Blog #2 - An Antiguan Sunset

Sunday, 20 Feb 2011.  We spent our first full day in Antigua exploring our resort, which started with two orientation sessions; one with our Air Canada Vacation local rep and one with the resort Guest Services staff.  For meals we had breakfast and lunch at the Sea Breeze Restaurant (buffet style), a hamburger at the Beach Side Grill and dinner at the Buccaneers Restaurant (à la carte).

Lorne, Sandy and Kristin off on an adventure on Antigua.

All meals are provided and we can eat whatever we want off the buffet or menu.  Generally, the food is very good with lots of variety.  There is a fourth restaurant called Nicole’s where we have to pay a $25 surcharge per person and men have to wear long pants and a collared shirt.  We will try Nicole’s later in the week.

An interesting tree we saw in Antigua.

They have prices on the menus in US dollars, which confused me at first because I thought we were at an all-inclusive resort.  I ordered the hamburger at the grill without first looking at the menu and then glanced at the menu after they asked me for my room number.  Then I saw that the price of the hamburger was $16!  I thought I was going to be charged this amount but then another guest explained to me that some guests are not on the all-inclusive plan.  I guess I will find out for sure when I check out on Saturday and see if there are extra charges on my bill.

We did go on one organized excursion on this day to Shirley Heights, which overlooks English Harbour, to see two local bands (a Caribbean steel drum band and a reggae band).  They had a big party going with lots of drinks and food off the grill, but you had to pay for this food and drink, so we did not partake other than a few drinks to quench our thirst, since we could eat and drink for free back at our resort.

A Caribbean Steel Band

The bands were very good.  I took a video of the steel band, but the file size is 100 MB and too large to upload from the slow connection here in Antigua, so I will try to upload it when I get home.



Kristin among the throng at Shirley Heights



The other big attraction of going to Shirley Heights was to see the sunset, which we can’t see from our resort on the eastern side of the island.  We can see the sunrise, but who wants to get up that early on vacation.  The sunset was quite nice as you can see from the pictures below.  These sunset pictures are provided in sequence as the sun was setting, which seems surprising because the lighting conditions seem to vary considerably and even get lighter as the sun was setting.

The start of the sunset.

A sailboat heading into English Harbour in Antigua at sunset.  I think he timed his return to harbour so that he could appear in many tourists' sunset photo shots.

The sun finally sets over the Caribbean Sea.  You can see the island of Montserrat to the left.  Montserrat has an active volcano that had a major eruuption in 1995 that caused two-thirds of the population to evacuate.  Local Antiguans told us that they still get ash floating over from minor eruptions that continue to occur.

Blog #1 - Off to Antigua

Saturday, 19 Feb 2011.  Well, here we are at the Ottawa Airport at 06:00 waiting for our 07:00 flight to Montreal and then on to a 09:45 flight to the Carribean island of Antigua.  Surprising, it only took 45 minutes to go from our house to the airport, check-in, clear security and make it to our gate.  So, it seems like as good a time as any to start a blog of our new travel adventure.  For those who haven't seen our previous travel adventure blogs, you can find them at:

http://lornesandyitaly.blogspot.com/
for Lorne and Sandy's Italian Adventure (22 Sep to 16 Oct 2010)

http://kristin-japan.livejournal.com/

Kristin's Adventures in Japan (Sep 2009 to May 2010), with a few guest blogs by Lorne during our visit in December 2009.

These blogs are set up chronologically and will open up at the last blog that was posted.  There is a limited amount of room to see multiple postings on one web page, so to see older postings, you will have to find the link at the bottom of the page or in a side bar.

Sandy and Kristin waiting for our flight out of Ottawa

First a little history and geography about Antigua, which I grabbed from the referenced web sites.

The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcantigua.htm

St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda as seen from our airplane on the final approach for landing.

Antigua, also known as ‘Wadadli’ meaning ‘our own’, is the largest of the Leeward Islands. The circumference is roughly 54 miles and its area is 108 square miles. The island is the most developed of the Leeward Islands and is prosperous due to its upscale tourism industry, offshore banking, gambling and education services.

http://www.skyviews.com/skyviews/maps/antigua/about/

Arrival at Antigua Airport.  Kristin waves hello to me as I take this photo from the top of the ladder to the airplane.

Antigua (pronounced An-tee-gah) is a British Leeward Island. Formerly a British colony, it has retained strong links to British tradition (and is deeply devoted to the English sport of cricket). In recent years tourism has undergone tremendous expansion, and the island is now popular with tourists of all types. Antigua is best known for its 365 beautiful beaches, magnificent dive sites and interesting historical maritime sites. It is also known as a major Caribbean yachting port. Barbuda is Antigua's sister island although it could not be more different. In Barbuda you will see a Caribbean island that is unspoiled by tourism and is renowned for its natural, beaches, sprinkled with pink sand and miles long. Several resorts dominate the island and offer top-notch cuisine and luxurious accommodations. The beauty of the island is in its natural, peaceful way of life - it is not for visitors who are looking for nightlife or entertainment - it is a place to relax, slow down, and make your own.

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/islands/ab/

The view of the Atlantic Ocean from our verandah at the Verandah Resort and Spa in Antigua.  We are staying in Unit # 220, nicknamed the Lion Fish

The front door to the Lion Fish.

There is a good map of Antigua located at the following web site, which specifically states that you are not allowed to reproduce the map on a web site, so all I can do is provide the link.  Our hotel, the Verandah Resort and Spa, is identified on the map as Hotel # 26, on the far eastern end in the middle of the island right beside the Kodak Picture Taking Spot called Devil’s Bridge (please stand by for photos of this site in another blog).

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/ab/atmap.shtml



Listening to tunes while I start the "Adventures in Antigua" blog at the Ottawa Airport.



So how did we choose Antigua and our resort?  It was simply done by a little research on island safety and beauty; and then a chat with Louise, our friendly travel agent at CAA who recommended an all-inclusive Air Canada vacation to the Verandah Resort and Spa on Antigua.




A selection of Eastern Caribbean currency, the legal tender of Antigua and most of the islands near by.



The back of the $20 (Eastern Caribbean dollars) bill.  EC$20.00 = CA$8.00