Looking for the best things to do in Antigua for couples? This post has you covered. My name is Sara and I’ve lived in Antigua for the last three winters with my fiance, Carl, and our two sons. Carl and I love to have couples time together in Antigua when we have (the rare) chance to get childcare cover sorted.
We like to mix up romantic sunsets and dinners with adventure activities such as zip lining and swimming with stingrays. We think we’ve managed to try out the best things to do in Antigua for couples so if you are looking for inspiration for a date idea in Antigua or maybe romantic things to do on honeymoon in Antigua then this post has everything you need.
We’ve chosen our 10 favourite couples things to do in Antigua to share with you.
Table of Contents
Why Visit Antigua As A Couple?
The Caribbean is one of the most romantic destinations in the world, and Antigua is no exception to this. Antigua has 365 beaches, yes, one for every day of the year. With so many beaches to choose from you can relax as a couple and take in sunset after romantic sunset.
The best time of year to visit Antigua as a couple is to come in winter between December and April. It’s still hot, but it’s a lot drier than the summer months and outside of hurricane season.
If you’re looking for something more adventurous or high energy as a couple in Antigua then it has lots to offer such as hiking, zip lining and scuba diving.
Romantic Things to do in Antigua as a Couple
1. Head To A Beach And Enjoy A Sunset Followed By Dinner
One of our favourite things to do in Antigua as a couple is find a great beach for sunset and then grab a bite to eat afterwards. The best way to get around Antigua is to rent a car as it means that you can have total flexibility on where you go and when.
There are lots of beaches to choose from, and we’d really recommend choosing a variety to visit as they are all quite different. Always take snorkel gear with you as you never know what you might get to see, such as turtles and rays.
There are three main beaches that we enjoy for sunset and dinner:
- Valley Church Beach followed by dinner at Sheer Rocks
Valley Church Beach is perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Antigua. It’s got white sands and turquoise waters and usually isn’t too busy. The restaurant, Sheer Rocks, is one of the most luxurious restaurants on the island (we usually enjoy the a la carte menu), with impeccable service. If you’re looking for an engagement location then this is top on our list of ideas!
- Runaway Beach followed by dinner at Casa Roots
Runway Beach is a very relaxing and calm beach located just around the corner from Dickenson Bay – which is one of the busiest beaches in Antigua. After sunset Casa Roots is a fantastic restaurant to try that serves amazing quality local ingredients to prepare dishes that combine French and West Indian cuisine.
- Galleon Beach followed by dinner at Loose Cannon
Galleon Beach is one of our favourite beaches and just happens to be our local one too. This is a stunning bay with yachts moored up in front and some of the top snorkelling on the island just moments away at Pillars of Hercules. Loose Cannon is a great combination of Ibiza style beach vibes with tasty food; owner Colin has Michelin stars at his restaurant back in England.
2. Book A Couples Massage
I used to be a massage therapist and there is nothing I love more than us taking time out together as a couple and indulging in a massage. It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy a therapist working out your tension at the start of your vacation so that you can feel very relaxed. I think that it’s important to maximise relaxation when you travel as a couple. Most resorts in Antigua offer couples massages, and some, such as Royalton Antigua offer an on the beach massage service which is divine!
3. Take A Local Cooking Class
Another activity that we like to do as a couple is take a local cooking class. We both love good food and it means that we can take some local flavours home.
We’ve found this great cookery school on the island called Nicole’s Table. Living in Antigua means that we get to eat lots of tasty jerk flavoured food and there’s a brilliant “All About The Jerk” class that we’ve taken.
4. Sailing Around The Island
Carl is boat captain so we had a lot of opportunities to sail around Antigua and take in some of the beautiful bays and beaches from the sea. Some of our favourite spots to sail include Carlisle Bay and Green Island.
There are several ways that you can get onto the water when you come to Antigua. You could take a tour of the island on a boat such as those organised on the Wadadli Cats or Xtreme Circumnav.
Wadadli Cats is good fun as it’s a party boat, with good food and punchy rum punch. Alternatively, the great thing about Xtreme Circumnav is that it goes around the whole island and stops at Rendezvous Beach which is an off the beaten track paradise on the south coast of Antigua.
