Antigua A little piece of paradise

Admit it, the best family holiday is when you only see your “lovely” children for brief periods.

A beautiful sunshine resort is truly paradise if you are abandoned to blissful relaxation and woe betide you if you chose a holiday that doesn’t cater for your demanding demons.

Family clubs are great but truculent teenagers want independence, not organised entertainment. So it was a delight and relief to find our perfect escape on the island of Antigua.

The Verandah Resort & Spa encapsulates the Caribbean at its best with something for everyone.

It nestles in 30 spectacular coastal acres and offers a host of activities, safe beaches and three restaurants. Throw in glorious sunshine, beautiful views and lovely accommodation and you have the recipe for the perfect family holiday.

Antiguans proudly boast they have 365 beaches one for every day of the year. But don’t just focus on the sunbathing, there is much to explore, of interest even to the children.

A must-visit is to English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard which has been restored and is now the only Georgian dockyard in the world. The historic harbour served as the headquarters of the British fleet of the Leeward Islands during the 18th Century and Horatio Nelson arrived in 1784 to develop the naval facilities and enforce tough commercial shipping laws. The young captain expanded the dockyard but spent most of his time in the cramped quarters of his ship, declaring the island to be a “vile place”. Thankfully much has changed!

Serving under Nelson at the time was the future King William IV and it was during his reign, in 1834, that Britain abolished slavery in the empire. Alone among the British Caribbean colonies, Antigua had immediate full emancipation rather than a four-year waiting period. Today, Antigua’s carnival festivities commemorate the earliest abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean.

Further above Nelson’s Dockyard, at Shirley Heights, are the partially-restored fortifications of the harbour’s colonial observation post. On Sunday afternoons, the views out over the harbour and far across to Montserrat and Guadaloupe are accompanied by barbecues, rum punch, and the pulsing strains of a steel band and reggae music.

Nearby is Dow’s Hill Interpretation Center, where you can watch a multimedia show on Antigua’s history. Observation decks at Dow’s Hill provide another fine view of the harbour, as does the ruined Fort Berkeley. After a morning exploring, it was time for R&R and back to the Verandah to laze by the island’s largest freeform pool and enjoy a few cocktails from one of the four bars.

There is a variety of nice accommodation, each with a signature verandah to enjoy the beautiful beach, gardens and tropical views. The one-bedroom suites, sleeping four, are well furnished, spacious with a good-sized pull-down sofa bed, kitchen, TV and a large balcony. The wardrobes are cleverly used as a divider to give that little bit of privacy. The beds are comfortable and the air conditioning is a welcome relief.

The two-bedroom villas are a class above, with both bedrooms having en-suite bathrooms and TVs. There is a kitchen, breakfast bar, dining table for six and a good-sized sitting area with plasma TV. Pleasingly, there is a huge walk-in store for all the suitcases that tend to get in the way. Large balconies, including one off the main bedroom, provide spectacular views.

The six suites also have their own small pool and are close to the adults-only pool should you wish that extra peace and quiet. Also, you are only a short walk or free courtesy golf-cart ride to the two lovely sandy beaches and the main pool. The quiet beach is set in a lovely cove with its own small bar, but for swimming, snorkelling and water sports the main beach is fantastic. The waters are clear, blue and safe.

Getting the kids to get out of the water was the biggest problem. They had a ball, from kayaking, Hobie Cat sailing, using the floating swimming pools, and swimming and snorkelling with a myriad of colourful fish. And we could relax and not worry about them. Instead we could enjoy a rejuvenating spa experience or simply bask in the blazing sun. Too much idling can be a bad thing, though, and not to be outdone by the kids we too had fun on-site, playing tennis and mini-golf.

The resort also has its own hiking trails and is bordered by Devil’s Bridge National Park, with its dramatic landmark rock arch a short walk from the activities beach. The best time to go is the winter season, between mid-December and mid-April when the weather is at its coolest and driest, but if you are looking for a deal, prices outside this period drop by up to a third, and yet the weather is not much different in early December or in May and June.

By July and August it is much hotter but not usually unbearable unlike demanding teenagers!

Seven nights all-inclusive at The Verandah Resort & Spa with Best At Travel from £1,549 per person, based on departures Jan 26 Feb 23, 2015. To book 0203 733 6507or visit bestattravel.co.uk Direct flights from Gatwick with British Airways from £477.