Antigua, one of the most gorgeous Caribbean islands, is “a well equipped” destination for family holidays, big on water-based excursions and activities. At Stingray City, for instance, kids of all ages can touch and feed stingrays and snorkel amongst tropical fish. Divers of all ages and levels of experience are also well catered for, with companies such as the Sea Wolf Diving School offering a range of dives plus childcare for kids too young to take the plunge.
Things to do with kids in Antigua
– Kids can seek out coral reefs in water (because of the clarity of the water you can see them without diving)
– For those interested to experience the underwater world on a submarine, Subcat Antigua offers a submarine adventure departing from Carlisle Bay on the island’s south coast.
– Explore one of the various old forts. You can take the kids on an educational tour round some of the crumbling ruins of old sugar estates or to the forts built to protect the trade around English Harbour and Shirley Heights.
– Starting from 7+ years another interesting choice might be kayaking, snorkelling and hiking adventures.
– A trip to Barbuda to visit the island’s frigate bird colony
– A Rainforest Adventure. Take a morning canopy tour and ziplining adventure; this perfect for adventurous families with older kids
– Kids of all ages will love a visit to Stingray City. This water based tour will whisk the whole family off on a speedboat to a shallow pool where you’ll be shown how to handle and feed wild Stingrays. This trip includes snorkeling, and although there’s no age limit, guests must be comfortable swimmers to participate. The cost of this adventure is £ 55/ child and £74-87/ adult.
– A visit to Prickly Pear Island. This is a little island situated at a short boat ride from Antigua. This is where kids can let their imaginations run riot as they play at being castaways for the day. There a trails to enjoy, flotillas to relax on, and you can find a beach bar and restaurants so you won’t have to hunt for your own food. Transportation is twice a week.
Many hotels on Antigua offer all-inclusive options, which can be a good choice for family holidays. Even if you choose this option, it’s worthwhile outside the resorts where there are a wide range of restaurants, small cafés and roadside bars to cater for most tastes. For example you can try the bar and restaurant at Shirley Heights, which is great for families on Thursdays (best for young families) and Sundays (with famous BBQ parties featuring a live steel band).
The cost of family holiday packages to Antigua depends on the type of accommodation you choose. A 2 week package is around £800 per person on a room-only basis to £1,100 for all-inclusive. An interesting option for accommodation during a family holiday in Antigua could be The Verandah Resort & Spa. Here potty-trained children from two-years-old are cared for at the Kid’s Club, a purpose-built building with its own splash pool and adventure playground. Professional staff organise activities throughout the day, from art classes, pool games and nature trails to seasonally themed programmes at Halloween, Easter and Christmas. Older kids are catered for with crazy golf, a games area, movies nights and a weekly teen’s disco and karaoke.
photo credit: CindyWalkerPhotography cc