darkwood beach

Not too touristy so ideal to avoid the cruise trip excursions. Beautiful beach and sea. Beach bars for food and drink at both ends with facilities. A must if you are in Antigua.

Quickly upon arriving to Darkwood beach it was evident why it's rated one of the top beaches in the world. With a pristine surf and turquoise blue water and a gentle breaks it's the perfect beach for a family or romantic getaway. Be sure to check out the local Black Pineapple or the ice cold coconut water from one of the few local vendors on the beach. And when you're ready for a real snack head up to the commissary for some jerk chicken and fries or a cold local Wadadli Beer

Beautiful Beach, can see Montserrat (sp?) and others on a clear day. Gets a little crazy at the beach bar when they start shuttling cruise ship passengers in there.

Very nice beach at 45 minutes from the cruise pier. White sandy beach, not too crowded and facilities on site. We were there end of January. The water is nice but not too much snorkling to do. On the afternoon we were there, it was a little windy. You can rent some chair for a raisonnable fee. taxi ride was 25$ for both side. Worth the trip

We recently spent the day here whilst on a cruise. It wasn't too far from the port and when we arrived we were the only people there. It is a really lovely beach and even when more people arrived later in the morning it wasn't crowded. Calm water, with easy access; perfect for just bobbing around in.Get there early to get the shade from the palapas. Only $5 for chair rentals.

We called this our local beach, beautiful white sand. Loungers priced at $5 each. Variety of food on site, changing rooms available. Friendly staff.

Great beach in Antigua - just off the road, very accessible parking and Beach bar is perfect place to relax!

Deserted beach but it was the most beautiful one I've ever seen.Clear waters, white sand with no rocks. Calm waters.Beach bar and restaurant to the far end of the beach.On the West side of the island- It is total paradise.

My husband and I were staying at an all inclusive resort for our vacation but in search of a beach that wasn't extremely tourist ridden I found this beauty via trip advisor. Antigua boasts having 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. I don't know how true that is but given the size of the island I imagine many are short stretches of almost untouched white sand and clear blue water like this one. On Darkwood beach we were really able to find a spot on our own, not bothered by anyone else trying to sell us something. And we didn't invade the personal space of any other sunbather. The water was shockingly cold for the midday and I missed warm Caribbean breezes. Saw quite a few people snorkeling too.The crowd we realized invaded the Darkwood Beach Restaurant and Bar. In summary, don't hold your breath for the food. It took us an hour to get anything to eat and we reminded them twice our order was in. And we were probably the only people who ordered local food and not fries and hamburgers. The food is over priced and mediocre. While that really pissed me off, this review is of the beach itself. It's too bad my memory of is is tainted by our experience at the rest & bar.

This was our second favorite beach on the island. Half moon bay being the first. There were great waves at this beach. It is the only beach I have ever been on where the waves also crash going back out to sea. I was shocked when it first happened as I had my back to the shore. There is a very strong undertow here so be careful with small children. The beach was empty the day we went. There may have been 30 people. There is a restaurant/bar there but we didn't go there. We loved the thousands of moths/butterflies that flutter about. The color of the water is a phenomenal turquoise. Great place for a short stop and swim.

It's a paradise beach. Amazing light blue waters and very relaxing setting. I strongly recommend visiting this beach.

About 20 minute cab ride from cruise ship. Cab stand will group you with others to share cost and cab driver will also return for you. Nice beach. Calm water. Chairs and palapa for rent. Think we paid $5 per chair for the day. One restaurant. A little expensive. Get here early to have a couple hours on your own. Did get a little more crowded in the afternoon but still not too bad.

While the beach looked beautiful - we stopped for lunch at their restaurant; we waited more than an hour for a lobster salad and fish sandwich. And while we were used to how relatively expensive the restaurants are on the island - this place is a rip-off.

This is a picture perfect area. Looks like something on a postcard. The beach is almost perfect and the water so brilliant it almost looks like someone turned a light on underneath the surface. There are also several nice restaurants.

Don't go on a day when there is a cruise ship in town as it will be busy. We went on a Wednesday. Apparently not a cruise ship day. We had a couple of other families and hundreds of butterflies for company. Just perfect!