Antigua: Beach du Jour

Antigua promises beach therapy times 365

See that land over there?” asked our driver, Bernard “Barney” Simon, pointing out the window at a jut of forested Antigua. “That’s where Eric Clapton has his rehab center.” Pause for effect. “Anyone wanna go?” Having just sat out a flight cancellation due to Hurricane Irene in various Miami bars, I thought maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

But here in the Windward Caribbean Islands, sunny skies had returned, beaming down on miles and miles of fetching beaches. For after all, Antigua has its own secret weapon to restore mental stability: 365 beaches.

A beach a day surely will keep more than the doctor away, and that’s exactly what Antigua offers. Besides its sandy claim to fame, it boasts superb sailing and other water sports, rich history, and some fabulous beach resorts.

Another day, another beach

Why so many beaches? Because organizationally, Antigua is a mess. Whereas some Caribbean islands take the tidy shape of an eel, egg, or triangle, Antigua is just all over the place — almost octopus-like with nooks, crannies, fingers, toes, and various other random protrusions.

Counting the Beaches of Antigua

This equates to a lot of bays and coves where cliffs bookend beaches from long crescent stretches to small, intimate patches.

My question: Are there really 365, or is that a convenient marketing ploy?