Antigua

For the first time since having children my husband and I went away just the two of us for a whole week, and Antigua was the perfect relaxing location.

The journey

We flew from London to Antigua with British Airways. It’s a 9 hour flight, but without children it was dreamy watching films without interruption.  Once in Antigua it was only 40 minutes in a taxi to the hotel, the roads are quiet but a bit bumpy in places.

Where we stayed

We stayed at Siboney Beach Hotel in Dickenson Bay. It was the perfect mix of being a nice hotel but also felt authentic – we felt like we were in Antigua whereas some big hotels can feel very clinical and you could be anywhere in the world. The staff were super friendly. There was a small pool which we sat around in the morning but it was always very quiet as everyone was drawn to the beach. We stayed for six nights which meant we only missed one weekend with the kids and were back home early Saturday morning.

How we spent our time

The hotel was right on the beach so we spent most of our time lounging around, ready books and drinking cocktails. The hotel had a nice restaurant and beach bar which we ate at a lot, but we also ventured along the beach to the left hand side where there was a great bar shack with kitchen that served lunch – ribs, chicken and burgers with sides. The only trips out we made were to The Tree House which is owned by Andi Oliver and is a beach club with cabanas and great food, and to the restaurant Papa Zouk in the capital St Johns. St Johns is pretty grim and not worth spending time in but Papa Zouk was a fantastic restaurant – you need to book in advance.