The flight from St Martin to Antigua was short with a small propeller plane that made us a bit nervous. We went to the Transport Board at the airport and there was a fixed price of 20 USD from the airport to our hotel.
The smiling staff welcoming us to the Coconut Beach Club (hence CCB) and offering rum or fruit punch made us feel instantly happy and comfortable. Our room was cool and clean and did not look worn at all. We stayed on the first floor with the ocean only metres away from our small porch.
The CCB was brilliant in many was.
The best thing with breakfast was the lady making your eggs just the way you wanted them á la minute. Some days there were pancakes. There were always bagels, juice and great pineapple. Lunch was buffet style and so-so. They had wonderful creamed potatoes and all fish served was delicious but since they quickly ran out of it you had to hurry to have some.
They also had some great dessert and my favourite was the coconut pie.
Dinner was served á la carte with three options for starters, main courses and desserts. They also had the pasta of the day. The food was mostly good. Sometimes the staff seemed a bit disorganised and rushed. When we ordered a different wine from the one offered in the all-inclusive package it took them about 20 minutes to serve it and they seemed confused that we did not start our main course before we had it. Otherwise the service was brilliant and the staff friendly.
The bar was also great. We loved sitting there, listening to the ocean just outside, sipping our Piña coladas, talking and joking with other guests. Being honeymooners, we were particularly celebrated. The best bartender was a lady named Zauda Browne. She kept us happy by always singing, dancing and making us new wonderful drinks. Besides she was very quick and attentive. A young man named Nicolai was not so good. He had the bad habit of sometimes leaving the bar and being away for quite some time, leaving newly arrived guests to wait before they could have their soft drinks our cocktails.
The hotel had a small beach and we loved to go swimming. There was a lot of fish in the water. It was also wonderful to walk along the beach in the sunset.
The worst thing with the hotel was the drinking water. It tasted far too much like pool water for us. Admittedly we Swedes are spoiled with excellent tap water but we could not understand how the other guests could actually drink the water served. Thus we ordered bottled water. After one day the staff had the habit of fetching bottled water when we arrived for dinner, which was much appreciated. It was not that expensive either.
As for excursions we went on four of them. The first one was to St John. There is a shuttle from the hotel to St John that you can take which is the cheapest option. Since it only leaves in the morning and we missed it, we took a taxi which was about 3 USD more. St John was a great disappointment. It was very hot, crowded with a lot of noisy traffic. There was not that much to shop either, mostly souvenirs.
The second excursion was also the best. It was the circumnavigation. We had a brilliant day at sea getting a good look at the island, including for instance the Devil’s Bridge and Eric Clapton’s estate. On board they offered bear, soft drinks and rum punch. We do not believe in drinking at sea but those who did claimed that they made the rum punch very, very strong, so be careful if you are having that. Also wear a lot of sun screen and have some water too. We got to swim and sail some too. Captain Bob was a jolly chap and people were having a great time.
The third excursion was to the market and barbeque at the Shirley Heights, which also was a bit of a disappointment. We went there to see the sunset, but it was a cloudy day. Still we took some great pictures. Also the market place was quite small and very crowded.
The final excursion was a jeep safari around the island. We got to visit the Nelson’s Dockyard and the rainforest. It was a good tour, but bumpy, so don’t go there if you got a back problem. Also watch out because the seat belts were not that clean and stained our clothes.
All in all we would therefore mostly recommend the circumnavigation, but also the jeep safari. When booking these excursions there is a lady named Jennifer who is not that nice since she is very eager to sell excursions, saying things like “don’t you want your honeymoon to be memorable”. We wish to decide for ourselves what will make our particular honeymoon memorable.
Helena had a massage and a pedicure which was 100 USD in all. It was very relaxing in a hut by the sea and the lady was very good.
In sum we loved the CCB and we would very much like to go back there. We highly recommend it to honeymooners and people who are looking for some peaceful and quiet luxury.
As for Antigua, the island seemed more rural and a lot less commercial than St Martin. The communications were however not that great and the best way to travel seemed to be either by boat or taxi, unless you want to rent a car of course. Our hotel did not have that service though. Nelsons Dockyard was a good and beautiful place to see. When we go back, we intend to stay longer there than the jeep safari allowed.
We felt very safe and happy on Antigua – the land of sea and sun, and we are most definitely going back.


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