St. John's, Antigua

This was by far my favorite port I have ever been too. We did the catamaran with lobster lunch. We went to 2 beach spots before the back of the boat turned into a lobster grilling station. Tables were brought out with salad and a bunch of sides. The alcohol and sodas were included. The last stop the boat couldn’t stay on the beach so we went back out into the water and were able to jump off with music playing. Those who decided to stay at the beach were able to rent jet skis. The ride back to the ship was awesome with music, Congo Line, and rum punch.

Antigua is absolutely beautiful! We decided to have a beach day instead of touring the island. But our taxi driver turned our drive to and from the beach into a tour as well! The beaches are very nice and the local food is to die for. My youngest son wanted to go home with the lady cooking the food on the beach.

We lost our cell phone and the cab driver tracked us down an sent it back to the US for us.

Visited: Dec 08, 2017

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My husband and I basically invented our own excursion lol. We took the local bus from west end bus terminal for $1.50pp to Nelson's Dockyard (don't miss the bakery behind the museum!), a water taxi ($4pp round trip) from the Dockyard across to Galleon Beach and a hiking trail (steep and hot...non-hikers be warned!) up to Shirley Heights. Shirley Heights was beautiful, and three kind British ladies showed us a different path down the mountain that went all along the rocky/cactus-lined coastline. It was stunning! Then back across on the water taxi/through the Dockyard/local bus back to the ship. We had SO MUCH FUN exploring on our own! It was a great, inexpensive day.

We visited St John’s Antigua on April 12th 2019. We walked from port up the street on St Mary’s St , & then turned right on Market St. Follow Market to the “Y” & bear right. You will find the bus station . We took the #17 bus to Nelsons Dockyard. It was $1.50 US per person one way. The busses run roughly on the hour. NOTE : this is an island bus that the locals ride every day. It may be well below what your standards are for mass transit at home. It will be jam packed & rattle & squeak as it bounces along the rough rural roads of Antigua. It is a true island experience. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED 😆😆😆 Nelsons Dockyard is the last stop, then they return to town. Much less expensive than the tour or cab price. We spent a couple hours going through the Museum & strolling around the grounds. It is very beautiful & if you have an interest in Naval & island history you will find it interesting. Nelsons Dockyard is run by the Antigua & Barbuda National Park system & cost $8 US for entry. There are a couple shops & restaurants & bars there which looked very upscale, which we did not visit. After touring we caught the #17 bus back to town & walked back Market Street & then down to Hemingways Caribbean Cafe. It is right across the street from the Cruise Port Entrance & located on the 2nd floor of what was a hotel built in the 1800’s. We prefer to get a table on the veranda & watch the goings on at street level below. We started off with a Rum Punch & an Expresso Cocktail . Then ordered the Conch Fritters & the Bassa Fish Burger & salad. Another order of Conch Fritters , a Stag Lager Beer , & some Key Lime Pie. Another beer, this time a Guinness....The service was good island style. Everything is made to order , so it may take a bit before it comes out piping hot ! That gives you time to enjoy the island breeze , the great view, & another cold beverage. The owner Anna Marie always stops by to visit & make sure you are enjoying your meal. Our Server was Tequila & she was very pleasant & made sure we had everything we needed. Our total bill for everything came to $85 US & was worth every penny. Please note that the Antigua Government had levied a large tax on prepared food , & that can make things a little pricey. Make sure you tip the servers & appreciate your restaurant hosts as they work hard to make your visit memorable. I am already looking forward to our next visit in April of 2020. If you get the chance stop in at Hemingways. It is less than a 15 minute walk from there , through the port shops , to being on your ship. So it is a great place to recharge after a day of exploring Antigua 😎