The mile of beach at Dickenson Bay is also popular and crowded, largely because of its proximity to St. John's and the variety of watersports available. Along Dickenson Bay, you'll also find the superbly situated Halcyon Cove and Buccaneer Cove, two very pretty beaches, both with a wide variety of amenities. Hawksbill Beach is also within close proximity to St. John's and has the only resort with three of its own beaches, one of which is the only clothing-optional beach in Antigua.

If you want to get away from the crowds, head south, away from the hotels on the north side. One of the nicest of the secluded southern beaches is Doigs Beach at Rendezvous Bay. (You either need a boat to get there or a four-wheel-drive vehicle. It is possible to hike in, but you'll have to ask around to find your way.) The water is calm, but there are no facilities for changing, and no food or drink is sold, so plan accordingly.

Darkwood Beach on Cades Bay, also on the southern coast, backs up to a lagoon that is a nesting area for many wild birds. There's also a rustic beach bar. Darkwood Beach is usually quiet and largely empty, except when cruise ships visit the island—it's a favorite destination for passengers on shore excursions.

If an idyllic, secluded spot is what you are after, try Turner's Beach. If beach volleyball is your game, try Jolly Beach. There is usually a game under way, and newcomers are always welcome. There is a restaurant nearby for refreshments after the match.

The Frigate Bird Sanctuary on Barbuda is another great option, where there are hundreds of different kinds of birds to see in addition to the impressive frigate.

In terms of windsurfing, Antigua is one of the Northern Hemisphere's best-kept secrets, according to Peter Hart, the British windsurfing maven. To see what he's talking about, visit Dickenson Bay, the center of the sport in Antigua. Try Shorty's Glass Bottom Boat (phone 462-6326), H2O Antigua next to the Lord Nelson Hotel (phone 562-3933) or Windsurfing Antigua Watersports (phone 773-9463 or 461-9463). Annual windsurfing events are held in January and July. You can rent a sailboard starting at about US$20 per hour or US$60 for the entire day.

The calm waters right off the beach at Dickenson Bay are ideal for snorkeling. Or sail to Green Island on a catamaran for the best snorkeling in Antigua (about US$80 a person, through Wadadli Watersports, phone 462-4792).

In the event of a diving emergency, the Divers Alert Network (DAN) will provide treatment advice and, if necessary, arrange for evacuation. Phone 919-684-8111 or 919-684-4326. (Both lines connect to DAN's headquarters in the U.S. and accept collect calls.) DAN also answers health-related questions about diving. For more information, phone 919-684-2948 or toll-free 800-326-3822. http://www.diversalertnetwork.org.

A popular dance club and a meeting place for the young Antiguan elite is 18 Karat in St. John's. It caters mainly to locals, but tourists are welcome. There is also Rush Nightclub at Runaway Bay, which usually has a variety of themed parties, and the Beach Restaurant at Dickenson Bay, a Friday-night hotspot for locals and visitors. In Jolly Harbour, try Castaways, which features tapas, pub grub and popular international music. Mad Mongoose in Falmouth Harbor jumps with Rasta decor and a lively singles crowd and features a live band on Friday nights.

The Coast Restaurant and Disco at Heritage Quay offers a variety of live bands and a choice of discos. It's open every day except Tuesday and offers lunch as well. King's Casino is a popular spot Friday-Sunday for its regular lineup of good local bands. It's usually quite a festive atmosphere throughout the weekend. If karaoke is your thing, take a drive out to BBR Sportive in Jolly Harbour Saturday night. BBR also features table games and a swimming pool. The Beachcomber Hotel near the airport also has a regular karaoke night on Friday.

Barbuda has an interesting little club called Lime, located in the boat-dock area. Live music and a livelier crowd make this a happy place to chill out.

At last count, Antigua had a number of casinos, but they keep coming and going, so it's best to check before you go. Try St. James' Club at Mamora Bay, but keep in mind there is a dress code except on Thursdays, and it does not open on Sundays. There is also King's Casino in Heritage Quay, Grand Princess Casino at Jolly Harbour or Asot's Arcade in the city.

Texan billionaire R. Allen Stanford launched the Stanford 20-20 cricket tournament in 2006, and it was a huge success. Teams from around the region competed for US$1 million, in addition to receiving large monetary contributions toward cricket development in their islands. The tournament is to be held annually.

