For sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and watersports, explore different beaches every day within minutes of Five Islands Village. When you’re not enjoying golden sands and aquamarine waters, find history, good food and shopping.
Galley Bay Beach is a long stretch of sand west of the village. Bring picnic food to enjoy a full day of relaxation and watersports, including riding Jet Skis. While the beach is open to the public, the adults-only resort behind the sand and palm trees offers appealing accommodations, bars and elegant dining. Nearby Hawksbill Resort has a clothing-optional beach.
North of the village, Deep Bay Beach is one of the loveliest of Antigua’s 365 beaches. Its horseshoe-shaped natural breakwall shelters the bay. Snorkel over rocks and coral to see angelfish and trumpetfish. You can swim to the Andes, a three-masted barque shipwrecked in 1905. It rests in 30 feet (9 meters) of water, with the outline of the ship quite visible from the surface.
Climb from the beach to Fort Barrington to study history at the ruins of this 1779 fortress. Gaze down for views of Deep Bay and the Andes at its entrance along with the blue-green panorama of the Caribbean Sea. Nearby, the Old Sugar Mill and Sugar Mill Tower provide glimpses into the island’s important sugar history, largely produced by slaves before emancipation in 1834.
Take a break from beach jaunts to tour St. John’s, the national capital, a 20-minute drive east of the village. Visit boutiques, art galleries, Heritage Quay shops, restaurants and farmers markets that make the town a popular cruise ship stop. See St. John’s Cathedral and the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda. Sample Antiguan food specialties ranging from curries and kebabs to fungee, made with cornmeal and okra.
Five Islands Village is in St. John parish in Royalton, Antigua. Drive to this gorgeous destination in 30 minutes from Osbourn’s V.C. Bird International Airport. The village has accommodations of home stays, laid-back beach hotels and luxury all-inclusive resorts, some with over-the-water bungalows.
