Map of the Caribbean
IN THE days of Concorde, a friend of mine once went to Barbados for the day. How silly, I scoffed, until a friend suggested that we try Antigua for the weekend. Faced with the January freeze, it suddenly sounded like a terrific idea.
It sounds crazy — Antigua is an eight-hour flight and a four-hour time difference away — but thanks to flight timings, for two days out of the office you can have three and a half in the sun. Anyway, to be assured of warmth in January, you must fly at least to Egypt (five hours), so why not go that bit farther? We fled to Gatwick, freezing in unseasonable linens.
HQ for this indulgent break was Carlisle Bay, set on a sweep of powder-soft sand on Antigua’s south coast. It is the sister hotel to One Aldwych in London and last year was voted by Tatler the best hotel in the Caribbean. We left at 10.30am on Saturday, landed at 3pm local time, and had an hour on the beach before sunset.
Floating in the sea — here it’s opaque and sandy, owing to the strongish breakers — I gleaned first impressions. The 80 ocean-facing suites, in blocks of six, three storeys high, are painted a severe grey rather than the zingy colours you usually find in the Caribbean, but since the resort is now two years old the purple bougainvillea has clothed them. There are plenty of sunloungers with (grey) towels on the palm-studded beach, and watchful staff bring free mineral water as soon as you settle down.
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The rooms are a disappointment to anyone who thinks the Caribbean means parakeet prints and white wicker chairs: there’s dark wood furniture and neutral (OK, grey) decor, a marble bathroom with gigantic tub and walk-in shower, arty pictures of palm fronds on the walls and artfully positioned pieces of exotic fruit (such as sugar cane or pomelo) delivered daily. A wonderful terrace (or balcony on higher floors) with large daybed completed the room — sitting here to breakfast on tropical fruits as tiny hummingbirds flitted around was heaven.
Sunday saw us on the hotel’s Sundancer yacht, bouncing over choppy water (and passing Roman Abramovitch’s enormous yacht Le Grand Bleu, with its two helicopter landing pads) to English Harbour. Here we toured Nelson’s Dockyard, the only extant Georgian naval dockyard in the world. It is the most famous of the island’s 50-plus fortifications, many now falling into ruin.
We drove up to Shirley Heights for a terrific view over the harbour as we sipped a weak rum punch at the regular Sunday “jump up” — a rather touristy steel band gig. Apparently it warms up when locals arrive later for the reggae, but by then we were enjoying a supper of grilled mahi-mahi at Carlisle Bay’s open-air restaurant, Indigo on the Beach, and kicking ourselves for missing the actor Colin Farrell, who had dropped in for lunch.
In fact we spent much of our break recharging at Carlisle Bay, where we avoided the nine tennis courts (it was 30C), hit the air-conditioned gym with its view of tree-clad hills, splashed in the freeform swimming pool and lounged in the spa, where masseuses took turns to de-knot my back. There’s also one of the most beautiful hotel libraries I’ve seen, with blue-lit glass shelves elegantly displaying art and history books, and two computers with a free internet access and a view of palm trees to calm you if your inbox crashes.
In the evening we re-toxed in the bar, and in the stylish, air-conditioned East restaurant showcasing oriental food. The bar area is the size of a tennis court — no good if you’re hoping to snuggle up to a billionaire Russian, or even a millionaire actor, over a cocktail.
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It’s not a traditional Caribbean resort and won’t suit anyone who wants steel bands in the bar and paper umbrellas in their drinks. But for a detox-retox weekend of winter sun, it’s wonderful. And the owner’s called Gordon Campbell Gray. Maybe that explains the colour scheme.
Getting there
Cath Urquhart travelled with British Airways (0870 8509850, www.ba.com), which flies to Antigua from £413 if booked before January 31, or from £626 afterwards. Daily flights leave Gatwick at 10.30am, arriving at 3pm, and leave Antigua at 9.30pm each night, arriving back at 9am the next day.
British Airways Holidays (0870 2421276) has three nights’ B&B at Carlisle Bay from £1,638pp until March 31, including flights, B&B and transfers.
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Carlisle Bay (001 268 484 0000, www.carlisle-bay.com) has rooms from £530 a night for two sharing, including breakfast, but not taxes.
Reading: The Antigua and Barbuda Companion, by Melanie Etherington (Arris, £14.99).