Lawrence of Antigua

[flagmom]

I'm happy to say that Mr. Lawrence Leston is still giving excellent tours of Antigua! We recently spent a half-day touring with him on a small-group tour. There was only one other couple with us, who happened to be from the same ship. We took the tour to Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, with many other lovely sights along the way. We booked this tour in advance via email, and no pre-payment was required. All emails were answered promptly, and he gave us excellent directions to meet up with him. Even though our ship changed its docking berth at the last minute, he adjusted his location and was right there waiting for us. If you want a friendly, knowledgeable guide who is an excellent driver, you will like Lawrence of Antigua. 

[rstep]

Could you tell me how much this tour was and how long was it?

[eos790]

On 2/3/2024 at 5:38 PM, rstep said:

Could you tell me how much this tour was and how long was it?

I'm not sure about the OP's tour, but it sounds similar to the one my mom and I took a couple weeks ago with Mr. Lawrence. It cost $50, plus $15 entrance fee to the national park, so $65 per person. Our tour lasted 3 1/2-4 hours, and would have been longer if we had chosen to go to the beach. He will drop you off there for a few hours if you choose, and come back and get you to take you back to the ship. I highly recommend Lawrence of Antigua.

[mathed101]

On 1/29/2024 at 10:33 PM, flagmom said:

I'm happy to say that Mr. Lawrence Leston is still giving excellent tours of Antigua! We recently spent a half-day touring with him on a small-group tour. There was only one other couple with us, who happened to be from the same ship. We took the tour to Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, with many other lovely sights along the way. We booked this tour in advance via email, and no pre-payment was required. All emails were answered promptly, and he gave us excellent directions to meet up with him. Even though our ship changed its docking berth at the last minute, he adjusted his location and was right there waiting for us. If you want a friendly, knowledgeable guide who is an excellent driver, you will like Lawrence of Antigua. 

 

Thanks so much for posting this information!! Do you have any photos of the tour transportation vehicle? Did you pay him in cash? Would you be able to provide any specific information regarding the sights you saw and visited, that is what you actually did at Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard?

[mathed101]

8 hours ago, eos790 said:

I'm not sure about the OP's tour, but it sounds similar to the one my mom and I took a couple weeks ago with Mr. Lawrence. It cost $50, plus $15 entrance fee to the national park, so $65 per person. Our tour lasted 3 1/2-4 hours, and would have been longer if we had chosen to go to the beach. He will drop you off there for a few hours if you choose, and come back and get you to take you back to the ship. I highly recommend Lawrence of Antigua.

 

Thanks so much for posting this information!! Do you have any photos of the tour transportation vehicle? Did you pay him in cash? Would you be able to provide any specific information regarding the sights you saw and visited, that is what you actually did at Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard?

[flagmom]

On 2/3/2024 at 5:38 PM, rstep said:

Could you tell me how much this tour was and how long was it?

The tour was almost 4 hours because we did not choose to go to the beach. The cost was $50 each plus admission to the national park was $15 each. We paid him in cash. 

[flagmom]

44 minutes ago, mathed101 said:

 

Thanks so much for posting this information!! Do you have any photos of the tour transportation vehicle? Did you pay him in cash? Would you be able to provide any specific information regarding the sights you saw and visited, that is what you actually did at Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard?

I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of the vehicle. It was a large passenger van. Very comfortable. He provided us with cold water or other drinks. We paid him in cash at the end of the tour. He pointed out sights as we drove out of the city into the countryside. At the national park we spent time up on Shirley Heights at two different locations, and Mr. Lawrence provided historical information for us there. There are ruins of fortress buildings there and beautiful lookouts over the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. Then at the bottom of the hill at Nelson’s Dockyard, which is also part of the park, Mr. Lawrence waited for us while the park guide gave us a tour and then we had a little time to walk around on our own. From here we took a different route back to the port so we saw new sights along the way. Hope this helps. 

[eos790]

7 hours ago, mathed101 said:

 

Thanks so much for posting this information!! Do you have any photos of the tour transportation vehicle? Did you pay him in cash? Would you be able to provide any specific information regarding the sights you saw and visited, that is what you actually did at Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard?

Yes, we did pay him cash at the end, plus a tip. I didn't take any photos of the vehicle, but there is a pic of it on his website. We were in the smaller one that is pictured. I want to say it could hold around 10 people maybe? I didn't count seats, as it was just my mom and me.  Flagmom did a great job describing the tour, sounds pretty identical to ours. At Shirley Heights, we pretty much just looked around and took a few pics. A very short drive away at the Blockhouse ruins, we also just took pics, didn't look around at the ruins too much here although we could have if we wanted to. Mr. Lawrence wanted to try to beat the bigger buses over to Shirley Heights so we wouldn't have a crowd if we wanted to take pics there. But if we had requested more time there, I'm sure he would have allowed it. At Nelson's Dockyard, he put us at the front of waiting area and we took a short informational walking tour with another cruiseline group, then had a little bit of free time before having to walk back to meet Mr Lawrence at his bus. So we walked through the museum there and then got a few snacks at the bakery onsite. Most of the rest of it was a driving tour, but easy to see the sights through the large windows in the vehicle. 

[mathed101]

Thanks to both @flagmom and @eos790!

[Coolmama_1]

On 1/29/2024 at 11:33 PM, flagmom said:

I'm happy to say that Mr. Lawrence Leston is still giving excellent tours of Antigua! We recently spent a half-day touring with him on a small-group tour. There was only one other couple with us, who happened to be from the same ship. We took the tour to Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, with many other lovely sights along the way. We booked this tour in advance via email, and no pre-payment was required. All emails were answered promptly, and he gave us excellent directions to meet up with him. Even though our ship changed its docking berth at the last minute, he adjusted his location and was right there waiting for us. If you want a friendly, knowledgeable guide who is an excellent driver, you will like Lawrence of Antigua. 

We just did his tour today and did spend an hour or so at the beach afterwards.  It was the same price and was a private tour for 4. One of his drivers took us and Lawrence caught up with us at the end to make sure we had a great tour. I highly recommend. 

[Derbie]

We are trying to get our money in order for this trip, so can anyone advise if accepts US currency or we have to exchange funds?  I think we are going to book the Grand Tour as well. Thanks for all the good information.

[PORT ROYAL]

2 hours ago, Derbie said:

We are trying to get our money in order for this trip, so can anyone advise if accepts US currency or we have to exchange funds?  I think we are going to book the Grand Tour as well. Thanks for all the good information.

US Dollars are most acceptable………. Cash is king

 

[Derbie]

On 4/2/2024 at 9:08 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

US Dollars are most acceptable………. Cash is king

 

Thanks!  Reservation made.

[PORT ROYAL]

18 minutes ago, Derbie said:

Thanks!  Reservation made.

Not only will one have a great tour, you’ll also find Lawrence is a very generous host when is comes to “refreshments” provided during the tour.  Enjoy….

A gratuity to the guide will be unexpected and greatly appreciated.

[Derbie]

21 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Not only will one have a great tour, you’ll also find Lawrence is a very generous host when is comes to “refreshments” provided during the tour.  Enjoy….

A gratuity to the guide will be unexpected and greatly appreciated.

I will make sure he is tipped well!  

[PORT ROYAL]

8 minutes ago, Derbie said:

I will make sure he is tipped well!  

One is very kind….. What goes around….

[Derbie]

2 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

One is very kind….. What goes around….

I noticed you replied to an inquiry on a Tortola post that I read recently.  If you have any suggestions for this port, I would be most appreciative!