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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: Maria_and_Steve]
#160242
05/04/2018 01:00 PM
05/04/2018 01:00 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 75 Manhattan Beach, CA
ScubaDrew
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Posts: 75
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Thanks so much. Very helpful info - especially the tip on Barbuda -- I think that might be the deal breaker. We'll wait for that to recover so visiting Barbuda will be an awesome experience. Antigua offers a lot of great sailing, good anchorages, culture and decent restaurants. The island is safe to visit and has a definite x-British atmosphere (hence the decent restaurant comment). You can easily spend a week to a month or more sailing around the island, anchoring in different places every day. English Harbour is a spectacular place to visit as well as the jump up at Shirley Heights to party. North Sound on Antigua offers a true get-away from it all place to hang out if you like doing that.
Antigua has essentially zero damage from the hurricanes last season. Poor Barbuda, Antigua's sister island, suffered almost total destruction so you might want to wait to visit there until a later visit.
I highly recommend Antigua to sailors looking for a change of sailing destinations. We have sailed in Antigua annually for 7 seasons and have yet to run out of places to visit. Chris Doyle's sailing guide to the Leeward Islands covers this excellent sailing area.
The BVI's are obviously a great sailing destination and will recover in a few years from the destruction. If you want to experience a new place to sail, Antigua would be well worth looking at. Good luck!
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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: ScubaDrew]
#160249
05/04/2018 05:02 PM
05/04/2018 05:02 PM
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,423 Bucks County, Pa.
toast
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Posts: 1,423
Bucks County, Pa.
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They are different, Antigua well worth a trip. Stopped twice on a cruise and then went for a week. Very nice and more solid infrastructure than BVI, but I think what I like about the BVI is the castaway type feel it has. Antigua much more polished, better resorts and more resorts. Easy to get around and not that big. My heart will always be in the BVI but I do recommend Antigua. Devlis Bridge and arch, one accessible by land and one only by boat, both a must .
Toast.......to Life; White Bay...heaven on earth. Diane
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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: ScubaDrew]
#160337
05/06/2018 07:32 PM
05/06/2018 07:32 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,228 Somewhere out there
kneafseym
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Posts: 3,228
Somewhere out there
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We love Antigua, a lot of quiet anchorages. Even with the damage at Barbuda, the beaches will still be amazing. Charter companies used to lot let you go to Monserat. they will let you go to Nevis/St Kitts and Guadaloupe/Ile de saints. Horizon runs a great operation in Jolly Harbor, which has great restaurants and provisioning.
Mike
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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: kneafseym]
#160367
05/07/2018 09:57 AM
05/07/2018 09:57 AM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 857
Cleobeach
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We spent 10 days on Antigua (3) and Barbuda (7) February 2017. While in Antigua, we stayed in English Harbor at the Copper and Lumber Store Inn. The English Harbor area is wonderful. The Inn has a Friday night fish event that reminds me of the Leverick Bay Jumbie night. We love Antigua, a lot of quiet anchorages. Even with the damage at Barbuda, the beaches will still be amazing. Charter companies used to lot let you go to Monserat. they will let you go to Nevis/St Kitts and Guadaloupe/Ile de saints. Horizon runs a great operation in Jolly Harbor, which has great restaurants and provisioning. I agree on the Barbuda beaches. There was very little on Barbuda pre-storms so you won't be missing anything (provisioning, water etc), so to speak, due to the storm damage. If you stick to the beaches, you won't be in anyone's way. That was the best vacation we have taken as a family, by far, and it makes me so sad to see the damage.
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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: ScubaDrew]
#160384
05/07/2018 01:55 PM
05/07/2018 01:55 PM
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 111 Denver & Breckenridge, CO
BreckSailor
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Posts: 111
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I can tell you that I think Antigua (and neighboring islands/countries) are a great alternative to BVIs. I have been sailing in the US/BVIs for over 20 yrs and while I think its great for many, I've become less enchanted with the BVIs over the years. Last year in May and June my family and I sailed through the Leeward Islands from BVIs to Guadeloupe and back. Antigua and Barbuda (as well as Martinique and Guadeloupe) were some of our favorites. Barbuda was awesome and while the country has been devastated since our visit, we spent nearly all of our time there on the beaches that were absolutely incredible - I expect that nothing would have changed that since Irma, other than losing some trees possibly. So, personally, I'd go back to Antigua and sail there long before I would return to the BVIs. But, everyone has there interests/preferences and so mine may be different than yours. (FWIW, our favorite part of the BVIs is Anegada - that's a place that I'll always be interested in returning to - and if you like Anegada, you'll love Barbuda.) If you want to see our experiences you can check out our Youtube video of our 2 month trip and scroll through to the parts (countries) of interest to you. (See here: https://youtu.be/171WKy10NE4)
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Re: BVI vs Antigua
[Re: BreckSailor]
#210285
12/01/2019 09:22 PM
12/01/2019 09:22 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 75 Manhattan Beach, CA
ScubaDrew
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Traveler
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Posts: 75
Manhattan Beach, CA
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Hey @BreckSailor - your youtube video got blocked. Any chance you can unblock it? Thanks! Drew I can tell you that I think Antigua (and neighboring islands/countries) are a great alternative to BVIs. I have been sailing in the US/BVIs for over 20 yrs and while I think its great for many, I've become less enchanted with the BVIs over the years. Last year in May and June my family and I sailed through the Leeward Islands from BVIs to Guadeloupe and back. Antigua and Barbuda (as well as Martinique and Guadeloupe) were some of our favorites. Barbuda was awesome and while the country has been devastated since our visit, we spent nearly all of our time there on the beaches that were absolutely incredible - I expect that nothing would have changed that since Irma, other than losing some trees possibly. So, personally, I'd go back to Antigua and sail there long before I would return to the BVIs. But, everyone has there interests/preferences and so mine may be different than yours. (FWIW, our favorite part of the BVIs is Anegada - that's a place that I'll always be interested in returning to - and if you like Anegada, you'll love Barbuda.) If you want to see our experiences you can check out our Youtube video of our 2 month trip and scroll through to the parts (countries) of interest to you. (See here: https://youtu.be/171WKy10NE4)
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