Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bowled over
Anil Dawar enjoys the laid-back charm of cricket-crazy Antigua
To say I was laid back barely covered it as I strolled out of my chalet at the Verandah Resort and Spa for a massage.
This was the final day of my stay in Antigua, and the Caribbean sun was warming my back as I passed the banana trees and great white egrets that lined the route.
I wondered just how much more relaxed I could get.
The answer emerged a few minutes later, as I softened further under the expert manipulations of the masseuse’s hands. Lying face down on the bench as the therapist’s thumbs found all the spaces between my vertebrae I thought back over my first trip to the West Indies and tried to pick the highlight of the stay.
It was hard. I had kayaked through mangroves, cycled around a UNESCO world heritage site, gone angling in the Caribbean and watched cricket alongside a legend of the sport.
I flew in on a British Airways flight from Gatwick a few days earlier, arriving in a cricket-loving nation which was about to host the first Test match of England’s tour of the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Because of the global pandemic, everyone involved in the tour would be going into protective bubbles in hotels and resorts.
The Verandah where I was staying was one which would host commentators such as Sir Ian Botham and the West Indian and
Antiguan batting legend and match referee Sir Richie Richardson – who still lives on the island.
If someone had said I was not allowed to leave the all-inclusive resort for a week, it would not have bothered me.
The Verandah Resort and Spa, has 200 cottages dotted along little streets lined by banana plants and palms. Golf buggies transport guests around the 30-acre site.
There are four restaurants ranging from bar snacks to fine dining, four bars, two beaches, tennis courts, pools, mini-golf, table tennis as well as the spa, gym and kids’ clubs. It even has a