the better as they are both highly reccomended, however i have read a couple of bad post on each person.

 

so i not sure which one to confirm with,

 

any help, tips much appreciated.

We just got back from a tour with Lawrence of Antigua. he is super nice and the tour was great. After visiting the sights we went to Turner's Beach for some swimming time. I'd advise to go with Lawrence.

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We just got back from our cruise and chose Lawrence of Antigua for our tour guide. He is super nice and knowledgeable about the island. We went to Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights and many other places. We also stopped at Turner's Beach for however much time we wanted to stay. You can also elect to not go to the beach for $10 cheaper. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone.

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4 of us took the Island tour with Lawrence and enjoyed the time we spent with him. He is very knowlegable about his Island. We went to several places and also to the beach. This tour is well worth the money spent..Highly recommend him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lawrence gives an excellent tour - went with him last month (5/23) during our Carnival Destiny Tour. He was great...very personable and has great knowledge and love for his country. The van was comfortable, roomy, and the air conditioning was cold and great. We went all around the Island...Nelson's Dockyard, the Interpretation Center, Shirley Heights, Clarence House and spent a couple of hours at Turner's Beach.

I had contacted Lawrence in January (I really plan my tours in advance :D ) and he answered promptly and followed up before the cruise to verify that we were joining him and to give us final directions/instructions to meet with him. I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Antigua.

Christine

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Lawrence gives an excellent tour - went with him last month (5/23) during our Carnival Destiny Tour. He was great...very personable and has great knowledge and love for his country. The van was comfortable, roomy, and the air conditioning was cold and great. We went all around the Island...Nelson's Dockyard, the Interpretation Center, Shirley Heights, Clarence House and spent a couple of hours at Turner's Beach.

 

I had contacted Lawrence in January (I really plan my tours in advance :D ) and he answered promptly and followed up before the cruise to verify that we were joining him and to give us final directions/instructions to meet with him. I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Antigua.

 

Christine

 

But did you pay more than $20?

The island is small and there is not that much to see.

All the guides at the port charge $20 and you can be assured they won't blow you off and leave you standing at the pier like Laurence has done before.

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