Antigua and Barbuda: Island Guide [Paperback]

Christopher Beale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2008

This formidable compilation is the result of firsthand experience and over two years of research. The Antigua & Barbuda Island Guide provides insightful information that allows visitors to feel like locals while enjoying the indisputable beauty of this Caribbean nation.

GAIN INSIGHT – Behind those long stretches of white sand beach and turquoise colored water is a vibrant culture all its own. Get an insightful look at Antigua & Barbuda’s history, culture, environment, politics, and people.
TOUR THE TWIN-ISLANDS – With 8 detailed maps and resources for getting around, let the Antigua & Barbuda Island Guide steer you in the right direction while keeping you informed on everything the island has to offer.
EAT OUT – An exhaustive dining guide highlights those hidden spots where locals go to dine and points out internationally acclaimed restaurants.
FIND ACCOMMODATIONS – From first class resorts to hilltop villas to deserted beachfront cabins, Antigua & Barbuda has it all when it comes to finding a place to stay (you just have to know where to look).
ARRANGE ACTIVITIES – Are you dreaming about landing that big marlin? Or wanting to search for sunken treasure off Barbuda’s coast? How about chartering your own private yacht for the day? It’s all here waiting for you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Other Places Publishing; 1st edition (August 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615218377
• ISBN-13: 978-0615218373
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Travel > Caribbean > Antigua and Barbuda

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Insight - Highly recommend it, September 9, 2008

By 

Rossana Zetina Yglesias - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Antigua and Barbuda: Island Guide (Paperback)

I enjoyed the compilation of interesting tidbits of history and cultural insight that this guide provides. As the author, I was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Antigua and I wish I would've had a guide this complete to show me through the islands and their peculiarities.

Although there are several guides to Antigua and Barbuda (I own 3 different ones), most of them are outdated and are all very similar. If you are going to Antigua and would like to see more than your resort, this is the guide for you. I particularly liked the detailed maps and the directions, since Antigua has no names on the roads, the detailed directions are like traveling with a local in your car. Antigua is not a cheap place, but the author finds hidden guest houses and well-located villas that can accommodate any budget. With the burgeoning of all-inclusive resorts throughout the island, visitors often miss the local establishments and locals in general. This guide points you to the best local restaurants and touristy, expat and local hangouts, cultural activities, as well as bars and nightclubs for all tastes. Definitely one of the best guides available for this island.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars great recommend from someone who has lived on antigua, June 8, 2009

By 

A. J. Cruz (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Antigua and Barbuda: Island Guide (Paperback)

This book was great for more personalized endorsements of Antiqua. But as an overall comprehensive guide it's lacking in both organization and execution. You can tell this book was developed by one person, and although there are many maps included in the book they are very amateurish and difficult to understand and follow. The book would have benefited from a good graphic designer/cartographer. The first page I flipped to in the book was about the Antiguan air port, and while I was reading the "sidebar" info, the box ended abrupty in midsentence, not continued anywhere else. A good editor and proof reader would also improve this book.

But as I always do when I travel I bought two different guide books, and this was a nice companion piece to the Rough Guide Directions on Antigua and Barbuda. The author, Beale does succeed in providing a personalized guide of Antigua, and most of the best things we did on our one week vacation were highly recommended by Beale. So, although this book is not the most professional and organized guide, it did have some solid recommends and was a good compliment to the more formal Rough Guide.

The recommends were usually good with one exception, both this book and the Rough Guide book highly recommended a trip to Barbuda, Antigua's sister island. They both raved about the pristine island, and so my husband and I devoted one full precious day to visiting this island. We took the 90 minute boat over to the island, and the waters were very rough and frankly the harbor cruise boat did not seem like the right kind of vessel to be traversing such choppy waters. When we pulled into the "dock" we were assaulted by horrible fumes of petrol, soot, fumes, and smoke. If this is their definition of pristine, then we might as well have visited a coal mine. The actual national park that we were driven to was very nice, but we payed $159 per person for a day tour that was supposed to be filled with snorkeling, hiking and cave exploration and basically we spent most of the time laying on the "pink" beach because the weather was too cold to get into the water. I'm sure Barbuda has a lot to offer, but there were plenty of other things we wanted to see in Antigua that we missed because of this excursion and both my husband and I regretted our trip to Barbuda.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Antigua book is a great read with lots of useful info!, October 28, 2008

By 

T. Valentine "Traveler" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Antigua and Barbuda: Island Guide (Paperback)

I have purchased many Guides prior to making trips. I often find the information is the same in each book. It's easy finding restaurant names and hotel information along with pictures. But I have found recently that I can get all this information on the internet at no charge anyway.

THIS BOOK is different. It details lots of useful information in a different way. Sure...you will find out about hotels, restaurants, tours, and places of interest...but you will get much more....

I have a great feel for the island itself....including beaches, towns, and places of interest. The detail is thorough. Best of all....there are some great maps in the book to lead you on your journey should you decide to venture from your hotel. The book is also layed out nicely describing different parts of the island distances, etc.

I highly recommend this book should you be taking a trip to Antigua or Barbuda.