Horse racing is a popular pastime in Barbuda, with entertaining competitions held on most holidays. If you are a fan and plan to visit Barbuda, you may want to combine the two.

If tennis is your game, be sure to check out Tennis Week at Curtain Bluff Hotel, held in May and November. The annual events draw top international competitors. At other times, you can play at Temo Sports, a racquet club open to the public in English Harbour (phone 460-1781). It offers tennis and squash, as well as a restaurant.

Heritage Quay in St. John's is a popular waterfront complex with street vendors and duty-free shops carrying clothing, perfumes, jewelry, linens, china, local artworks, liqueurs and gift items. Be prepared to encounter huge crowds at Heritage Quay when the cruise ships are in port—which is often. Nearby Redcliffe Quay has fewer tourists and a variety of shops and restaurants. The restored Georgian-era buildings were once storehouses for sugar and spices bound for England and the U.S. And if you love maps, a must-visit in Antigua is the Map Shop on St. Mary's Street in St. John's.

A favorite place to purchase artisan originals is the Antigua and Barbuda Craft Market on Market Street at the West Bus Station. They have a wide assortment of original paintings, Caribbean flags, beach apparel, woodcarvings, leather bags, straw hats and purses, among other collectibles. A center of the island's art community, Harmony Hall, on Brown's Bay (part of Nonsuch Bay), was once a sugar mill. It now houses galleries of local arts and crafts—and also offers a restaurant and bar with panoramic views.

The stores in Jolly Harbour offer some interesting finds, although they tend to be pricey. It's worth a look if you have some extra time and want something different. There are also some stores in English Harbour worth browsing, if you have the time to take a drive out there. Both places offer options for lunch, so you can plan to spend a few hours.

Sidewalk vendors outside the city normally carry an array of local fruits, depending on what's in season, and mangoes can be found on just about every corner in the late summer months. Vendors can also be found on most of the popular beaches, with a variety of crafts and colorful sarongs, as well as an assortment of colorful jewelery.

At Coolidge, just north of the airport, you can watch local potters work in a ceramics workshop called New Pottery. The wares are inexpensive, with a variety of choices (phone 562-1264). Another excellent place to find handcrafted pottery is Sea View Farm Village, the center of Antigua's folk-pottery industry. The traditional designs produced there are modeled after ones that date back to the 1800s, when slaves began crafting vessels from local clay. Be sure to ask about getting a miniature coal pot as a souvenir. (This is a traditional Antiguan clay pot used for cooking.)

In St. John's, established tour operators include Alexander Parrish (phone 462-0638), Sun Tours at the corner of Long and Thames streets (phone 462-4788), Bo Tours (phone 462-6632) and Going Places Travel (phone 480-1230).

Day 1—Arrive Antigua.

Day 2—Relax on the beach.

Days 3 and 4—Rent a car to see the sights around the island. You really need two days to see the main attractions. One option is to visit the southwest coast, Fig Tree Drive and English Harbour on one day and Betty's Hope Estate, Devil's Bridge and Half Moon Bay on the other.

Day 5—Take a half-day snorkeling, fishing, kayaking or diving trip. Then do some shopping and sightseeing in St. John's, if you haven't already done so.

Day 6—Fly or sail to Barbuda. We suggest making a day trip to the island unless you really like birds and deserted beaches or have reservations at one of the luxury resorts there. The other accommodations tend to be simple, no-service guesthouses and motels.

Day 7—Depart Antigua.

St. John's and the Beach

In St. John's, you'll be right in the middle of the duty-free shops of Heritage Quay. Browse the merchandise there and then stroll to Redcliffe Quay for more shopping. Afterward, head for the Public Market, where exotic fruits and vegetables, as well as some colorful characters, are certain to be on hand. Be sure to visit the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda and stop by the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Divine: It has a cool, dark, pine interior. For lunch, drop by Hemmingway's for a variety of Caribbean dishes and seafood just a few steps away from the stores.

Hire a taxi to take you to Dickenson Bay, about 3 mi/5 km north of St. John's. You can rent watersports equipment, and the beach is known for its fine, white sand. Be as active or as lazy as you like. Several beach bars are great places to watch the sunset, particularly Coconut Grove.

PLAN B

Betty's Hope Estate and the Dockyard

Hire a taxi or rent a car for the day. Your first stop is Betty's Hope Estate, the award-winning sugar plantation in Pares, completely renovated by the Antigua Museum. Established by Christopher Codrington in 1684, Betty's Hope was Antigua's first and most successful sugar estate. One of the mills has been restored to working order.

