16-Day Antillean Island Holiday

Antigua and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. Antigua, the largest of the British Leeward Islands, is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108 square miles. Barbuda, a flat coral island with an area of only 68 square miles, lies approximately 30 miles to the north. The population is approximately 68,000 and its capital is St. John’s on Antigua.

The largest of the British Leeward Islands, Antigua has warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef. These unique characteristics have made Antigua and Barbuda in one of the Caribbean’s premier tourist destinations.

The expansive, winding coastline that made Antigua difficult for sailors to navigate is where today’s trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. The coral reefs attract snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. And the fascinating little island of Barbuda — once a scavenger’s paradise because so many ships wrecked on its reefs — is now home to one of the region’s most significant bird sanctuaries.

Guadeloupe’s major center is Pointe-à-Pitre, a conglomeration of old and new buildings clustered around the bustling harbourside market. Pointe-a-Pitre is Gudeloupe’s most popular city–explore the beaches of Grand-Terre and the French fort ruins and volcanic mountaintop of Basse-Terre.

The capital city of the Dominican Republic is rich in history and beauty, boasting 16th-century Spanish architecture and the oldest cathedral in the Americas. The narrow streets of the old colonial city are a testament to the complex mixture of forces that contributed to the construction of the first European city in the Western Hemisphere. The capital of the Dominican Republic is home to some outstanding examples of colonial architecture, including the Catedral Santa Maria la Menor and the viceregal residence, El Alcazar. In the early days of the empire, Spain administered many of its possessions
from Santo Domingo, but as Spanish power waned, other nations took control. In the early part of the 20th century, the United States played an important role in the history of the city, which was occupied by U.S. Marines from 1916 to 1924. Despite the long list of occupying nations, the Spanish influence has remained strong and Spanish is the official language. The pre-Hispanic native people, the Tainos, have also had a strong influence on the culture, and many words from their
language have passed into common use.