Antigua holidays

The claim that Antigua has 365 beaches - one for each day of the year - may contain a grain of poetic license, but you would certainly need more than a two or three week luxury Antigua holiday to try them all out. Located at the heart of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, Antigua is not just about beaches. Steeped in naval history, picturesque English Harbour - setting of Clarence House and Nelson's Dockyard - was a major Royal Navy station in the Napoleonic Wars and adds an intriguingly familiar appeal to an island of simple but undeniable charm.

Antigua holidays with Abercrombie & Kent bring you closer to the people and places that make the island special, thanks to our unique local knowledge and contacts.

Holidays in Antigua are perfect for water lovers, whether you choose to be on the sea or in the sea, there is every water sport imaginable available. For the sailing enthusiast, the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week at the end of April has become one of the world's leading regattas with competitors taking part from every corner of the globe.

Away from the water, use your Antigua holiday to explore, via roads that meander through the rainforest clad hills where sugar mills dot the horizon, relics of the island's plantation past. At the end of July and early August, Antigua explodes into colour as carnival is celebrated with entertainment and pageants throughout 11 days of festivities - a vibrant and colourful backdrop to any Antigua honeymoon. You don't just have to wait for carnival to get a taste of calypso. Shirley Heights not only provides an incredible lookout over the sea, but on Sundays, has become the place for locals and visitors to congregate and dance to the local steel bands, whilst sampling local cuisine washed down with the island's Cavalier rum.