Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is a two-island nation in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic; English is the official language. Antiguans say their island has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year, along with sheltered bays and coral reefs. St John’s, the capital, has a colourful harbour and a twin-towered cathedral.

At English Harbour in the south lies Nelson’s Dockyard, a Georgian naval yard and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Above it, Shirley Heights has sweeping views and Sunday-evening music. Sailing runs deep: each spring brings Antigua Sailing Week, one of the Caribbean’s best-known regattas. Devil’s Bridge is a limestone arch on the Atlantic coast, while the restored windmill at Betty’s Hope recalls the sugar era. The national dish is pepperpot, a thick vegetable and meat stew, with fungee, a cornmeal and okra pudding; add the sweet Antigua Black pineapple and local rum.

Barbuda, to the north, is a quiet, flat island of pink-sand beaches such as Princess Diana Beach; Codrington Lagoon holds one of the Caribbean’s largest frigatebird colonies. It is warm all year, cooled by trade winds. The drier season is roughly December to April; the wetter one, with hurricane season, roughly June to November. The islands suit couples and honeymooners, sailors, families, beach lovers, snorkellers and divers.