Antigua
Antigua’s capital, St John’s, is tucked into a sheltered bay, about 5 miles west of the airport. Most hotels and resorts cluster north of here along Dickenson Bay and south in historic English Harbour. The best beaches hem the west coast between Jolly Harbour and Old Road Town. The wind-swept east is sparsely settled and has only a few beaches.

St John's
Intriguingly shabby, the island capital and commercial centre is worth a spin for its cafes, restaurants, shops, cute museum and bustling market. The town all but shuts down at night and on Sundays. North of here, the middle market of Antigua’s holidaymakers finds fun in the sun along Dickenson Bay, which has good swimming and plenty of aquatic activities.
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Dickinson Beach
The closest beach to St John’s is a fairly thin strip of golden sand fringed by calm waters and busy resorts with bars, restaurants and water-sports facilities
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Jabberwock Beach
This breezy white sandy beach is largely the domain of windsurfers and kitesurfers.
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Runaway Beach
Tranquil and facility-free
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Betty's Hope Museum
The Great House and the distillery of Betty’s Hope, the island’s first sugar plantation, built in 1674. Interpretative signs provide information about the sugar-making process and glimpses into daily life at the plantation. It straddles a quiet hill south of Pares, off the road to Long Bay
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Stingray City
At Stingray City Antigua you can feed and swim with friendly stingrays and snorkel around a coral reef. (www.stingraycityantigua.com/)
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Devil's Bridge
Just before Long Bay itself, a rough 1-mile dirt road (better with a 4WD) veers off to Devil’s Bridge (near Willikies, Long Bay), a windswept bluff ringed by rugged cliffs shaped by the relentless crashing of powerful waves. If the tide is right, you can see the powerful blowhole at the far end in action. Views from the bluff are especially dramatic at sunset.
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Ffryes Beach
This long, sea-grape-shaded sandy ribbon has barbecue facilities, showers and toilets and is popular with local families on weekends. Grab a cocktail in time for sunset from Dennis Cocktail Bar & Restaurant. Behind it ensues the gentle arc of Little Ffryes Beach, overlooked by the all-inclusive Cocobay Resort.

Hermitage Bay Beach
This dreamy secluded arc punctuates the end of a 2½-mile-long road (the last two are graded dirt road). Wave-tossed shells litter the white sand that remains largely crowd-free despite being next to an ultraposh resort. Turn off the main road at the Sleeping Indian sign in Jennings, about 1.5 miles north of Jolly Harbour.

Morris Bay Beach
Hemmed in by coconut palms, Morris Bay is locally beloved for its calm waters, and it stretches all the way to the posh Curtain Bluff Resort, which has water-sports facilities.

Turners Beach
Popular with the beach-bum brigade, this buzzing beach is anchored by a shell-decorated restaurant-bar and has water-sports rentals and souvenir vendors.

Valley Church Beach
There’s often nary a soul on this long palm-lined beach with calm and shallow aquamarine waters and powdery white sand. Look for the turn-off to the Nest, the resident beach bar-restaurant (open 11am to sunset).

Jolly Harbour
A short drive south of St John’s, Jolly Harbour is a busy marina and dockside condominium village with a big supermarket, an ATM, a pharmacy and a few restaurants and bars. South of here, the coastal road wears a necklace of some of Antigua’s best beaches, which are popular with locals on weekends but otherwise often deserted.

English Harbour
Nowhere does Antigua flaunt its maritime heritage more than in English Harbour. It sits on two sheltered bays, Falmouth Bay and English Harbour, where salty boats and ritzy yachts bob in the water. The era when the British Navy was based here is still encapsulated in the beautifully restored Nelson’s Dockyards, the island’s top historical attraction.

Galleon Beach
Galleon has plenty of facilities, calm waters and a snorkeling reef close to shore. Take the turn-off from the Shirley Heights road or catch the water taxi (EC$10; 9am-6pm) from the Copper & Lumber Store Hotel.

Half Moon Bay
Water the color of Blue Curacao laps this undeveloped, shadeless white crescent in the remote southeast. Bodysurfers head to the north end, snorkelers to the south, and everyone meets at the funky beach bar for sundowners.

Pigeon Point Beach
This tree-shaded community beach has showers, bathrooms, a playground and a bar but only so-so snorkelling. The access road turns off just before the Nelson’s Dockyard parking lot.

Rendezvous Bay
After a 90-minute walk through the rainforest, you’ll have earned bragging rights for making it to one of Antigua’s loveliest beaches. Because of its remoteness, it usually delivers footprint-free solitude. The path is not signposted, so either ask for detailed directions locally or sign up with a guide.

Codrington
Barbuda’s only village, sleepy Codrington, is home to most residents and the minuscule airport. It’s about 3.5 miles north of the ferry landing on the eastern edge of the lagoon with its famous frigate bird colony.
There is no such thing as a bad beach in Barbuda. All of them are hypnotic strips of pristine powdery white sand perfect for strolling, swimming, chilling and picnicking. The longest one is 17-Mile-Beach, also known as Palm Beach, which stretches along the western side of the narrow strip of land hemming in Codrington Lagoon. Coco Point in the south, next to the eponymous luxury resort, is just as sublime.

Coco Point Beach

Martello Tower
A short walk northwest of the ferry harbour, near River Beach, this 56ft-high fortified lookout station built by the British looks just like an old sugar mill from afar.

Two Foot Bay National Park
This nature area on the north-eastern coast consists of coastal scrub forest hemming in the cliff-lined waterfront. It's famous for its caves, most importantly the Indian Cave, which has the only known petroglyphs on Barbuda.
You need your own transportation or preferably a guide to make the most of visiting here. On weekends, the park is a popular camping site with locals.

Frigate Bird Sanctuary
The expansive Codrington Lagoon National Park, off Barbuda’s northwest coast, supports the Frigate Bird Sanctuary (nationalparksbarbuda.com), one of the world’s largest colonies of frigate birds. The most popular time to visit this sanctuary is during mating season (September to April; December is peak time). The lagoon, which also hosts lots of other bird species, can only be visited by licensed sea taxi from the Codrington jetty. Make arrangements a day in advance through your hotel or the tourist office.

17-Mile-Beach (Palm Beach)