Yet for those seeking a quiet beach experience close to St John, it is ideal. The fourth tract of sand along is also Antigua’s only clothing-optional beach. Hawksbill Bay, Antigua © Getty Images / iStockphoto The Hawksbill by Rex resort complex straddles much of the shore here to reach beaches two, three and four, visitors have to pass through the resort entrance and security post – which is fully permitted yet a deterrent for many. Their attractiveness is largely in their niche appeal. It is an especially beach-rich place even by Antigua’s exemplary standards, and the Hawksbill Bay quartet of strands at the western end is simply stunning. To the west of St John’s sprawl, the peninsula containing Five Islands Village buts into the ocean in a shape resembling a goat’s head. It is a much-frequented spot by locals, however, who add color to the scene with their spirited games of volleyball and beach cricket, and there are a couple of low-key but very good eateries near the fort. Yet despite sporting a long, lovely fringe of white-blonde sand and the intriguingly moody ruins of the 18th-century Fort James at the headland on the southern end, it sees far fewer visitors than the perennially popular Runaway Bay and Dickenson Bay just to the north. It is the nearest of the quality Antigua beaches to the cruise port in St John, a mere 5-minute, 3.5km (2.2-mile) drive away (or, for those with time and inclination, a nice walk). If you have reached the island as part of a Caribbean cruise, this is the beach for you. Make a cruise-ship excursion to Fort James Beach You could select from some distinguished restaurants, such as the dignified French-Caribbean Coconut Grove, or try a Jet Ski session, wakeboarding, parasailing or tubing. But because the bay stretches to over a mile in length, there is invariably space to separate yourself from the masses, and the tradeoff for the crowds is the excellent array of activities for when you tire of sliding between your beach towel and the azure ocean. It is certainly the most packed strip of sand, especially when the fun seekers from the biggest of the Sandals Antigua resorts descend. I would recommend visiting Darkwood Beach if you are in Antigua.Valley Church Beach, Antigua © Dmitri Kotchetov / Shutterstock The taxi picked us up right at the arranged time and took us back to the cruise port with no issues. None of the vendors harassed the beach goers. There were some vendors that walked around, but they said there thing and moved on.
Many complained that the washroom was not very clean by midday. There is a restaurant where you can order reasonably priced food and drinks and use a washroom. To left, as you looked out at the ocean, you can do some snorkelling. This drop off could make it a little difficult for some to get out of the water. The water was lovely and refreshing, but there was a bit of a drop off once you got up to your waist. It was not overly crowded even though 4 cruise ships were in port. The beach chairs were reasonably priced, but it took a little time for them to arrive. I believe the taxi charge was $10 US per person each way. 10 of us took a taxi to this beach and it took about a 1/2 hour. We went to Darkwood Beach when our cruise shipped stopped here in February.
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