Amazing beaches, warm, turquoise seas and the most charming people - Antigua is one of the Caribbean's loveliest islands and one of the easiest to reach, thanks to direct flights from the UK. Here's our pick of the island's best hotels, whether you want fly-and-flop luxury or an action-packed family trip
BEST FOR YACHTIES
South Point, English Harbour
Opened quietly a couple of years ago, South Point is now carving out a name for itself as the slickest place to stay on this side of Antigua. The colonial-style buildings, divided into 23 suites, have surprisingly contemporary interiors: limed wood, whizzy kitchenettes and a dove-grey and warm white palette. It feels minimal but on point. The two-bedroom penthouses are the hot ticket, with huge decked terraces looking down onto the action. The hotel is about as close to the water as you can get and the shiny superyachts in horseshoe-shaped Falmouth Harbour bob just metres from the sliver of private beach. Kick back and watch the pelicans perched on the end of the pontoon while three-mast schooners navigate their way in through Deep Bay. The food and drinks here are excellent - don't miss the sushi, or the cocktails made with local ingredients such as soursop and sorrel. But you're also just a few minutes' walk from chic beach club Catherine's Café Plage, as well as the shops and restaurants of Nelson's Dockyard. (southpointantigua.com)
BEST FOR FAMILIES
Carlisle Bay, Saint Mary's
A completely relaxed but reassuringly smart holiday hotspot for those travelling with a gaggle of children in tow. The stylish three-storey plantation-style buildings sit right on the sand, with every room looking out to the wide, buttery beach, which softly slopes into the green waters, the bay cupped on either side by jungly ridges (freshly refurbished classic Curtain Bluff lies around the next cove). Request a ground-floor suite and you can tumble out of bed for bucket-and-spade action first thing in the morning (the kids will be up early due to the time difference). Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors lead to terraces with Provençal-painted wicker chairs for parents to keep an eye on their gang. There's a very good kids' club, which takes children from six months of age, plus a pool full of inflatables. Not to mention a beach full of starfish. Energetic guests can thrash it out on the tennis courts or in the full-throttle gym. There's also a restful spa with excellent treatments. The relaxed family vibe during the day is wonderful, but book a babysitter at night (or pop the little ones into the screening room where cartoon films are shown) so you can indulge in a grown-up supper at the excellent Asian restaurant East. (carlisle-bay.com)
BEST FOR BAREFOOT CHIC
Hermitage Bay, Jennings
This charming, under-the-radar hideaway is blissfully quiet. Guests are young - mostly couples from the UK and USA - and they mainly stay holed up in the stunning hillside and beachside rooms. And it's not hard to see why, with muslin curtains billowing in the soft, warm breeze, Missoni-esque zigzag throws on the beds, louvre doors that slide wide open and outdoor showers with sensational views of the bay, the lagoon and Jolly Harbour beyond. They might venture out to the spa's three wooden treatment rooms, to the boutique to buy a coral-print kaftan or Vilebrequin swimming trunks, or to sip a Piña Colada by the swimming pool. The shell-strewn beach with its perfect pale-mint water feels completely private, and across the sea Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis shimmer in the distance. At night, the place looks dreamy, the almond trees twinkling with fairy lights. Of course, Antigua has plenty of grown-ups-only hotels - Galley Bay is enduringly popular - but this is definitely the most romantic. (hermitagebay.com)
BEST FOR DESIGN JUNKIES
Hodges Bay Resort & Spa, Hodges Bay
The talk of the island. The opening of Elegant Hotels' new flagship property in early 2018 is like nothing Antigua has seen before - living walls, polished concrete, modernist-style buildings, with townhouses, pool villas and suites, sprawling like a mid-century estate from the Hollywood hills. There will be day-beds on the beach, hanging rattan swing chairs, and sleekly refined interiors designed by Miami architect Kobi Karp. Set on the north shore, it rivals mega-watt Jumby Bay (now under new Oetker Collection management) in terms of the quickest hop from airport to sun lounger. And it will probably attract a similar guest. There is butler service, private hot tubs on bedroom balconies, lush tropical gardens and a picture-postcard white-sand bay lined with coconut palms. But there's also action and adventure: hydrobikes and glass-bottomed kayaks, two swimming pools (one just for adults), cooking classes, mixology lessons, an all-singing, all-dancing kids' club, plus a teen hangout. Come here for a high-end, high-octane holiday. (eleganthotels.com/hodges-bay)
BEST FOR PEACE AND QUIET
Blue Waters Resort & Spa, St John's
Fresh from a late-summer spruce, perennial favourite Blue Waters is looking as lovely as ever. What brings people back here year after year, to one of the longest established hotels in Antigua, is not just the glorious setting between two palm-fringed coves, or the pair of freshwater swimming pools, or even the effortlessly elegant rooms. They come for the service. Charming staff who have worked for the English family owners for decades still pour the rum punches at the bar, turn down the bedrooms and serve supper with a smile. Nothing is too much trouble. And everything is all-inclusive. Days can be spent horizontally, reading in the shade, floating in the sea, sitting on your balcony watching the world go by. The focus here is on what a traditional holiday should be - time to switch off and relax. (bluewaters.net)