Coco Point Beach

Coco Point sits at the far south of Barbuda, the slender tip where the island's calm leeward coast and its breezier windward coast finally meet. The sand here is the pale, pink-tinged white that Barbuda is famous for, the colour drawn from crushed coral and tiny shell fragments worked into the shore over centuries. It is a long, quiet stretch with almost no development behind it, the former Coco Point Lodge and K Club having given way to the private Barbuda Ocean Club estate.

The appeal of Coco Point is its remoteness. There are no beach bars, no jet-ski operators and no crowds, just a wide ribbon of soft sand, clear shallows and the kind of silence that vanished from most Caribbean beaches decades ago. On the leeward, west-facing side the water is glassy and shallow, ideal for slow swims and long barefoot walks. Round towards the windward side and you feel the open Atlantic, with a little more swell and breeze. Like all beaches in Antigua and Barbuda, the sand is public by law, though the land behind much of it is private.

Getting here takes intent. Barbuda is reached by ferry or a short flight from St. John's on Antigua, and Coco Point lies at the southern end of the island, well beyond the main settlement. Most visitors come on a guided Barbuda day trip, often paired with the pink-sand beaches further north and the famous frigate bird colony in the lagoon.

Come prepared for a wild, unserviced shore. Bring water, sun protection and everything you plan to eat, since there are no facilities and no shade beyond what you carry. Reef shoes are useful where the sand gives way to coral, and on the windward side currents can strengthen, so weaker swimmers should favour the sheltered leeward water. Earlier in the day usually brings the lightest wind and the calmest sea.