Villa Retreats’ travel expert Tina Moorcroft took a trip to Antigua to do a little research. As part of her trip she spent a night at Blue Waters, an exclusive luxury villa resort. Here Tina describes the experience in her own words.

I arrived at the idyllic tropical paradise at midday, after being greeted with a warm smile and a cool towel, I was whisked to The Palm restaurant for a spot of lunch.  Offering a Caribbean al fresco dining experience with the most perfect setting with views of the clear sea and beautifully landscaped gardens.

Then it was off to view some of the properties on offer in this resort including Pelican House which can be split to either three or six bedrooms depending on your party requirements.  This villa has a private pool and patio and over looks the Caribbean Sea

There are also a variety of rooms available from a Superior Hillside Room which has twin or a king size bed and en suite; to a Cove Penthouse which features a separate living and dining area, kitchen and 3 en suite bedrooms.

Then next to the Spa at Blue Waters which is working alongside Elemis to provide a range of sumptuous treatments and a perfect place to relax and be pampered.

If you prefer a more active holiday then the gym is available with a variety of equipment and also accompanied runs or cardio lessons.

Not forgetting the children there is a fully staffed kids club and creche; which offers a whole range of activities to keep them occupied; even babysitting should you wish to have a romantic dinner in the four restaurants; there is something for everyone.

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After a quick-change dinner was served in the Cove Restaurant with our host Gina who is the Executive Assistant Manager. Nothing was too much trouble and a delightful dinner was had by all.

After dinner; drinks and live music were available in the bar.  Most drinks are included apart from premium spirits & some cocktails, but details are provided on the bar menu.

After a long day; a wind down on the balcony of the Beach Front Room was required; watching the sun go down and the night sky fill with stars as far as the eye could see!

The next morning, I had the great pleasure of visiting Rock Cottage.  Nestled on the edge of the cove just a short walk from the main resort; this beautiful property had views to die for.  With a private terrace an infinity pool and five bedrooms, with views of the Caribbean Sea this place was out of this world.

This resort offers the privacy of a villa holiday with Pelican House, Turtle Cottage and Rock Cottage with the added bonus of all the amenities that are on offer in this luxury resort.

Definitely worth a visit!

If you fancy a trip to the Caribbean, Antigua should be right at the top of your list of places to visit.  Here are the five very good reasons.

1. Beaches

With a different beach for every day of the year, Antigua has some of the best beaches found in the Caribbean, you are truly spoilt for choice!  As you are unlikely to have time to visit all 365 beaches, we’ve shortlisted our top sunbathing spots.

• Dickenson Bay, located North of St John’s offers pristine white sand and shallow water which is perfect for families.  Head over to Sneaky Pete’s beach bar where you can hire sun loungers with snacks and drinks on offer.
• Jolly Beach, located on the West coast offers a mile long stretch of sand on the waters of the Caribbean Sea.  Great selection of restaurants, water sports and amenities close by.  Have a bite to eat at Castaways, a laid back beach bar in a rustic setting.
• Half Moon Bay, located on the East coast in a secluded spot.  A reef protects it from the full force of the Atlantic.  Take your own mask, snorkel, picnic and enjoy!

2. Activities

Fancy sailing around the island in a day or whizzing over the rainforest canopy on a zip-line tour?  The selection of water and land-based activities in the Carribean is endless.

You can enjoy a family adventure, paddleboard in paradise on a remote Lagoon or choose to Scuba or Snorkel taking in the sights of the well-preserved coral reefs, and shipwrecks.  One of Antigua’s best-known offshore sites, Cades Reef, is now partly contained in a designated underwater park.

Visit Antigua’s landmarks on a self-guided cycling tour or join Trek Tours to view the most scenic and rewarding parts of Antigua.

If you are an adrenalin junky, hire a buggy and go for a drive along the off road trails.

3. History

Legend has it that when Columbus was near Redonda on November 11th 1493, he sighted the island and named it ‘Santa Maria de la Antigua’, supposedly after a chapel dedicated to a famous miracle-working virgin in Seville Cathedral, Spain. Antigua means ‘ancient’ in Spanish.

Nelsons Dockyard in the South dates from 1743 and is a good place to soak up the history of the Island. Within the English Harbour Area, it was preserved and restored to a National Park in 1985.

The yachts moored here are a sight to see especially during sailing week at the end of April.

4. Cuisine

Antigua offers a wide variety or culinary options, from authentic Caribbean and specifically Antiguan dishes to those with a European influence.  Fish and shell fish are in abundance and you are likely to be served, Red Snapper, King Fish, Grouper, Swordfish, Lobster and Mahi Mahi.

Visitors to Antigua will find a varied and interesting choice of dining spots on the island from first-class, gourmet, to colourful waterfront cafés, beach bars and fast-food outlets.

