If all you want to do is crash out on a beach for a week or two, you'll find Antigua hard to beat. The island is dotted with superb patches of sand - look out for Dickenson Bay in the northwest, Half Moon Bay in the east and Rendezvous Beach in the south - and, while the nightlife is generally pretty quiet, there are plenty of great places to eat and drink. But however lazy you're feeling, it's worth making the effort to get out and see some of the country. The superbly restored naval dockyard and the crumbling forts around English Harbour and Shirley Heights are as impressive as any historic site in the West Indies, and there are lots of other little nuggets to explore, including the capital, St John's , with its tiny museum and colourful quayside, and the old sugar estate at Betty's Hope . And, if you're prepared to do a bit of walking, you'll find some superb hikes that will take you out to completely deserted parts of the island.

Antigua's sister island Barbuda feels a world apart from its increasingly developed neighbour, even though it's just fifteen minutes away by plane. Despite its spectacular beaches and coral reefs, tourism is very low-key. Even if you can only manage a day trip, you'll find it thoroughly repays the effort involved in organizing a tour.