From my post last week you saw that I stepped down to Antigua for a few days with family. This is the birthplace of my Mom and Dad and I had never been there. How crazy is that? Too crazy for that situation to go on any further…

Antigua has a population of about 70,000 but does not feel crowded at all. Antigua has one movie theater with three screens. The city center of St. John has enough for people to do with bars and clubs, but never felt crowded. ‘Easygoing’ is how I would describe the island vibe, as you would with most Caribbean islands.

The one place I didn’t get to go to was Boggy Peak, highest point on the island of Antigua, soon to be renamed Mount Obama, after Barack Obama. The government was so happy about the election of the US President that they plan to rename the peak on Obama’s birthday, which is August 4. Wonder if he will make it down for the ceremony?

As I was writing up this blog post, this came across my desk: 7 Reasons Why Traveling With Your Parents Isn’t A Bad Idea

While most of us would completely throw away the idea of traveling with our parents (or grown children for that matter), I would ask that you consider it, especially if it is someplace that you haven’t been before. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and think you always learn something new about yourself and your family members. There are lots of stories from my parents past I would have never heard otherwise.

Antigua – Hello Island Family!! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

I was relatively quiet last week because I got out of town for a few days and headed down to Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean for some white sand and hot sun.

This trip served another purpose: To keep a promise to my Dad who always wanted me to see where he and my mother were born and grew up. Imagine that, all this traveling the last few years and never been to my parents’ birthplace. This situation has now been corrected.

There are no direct flights between VC Bird Airport on Antigua and JFK, so I had to stop over in San Juan, Puerto Rico, meet up with my parents there and then we would fly together.

San Juan’s airport is in a word: functional. Not many amenities there. I will ask however, “How many Cinnabon locations can you have in one small area?” Officials at San Juan’s airport must be trying to answer this question…

We stayed at a family friend’s hotel: The Paradise View Hotel near St. John’s, the city center of Antigua. The place was fantastic. We stayed in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite, with a full kitchen and living room, and satellite TV. If you head to Antigua check out the accommodations there before you book any place else.

Would you believe we got only got the beach once in the 6 days we were there? We went to Long Bay, one of 365 beaches on the island. Yes, 365 beaches, one for every day of the week as the residents and promotional guides will tell you.

But the real point of this trip was to meet up with family and friends, which we did early and often. All of that next time.

Antigua – White Sand, Hot Sun, Great Time is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel