The twin-island paradise of Antigua and Barbuda is captivating visitors seeking a healthy lifestyle and the perfect balance in 2023 starting with an all-new Antigua and Barbuda Wellness Month in January and continuing with a series of retreats and exciting experiences for visitors to participate in during the year.
WELLNESS MONTH, JANUARY 2023
If your New Year’s resolution calls for the embracing of a wellness lifestyle, Antigua and Barbuda starts the year with Wellness Month. During each week in January 2023, visitors can immerse themselves in wellness-targeted activities in nature ranging from complimentary ‘Soca-robix’ and Zumba classes, meditative yoga in the countryside, various hikes in lush hills and a variety of spa treatments. Visitors will enjoy healthy dining options utilizing local produce in addition to other wellness offerings by providers throughout the country. Interested in going dry during the month of January with no alcohol? Head to Antigua and Barbuda Tourism’s social media pages, for interactive sessions that will teach you how to make the perfect mocktail. www.visitantiguabarbuda.com
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA WELLNESS MONTH: MOCKTAIL RECIPES
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA WELLNESS EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN 2023
Wellness continues to be a focus throughout the year in Antigua & Barbuda with numerous activities planned to include:
CARLISLE BAY WELLNESS RETREAT, FEBRUARY 2023
Escape to Carlisle Bay from February 24 to February 27, for a 3-night all-inclusive Wellness Retreat including daily mindful meditation, gentle yoga classes to suit all levels and abilities, daily activities including reef snorkelling at Cades Bay, a guided rainforest hike to Signal Hill and a local cooking demonstration. A mindfulness coach, holistic health practitioner and yoga instructor will guide creative and soulful yoga practices suitable for all levels. Carlisle Bay will also host a second wellness retreat from May 19 – May 22. www.carlisle-bay.com
HEALTH AND WELLNESS WEEKEND CURTAIN BLUFF, APRIL 2023
Tucked away on Antigua’s south coast, relaxation awaits at Curtain Bluff. Curtain Bluff will host two Health & Wellness Weeks in 2023 taking place from April 15 – April 22 and April 22 – April 26. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy daily intimate group classes such as Vinyasa Flow yoga practice, pilates, tennis lessons with in-house pros catered to all levels, and daily spa treatments from an exclusive Health & Wellness Week menu. Weekly offerings will also be available, including aqua aerobics, a sunset meditation, a fitness walk through Old Road Village and a hike to Boggy Peak (Mount Obama), Wallings Dam, and Tobacco Bay led by in-house practitioners. www.curtainbluff.com
RUN IN PARADISE, MAY 2023
Antigua and Barbuda’s most anticipated marathon race returns on May 28, 2023. Runners from around the world join seasoned national athletes and fitness enthusiasts in Antigua for ‘Run in Paradise’. The race that traverses the colourful city of St. John’s and Antigua’s north coast, offers one of the most scenic courses in the world. Distances of a marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k run/walk, offer an activity for all skill levels. Friends and family are encouraged to cheer on the runners and stay for the fun as the race concludes at the historic Fort James beach. www.runinparadise.com
PIANGO FEST, AUGUST 2023
Mango and Pineapple lovers flock to the lush, southern side of Antigua, for the two-day Piango Fest on August 19 and 20. Hosted by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Agriculture, the event is held steps away from the Cades Bay Agriculture station, where the renowned Antigua Black Pineapple, ‘The Sweetest Pineapple in the World’, is grown and where mango-laden trees can be found nearby in abundance. The two-day event showcases a variety of mangoes that will delight passionate mango-lovers, and lots of pineapple delights. This is a chance to purchase your organic fruit jams, pepper sauces, wines, smoothies, pastries, and ice creams. Take home as souvenirs, scented candles and soaps all made in Antigua and Barbuda. Visitors may also be lucky to catch a goat race organised by farmers at the event. www.facebook.com/Piangofest
FOREST BATHING AND BEACH MASSAGES
FIND BALANCE IN NATURE AT WILD LOTUS GLAMPING
Inspired by Shinrin-Yoku, the art of ‘Forest Bathing’, guests at Wild Lotus Glamping can now experience a refreshing and invigorating CBD oil massage in the heart of Antigua’s rainforest. Soak in Antigua’s rainforest atmosphere, lower your blood pressure and boost your immune system. Our expert masseuse blends locally made CBD oil with Paracetamol bush and Aloe Vera. This creates a powerful pain-relieving and skin rejuvenating balm. Throughout the massage, guests are led through a ritual of deep breathing and meditation, allowing immersion of the forest atmosphere through the senses. www.wildlotusglamping.com/personal-retreats
BEACH MASSAGES IN BARBUDA
For a quiet pace, serenity and pink, sandy beaches, travel to Barbuda. Nobu Barbuda offers a new hideaway for travelers in the form of a consciously designed beach club, Nobu restaurant, and lounge. As the most recent addition, the beach club is an all-day Nobu experience unlike any other, with sun beds, private cabanas and beach-front massages available upon request. www.noburestaurants.com/barbuda/the-experiences/beach-club/
SPA EXPERIENCES
EXPERIENCE THE FRESHEST FRUIT FACIAL IN NELSON’S DOCKYARD
Secluded within The Powder Room Spa at Gun Powder House in scenic English Harbour is the Wellness Spa, where the subdued light, quiet and coolness is perfect for the internal journey experienced during great massage and soul centering facials. This is where the spa’s signature organic product line, Elements Antigua, glows. These locally hand-made products by Mary Wilkinson, are created in small batches, which ensures both quality and freshness. Personally blended massage oils including the finest local ingredients, makes for some added healing during a treatment.
