July 17-21
In order to enter Antigua all you need is a covid test 3 days before arrival, even if you’re fully vaccinated. When you land you have to fill out a health declaration form that is issued on your flight. Wearing face mask is highly encouraged.
I flew with JetBlue (EWR to ANU). The cost for the ticket was about $400. First two nights I stayed at a Airbnb (here is the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/45712097?adults=1&s=10&unique_share_id=47C71F28-B612-45D4-8C3B-927B69DA312B&_branch_match_id=948808795342595803&source_impression_id=p3_1627451872_6E6RQGiKj%2F5U9oO9&guests=1. The last two nights I stayed at Nonsuch Bay resort. The link is https://nonsuchbayresort.com. I stayed at the Escape side.
Day one July 17- My flight was slightly delayed leaving EWR. Landed in Antigua around 130pm. I didn’t leave the airport till 240pm. The line was ridiculous. I must say it is a nice airport. The airport personnel were very nice and professional, and so many hand sanitizers around. The currency used is called East Caribbean Dollar. I didn’t exchange any money. They are open to taking USD.
My driver I used was Lenroy Abraham and his number is 268-725-0752. He was always on time, and I love that. His prices were decent as well. Checking into my Airbnb was very smooth. After I checked in, I relaxed a bit and headed out. Before dinner I went to the grocery store so that I could get some water. You are forced to wash your hands and di a temperature check. Nice. For dinner I went to Papa Zouk. Making a reservation is highly recommended. It’s a very small establishment. Luckily I’m a party of one and didn’t have a problem. I loved the vibe here. Small and cozy with dimmed lights. They are opened Tues-Sat 6p-10p. I forgot to ask if this is there new covid hours. Their signature drink is a tea punch (it has white rum, lime juice, and molasses in it). It is a silent creeper. I only had two and was feeling a little For my appetizers I had tapas with fish, shrimp, and sweet plantains (I loveeeee sweet plantains). For dinner I had a whole fried red snapper (another fav) medium size. It came with a salad. I ate the whole thing. The food was so good. I can appreciate a good meal! I told them I am a blogger and will love a picture of the staff by the bar. Papa Zouk takes pride in their rum collection. They collect all different types of rum from all over. Ms. Fay then asked me if I wanted to try one of their rums. YES! She gave me a little history on rum (Antigua is a rum island). I had a shot of the Centenario rum from Costco Rica. I was instructed I have to sip the drink its not a shot to throw back. I feel like men do that, sip their shots lol. Anyway, I took a sip and instantly knew this is NOT it. It was so harsh! I proceeded to take the remaining as a shot. If I didn’t take the shot, I wouldn’t be able to finish sipping it. Whew. I loved their hospitality at Papa Zouk.
Day 2 July 18- Before heading to my reservations at Sheer Rocks, I went to Dickenson Bay to take pics at the famous red phone booth. Th pictures I’ve seen of the phone booth looked like it was deep in the beach. It’s literally right there once you get to the beach. I stayed for about 15mins and then head to my 12pm reservations at Sheer rocks. You can email them to make reservations or you can WhatsApp them. I had a better response with the WhatsApp route. http://www.sheer-rocks.com/ 268-464-5283. They are located behind of CocoBay Resort hotel. You can either book a rock pool or plunge pool for the day (daybed). The reservation time is 12p-5p. I booked a plunge pool for the day. I really wanted the rock pool but it was booked for the day. The deposit cost was 29USD. Tell Keizian I sent you. There is 3 different packages to pick from which are called day pass, couples day pool, and rock pool party. I picked the rock pool party package which consisted of a welcome cocktail, tapas journey, and a bottle of wine. I didn’t plan on staying the whole 5hrs but then decided to stay and just relax. The tapas journey choices were ok. Two things I didn’t like and they happily switched it to fish options for me (I do not eat meat). The staff at Sheer Rocks were incredible. I had a great time. Very attentive to my needs and concerns. Everyone smiled, literally everyone. A few of the staff members took my photos. I switched bathing suits and took a ton of pictures. I recommend going to Sheer Rocks. You will no be disappointed.
After Sheer Rocks I cannot lie I was starving. The food portions there are small and I love to eat! I went to Oh Jays for dinner. I wanted to go back to my Airbnb to change my clothes and relax a bit, but the ride back and forth didn’t make any sense. My Airbnb was not close at all. Oh Jays is a cute establishment. They have a sink outside that you must use to wash your hands. They ran out of red snapper, so I ordered King fish with french fries which came with a salad. It was tasty! Oh, I also ordered a side of sweet plantain (another favorite of mine).
