Eilish Vicencio-Heap
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority recently hosted 100 top-selling travel advisors for the inaugural Black Pineapple Awards. The gathering celebrated advisors’ contributions to a largely tourism-dependent economy and showcased experiences to inspire future itineraries.
Visitors receive the warmest of welcomes with Antigua’s vibrant culture, strong sense of hospitality and 365 beaches. Also to be found are thriving sailing and cricket scenes, arts and culinary festivals, and reminders of British colonial history, like the occasional red telephone booth, peppered across the island.
Air Canada, WestJet, and Sunwing provide direct service from Toronto, and nearby Barbuda’s newly opened airport is accessible to private jets. As the Tourism Authority touts, “the beach is just the beginning.”
Food & farm tours
Getting oriented to a new destination is always easier with a guide, and why not get acquainted with the local cuisine at the same time? The woman-owned Eat ‘n Lime Food Tours provides the best of both worlds, with walking tours of the capital city, St. John’s, that stop at gastronomic and historical points of interest. Highlights include a rum punch demonstration, Caribbean patties and roti enjoyed on colourful shaded patios, and a Belgian take on the national dish, Fungee, that pairs it with mussels in a white wine cream sauce.
Head into the countryside for an eco-tour with Humble and Free Wadadli, a company that shares the Rastafari community’s rich culture and sustainable farming practices. Co-founder and CEO, Ras Richie, says, “we cater to people from 0-100,” with several new tours being added within the last year. Visitors can tour the farm to see the many crops and animals, plus hike through the landscape, learn Kemetic Yoga and Meditation, or cook Ital food in traditional clay pots and enjoy a vegan meal that’s about as farm-to-table as it gets.
Local favourites
No trip to Antigua is complete without visiting the many hotspots favoured by locals. Shirley Heights Lookout is home to the sunset barbecue party of your dreams, with sweeping views of English and Falmouth Harbours and communal dining amid steel drums on Thursdays and Sundays.
The fruit and vegetable market in St. John’s picks up early on Saturday mornings, with vendors selling local crops and goods. Stroll through the streets for some sugarcane to suck on and grab a fresh coconut—they’ll hack the top off for you to drink the water, then cut a spoon from the husk for eating the flesh.
Nelson’s Dockyard, now part of a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been in active use since the early 18th century. A free museum in the former Admiral’s House provides a comprehensive history of the site, which today hosts events like the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and Antigua Sailing Week. Shops, art galleries, restaurants and accommodations are some of the modern amenities in an area where historical artifacts are literally around every corner.
Rooms with a view
Hermitage Bay reopened this November after a multi-million dollar renovation that maintained the deep sense of serenity while enhancing luxury offerings. New private pools, brightened interiors and updated culinary experiences await guests on the lush 140 acres. The 30 villa suites are in three categories ranging from 1,055 to 1,301 square feet, each providing private yet al fresco living. The beachfront, garden pool and hillside villa suites are tucked into the landscape—as are the outdoor showers and wrap-around verandas.
Constant innovation with an unparalleled attention to detail and commitment to wellness is a focus at Hermitage Bay. Lighting designers from Japan and landscapers from Florida complement the in-house team’s expertise in caring for the all-natural building materials, such as the villas’ wooden walls which are refreshed annually. Lemongrass roofs, like on the newly opened Beach Club, that emit a light fragrance in the breeze and beach dinners on the sand are just some of the ways that guests are truly immersed in nature. While all beaches in Antigua are public, the bay’s seclusion adds to the feel of a private paradise.
With sustainability being top of mind, the resort reuses greywater and cultivates an organic garden. That sunburn you got while snorkeling? Feel free to request some aloe vera directly from the garden. You’ll also see its fruits, vegetables and herbs on the menu, carefully selected by executive chef Desroy Spence, an Antiguan native, in collaboration with industry titans like the former head chef of Nobu.
At the historic Curtain Bluff resort, 72 indoor-outdoor ocean view rooms are set against two beaches and the eponymous rocky bluff.
Guests enjoy access to activities including cooking classes, high tea in the library, guided walks through the village, garden tours, bocce and pilates classes. The property is family-friendly with a kids’ camp, TV and game room, and babysitting services available on-site.
The Bluff House, the owner’s private home, welcomes guests at weekly cocktail events, pre-bookable private dinners, and weddings. 2026 will see the Bluff House redone into a six-bedroom villa.
Most recently undergoing renovations in 2021 on the 40 Junior Suites, the resort also opened an adults-only infinity pool last November and will refurbish The Sea Grape beachfront restaurant, known for open-air dining and imaginative flavours, to open on November 1, 2025.
