In many ways, wellness has always been a part of life in the Caribbean. From home-cooked meals of garden-plucked ingredients to slow Sundays spent at the beach with family, community wellness is engrained in island culture. On the island of Antigua, wellness can be found in some of the usual places, like beachfront spas and yoga classes—but those looking to slow down can also find it in home cooking classes, farm tours, and scenic hikes. If you’re looking to step away from your daily grind and recharge your mental and physical health, here are some of the best places to explore Caribbean wellness in Antigua.
Hammock Cove Antigua’s Tranquility Body and Soul Spa
Hammock Cove is located in Antigua’s east-end, slightly out of the way—which is a good thing if you’re seeking a bona fide break from your to-do list back home. The adults-only resort is set on a secluded cove, and among its enviable amenities (like personal ambassadors and 24-hour room service) is the intimate spa: There are five spacious treatment rooms, including a rotunda for couples, and a spa menu with a long list of treatments meant to moisturize, detox, and exfoliate. Many of the services here target skin health, like the caviar and plant-stem-cell facials, and avocado and shea butter body wraps meant to repair sun damage from long days spent on the property's beach. Pre-service, you can relax by the spa courtyard pool or sweat out toxins at a class.
Humble and Free Wadadli Rastafari Tours
Looking for a screen-free escape? Humble and Free Wadadli—born from Antigua’s Rastafari community—offers eco-journeys into regenerative living, exploring the history and culture of Antigua through the lens of Rastafari. This collective of farmers and historians cultivates food security and offers activities that foster a deeper connection with nature. Through guided meditations, vegan Jabba (clay pot) cooking classes, and a tour of Ras Freeman, a former sugarcane plantation, you’ll get to engage your senses and learn about the region's rich cultural heritage. “We’re farmers first,” says co-founder Ras Richie, “but farming isn’t just about food—it’s about healing history’s wounds and sowing a self-sufficient future.”
The Spa at Curtain Bluff
Nestled between two stunning beaches on Antigua’s Southern coast, Curtain Bluff is a low-key retreat that combines intimate accommodations with indulgent wellness services. The boutique resort, a fixture in Antigua for over 60 years, offers a 5,000 square-foot spa that invites guests to indulge in the unhurried, unstressed pace of island time. The four treatment rooms, designed to maximize the views of the ocean and neighboring St. Kitts and Nevis, provide a serene setting for your spa experience. One of the biggest draws is the handful of spa packages that provide a full day of head-to-toe pampering. The six-hour Ultimate Escape, for instance, includes a massage, facial, pedicure, and hair styling hair services. The property also debuted a new adults-only wellness facility with a yoga pavilion, infinity pool, and a waterfront jacuzzi.
Nicole’s Table
Few things are as nourishing as a home-cooked meal, and chef Nicole Arthurton-Dennis gives visitors a chance to prepare and enjoy Caribbean dishes in her hilltop home overlooking St. John. Authorton-Dennis comes from a lineage of chefs. Her parents owned a restaurant in Montserrat, and she worked on Jumby Bay Island for six years as a private estate chef before offering culinary classes from her kitchen. While you chop ingredients and sip rum, you’ll also learn about the region’s culinary traditions. Sign up for one of the themed dinners: Cooking with Rum, All About Jerk, and Coordinating Curry, each paired with the chef’s signature bottomless Old Fashioned Rum Punch. The desserts—coconut custard tarts, butter rum cakes, and cheesecakes topped with passion fruit—are equally delicious.
Jumby Bay's Island Spa
Removed from the mainland of Antigua, Jumby Bay Island is a 300-acre private retreat that’s hosted some of your favorite celebrities and entertainers. The island is only accessible by a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland, and once you’re here, there are no cars, but countless winding bicycle paths leading to three idyllic beaches. The island’s pricey sole resort epitomizes quiet luxury: breezy suites, villas, and residences are tucked in lush foliage, and the open-air spa is equally impressive. The spa offers a range of services like massages and facials that use West Indian and African healing practices and serums infused with coconut, neem, and lemongrass grown on Antiguan soil. After treatment, head to the newest private island beach club and restaurant, The Hut, just a five-minute boat ride from the hotel. This rustic, outdoor dining venue features seaside dining with adjacent beach huts and cabanas, some with sofas and private bars.
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Trek Tours
Antigua famously has 365 beaches, and one of the best ways to see the island’s winding coastlines is from the top of a peak. If you’re ready to take on Antigua’s popular and lesser-known trails, Trek Tours has a staff of knowledgeable locals leading picturesque hikes. You don’t have to be a pro—the hikes are ranked from easy (Sugar Apple) to hard (Stinkin’ Toe, named after Antigua's pungent yet tasty fruit). The hikes usually last two to three hours, depending on how much time you’ll allot for photography and exploration. Book a solo hike or join a group.
The Royal Spa at Royalton CHIC Antigua, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort
This beachfront resort nestled on the pristine Deep Bay Beach opened in April 2024 as the adults-only Royalton CHIC Antigua. The property has everything you need for an epic vacation (like 12 dining and drink options and nightly entertainment), but there are plenty of ways to find quiet. In the morning, there’s Sunrise Yoga on the beach, and afternoons are ideal for stealing away to the spa for a signature treatment. Take your pick from a CBD body wrap, blue agave oil massage, or a grape seed aromatherapy treatment. For an extra dose of quiet, opt for the resort’s Maldives-like overwater suites outfitted with infinity plunge pools and overwater hammocks. The suites are far enough from the resort that the only thing you’ll hear at night is the sound of lapping water.
