By Bob Curley
Some of the top hotels and resorts in Antigua and Barbuda are back to welcoming international guests, while others are waiting until the traditionally busier fall season before opening their doors again.
Antigua was one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen to tourism post-COVID, back in early June. At the time, however, only a handful of hotels were certified to welcome guests.
That list has now grown to 17 by mid-August, with many more hotel openings to come in October and November.
All of the hotels open at this time are located on the island of Antigua.
Resorts that have been certified in compliance with Antigua and Barbuda’s COVID-19 safety and sanitary protocols and currently open include:
Admirals Inn – Gunpowder Suites: boutique hotel in historic Nelson’s Dockyard
Antigua Village: condos on Dickenson Bay
Buccaneer Beach Club: small Dickenson Bay resort with villas and cottages
Cocobay Resort: upscale resort on a secluded west coast peninsula
Cocos Hotel: all-inclusive couples resort with 34 bluff top cottages
Heritage Hotel: Basic accommodations in downtown St. John
Hodges Bay Resort: $100-million boutique luxury resort opened in 2019
Lamblion Apartments: 11 affordable apartments centrally located on Antigua
Nonsuch Bay Resort: 40 suites and cottages on isolated Nonesuch Bay
Tamarind Hills: luxury villa rentals on the west coast of Antigua
Hammock Cove: 42 villas, top-notch dining and close to Devil’s Bridge National Park
Sandals Grande Antigua: large and luxe all-inclusive resort on Dickenson Bay
Siboney Beach Club: small hotel on Dickenson Bay with budget-friendly rates
The Escape at Nonsuch Bay Resort: small (40-room) all-inclusive resort in splendid isolation on Nonesuch Bay
The Villas at Sunset Lane: pleasantly pink 10-room hotel located off the beach
Trade Winds: affordable accommodations and a popular restaurant on the northwest coast
Hotels and resorts that have decided to forego the slow summer season in Antigua and reopen in the fall include:
- Blue Waters Resort – Oct. 1
- Carlisle Bay Resort – Oct. 10
- St. James’s Club – Oct. 14
- Ocean Point Resort – Oct. 22
- Curtain Bluff Resort – Oct. 24
- Galley Bay Resort & Spa – October (date TBA)
- Jumby Bay Island – October (date TBA)
- The Verandah Resort & Spa – Nov. 1
- Sugar Ridge – Nov. 5
- Barbuda Belle – November (date TBA)
- The Inn at English Harbour – November (date TBA)
Visitors to Antigua and Barbuda are required to complete a health declaration form produce a negative COVID-19 PRC test taken within seven days of arrival on-island. Visitors also must wear face masks in all public places and adhere to social-distancing protocols. Those arriving by sea, including on private yachts, are subject to quarantine. See Antigua’s travel protocols here.