Antigua Beaches

Antigua is well known for its 365 beaches. If you’d like to venture out in search of the best Antigua beaches, we recommend starting with one or more of those listed here. Most are on the Westerly Caribbean side of the island and all beaches are public but rarely crowded. Some are quite remote and easier to access by sea. However you get there, you’re sure to find a beach that’s perfect for you!

Northwest Coast

Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay are the busier beaches on the island and have everything you could possibly need; sunbeds and umbrellas for rent, beach bars, restaurants and water sports for hire. Fort James is very popular with the locals for picnics at the week-ends and public holidays. Galley Bay is known as a good spot for a bit of surfing in the winter. Hawksbill boasts a set of four crescent beaches; the third one is the island’s only nudist beach. Jolly Beach is almost entirely taken up by the resort of the same name; there is public access to the beach and also to Jolly Harbour Marina.

South + Southwest Coast

This corner of Antigua is hillier and the beaches in this area take a bit more effort to reach by land or sea. They are less developed because of their isolation. Ffryes Bay, Darkwood Beach and Turners Beach by Johnson’s Point are some of the easier to discover as they are close to the coastal road. Darkwood Beach takes your breath away as you turn the corner and it comes into view. It is a long white sandy beach right by the roadside. On a clear day you can see the island of Montserrat and its infamous volcano. Popular at the week-ends it has a couple of beach bar/restaurants serving fresh local food. Turners Beach at Johnson’s Point is at the tip of the South West coast and has a couple of great beach bars serving fresh fish & lobster. The sunset views are superb.

Rendezvous Bay boasts a pristine beach and is more isolated but worth the challenge of getting there. You can walk along a path from the rain forest for an hour and a half or go by 4 x 4 from the Spring Hill Riding Club. The other option here is to arrive by sea. Pigeon Point is a sheltered cove with plenty of trees offering shade. It’s not far from English Harbour and the historic Nelson’s Dockyard.

East + North Coast

Half Moon Bay lives up to its name: a long, sweeping white sand crescent that is now a National Park. This makes it a superb location for a family outing. One side of the bay is great for body-surfing whilst the other side is more protected and has calmer waters suitable for snorkelling. Long Bay,further along the East Coast is protected by its own reef and offers sheltered swimming on what is the Atlantic side of the island. Heading round to the North now to the quiet, secluded beach of Dutchman’s Bay, opposite Long Island home of the famous Jumby Bay Resort. It also has two excellent beach restaurants right on the water’s edge, Cecilia’s High Point Cafe and La Bussola. Jabberwock Beach is a long white sandy beach, part of the National Park and a local hot spot for water sports enthusiasts, particularly the KiteSurf Antigua crew.