Cruisingrl77 - Need your advice on Darkwood Beach!

[golloglyct]

cruisingrl77,

 

We will be visiting Antigua in mid-April and intended to go to Turner Beach. Turner beach apparently has chairs/umbrellas, facilities, restaurant, great view and snorkeling...so it all sounded good to us as first-time visitors.

 

Based on your feedback, Darkwood may be an even better choice. Did you find chairs/umbrellas and facilities there? Is there a restaurant? Do you know anything about snorkeling there?

 

Any additional info you can provide about Darkwood would be appreciated. And can you post your photos....

 

Thanks!

[Ltvscout]

cruisingrl77,

 

We will be visiting Antigua in mid-April and intended to go to Turner Beach. Turner beach apparently has chairs/umbrellas, facilities, restaurant, great view and snorkeling...so it all sounded good to us as first-time visitors.

 

Based on your feedback, Darkwood may be an even better choice. Did you find chairs/umbrellas and facilities there? Is there a restaurant? Do you know anything about snorkeling there?

 

Any additional info you can provide about Darkwood would be appreciated. And can you post your photos....

 

Thanks!

We were just at Darkwood Beach last Wednesday, March 28th. We loved it! We used Gordon's company, Antigua Beach Runner Xcursions, which can be found at www.anitguabeachrunner.com. I HIGHLY recommend his company. We had Valentine as our driver and he was fantastic. Gordon's pricing is very reasonable as well.

 

Darkwood has chairs for rent at $5/ea. They have cabanas you can put your chairs under at no extra charge. There is a restaurant that serves decent food and beer/soda/water there as well. Restrooms also on site.

 

As you face the ocean you have to go down the beach to your right where you'll see waves breaking on a reef. You'll find the best snorkeling (for that beach at least) there.

[tequilasunrise]

We were there recently too and I'd reccomend it. The water is a beautiful aqua, sand is white and pure. Also, it wasn't at all crowded, we had it almost to ourselves. There were only about 10 people on the whole beach all day.

 

The lady who owns the open air restaurant/bar is very friendly and interesting to talk to. There is one vendor who has a stand there but she wasn't pushy.

 

Entrees include burgers, hot dogs, french fries and things like fried fish and conch. Beer, soda, bottled water and mixed drinks are available but I might avoid the ice. Prices go up to $25 for entrees with most in the $10-15 range US dollars. Conch and fries is $23 US. Prices are listed in US dollars and Eastern Carribean dollars and both are accepted. Change was given in same currency.

 

Restrooms are kinda dirty, I'd bring hand sanitizer.

 

There's lots of birds here too, and a salt marsh just across the road from the beach which had more. We saw black hummingbirds!

 

Beware tho there is no taxi service there unless you arrange it in advance, and some of these guys are on Island time. Our driver (James, tall thin guy with really badly chipped front teeth) never returned to pick us up. Take a cell phone and taxi phone numbers if you aren't on a tour! The restaurant's proprietor let us call on her phone. Turner's beach is just around the corner, if you dare to walk on those roads, if worst comes to worst!

 

Have fun!