Then head south to Shirley Heights, where you'll find the ruins of several old fortifications (and a panoramic view of English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard). Stop for good West Indian food (and more great views) at Shirley Heights Lookout.

When you've finished seeing the ruins and snapping photos, drive to the dockyard, where you'll find shops, fine restaurants, art galleries and a museum, all housed in beautiful old buildings with lovely courtyards.

PLAN C

Snorkel, Windsurf, Kayak

Call whichever of the snorkeling-cruise companies strikes your fancy—each has its own personality. Wadadli Cats will take you on a catamaran cruise for a West Indian buffet lunch and snorkeling at Cades Reef, the island's most impressive barrier reef, which stretches for 2 mi/3 km.

If you still have time, contact Windsurfing Antigua (phone 462-0751). This company guarantees results for beginners in two hours. The island's location and constant gentle trade winds create ideal conditions for the sport.

Kayaking has also become a very popular activity in Antigua, particularly with its many cove, reef and mangrove areas to explore. Paddles Kayak and Snorkel Club in Seaton's Village leads the pack of young companies offering ecotourism opportunities in a kayak. Phone 463-1944 or http://www.antiguapaddles.com.

Remote and sparsely populated, Barbuda has the world's largest frigate-bird population (those large black birds that blow their big red throats up to unbelievable dimensions) and offers solitude and lots of beautiful, powdery white- and pink-sand beaches—but not much else. The island is very flat, scrubby and covered with cacti, hibiscus and red flamboyants. Most guests stay at one of four luxury resorts: Coco Point Lodge, The Beach House Hotel, North Beach or the K Club (which has been allowed to deteriorate of late), but there are guesthouses and budget accommodations available as well. There are many possibilities for snorkeling and diving among the splendid coral reefs just offshore, and about 100 shipwrecks are accessible to divers. (The big hotels rent snorkeling and dive gear to their guests, but there are no dive shops on Barbuda.)

Barbuda's main town, Codrington, is tiny and can be seen in a few minutes. Aside from the resort hotels, it has only four basic—but good—restaurants. If you're a guest on the island, you will feel as if you're part of this friendly community immediately.

The Frigate Bird Sanctuary covers most of the island: It's home to some 150 species, including tropical mockingbirds, warblers, ducks and, most notably, frigates, which have a wingspan of 6 ft/2 m and an amazing courtship ritual: The males inflate bright-red throat pouches that can be seen from quite a distance. Codrington Lagoon, on the west side of the island, is a favorite place to see the frigates September-February. You may need to hire a boat to get a good look at them. The birds also nest in mangrove bushes near other lagoons on the island. Some are accessible by small motorboats with guides.

Also on Barbuda are excellent hiking and biking trails, from which it's possible to encounter wild pigs, deer and donkeys. Ancient petroglyphs carved by the Arawak Indians are located in underground caves in the Highlands area. The island's highest point, at 143 ft/43 m above sea level, is also in the Highlands. Most people visit Barbuda only on a day trip, but for true solitude and quiet, you might want to stay three or four nights. And consider hiring a local guide or boatman to explore the island: It's not the easiest place to navigate on your own. Barbuda is about 25 mi/40 km north of Antigua.

This charming seafaring town on the south coast of Antigua is rich in history. It contains Nelson's Dockyard, named for English naval hero Horatio Nelson, who commanded British forces 1784-1787. Antigua was at that time Britain's most strategic naval base in the West Indies-partly because of its constant winds, but also because of its location along the trade routes.

These days, you're likely to see lots of tourists strolling about the beautifully restored Georgian buildings, as well as impressive yachts docked in the harbor. Take some time to explore the dock. Antigua's charter boats are based at Nelson's Dockyard, where both "bare boat" (crew your own) charters and fully staffed boats are available throughout the year. During the Antigua Sailing Week activities in April, yachties from around the world descend on the little port. (Their parties have developed their own reputation.) Sailing is so popular in Antigua that several resorts have sailing schools, giving landlubbers a chance to learn everything from tacking to how to capsize (yes, there is a proper procedure).

The historic buildings in Nelson's Dockyard National Park still look much as they did in the late 1700s. Among the buildings of note is Clarence House, built in 1786 for England's King William IV (though he wasn't yet king at that time). It's open to visitors when not being used by the governor general. There's a museum in the former Admiral's House and shops, restaurants, galleries, inns and a modern visitors center, all open daily. Phone 463-1379. English Harbour also has an interesting cemetery and a public market.