Alternatively, you could charter a private sail or motor yacht to take you wherever you wanted to go. There are some beautiful bays with amazing snorkelling that you could have to yourself. Some fun spots to head to include, one of our favourites is to head to Green Island where you can often spot turtles swimming by the moore up yachts.
5. Get Engaged Or Married
The reason I’ve added this to the list is that we got engaged in Antigua – and it was simple and amazing all at once. There are so many incredible opportunities to pop the question, I’ve picked a couple of cool ones below for you:
- Shirley Heights – Carl asked me on Christmas Day one year after we’d hiked up from Galleon Beach with our son. The view at the top over St James Club is stunning and it was just us up there looking out over the world!
- Sheer Rocks – this is where Carl would have asked me, but he’d forgotten to bring the ring. If you get a waterside couples table and head there before sunset for sundowners you’ll have a beautiful sunset followed by delicious food.
- Sailing across the seas – this would be another amazing way to ask. Charter a yacht and then head to one of the stunning bays such as Rendezvous Bay, Carlisle Bay or Green Island.
Adventurous Things to do in Antigua for Couples
6. Zip Line Through The Rainforest
I’ve included this as I’m conscious that there are only so many massages, sunsets and romantic meals that some couples like to enjoy. In fact, Carl and I are the sort of couple that loves to take part in adventure activities together. Pre-kids we had a bit of a zip lining things going on where we’d find one in each country that we visited!
The zip line course in Antigua is brilliant fun as you go from one part of the tropical rainforest to another. I’d highly recommend taking the full package that includes the ziplines and aerial walkway.
Book your Zipline Adventure here
7. Take A Helicopter Ride
Yes, I’m putting another curveball out there and adding in a helicopter ride as a cool thing to do as a couple in Antigua!
For my 40th birthday Carl took me up into the skies for a complete helicopter island tour of Antigua and it was amazing!
From the skies you can really get a good feel for the size and feel of the island, including seeing the beautiful reefs from above. To give you an understanding of what you are looking at your pilot will also act as an in the air tour guide.
What really was incredible about it was looking down over the beautifully clear seas and seeing animals such as stingrays from above.
8. Swim With Stingrays
The helicopter ride leads me nicely to one of our other cool activities for couples in Antigua which is swimming with stingrays.
The tour that they offer at Stingray City is so much fun.
The stingrays will gracefully glide in the water right next to you. You’re given snorkelling gear so you can swim along with them. You’ll also have a chance to hold one, which is an amazing experience as a couple in Antigua. The guide will explain to you how to hold them carefully and keep them in the water as it’s important that they stay wet.
Book your Stingray City Tour here
9. Drive Around Antigua In A Dune Buggy
Since I’ve already dropped in a helicopter ride into our best things in Antigua for couples I wanted to add on a cool driving tour. Rather than take a car, jeep or taxi you can mix it up by taking this fantastic dune buggy tour of part of the island.
It’s an off-road excursion across Antigua taking in some of the top sites including Betty’s Hope, Devils’ Bridge and Long Bay Beach. We had a great time on the tour as it gave us a different view of the island as we raced about.
Book your Dune Buggy Tour here
Things to do in Antigua at Night as a Couple
10. Dance At Shirley Heights Lookout
If you like music and dancing then this is a must see experience on the island. The party happens every Thursday and Sunday night.
You’ll need to head to Shirley Heights Lookout by around 5pm (in winter) as the sunsets at 5:30/6pm. The magic of going is listening to the steel band playing as the sunsets over English Harbour. The scene below is framed by flashes of pink or purple.
After sunset the steel band is replaced by a fantastic local band that plays cover after fun cover. It won’t be long until the dance floor is crowded and the rum punch is flowing!
The rum punch is “punchy” – we’ve known people who don’t generally like to dance start to dance after a few! Food wise there’s a BBQ grill with meats ranging from chicken to beef to lobster – order early as it gets very busy after sunset.
Final Thoughts On Visiting Antigua As A Couple
There really is something for all couples who visit Antigua. Whether you are looking for a combination of adventure, sunsets and beaches, or even looking for that special place to pop the question – Antigua has it all!
About the Author
Sara has lived in Antigua over the winter months for the past 3 years with fiance Carl and their sons. She is excited to share all about what to do in antigua for couples and you can follow along with her adventures over on her blog Big Adventures With Little Feet.
Like this post? Save it on Pinterest!
