Sunday, March 10, 2013

Cruise destination Antigua




Each time I visit Antigua, I see that the island is changing, becoming a more sophisticated cruise port. The area directly in front of the cruise piers in St. John's, the island's largest city, has evolved into a first tier cruise port with boutique shops and bars and restaurants that cater to the cruise visitors. The shore excursion and independent taxi tours have become more polished. The atmosphere has become more welcoming.

Still, Antigua has not become as commercially developed as some of the Caribbean cruise ports. Walk beyond the pedestrian mall that is the center of the cruise port area and you are in a different city, one that is still developing.

The real attractions of Antigua lie beyond St. John's. Locals like to boast that the island has 365 beaches - - one for each day of the year. And indeed, there are quite a few beaches. However, what is impressive about Antigua's beaches is not their number but that so many of them are beautiful - - white sand, palm trees and a unique shade of pale blue water. In addition, they range from developed venues with big resorts to secluded undeveloped beaches with few or no other people in sight.

Beyond the beaches, Antigua's biggest attraction is the Nelson's Dockyard National Park. In the 18th century, the British built a naval base at English Harbour on the southern coast of the island. This included a dockyard where warships that were assigned to the Caribbean could be repaired and maintained.

In 1784, Horatio Nelson took command of this squadron of ships. This was long before his spectacular naval victories and he was made a lord. In fact, his biggest struggle during the period that he was in Antigua was with the local merchants and planters who objected to his rigorous enforcement of the laws that prohibited trade with the former British colonies in America. The merchants and planters had been carrying on a lucrative trade with the Americans. However, Nelson believed it was his duty to enforce the laws that Parliament made, not second guess them. His position was in fact completely valid as it is contrary to the tenants of democratic government for military officials to decide whether to enforce laws enacted by elected representatives. In any event, Nelson was quite unpopular with the locals in Antigua and the British government thanked him for his vigilance with an extended period at home on reduced pay without an assignment.

Thus, Nelson did have a real connection to Antigua and to the dockyard in particular. He did not build the dockyard nor did he alter it. But he was there and so this place has a much stronger claim to be named after him than many of the places that are named after the legendary naval hero throughout the former British Empire.

The museum in the dockyard has an interesting exhibit about Nelson. However, what interests most visitors is the beauty and charm of this area. It has been restored and put to modern day use servicing and maintaining the many sailing yachts that visit Antigua. The old Georgian buildings contain restaurants, an inn, an art gallery, and shops. Its grounds have been nicely landscaped and are well-maintained.
The national park is not limited to the dockyard itself but includes the fortifications perched on the hills that tower above English Harbour. Most of the fortifications are in ruins but the views from Shirley Heights, Dow's Hill and the Block House are spectacular.

There is more to Antigua beyond the attractions described above. Our profile of Antigua with numerous photos, information and links to other relevant websites begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination-antigua.html

Inasmuch as quite a few Caribbean cruise destinations have been profiled on Beyondships, I have created an index page listing all of the Caribbean profiles and articles about the Caribbean in order to make it easier for readers to find these resources. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-cruise-destinations.html

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