Winter home of the Caribbean Mega-Yachts and the snow-birds and sun-seekers looking for the perfect tropical island, Antiguans say that they have a different beach for every day of the year. Although we haven't counted them personally, this may be an exaggeration, but the beaches here are certainly spectacular: most are protected by coral reefs, and the sand is often sugar white.

Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda form the independent nation of Antigua and Barbuda, within the Commonwealth of Nations. Redonda is an uninhabited rocky islet of less than a square mile, located 32km (20 miles) southwest of Antigua. Barbuda, which lies 42km (26 miles) to the north of Antigua, is covered at the end of this section.

Antigua (An- tee -gah) may be an independent nation, but it is still British in many of its traditions. Economically, it has transformed itself from a poverty-stricken island of sugar plantations to a modern-day vacation haven. The landscape of rolling, rustic Antigua is dotted with stone towers that were once sugar mills.

The inland scenery isn't as dramatic as what you'll find on St. Kitts, but, oh, those beaches! If you want high rises and glittering gambling and nightlife, head elsewhere, perhaps to Puerto Rico. Antigua does have some casinos, but they're hardly a reason to visit, and most of its hotels are intimate one- or two-story inns rather than glitzy, sprawling resorts. In general, the dining and shopping of Antigua are comparable to those of St. Kitts but don't hold up to those of St. Maarten/St. Martin or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

From a yacht chartering point of view, Antigua's importance is ambiguous: It's easy to get tofrom the US or Europe because it has a large jet-friendly commercial airport. Many large Mediterranean based mega-yachts use Antigua as their winter base. It is also home to the annual December yacht charter show (where brokers and agents collect en masse to sample the gourmet offerings of the yacht chefs and "inspect" the merchandise) On the negative side, it;s a little far away from those cute litle sandy islands that yachies like to visit; in a word: once you leave Antigua, there's no place to go unless you're on a mega-motor yacht that travels fast.