This season The Powder Room Spa is excited to unveil their continuing and expanding Fresh Food Facial menu! In addition to the luxurious signature line, is the use of exquisite clays from around the world, paired with fresh, local produce and honey for the nutritional boost for an entirely national and international experience that is out of this world. www.thepowderroomspaanu.com
JUMBY BAY’S SPA RETREAT
Set in one of the most beautiful, untouched locations in the world, Jumby Bay Island is a 300-acre private island of simple pleasures. Ringed with coral reefs and reachable only by private boat, with not a car in sight, this secluded, yet accessible isle of white-powdered beaches and winding bicycle paths is a one-of-a-kind hideaway.
The Spa at Jumby Bay is the ultimate sanctuary providing a truly tranquil setting for guests to unwind. The spa offers a curated menu of treatments which combine modern therapeutic practices from around the world with ancient healing remedies of the West Indies and African cultures. Generations of Antiguans and Barbudans believed that a higher power placed all curative herbs and elements on Earth. Serums used in treatments are derived from local natural ingredients including coconut, aloe, neem, lemongrass, and other essential oils and spices, to organically encourage the regenerative nature of the body, mind, and spirit. www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/jumby-bay-island
NEW TOURS
AMENTA WELLNESS JOURNEY
Prepare for an adventurous, wellness experience that will take you to some of the most beautiful places in Antigua. The journey begins in the green pastures of Ebenezer, where Shaman King Swahili, will greet and lead the group into meditation and yoga before the hike to Green Castle Hill. At the summit, be awed by panoramic views of the island. After the hike, fuel your mind and body with a private lunch on a clear turquoise beach catered by some of the finest local vegan chefs. Last but not least, the beach is for your use and ‘fulljoyment’!. www.amentatours.com/choose-wellness
RAS FREEMAN TOUR WITH HUMBLE AND FREE WADADLI
Explore the roots and culture of Antigua through the lens of Rastafari on a one hour guided tour through the sacred grounds of Ras Freeman. Located in one of the first villages to be freed during slavery, the former plantation is now a place for worship, farming, natural living, history and heritage. Explore incoming crops and learn more about Rastafari’s role in making Antigua a more food secure nation. Visit an indoor green house where cannabis is grown and learn about Rastafari’s role in Antigua’s budding medicinal cannabis industry. www.humbleandfreewadadli.com/rasfreemantour
HEALTHY EATING
ANTIGUA’S NEWEST PLANT-BASED RESTAURANT
Situated on a fruit and vegetable farm, Bush Bungalow Creations is the Caribbean’s first minimal waste, plant-based restaurant showcasing local and regional cuisine. The open-air restaurant with a rustic, natural ambience offers healthy menu options skillfully created by Chef Jermaine Jonas. On this season’s menu are breakfast smoothies, gratitude bowls, delicious mains such as a plant-based shepherd’s pie, and tasty pastries like a gluten-free sweet potato crust pizza with a basil pesto, roasted tomatoes, arugula and a cashew mozzarella. www.instagram.com/bushbungalowcreations/
HEALTHY VEGAN COOKING CLASSES WITH RASTAFARI EXPERIENCE
Rastafari Experience Antigua is a locally founded organization that promotes sustainable eco-tourism, historic preservation, and recreational festivities for the Green Castle Hill National Park. As an eco-tourism company they offer visitors and nationals an opportunity to study and explore Green Castle Hill (‘The Stonehenge of the Caribbean’) as a pre-historic and archeoastronomy gem located on the Caribbean Island of Antigua and Barbuda. Rastafari Experience also offers training in plant-based nutrition and meal prep classes. Their mission is to inspire people to adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating plant-based foods. www.priestisaacinstitute.com/rastafari-experience
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA WELLNESS GUIDE AND VIDEO
Find out more about Antigua and Barbuda’s wellness experiences on offer through the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s Wellness Guide on www.visitantiguabarbuda.com/wellness-guide
Discover Antigua and Barbuda’s Wellness Offerings by viewing our new video: Antigua and Barbuda: Your Wellness Destination