In the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of port time “taking care of business”. I was in need of a day to relax and recharge, so I convinced one of the musicians to join me for a day at the beach.

Beautiful beach

Antigua is known for its beaches. It is said to have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. Last week, I wanted to test out a new one, so I was considering Dickenson Bay or Jolly Beach. The decision became simple when I learned that the cab fare to Jolly Beach was twice as expensive!

Dickenson Bay was lovely. There were mountains to the right and a cove to the left. Sandals Resort owns much of the beach, but there is still plenty of public space. We were debating purchasing lounge chairs when two guests offered us theirs. They had paid for two chairs and an umbrella for the day, but were already leaving. We graciously accepted their offer!

Dickenson Bay Beach

I spent most of the day under the umbrella with my face in my book and occasionally chatted with my friend. I also took a few short dips in the ocean—the water was perfect, refreshing but not too cold! I ordered some barbecue chicken from a bar/restaurant on the beach, and made friends with Oliver, the server. He recognized me as a dancer, and told me about his past as a hip-hop and break-dancer. I thought we had bonded, but Oliver tried to escape without giving me change for my meal!

Ana’s on the Beach

After a few hours of relaxing, we walked down the beach to find wifi and coffee. We stopped at Ana’s on the Beach, a cute white painted restaurant near the end of the beach. The coffee was great, but I wished I hadn’t already eaten lunch. The man next to me had a beautiful plate of salmon that made my barbecue chicken look like garbage!

Seat at the (well-stocked) bar

The relaxing day at the beach was exactly what I needed! I returned to the ship feeling refreshed and peaceful. I will probably return to Dickenson Bay soon!