Day 3 July 19- I did a food tour. Remember I love food lol. The link to book this experience: http://www.eatnlimefoodtours.com. It was pretty dope. I wish it wasn’t so hot that day lol. Of course that is inevitable. Our tour guide was Khamesha. The first stop was Annette’s kitchen. We indulged in a typical Caribbean breakfast which consisted of bake, chop up (greens), salad, sailfish, and sweet plantain. It was delicious. Next stop we went to Smoothie palace. The owner name is Eddie. He was a nice older gentleman. The smoothie he made for us had watermelon, passion fruit, fresh mint, lime and a dash of coconut in it. It was so refreshing especially being in the heat. After smoothie king, we head over to Quin Farara’s liquor store where we make rum punch! This was a fun class. It isn’t the rum punch I’m used to. We made old fashioned rum punch. As you enter you have to wash your hands or used rum sanitizer. We learn about the rum making process as we are tasting the ingredients to make the rum punch. We tasted Cavalier white rum 40%, 18 month old Cavalier gold rum (I liked this one better), plain and spiced sugar (plain was very sweet and spice was spice lol. Both were way too sweet), lemonade (one had plain sugar the other had spiced sugar), and bitters (aromatic and orange. I didn’t like either of them lol). This was fun, but not something I would make at home. I like the way I make rum punch. Before we headed out, we tried sorrel flavored rum. I didn’t even know that was a thing! It was nice and smooth. Next stop is Roti King. Apparently you cannot come to Antigua and not go to roti king. The owner is from Trinidad. I indulged in half of a veggie roti. It looked like a full one to me. It was delicious. I haven’t had a veggie roti taste that good. Next stop was Brownies Bakery. Here we had bun and cheese, which originated from Jamaica. I love bun and cheese. The bread had some raisins in them. Makes the bun and cheese sweet. YUM. Only thing missing was a Ting to wash it down. 2nd to last stop was Patty Delight. They make sandwiches with coco bread. I took my fish sandwich to go (I had it the neck day and it was yummy). On our way to the last and final stop, we walked the roads where Mas is played. The last stop was Onestone. It is fully vegan. I had a potato ball that was made with spinach and garlic. To wash it down I had a raspberry juice, but it wasn’t red. It tasted different, but it was good. At the end Khamesha gave us sugar cane treats. That was sweet of her!
After the tour I went to Wine house, a very small establishment. They are opened from 1130a-9p. Only has about 6 tables. It was pretty busy. Glad I didn’t have to wait long for a table. I went here to cool down for a minute. The sun drained me. I stayed for about an hour. I had two glasses of wine and some garlic bread.
I head over to check into Nonsuch Bay Resort, which is an all inclusive resort. It is all the way up North. Very secluded. They have a residents side and a non resident side. I stayed at the non resident side called Escape. This is a couples resort. Well, actually I think Antigua is a couples and family destination. I was greeted by a nice young man named Andre. That’s my guy. He was so sweet. I was told my room was upgraded from the garden view room to the bay view room. Thank You. That was a nice gesture. The check in process is done on your phone, less usage of paper. I settled in my room, take a few pictures and then head over to dinner. Before heading to dinner, I had a covid test done in my room. I called Karisha Burton at 268-720-2568. The results came within 20mins. is recommended being that non guest are also allowed to eat here. I had 2 glasses of Chardonnay, a salad, salmon, and a chocolate brownie. There was a man playing the saxophone during the dinner hours. What a nice touch.
Day 4 July 20- I went to stingray city. You can book your tour with this link http://www.stingraycityantigua.com/. I booked the 9a tour. They have a 9a, 11a, and 1p reservations times. Sometimes they add a 3p slot depending on if it’s busy. Please arrive 15 mins before your reservation time. There is an informational about the stingrays and how to properly interact with them. Fact: I’m not really an animal person. I woke up freaking out. Also the female stingrays are bigger in size than the males. Stingrays aren’t that pretty! The ride to the feeding grounds where the stingrays is about 8 mins. When we arrived I instantly did not want to get in the water. Ugh they are just in the water swimming looking all ugly lol. It takes me about 10 mins to get in the water. As soon as I get in the water I start to tear up. There was a young girl that started crying and I instantly bust in tears. I felt her pain. Those things are big, swimming fast up against you, and ugly. I calm down and grabbed onto a young man named Clarence to help me take my pictures so I can get out the water pronto. I must say he did well with the pictures! The whole experience is about an hour and half. We head back to the main site where you can get to see the photos the staff took at the water sight. They offer water and rum punch as well. I had three cups of rum punch and that was a big mistake lol. I left there tipsy.
I went back to my hotel to sleep of my tipsiness. Later in the day I went to Dennis restaurant. The view of the beach is amazing there. The service was very slow. It wasn’t busy so I didn’t understand the slowness. I ordered red snapper with rice and peas and a salad. I ate EVERY piece of food on my plate. I knew it was the last good meal I would be indulging in before heading home.
Day 5 July 21- Head home day. Check out from Nonsuch Bay is 11a (early if you ask me). Before checking out, I had reservations for a floating breakfast at 8a. The breakfast was good. When I checked in, I filled out the foods I wanted to have for breakfast. On the menu was fruits, pastries, omelet, yogurt with granola, hash brown, tomato, bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. To wash it down I had tea, Champagne, orange and cranberry juice. Everything tasted amazing. I ate everything lol.
The airport process heading back was smooth. I am still surprised how every personnel in the airport were friendly with a smile on their faces.