HOME TOUR

It took us a full day to shake the feeling that we had forgotten our children somewhere and were probably going to be on the evening news. We’ve been parents for 7 years now and have left our kiddos overnight with grandparents/friends maybe twice. But there’s something important about having that time with your spouse sans kids and remembering all the reasons you love them outside the parenting role. After 2020, we were ready for a stamp in the passport and to escape to Antigua.

It’s been 18 months since we’ve been on a plane and 3 years since we’ve left the country (see our trip to Portugal here). We haven’t even made it home to California in a year and a half. Bless my in-laws for coming to us to watch the kiddos. They had been telling us for years to take a trip but for years we’ve been pregnant / nursing / almost pregnant. This is our year.

TRAVEL INFO

Right now Antigua requires a negative PCR COVID test within 7 days of travel (PCR is the test that takes longer, we took ours 5 days before our flights). The USA requires a negative rapid COVID test taken within 72 hours of travel to get back into the States. Clearly this can change at the drop of a hat so research research research. A huge prerequisite for me to feel comfortable taking this trip was for the hotel to have doctor-administered COVID testing on site to make reentry into the US easier. I wasn’t about to traipse around an island trying to find a testing site. Island time is a very real thing. Hence the splurge on the luxury resort. You get what you pay for and they made it so easy. We paid for both the rapid test and the PCR test three days before we were due to leave the resort. Our kids needed the PCR test in order to go back to school. Luckily our tests came back quickly, we got our negative PCR test two days after it was administered. Hermitage Bay also provide you with a concierge upon arrival at the airport. We were personally escorted from the jetway through the health screens and customs and then outside where we met our driver. Effortless and reassuring.

I was shocked by how busy the American airports were and they did make me uncomfortable. American Airlines fully booked their domestic flights so we were sitting next to a stranger. Which is why we wore the N95 mask and didn’t eat/drink on the plane. From Boston we had a layover in Miami, Charlotte on our way home. Both airports were extremely busy. Our flights to Antigua were only 1/3 full and they spaced people appropriately. I’d probably check with a different airline next time although the flights were very inexpensive. After a day of travel we arrived to this paradise.

HERMITAGE BAY

We booked our stay in Antigua at Hermitage Bay to celebrate my birthday and our wedding anniversary. This is not a sponsored post, we did not get any special treatment. I researched the heck out of the Caribbean and chose this resort on purpose.

36 countries later, we’ve never stayed at an all-inclusive resort. I was weary that it would feel like a cheesy honeymoon destination with a mediocre buffet (nothing wrong with that but not what we were going for with this trip given how infrequently we travel without kids.) I prefer smaller, boutique-style hotels with good food and chose this after reading many reviews online and then calling them. We booked directly with the hotel and our flights via kayak.com.

I literally would go back right this minute. We’ve never enjoyed a beach vacation more. The staff was incredibly friendly and kind, all masked and vaccinated too. And they know your name instantly. We knew it was a small resort and that we’d be spending lots of time in our room so we booked the hillside pool suite and were in number 35. Be aware that it is indeed a hillside. They have golf carts to drive you up if you’d like but we walked what equated to 14 flights of stairs each time we went to our suite. We felt like given the number of mojitos we were having it was the least we could do. The view from the hillside was stunning and suite 35 is down its own private walk, truly private. It had a freestanding tub and outdoor shower. Probably my only complaint with the room was the steady stream of tiny ants that seemed to want to journey across our room.

Hermitage Bay checked all our boxes and the food, oh my goodness, the food. We’re talking canapés and appetizers that are works of art, homemade breads, entrées that rival any high end restaurant I’ve ever eaten at and as local as can be. The chef takes great pride in his art and I had a chance to attend his cooking class which is offered every Wednesday afternoon outside by the pool.

ALL INCLUSIVE DINING

Hermitage Bay is a luxury resort and pricey but enjoying this kind of organic, local and sustainable food & drink was a dream. If you have any dietary restrictions the chef is able to make you a bespoke meal plan. Many ingredients come from their own kitchen garden and the meals are served in the open air oceanside covered patio. The dress was casual. I wore a sundress and Matt a collared tshirt to dinner. And they have really good live music every night of the week. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many mojitos in my life and I don’t regret it one bit. Haha! I also had dessert for both lunch and dinner every single day. When in Antigua…the lime sorbet was exceptional.

Embroidered Linen Top / Sunglasses / Shorts

Often when we arrive in a country, it’s “go go go” and “see see see” as much and as fast as possible. This was our first beach vacation with no plans / agenda other than reading books and spending time with each other. Other than hiking to some deserted beaches and deep sea fishing, we didn’t leave the resort. We felt like that cut down on possible exposures and frankly, it was more relaxing.

Now prior to leaving we said to one another, this is one of those places you’re sure to not run into anyone you know. And wouldn’t you know it, we walked into the resort and the staff sat us at a sofa in the bar area to get us a snack. After a minute or two we heard, “Matt!? No way. No way!” and turned to see Matt’s best friend, also Matt. Matt and Alexis are winemakers in Healdsburg, CA and they have been friends since elementary school. He was a groomsman at our wedding. What are the chances! It was a last minute trip for them too. So not only did we get the luxury of having very few people around, the people that were around were some of our favorite people on the planet. If you haven’t tried Brick and Mortar wines you are missing out!

HIKING TO THE DESERTED BEACH

I use “hiking” here loosely because it was basically just walking down a road past what will probably be a housing development in a few years. But the beaches were awesome. We took a trail down to the water and then walked a series of beaches connected by rocks and vegetation to get to the beach we could see from our room. You can see Hermitage Bay and the hillside villas in the picture above. Note to self, just borrow the Kayak (it’s included in the all-inclusive package) and kayak over next time.

KAYAKING

It was pretty windy a couple of the days but the resort is good about putting out a colored flag that warns you as to what the current is like. I had wanted to go paddle boarding but it was a bit choppy for that and after deep sea fishing I was good on the waves. We did borrow a kayak and make it over to that island in the distance. Matt and Alexis had gone and enjoyed it. It was on this island we found the big conch shells that divers had left on the shore and an abandoned house with a swing.

DEEP SEA FISHING

Matt’s best friend Matt was celebrating his birthday while we were there and he wanted to go deep sea fishing. I don’t love the sound of “deep sea” but was down for the adventure. We were 7 or 8 miles off shore and the waves were very rough. We all ended up getting queasy and turned back after catching one Mahi Mahi.

The chef prepared our fish three different ways for dinner that night and it was marvelous. I’ve never had an experience like that before.

THE SPA

I took one for the team and booked myself a spa treatment. There’s nothing like getting pampered to the sound of the waves. Spa services are not included in the all-inclusive price and are an additional cost.

I read three and a half books during this escape to Antigua. The weather was absolutely perfect the entire time, 84 ish degrees and not humid. Our driver from the airport said that the occasional sprinkle that would pass through (usually early in the morning) they call “showers of blessing.” Isn’t that sweet!? We loved every minute and would recommend it greatly! The sun, the sea, the sand, the seashells and all that time with my husband made for some cherished memories.

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