Antigua is one of the easier Caribbean islands to reach from the US East Coast, Canada and Britain, and once you’re on the ground the trip to Dickenson Bay is short. Here is everything we tell friends before they fly.
Flights
V.C. Bird International (the airport code is ANU) sits on the north side of the island, about twenty minutes by road from Antigua Village. It’s a modern, single-terminal airport, and it takes nonstop flights from a lot of places:
- New York (JFK and Newark): around four hours. American, JetBlue and United fly it.
- Miami: around three hours, on American.
- Atlanta: around four hours, on Delta.
- Toronto: around five hours, on Air Canada and WestJet.
- London (Gatwick and Heathrow): around eight hours, on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Schedules thin out in the summer and fill up again from November. Winter Saturdays are the busiest days at the airport in both directions, so if you can travel midweek, do; it’s cheaper and the immigration line is shorter.
Entry
Visitors with US, UK, EU and Canadian passports don’t need a visa for a holiday. You’ll need a passport valid for the length of your stay and a return or onward ticket. Antigua has an online arrival form that you fill in before travelling; the airline will usually remind you, and the details change from time to time, so check the government’s current requirements a week or two before you fly.
The airport to the door
Taxis wait outside arrivals and rates are fixed by the government, posted on a board, and quoted in US dollars, so there is no meter to watch and no negotiation. Antigua Village on Dickenson Bay is one of the shorter runs on the island: about twenty minutes, most of it on a good road along the north coast. Tell the driver “Antigua Village, Dickenson Bay” and, if you’d like to be dropped at the door, the villa or studio number. If you’d rather book a driver ahead of time, ask us and we’ll send you the number of the one we use; we don’t run transfers ourselves, but he’s reliable.
Rental cars can be delivered to the village. You’ll need a temporary local driving permit, which the rental company issues on the spot for a small fee against your home licence, and you’ll drive on the left. More on whether you need a car at all in the section below.
Money
The official currency is the East Caribbean dollar (EC$), fixed at roughly EC$2.70 to US$1. In practice US dollars are accepted everywhere, from taxis to supermarkets to beach bars, and prices in restaurants are often listed in both. Cards work in most places; some smaller beach bars and the market are cash only, so keep some small US bills. ATMs in St. John’s and at the airport dispense EC dollars.
Tipping runs along American lines: 10–15% in restaurants unless a service charge is already on the bill (check; it often is), and a few dollars for a taxi driver who helps with bags.
Phones and Wi-Fi
Antigua uses GSM networks, and most US and UK carriers have roaming plans that cover it; check yours before you leave, because pay-as-you-go roaming can be expensive. If you’re staying longer than a week, a local prepaid SIM from Digicel or Flow is cheap and easy to pick up in St. John’s. The homes have Wi-Fi.
Power and water
The homes have US-style outlets, so American guests don’t need adapters; British and European guests do. Bring a plug adapter for each device you’ll charge. The tap water is safe for brushing your teeth and cooking; most people, including us, drink bottled water, which Epicurean sells in the big five-gallon bottles as well as small ones.
Do you need a car?
For a beach holiday on Dickenson Bay, no. The beach is at the end of the path, the restaurants on the bay are a walk along the sand, and a taxi into St. John’s is ten minutes. For a stay where you want to explore, a car for a few days is worth it: the island is small, the roads are mostly fine, and the best beaches are 30 to 45 minutes away in different directions. Book the car ahead in winter; delivery to the village makes it painless.
The one thing to remember
Antigua runs on Atlantic Standard Time all year, with no daylight saving. That’s the same as New York in summer and one hour ahead in winter. Set your watch when you land and the sunset will find you on the terrace at the right moment.