The grandchildren stayed behind, school, and we headed off to lie around on a tropical beach, doing as little as possible. Apparently, according to David Attenborough, mankind is essentially semi-aquatic. Five million years ago, we weren't evolving on the savannas of Africa, but at the shoreline of a warm, shallow sea. That's why we can hold our breath for long periods and don't have much body hair. And it's why lounging on a tropical beach feels so natural. (As yet, there's no Darwinian justification for cocktails). January is when we feel most keenly the sheer daftness of where we live on the planet. Thermal underwear is nature's way of telling us we are 30 degrees of latitude from our ancestral home. So we chose the Caribbean and The St. James' Club in Antigua because the people are as sunny as the climate and there's a beach, a bar and reliable sunshine.
We stayed in a Reef Suite with a lovely large balcony.
and Coco Beach
and Alfred is always close by in the booze buggy with his permanent smile serving water, rum punch, wine and cold beer.
Although the bars are never far away. The Mamora Bay Bar is the place for blended drinks. A brandy sour, recommended by a fellow guest, was "powerful" to say the least.
When I could drag myself away from my book and sunbed, swimming laps in the sheltered Mamora bay, in the roped off swim area, was true bliss. The resort has an ocean side path for running but I enjoyed walking along it to Aqua Aerobics at the Reef Deck pool every morning and I didn't meet any joggers.
The highlight of this holiday for Phil was sailing the Hobiecats at the beginning of our holiday in a sporty breeze. Wonderful fun, would be great to be allowed to sail over to the Coco beach side when there are light winds but we appreciate the need to keep the boats in sight in case they capsize.
He also went Scuba Diving and saw black tipped sharks.
If you want to be active there is always lots going on on Mamora Bay Beach - volleyball, paddle boards, kayaks, windsurfing. My favourite, however, was just relaxing on Coco Beach in the sun with a drink and my book.
Oh and watching the Brown Pelicans putting on a great show fishing. They are so graceful in the air and can be seen skimming within inches of the water in single file. Apparently, the Pelican is a voiceless bird and can reach flight speeds of up to 26 mph. They dive from a height of 60 -70 feet and air sacs under the skin cushion the impact of their steep dives and pop them up like a cork, always facing the wind, ready for take-off. The large bills act as scoop nets. Unfortunately, Pelicans appear to be on the decline, due to the increased use of pesticides found in the marine food chain. This causes the eggshell to become thin and the eggs to break in the nest which are built on top of mangroves or on the ground.
Another interesting bird are the Bananquits (yellow birds). They are constantly raiding unattended breakfast dining tables or trying to drink your left-over cocktails but they are very sweet.
We love Voilet's fish sandwich at the beach side grill - AMAZING - simple well cooked fresh fish.
And Cocos is a civilised haven with a superb view and in the evenings it becomes a Caribbean theme restaurant with conch, curry and beef rundown.
The Docksider Grill was our favourite place for dinner, such a beautiful waterside setting. Normally I roll my eyes at buffet especially as the food is always tepid but the freshly cooked food at the cooking station was good.
The BBQ at Thursdays beach party was fantastic. Just wish we were eating "the Ribs" again this Thursday with our toes in the sand and a Steel Band playing. And the sky was full of dazzling stars and the planets Venus and Mars.
But, to be honest, on holiday I'm just glad someone else is doing the cooking and washing up!
Antigua is a wonderful island to visit and St. James' Club is a gem. We plan to keep on going back as long as they let us!!!!
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