Antigua markets itself on 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. The number is folklore rather than survey, but the underlying point is real: this is a small island, about 22 kilometres across, with an extraordinarily indented coastline of coves and bays.
What the slogan does not say is that they are not equivalent. Antigua sits in the path of the Atlantic trade winds, and the eastern and northeastern coast takes them directly. That side has surf, wind and current. The western and southwestern coast sits in the lee and is flat.
The lee side and the wind side
The trade winds blow from the east almost year round, which produces a consistent split.
The leeward coast, from Dickenson Bay in the northwest down through Jolly Harbour, Darkwood and Ffryes to the southwestern corner, has the calm water, the sunsets over the sea and almost all of the resorts.
The windward coast in the east is where the kitesurfing is, along with Half Moon Bay, which is the most beautiful beach on the island and one you should look at rather than swim across.
English Harbour in the south is different again: a natural hurricane hole where Nelson's dockyard has been preserved since the eighteenth century, now the yachting centre of the eastern Caribbean and a UNESCO site.
That wind is also the reason Antigua Sailing Week exists, and the last week of April fills every room on the island.
The eleven below are grouped by coast.
The northwest leeward coast
Dickenson Bay and the north, closest to the airport and the busiest stretch.
Jumby Bay Island - Oetker Collection occupies a private island off the northeast coast reached by launch, with 40 hectares, an 800-metre beach and no cars. It is the most exclusive property in the eastern Caribbean.
Jumby Bay Island - Oetker Collection
Private island, northeast · 5★ · $$$$
Forty hectares, an 800-metre beach and no cars
Check availabilityBlue Waters Resort & Spa sits on the north coast with four beaches, several pools and a spa. It is a large resort and the best of them for families.
Blue Waters Resort & Spa
North coast · 4★ · $$$
Four beaches and several pools for families
Check availabilityHodges Bay Resort & Spa occupies a headland north of St John's with a marina, a spa and contemporary rooms. It is the most current design on the island.
The southwest leeward coast
The quieter half, with the flattest water and the sunsets.
Hermitage Bay sits on its own bay at the southwestern corner, all-inclusive, adults-only and reached down a private road, with 25 suites and a hillside behind. It is the most romantic hotel in Antigua.
Curtain Bluff - All Inclusive occupies a beach on the south coast with a family wing and an adults wing, a serious tennis programme and the most complete facilities on the island.
Curtain Bluff - All Inclusive
South coast · 5★ · $$$$
Two beaches, serious tennis and the fullest facilities
Check availabilityGalley Bay Resort & Spa sits on a long beach on the west coast with a protected bird reserve behind it, mature gardens and a low-rise layout that has been there since the 1960s.
Galley Bay Resort & Spa
West coast · 4★ · $$$
Long beach with a bird reserve behind it
Check availabilityCocobay Resort Antigua - All Inclusive - Adults Only occupies a cove on the southwest with cottages among gardens, all-inclusive, and a quiet, adult-leaning tone.
Cocobay Resort Antigua - All Inclusive - Adults Only
English Harbour · 4★ · $$$
Hillside cottages above the Georgian dockyard
Check availabilityKeyonna Beach Resort sits on Turtle Bay with beachfront cottages, an adults-only policy and the best value among the small properties.
Tamarind Hills Resort & Villas occupies a hillside above Ffryes Beach with villas, a pool and views down the coast. It is the pick for space.
Tamarind Hills Resort & Villas
Above Ffryes Beach · 4★ · $$$
Hillside villas with views down the leeward coast
Check availabilityEnglish Harbour and the south
The yachting side, with the dockyard and the hills.
Cocobay Resort Antigua - All Inclusive - Adults Only occupies a hillside above English Harbour with cottages, a pool and the historic dockyard below. It is where the sailing crowd stays and it is a short drive to the beaches.
The north, all-inclusive
Sandals Grande Antigua - ALL INCLUSIVE Couples Only sits on Dickenson Bay with the largest all-inclusive operation on the island, several restaurants and full facilities. It is adults-only and it is very large.
Sandals Grande Antigua - ALL INCLUSIVE Couples Only
Dickenson Bay · 4★ · $$$
Largest all-inclusive operation on the island
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The villa rentals across Jolly Harbour and the southwest are excluded, and on an island where a great deal of the good coastline is private, they are a significant share of the accommodation. They are houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Go to Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbour, which is a working Georgian naval yard preserved rather than reconstructed, and walk up to Shirley Heights for the view over both harbours. The Sunday evening party there is an institution.
Sail. This is one of the best sailing islands in the Caribbean and half-day charters are straightforward from Jolly Harbour or Falmouth.
See Half Moon Bay on the east coast, which is the most beautiful beach on the island, and take the surf seriously.
Take a boat to Barbuda, an hour and a half north, for the pink sand and the frigate bird colony. The island was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and is still rebuilding; check what is operating before planning around it.
Eat at the beach shacks rather than in the resorts.
Practical notes
V.C. Bird airport is in the northeast, fifteen to forty-five minutes from most resorts, with good connections from North America and the UK.
December to April is the dry season and the peak. May, June and November are much better value. August to October is the hurricane peak.
Sailing Week at the end of April fills the island entirely.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Antigua Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Are there really 365 beaches?
The number is folklore. The coastline is genuinely indented and beach access on the island is public by law, which matters more.
Which coast should you book?
The leeward west and southwest for calm water and sunsets. The east for wind sports and dramatic scenery you look at rather than swim in.
Antigua or Barbados?
Antigua for beaches, sailing and coves. Barbados for restaurants, a livelier scene and a more developed west coast.
How many nights?
Seven. Six on a beach with a day in English Harbour.