Dickenson Bay & the North

Dickenson Bay is the busiest beach resort area in Antigua, strung along a wide, gently curving bay on the northwest coast just a short drive north of St. John's. If you picture the postcard version of an Antiguan holiday, calm turquoise shallows, beach bars, jet skis and a row of hotels behind the palms, this is usually it. The water is sheltered and shallow well out from shore, which makes it a reliable choice for families and weaker swimmers.

Dickenson Bay Beach itself is the headline act: roughly a mile of soft pale sand with loungers, beach bars and the full menu of watersports, from paddleboards and kayaks to jet skis, parasailing and boat trips out to the reefs. Just to the south, Runaway Bay continues the same strand with a more low-key, local feel and far fewer vendors.

Inland sits Cedar Grove, a residential village that many visitors pass through but few stop in, and the area shades north toward the upmarket peninsula around Blue Waters and Hodges Bay. This whole northern shoulder of the island is the easiest part of Antigua to reach: it is close to the capital, close to the ferries and tour boats that leave from town, and only twenty minutes or so from the airport.

Because so much is concentrated here, Dickenson Bay works well for travellers who want everything within walking distance: dining, drinks, dive shops and excursion desks all line the beach. The trade-off is that it is the least secluded part of the island. For empty sand you head elsewhere, but for convenience, sunset cocktails and an easy first or last night, the north is hard to beat.

From here it is a simple drive to the rest of Antigua: the west-coast sunset beaches around Jolly Harbour, the historic south at English Harbour, or the wild Atlantic shore in the east.