Antigua: Exploring the South and Eastern Parts of the Island

​One of my bestie's recently got married and had a destination wedding in Antigua, so as you can expect we HAD to go! We chose to fly in to ANU a few days before everyone else and stay on the south side of the island to explore more and boy was it an adventure!

​The Digs

​We chose to stay at Vine Cottages, the most charming places perched on a hillside with views for days! Normally these cottages are for long term stays but because of damage done by Hurricane Maria our cottages decided to not only drop the price but open up to short term guests just like us! Please note that, while they are still in repair mode at the cottages they are up and running and everything is looking good! The bar/restaurant has not reopened yet but the rest is coming along nicely! Stays from people like us will help to make the repairs possible in time for their tourist season this year hopefully!

Antigua Yacht Club, Pigeon Point Beach & Falmouth Harbour

We spent the afternoon wandering around the east side of Falmouth Harbour, discovering Flatties Flame Grill (the burger here was amazing! Sorry we ate too fast for pictures!), Grabbed a cold one and some chief supplies a.k.a. Citronella candles and matches at English Harbour Gas Station and made sure to wander around the pier at Antigua Yacht Club Marina.

After time well spent exploring we headed a few minutes walk to Pigeon Point Beach. This beach is lined with trees, some of them poisonous but don’t worry they have signs pointing them out. As you walk through the trees you will come to a small beach with beautiful sand and stunningly clear waters that is surrounded by hills that beg for an Instagram shot. We very much enjoyed our time in the water here, the beach is peaceful and tucked away, perfect for a romantic afternoon.

Devil’s Bridge

We rented a car and so we found it only proper that we drive NE to Devil’s Bridge. This point is on the Atlantic side and is worth the drive if you are already on the E, NE or SE parts of the island. If you are staying on the western side of the island we recommend adding Half Moon Bay/Bach to this trip as Devil’s Bridge only requires 15-20 minutes. ​
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**A note about Half Moon Bay: Every year during off season a red seaweed burdens the north and eastern shores of the island. It rips free from deep in the sea as far east as Africa and works its way towards the Caribbean. This year the seaweed is so bad that they cannot keep up with it. As they clean the beach the next day it will be back and twice as bad. While this keeps some workers in business it has damaged the tourism industry in this area no question. We saw only 3 other people walking around near Half Moon Bay while we were there. The beach was completely covered in seaweed.

Shirley Heights & Block House

​Antigua and Barbuda, like many of the islands in the Caribbean, were impacted greatly by the wars back in the 1700’s. There are many military structures still remaining and are well worth a visit. While Block House is not standing anymore the ruins can still be seen. The powder house remains intact and is a very interesting piece of architecture for it’s time. A powder house is where all of the ammunition and gunpowder were kept. Shirley Heights, now known for its stunning view, was a key player as it is perched on top of a mountain and one is able to see all boating activity in English and Falmouth Harbours. Note: Nelson’s Dockyard is considered part of this area and is included with your State Park entry fee but we did not have time to explore it.