Our taxi driver whisked us off on a short but very scenic drive to the Verandah Resort, some 25 mins away. We passed fields filled with cows (very thin) and goats, the new cricket stadium, then on to our hotel down a quiet road to the coast. The days of sugar plantations are long gone from Antigua and the landscape is now rolling green fields and small collections of farm animals.
The Verandah Resort is more of a village than a hotel. After checking in and being given a map of the resort (you definitely need one) we were greeted with an electric golf cart to take us to our room. Each room is really a small bungalow and the trails that link these buildings are easily navigated by the carts, there's even bus stops along the way if you are in no mood to walk.
Dropped off right outside our room, our bags were unloaded for us and we headed straight to the huge balcony where we had a fantastic view.
I love the Caribbean, there's always a special atmosphere in this part of the world. Relaxing, sun soaked and a chance to indulge for a few days.
The resort is in a word, huge! Hundreds of rooms in pairs all with their own unique names. Ours was Nevis. As each room is part of a two room cottage you feel like you have your own little house at the beach with a wonderful "verandah" that overlooks the Caribbean sea. The resort is a cluster of these cottages.
There's two beaches here, one close by the lobby area with a bar and beach volleyball court, the other with lots of water sports and well shaded sun-beds. There are 42 steps to get onto the main beach which means there are 42 steps to climb to get off the beach. Not an easy task for an older person (you better not be a smoker). In addition there are no toilets in the beach area and the beach bar is also located at the top of these 42 steps but it has a fabulous view and stops the calories piling on.
A very good steel band was playing on the night we arrived and they definitely created a great atmosphere.
The resort has 3 restaurants plus a beach bar and grill on both beaches. The Buccaneer restaurant has some fairly unique décor. Large portraits of famous (and we thought possibly fictitious) pirates. However, I googled the name of a female pirate Anne Bonny 1700 - 1782 and discovered she was an Irish woman who became a famous pirate operating in the Caribbean. Calico Jack, also a portrait, was her lover. Suggest you read all about her on the internet. Would make a great film. The food was very good with its lovely fish a la carte menu. Our favourite evening spot to dine though was the Beach Bar because we love sitting outside and enjoying the warm Caribbean nights.
This resort is certainly conductive to reading, whether you're supine on a sunlounger on one of it's two pretty beaches or by the lagoon-style swimming pool.
For some exercise we walked to Long Bay, which is less than 100 m from the resort. Turn right out of reception. It is generally agreed that this is one of the best beaches in Antigua, good for snorkelling, but we preferred our little cove.
Devil's Bridge is also located just outside the resort. From the main beach go through the hole in the fence and turn left. Devil's Bridge offers a stunning glimpse into Antigua's natural formation. Composed of limestone rock, the rugged terrain of Devil's Bridge is the result of millions of years of ancient reef formation. For hundreds of thousands of years, the Atlantic's waves have crashed into the east coast of Antigua creating a natural arch, or bridge. Numerous geysers and blowholes surround the arch as waves continually break against the coastal rocks. Popular belief suggests slaves leapt to their death off of the natural arch during the period of slavery in Antigua but these stories have no historical evidence to support them. Still, Devil's Bridge gets it's name from these myths as the stories contend the devil claimed those who leapt off the bridge.
The view of our resort from Devil's Bridge.
Phil enjoyed sailing the Hobies as usual.
With fresh fish and creole spices, Island rum in the daiquiris, tasty local beer that quenches the thirst nicely, it's a recipe for relaxation. Thank you for another lovely holiday Phil and Antigua.
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