Antigua Villa Rental Guide
Where to start?
Set your budget.
Determine, how many bedrooms and bathrooms you will
need.
And decide on your must-haves (e.g. Pool, A/C, Internet,
BBQ Grill, TV, etc.)
Beachfront or Hillside?
Pristine beaches are
prime real estate. Therefore these locations are mainly
reserved for resorts and hotels to build on.
The exception is Jolly Harbour with its 2 white-sand
beaches, where you can find private beachfront homes for
rent.
Of course, due to the small number of beachfront homes
in Antigua, these villas come with a price tag.
The more affordable
alternative would be to rent a villa on a wild beach.
Wild beaches are very often as private as it can get on
an island with no private beaches. They are also great
for romantic beach walks, beachcombing and beach BBQ's.
Or think outside the
"beach" and rent a villa on a hillside or on top of a
cliff:
These villas catch the constant cooling sea breezes,
while affording absolute killer views.
Jolly or English..... Harbour?
Jolly Harbour is a gated
community with 24 hour security on Antigua's west coast
It houses a full-service luxury marina, private homes
(ranging from townhouses to multi-million dollar
beachfront villas), a commercial center, a well-stocked
American Supermarket, fine restaurants, trendy bars, an
18 hole golf course, a gym, a Sports Club with communal
pool, tennis & squash courts, several water sport
operators, and 2 long-stretch palm fringed, white sand
beaches.
All rental villas at
Jolly Harbour are on the flat land. The attached
townhouses and some custom-built stand alone houses were
built alongside the marina waterfront and therefore
have lovely views of small by-passing sailing yachts
and motorboats. The stand alone beachfront villas enjoy
views of the white-sand beach, the Caribbean Sea and
some neighboring islands in the distance.
English Harbour on the south
coast - where the big boys play
Once the hiding place for
Admiral Horatio Nelson's Royal Navy fleet, today
Falmouth Harbour and English Harbour are popular winter
destinations for many of the world's
most luxurious private yachts.
Lush green hills and white-sand
beaches form
the backdrop for the historical
sites of
Nelson's Dockyard, Clarence House, Shirley Heights and
Fort Berkeley.
Many villas in this part of the island are located on a
hillside, hilltop or on top of a cliff, affording
absolute privacy and spectacular views of the "toys of
the big boys".
Don't forget the
EAST
coast
Antigua's east coast is the unknown gem of the island.
It's the more quiet part of Antigua, unspoiled, idyllic
and lesser developed.
Lesser developed doesn't mean lower quality. On
the contrary: Several Celebrities have chosen
this part of the island for their holiday homes. The
prestigious residential Mill Reef Club is located
on the east coast. Membership at Mill Reef Club cannot
be obtained with money - membership is by invitation
only!
Also the beaches are not of lower quality
either. Just think of Half Moon Bay, which was
voted one of the world's Top 10 Beaches by the US
Travel Channel.
When is the best time to travel?
Antigua's winter season
is being kicked off in December by the annual Charter
Yacht Show and ends in mid May with the annual Antigua
Sailing Week (late April / early May) being the last big event for the winter
season.
Antigua's summer season
lasts from mid May until end of November. The private
Yachts leave for the Mediterranean and various shops and
restaurants close down for the summer. While the entire
island turns into a sleepy little village, you will
still find a good amount of restaurants, which remain
open during the summer season.
So why should you come out
during the summer season?
Because there are even fewer people on the beaches.
And the villas rent a lower rates and even give further
discounts on top.
How long?
Most villas require a
minimum of 5 - 7 nights.
During peak season (Christmas, New Years, Regattas) many
villas require 10 - 14 nights.
The bedroom option - how does it work?
Many large villas can
also be rented by smaller groups. You simply pay for the
number of bedrooms needed.
By locking out the remaining bedrooms, you can get a
larger villa at a lower rate.
Of course - you will still have the entire property to
yourself and access to all amenities.
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