For great views of the bay, take the short trail from English Harbour to Fort Berkeley. (The ruins of the fort aren't much to see, but the walk has great views.) Another ruined fortification lies just north of Falmouth, about a mile/kilometer down a dirt track. Monks Hill Fort, also known as Fort George, is encircled by high walls of green stone. It's easy to walk there, but if you'd rather drive, you'll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

If you take a cab to English Harbour (about US$30 from St. John's), ask your driver to drop you at Shirley Heights first. The gun emplacements and fortifications on this ridge of hills were built in 1781 to protect the dockyard. On clear days, the Shirley Heights Lookout has spectacular views of Guadeloupe and Montserrat in the distance, and islanders flock there on Sunday afternoons to enjoy steel bands and a West Indian barbecue. Steel-pan music begins around 6 pm, and local reggae and soca acts take the stage later in the evening. The Dow's Hill Interpretation Centre at Shirley Heights has Arawak Indian artifacts and a film about the island's history.

If you have time, Fig Tree Drive is a scenic road through the southwestern part of the island that starts at Swetes (northwest of English Harbour). It then winds through what's left of Antigua's rain forest, past wild pineapple, mango and banana groves. (The drive takes only 15 minutes.) Along the way, you'll pass Boggy Peak, the highest point on the island, which is covered by forest. From the top, you have a splendid view of Guadeloupe, Monserrat, Nevis and St. Kitts. If you are traveling by bicycle, make sure you go down Fig Tree Drive coming from All Saints to Liberta Road on the way to Old Road-this hill is extremely steep. English Harbour is about 12 mi/20 km southeast of St. John's.

Antigua's largest city and the capital of the country, St. John's (pop. 25,000) can be rather shabby in spots, but it's still a great place to visit. Plan a full day to see the sights, some of which date to the 1600s.

One must-see is the Public Market. You may not recognize some of the tropical fruits and vegetables for sale, but don't hesitate to buy and sample anything that appeals to you. (You may want to ask if it needs any preparation first.) The market is particularly lively on Friday and Saturday mornings.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Church Street (look for the twin spires) is an Anglican baroque cathedral dating from the 1800s. Its pine interior includes lovely carved figures. The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, located in the 18th-century Court House, has period portraits of King George III and Queen Caroline, as well as pre- and post-Columbian findings. It's also possible to sift through the museum records and to do a computer search for relatives who might have lived or died on Antigua. While you're there, check to see if the museum has any environmentally oriented hikes scheduled during your stay.

Other sights include the Botanical Gardens, located next to the Parliament Building, and the Antigua Distillery on Friars Hill Road where Cavalier Rum is made-if you call ahead, a tour can be arranged.

St. John's Harbour extends to the west of the city. Two forts guard the mouth of the harbor: On the north side are the remains of Fort James, which was constructed in the 1600s and 1700s, and on the south is Fort Barrington, built in the 1700s. McKinnon's Salt Pond, north of the capital, is a good place to watch seabirds during summer and fall.

St. Peter's Church, in the village of Parham (about 5 mi/8 km east of St. John's), is also worth a visit. The unusual octagonal structure is surrounded by red-blooming poinciana trees, making it one of the prettiest churches in the Caribbean. Parham, by the way, was Antigua's first British settlement and its original capital.

If you have time, be sure to see Betty's Hope Estate, a restored sugar plantation in Pares, about 7 mi/11 km east of St. John's on the way to Long Bay. The estate, which enjoys a peaceful, rustic setting, was Antigua's first and largest sugar plantation: Established in 1650 by the Codrington family, it was owned by this same family for almost 300 years. At any given time during its history, about 85% of the island's residents worked on Betty's Hope. One wind-powered sugar mill is now operating, and restoration of the slave quarters and cistern complex is under way. A second, nonoperating mill is also located on the estate. You'll also find displays and photographs about the plantation in the museum. It's free to visit and open Tuesday-Saturday. Phone 462-3946.

Waves from the Atlantic Ocean have, over the centuries, carved out Devil's Bridge, a natural rock arch. Some archaeologists believe Devil's Bridge was the site of the first Amerindian landings centuries ago. You'll find it at the extreme eastern tip of the island, a US$30 taxi ride from St. John's.