Ah - Antigua

If you want to get awiay to a place where you can soak up the rays on a beach that is almost always "yours," sail away for the day on a party catamaran, charter your own sail boat for an exhilarating yet relaxing day, snorkel, dive, party with the locals into the evening, tour the island to learn the history, or just spend the day talking to the beach bartender who will tell you tales of the area, then you want to head to Antigua.

As we arrived at the Galley Bay Resort, a boutique all-inclusive resort, we were greeted by a woman with a big smile and the choice of champagne or rum punch (their own recipe- it's the choice you want to make!). Check in was at a simple desk, in the midst of beautiful gardens. The "resort" was no where in sight. We were taken by Bobby, by golf cart, for a quick tour of the resort on the way to our suites.

This resort is beautiful, and secluded. All beaches in Antigua are public beaches. This resort does not get the public (with the rare exception of a few near-by residents) traffic due to it's location. It's a beautiful stretch of beach with a small amount of rocks and coral at the far end - great for snorkeling!

The rooms (junior suites) are beautiful. There are a few categories of rooms, including lagoon-side private cottages with plunge pools (not my favorite - you have to walk out of your "sleeping" cottage take some steps outside to unlock your "bathroom" cottage. Of course, it's extremely private and no one can see in. I just prefer being oceanfront!

We enjoyed the warm waters and the quiet beach. It's a quiet resort, not much to do during the day. We did kayak and learn to sail a hobie cat! And we chartered a sailboat from Shawn for 1/2 day, which was a lot of fun. It included great local food, drinks (both non-alcoholic and the real stuff!) and lots of info about the island as we sailed along the coast.

Sunsets were beautiful. I'm sure sunrises were too, but I never woke up early enough to enjoy them! The food is very good, no buffets!!! There are two restaurants that are included in the all-inclusive plan and one that has an extra charge. After speaking to some of the staff, we found out that the menus were almost identical, just the atmosphere was different. For us, not worth the extra money! And the restaurant staff was so great that they knew what we liked and what to do to make us smile. The best example was one of the waitresses, who always had a serious face, said very seriously that the food at the resort was not fattening at all. The only problem you will have is that the heat and sun will shrink your clothes!!!! She made our day!

Evenings were really nice. After dinner each night, there was music and some nights there was dancing as well. Just bring insect repellent for sunset and the evenings. As in any caribbean island, mosquitos do show up!

The staff at the resort has access to lots of great excursions as well as local happenings. So, it's your choice whether you want to just lay back and relax or get out and see the island!