Long haul with a toddler is quite the adventure
Kate Silverton wanted her holidays full of thrills and spills – until motherhood convinced the BBC news presenter it was time to go...
I’ ve always been drawn to holidays that allow me to combine sport, sun-worship and a strong element of adventure – until my last trip away, when I learned that being a new mother does something to emasculate a thrill-seeking spirit.
When my daughter was just four months old I booked a holiday in Oman solely on the basis that I would be able to paraglide into the resort. But as I looked down from the edge of a clifftop ready to jump – with my baby and her daddy watching with concern from the road – I realised I no longer had the sense of fearlessness that I used to be able to call on, and I knew then I’d be choosing more sedate options from here on in.
So when our daughter, Clemency, was 14 months old we opted for a family holiday in the more traditional sense. I had never been to the Caribbean – and when the opportunity arose, I hoped it could be the perfect place to provide the simple pleasures of sun, sand and, most importantly, activities we could all enjoy together.
Antigua, with its rich naval history, particularly appealed, as I knew that would provide an interesting diversion for my
husband once the novelty of the sun wore off. Once one of the most populous English colonies, Antigua was in the 18th Century considered the gateway to the Caribbean. The island’s prime location offered control over the major sailing routes between the area’s wealthy island colonies and access to the dominant crop, sugar cane.
This all came at a price, of course, with slaves brought from Africa to work under harsh, often inhumane conditions in the fields. Disease, malnutrition and slavery eventually destroyed the vast majority of the native population, and today most Antiguans are of African lineage, descendants of those slaves who were brought to the islands to work.
My husband was keen to see Nelson’s Dockyard, the oldest functioning naval facility in the world – and where Horatio Nelson came to enforce the Navigation Acts, which prohibited trade with the newly formed United States. We both wanted to explore this island steeped in such a history of contrasts, and neither of us was to be disappointed.
The flight was long but not so bad given that we had a child who was just starting to toddle. After our arrival, we enjoyed our 40-minute journey by car through green hills and past roadside huts selling Coca-Cola alongside local fruits and colourful jewellery.
Our destination was Carlisle Bay, tucked away on the island’s south coast. It’s a resort positioned on a crescent-shaped stretch of bright white sand with crystal-clear waters, and at first glance it seemed to tick just about every box for our family holiday.
On arrival we were seated in the cool atrium of the reception to enjoy a fruit cocktail and then introduced to our room that – joy of joys – overlooked the water.
Ours was close enough to ensure that Clemency could crawl out each morning to watch daddy take his morning dip while I sat with a cup of tea, watching them both. The rooms were contemporary – perhaps even a little too minimal – but certainly functional.
The food was exquisite and consistently excellent, which meant I put on about a stone (the maple pancakes served up each morning alongside hot chocolate and freshly baked patisseries were irresistible).
There was an extensive kids’ club with activities for children aged six months to 12, although we preferred to have Clemency stay with us. For older children there were cinema screenings and activities galore, ranging from kayaking trips through to tennis and scuba-diving.
I enjoyed an hour of yoga or Pilates in the mornings in a beautiful open-sided wooden gazebo with excellent trainers, who seemed bemused by how un-stretchy I was.
After a few days of unwinding, we decided to head out beyond the resort walls to explore the island properly. We took bicycles with Clemency sitting happily in a trailer behind. The views were spectacular, as were the hills – but we soon berated ourselves for coming out in the heat with a baby on board and stopped off at a wonderful wooden shack for drinks and a chat with local Antiguans while we all cooled off before heading back to the sanctuary of Carlisle Bay.
On another day we visited English Harbour, which once served as the base for the British Navy in the region and is where you’ll find Nelson’s Dockyard.
Although once abandoned, it has been completely restored and is still in service today. It remains a centre of boating, especially yachting, and it was fascinating to consider how the landscape of the harbour has changed – from the great age of sail to the impressive yet rather less beautiful (in my mind) mega-yachts that grace the berths today.
The Admiral’s House Museum was very well preserved and most definitely worth a visit – although Clemency decided enough was enough at this point and demanded some respite in the form of fishcakes and fresh juice at the Admiral’s Inn.
From here we took a car to Shirley Heights, the hills that overlook the dockyard and provide probably the most famous view of the island. On Sunday nights crowds of tourists and locals converge to watch the beautiful
sunset while listening – and in Clemency’s case dancing – to an Antiguan steel band.
It was utterly magical, although we left a little early, having been told it can get rather busy later in the evening.
One day we were up and out very early with a guide provided by Carlisle Bay who took us on a four-hour trek through the rainforest nearby. It gave us a chance to see Antigua from a very different perspective.
Surrounded by verdant forest, we took a long and winding route up towards Signal Hill from where we enjoyed a beautiful 360-degree view of the island.
Clemency came with us with her backpack and, judging by the chatter that provided constant commentary, she enjoyed the trip, too.
It was certainly a more relaxing and revitalising experience than I might have had challenging the elements with zip lines, suspension bridges and ‘leaps of faith’ on treetop tours that offer adrenaline-junkie visitors to Antigua a different way of exploring the island. We did see the island from kayaks, but stuck close to the shore.
We ended our stay at Carlisle Bay with a lazy time at our beach-front villa, involving plenty of floating around in the kidney-shaped swimming pool and making friends with other children who wanted to mother Clemency and keep her amused – much to her delight.
My break was topped off with a facial and heavenly massage by Linda, one of the best masseuses I have ever encountered.
Clemency is now two, so both my penchant for adventure and any thoughts about long-haul flights have been put to the back of the suitcase.
This year we’re staying on native shores. It is time to take our toddler exploring in her own back yard because – having found so much abroad – who knows what we just might find at home?