Luxury Yacht Charter in Antigua & Barbuda

Aah! Antigua and Barbuda, they just sound exotic and the ideal locations to start a luxury yacht charter don’t they? With more anchorages than any other Caribbean island, and an amazing 365 beaches, (yes, one for every day of the year!) it’s not surprising that Antigua is one of the foremost Caribbean destinations for the world’s best and most exclusive charter yachts.

When you charter a luxury yacht for a vacation starting in Antigua and Barbuda, the beach is just the beginning, the Sister islands are very diverse and offer a large variety of activities. Antigua has a large international airport, the bustling capital city of St John’s has attractive water front shopping, a great museum and a beautiful cathedral.

The island has many large beautiful bays ringed by white sand beaches and great dive sites. English Harbour is a must for at least one night, the home of Admiral Nelson in 1784 and the only working Edwardian Dockyard still in existence and now listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. This small attractive town is full of restaurants, bars, internet cafes and has great night life, plus large marinas full of luxury charter yachts which make it their home for the  winter season and beaches within walking distance or a short dinghy ride away.

While you are enjoying your Antigua yacht charter vacation sailing or motoring around the coast there are many off lying islands and it’s easy to find an idyllic bay all to yourself even in the height of the season.

Alternatively pull into Nonsuch Bay and Harmony Hall with restaurants, art galleries and cocktail bars. Whether you feel the need to relax, or maybe take part in something of a more sporting genre, the Green Island area offers plenty of opportunities for water skiing, wake boarding, kite surfing, paddle boarding and more in flat protected waters ideal for these sports.

If diving is your thing, Antigua and Barbuda is home to hundreds of great dive sites, including shipwrecks, so why not take the chance to do something completely different and arrange to have a dive club pick you up from your Charter Yacht and experience these underwater sights.

You can also take a scuba diving resort course and become a certified diver right from your Charter Yacht. It truly is a different way to enjoy your Antigua yacht charter vacation.

There are many other things you can enjoy from your yacht charter in Antigua, and sailing over to the sister island of Barbuda should not be missed. Just two to three hours sail from Antigua this low coral island offers powdery white sand beaches and drifts of pink shells. With only 1,500 inhabitants, mainly fishermen, Barbuda will give you that Dessert Island location you are looking for and has the tastiest lobster plucked straight from the sea. 

Barbuda is home to one of the world’s largest Frigate Bird Sanctuaries and is a protected area, visited by anchoring the yacht somewhere along the 15 miles of pristine white sand beach with no habitation in site, guests then walk across the sand dune and board a small local boat with guide who will take you around to see the nesting sites with marvelous views of these large majestic birds in flight,
preening and nests full of baby birds. It’s an excursion you won’t soon forget.

If sailing regattas interest you, Antigua is home to the RORC 600 each February, Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and Antigua Sailing Week, both of which take place in April.

Its easy to spend a full week cruising around Antigua and Barbuda with so many different anchorages and diverse landscapes, however from Antigua and Barbuda it is an easy day sail to Guadeloupe and on to Dominica going south or going north, Nevis, St Kitts and the French Island of St Barths, one of the most chic of the French speaking islands in the Caribbean chain, to continue your vacation in the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.

For more information of Antigua & Barbuda go:
Antigua & Barbuda – Ministry of Tourism 
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority
Antigua Race Week / Antigua Sailing week