Antigua Trip Recap – Closetful of Clothes

We are coming off an amazing week in Antigua. I was going to say magical, but I feel like I say that about every trip we go on. But honestly, traveling is always magical. Even when it’s hard and sucks, it’s still magical. It’s such a great priviledge to do and I love it so much. My parent weren’t big travelers with us. They tended to take us to the same spots. In retrospect, I now get it. Going anywhere with kids is a grind and it can be much easier to go to the same spots you know and have a support set-up in place (one of the reasons we love spending winters in Park City). But I love to travel and have adventures and I’m hoping to instill that in my kids, so even when trips are hard and exhausting (as all trips with kids are), I still find them so magical and reenergizing. We went to Antigua for my father-in-law’s 80th birthday with my husband’s whole family. My father-in-law wanted to stay at a nice resort rather than rent a house so when planning the trip, giving our numbers and ages of the kids and all that, the Caribbean became a front runner even though it is the off season and hot down there this time of year. But after a week in Antigua, I can’t say enough good things about our trip and have to say that the heat wasn’t that bad. I’ve gotten lots of questions about our stay, so I thought I’d share my Antigua trip recap here as well so it’s easy to reference.

Why Antigua?

Choosing an island destination can be overwhelming because there are so many so wanted to address why we chose Antigua and what we loved about it first in my Antigua trip recap. Antigua feels very safe, so that was a huge factor. I’m not going to go into it here because it’s constantly changing and I’m not an expert on tourist safety, but there have been rumblings about different islands not being safe etc. and having tourist warnings. So we wanted to go with an island know for being safe and with good standing, which bumped Antigua to the top of our list. And it truly felt really safe the whole time we were there.

One thing I really love about Antigua, which I had visited before kids as a travel editor for The Knot, is how it feels less commercial and touristy than some of the islands. Yes, we were there during the off season this time, but I’ve been during busier times and I would say the same thing. Unlike other islands, there aren’t tons of the high-rise hotels and compounds. Most of the properties have more of a unique boutique-y feel and they’re spread out a bit so you really don’t feel like you’re in a crowded tourist destination if that makes sense. The hotels and resorts on Antigua are really great and there are some great options that you can’t go wrong with.

Finally, the beaches are beautiful, the water is warm and clear and gorgeous, and the setting is truly so beautiful and relaxing and magical.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Carlisle Bay resort for this trip and really didn’t leave the property so will be a big focus of my Antigua trip recap. I had never stayed there though I had researched it quite a bit during my travel editor days as a honeymoon destination. We loved Carlisle Bay. It was a great spot for our whole family to go, as it offered something for all the cousins, who range in age from 16 to 2. I loved how it had a boutique feel to it but could accommodate our large group and offered multiple eating options and pretty much all the activities we wanted as well as a kids’ club. It was hard to find a more boutique-style hotel that offered all that and had accommodations to fit our family and my sister-in-law’s etc.

The staff was so friendly and I loved that the resort has every activity on site or will take you to any off-site activities. Many of the activities are complimentary, and I loved that so you could kayak or paddle board as much as you wanted and for how long you wanted. We could set up a guided hike and not worry about who from the family showed up. And when the older cousins wanted to zip line, they arranged the whole thing from a van there to having a staff member stay there the whole time to coordinate etc. They have a great kids club, and even though Brooks was too young it turned out, the older kids loved it and technically they take 2-teens and have different programming for the different ages, Brooks is just a little too wild and young to hang. The beaches are great and there are lounge service and beachside service as well as poolside service. There are tennis courts and pickle ball and a great fitness center. We did a sunset cruise and snorkeling excursion and I highly recommend. They take you to a private beach and it was just so special. They also do it as a daytime option and pack you a picnic lunch,

There are several restaurants, including one that is 13 and over, so while I found the resort a great family-friendly option, it’s also great for a couples trip. I would say that if I were on my honeymoon, I might choose Jumby Bay or Curtain Bluff, and probably would wait until my kids were a bit older to bring them to those two. But for a luxury hotel that’s super kid-friendly, I am a big fan of Carlisle Bay. They do a buffet breakfast every morning, which if you have kids, you’ll really appreciate. There’s also special programming each with a smattering of activities from cooking lessons to tennis clinics to yoga on the beach, afternoon movies for the kids, different activities every day at the kids camp, and special dining options like a Caribbean BBQ and live music, which we loved. Had we not been with such a big group and so many young kids, I might have ventured off campus for a few meals, but we were really happy with the food as well though I wouldn’t say it was the best I’ve ever had. But no one had a bad meal the entire time, and I liked the variety of different cuisines and menu items offered at the different restaurants on site. But because we only ate at the hotel restaurants I won’t include restaurant recs in my Antigua trip recap.