Shirley Heights is the most southerly point on Antigua and the café and restaurant is famous for its Sunday night BBQ.

The choices are endless!

5. Weather

Antigua offers a warm climate all year round experiencing highs of over 30°C.  It is one of the driest of the Caribbean islands, with December to April being the dry season.

Get your sun cream ready your suitcase packed!

Find out more about our villas in Antigua here.

Villa Retreats’ travel expert Holly Booth took a trip to Antigua recently, taking time to visit the exclusive luxury holiday destination ‘Jumby Bay’. Here she gives us her views on this idyllic island in the sun which is home to an impressive list of celebrities.

Having heard Jumby Bay described as one of the most tranquil and picturesque of all the Caribbean islands, I’d been longing to pay it a visit. Two miles off the North Coast of Antigua, accessible only by a short boat ride, this secluded, self-contained paradise had an awful lot to live up to.

As I stepped barefoot from the teak deck onto the soft warmth of the wooden jetty, I sensed immediately that all I’d heard would prove to be true.  I was greeted by beaming smiles from the staff, who seemed genuinely delighted to welcome me to their tiny island paradise. Bubbling with pride, they took turns to introduce themselves as they presented luxuriously soft, pure white towels and an icy, fruit-laden cocktail.

My Jumby Bay experience had begun.

This unique island is completely car free, so I opted to explore by golf buggy. Which felt symbolic of both the pace of island life and its carefully maintained serenity.  My battery powered magic carpet swept gracefully between the palm trees as I cruised along the empty pathways exploring the island’s fifteen private villas, nineteen estate homes and of course the forty-room hotel.

My first stop was to drool over the impressive private villas.  Slack jawed, I stared longingly at the selection of luxury villas including Allamandra, Tortuga and Poinciana.  Contemporary, bright with a splash of tropical colour throughout, each a luxurious, tranquil hideaway perfect to escape the rigours and mounting anxieties of everyday working life.  From the outdoor bathtubs of Allamandra to the Caribbean inspired artwork of Tortuga, between them there was a villa perfect for anyone and everyone, with all these incredible homes-from-home united by the beauty of their individually mesmerising views.

Pure Turquoise was my next stop – an extraordinary Estate home. Designed by one of England’s most accomplished designers, built and furnished to the highest standards, this house has it all.

Seven en-suite bedrooms (each with a sea front veranda), indoor and outdoor eating areas, beachfront gazebo, media and games room, a floodlit tennis court, basketball net, croquet lawn and Technogym fitness centre. Its own 200m stretch of private beach which plays home to Hawskbill turtles in the nesting season, along with a breath-taking 25m infinity pool that blends seamlessly into the sea.

As a travel professional, I have visited and viewed countless properties and I can honestly say Pure Turquoise is one if the finest properties I have ever seen.

Tearing myself away, I went on to enjoy a buffet lunch at the Veranda, which offers a great variety of delicious food including lobster quiche, fresh salads, selection of cheese, and an array of shamelessly mouth-watering deserts.

Adding to this quaint charm of this island retreat, a large amount of the produce on offer is grown on Jumby Bay’s own organic farm which has an orchard, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, and several chickens who wander the farm, providing fresh eggs daily in return for their stay.

Finishing lunch, I retired to the soak up the sun. Sipping my mocktail, I relaxed and sat back to enjoy the shimmering afternoon sun, pausing only to consider which of the three crystal clear pools I would slip into first.

Of course, there were alternatives. For those with more of a taste for adventure, the water sports centre at Jumby Bay offers windsurfing, sea kayaking paddle boarding, sailing, as a well as water skiing, wakeboarding and of course scuba diving.

There is an equally impressive range of based activities on offer with a fitness centre, yoga sessions, three tennis courts and a fleet of bikes to hire so you can enjoy explore this peaceful island on two wheels.

Parents can easily enjoy a little down time by escaping to the Spa, whilst making the most of the nanny service, kids club or teen and youth activity sessions.

In fact, this resort has something for everyone.  Whatever they offer, they offer it to the very highest standard – and they do it very well indeed.

As I finally stepped back from the motionless jetty to the gently -rocking teak-deck of the floating taxi, I nodded approvingly to the memory of Christopher Columbus, who discovered this remarkable island way back in 1493. Thanks to him, we can enjoy one of the most relaxing holidays in the modern world, at the island paradise of Jumby Bay.

Find out more about Jumby Bay Villas & Estate homes here

• Poinciana
• Banyan
• Sea Horse
• Sea Hare
• Tortuga
• Jaberwocky
• Carisbrooke
• Whispering Palm
• Allamanda
• Bougainvilla
• Hummingbird
• Sunflower
• Carisbrooke