Where to stay in Antigua: the best areas and resorts

Dickenson Bay is Antigua's most sociable beach: a long, curving strip of white sand with calm, shallow water, beach bars, watersports and a row of resorts along its length. It suits families and first-timers who want a bit of life outside the hotel gates, and it is just a few minutes north of St John's, the capital, with its market, cruise port and duty-free shops.

The resorts range from big couples-only and adults-only all-inclusives to relaxed, smaller hotels and apartments in tropical gardens, some with kitchens for families. Restaurants and beach bars along the sand mean you can easily eat out, and St John's is a short taxi ride away. The airport is only about 20 minutes away.

The north coast is a string of small, upmarket coves close to the airport. Blue Waters and Hodges Bay have some of the island's smartest hotels, with sheltered beaches, spas and views across to the offshore islets, while restored plantation houses inland add a dash of history.

Just offshore, Jumby Bay is a private island resort reached by boat, one of the most exclusive hideaways in the Caribbean. The whole area is ideal if you want a short transfer and a quiet, polished stay, with St John's and Dickenson Bay a short drive away.

South-west of St John's, the Five Islands peninsula and the coast around it hide some of Antigua's most romantic hotels. Galley Bay is an adults-only all-inclusive on a long, peaceful beach, Hermitage Bay has freestanding suites on a hillside wrapped in undeveloped land, and Hawksbill sits around four almost private bays.

These are places to switch off completely, with nothing but the sea, the sunset and a cocktail to think about. Most are small, many are all-inclusive, and the west-facing bays get the best of the evening light. St John's and the airport are both within about half an hour.

Jolly Harbour is a marina village with restaurants, a golf course and a supermarket, next to one of the island's longest white-sand beaches. It is a practical, good-value base, popular with families and anyone who likes to eat out, and it is home to one of Antigua's biggest all-inclusives.

South of it, the coast road passes a run of lovely beaches, Valley Church and Darkwood among them, with romantic adults-only resorts in colourful cottages and a boutique hotel on a clifftop bluff looking out to sea. It is also the best side of the island for sunsets.

The south coast is Antigua's greenest corner, where rainforest-covered hills drop to secluded beaches. Two of the island's grandest resorts are here: Carlisle Bay, on one of the loveliest beaches on the island, and Curtain Bluff, perched on a rocky promontory between two beaches.

It is about 35 minutes from St John's and 20 minutes from Nelson's Dockyard, far enough to feel properly away from it all. Expect excellent food, watersports, tennis and spas, and very little reason to leave, though the rainforest canopy tours and Fig Tree Drive's banana groves are close by.

English Harbour is Antigua's most characterful corner. Nelson's Dockyard, a UNESCO-listed Georgian naval base, has been beautifully restored with bars, restaurants and a hotel in its old buildings, and next-door Falmouth Harbour fills with superyachts in season. On Sunday evenings, everyone climbs to Shirley Heights for steel bands, rum punch and the best sunset view on the island.

Hotels are small and full of personality, from a historic inn on a wooded headland to boutique waterfront hotels on little private beaches. The family-friendly St James's Club sits on its own peninsula just to the east. The airport is about 30 minutes away.

The east coast faces the Atlantic, but its bays are sheltered by reefs, which makes the water calm and clear. Long Bay is a curve of white sand with a handful of laid-back adults-only resorts, a national park with nature trails sits next door, and Nonsuch Bay, further south, is a vast lagoon popular with sailors and kitesurfers.

Hotels here are remote, relaxed and often all-inclusive, including some of the island's most luxurious adults-only villas with private plunge pools. It is the place for a proper escape, but you will need a taxi to go anywhere else.