A Caribbean trip assures year-round warm weather, beaches and calypso music. But once in a while, a welcome change of pace calls for a vacation where beaches and pool areas aren’t overcrowded with chattering guests and the constant clang of steel drums. My goal was to discover a destination of peace and warmth.

As my plane broke through a field of dark clouds, I glanced out the window at bright terracotta-roofed houses and sprinkles of lush, green-carpeted hills below. Moments before, my plane had flown through a darkened sky and dropped into a series of deep, downhill swoops. I heard the pilot announce he was unable to fly into Nevis, the tiny island southeast of our departure in Puerto Rico, and our scheduled first stop. We made an emergency landing further south, in Antigua, which thankfully, was my destination.

Antigua is the largest of the British Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, with an average temperature of 80 degrees throughout the year and 365 white sand beaches—enough for a daily visit during the course of one year—with a day off for leap year.

Since 1981, formerly British-owned Antigua and its sister island, Barbuda, have experienced independent status as associated States of the Commonwealth. Annual celebrations for locals and visitors are hosted in historical Nelson’s Dockyard on the English Harbour, and include bridge tournaments, yacht races and golf tournaments. April is Antigua’s annual sail week, also held on the English Harbour, a place of historical re-enactments and lively entertainment.

Carlisle Bay is located on the southern tip of the English-speaking island, nestled between curved hills of uninhabited land, mangrove swamps, and the Caribbean Sea. The area’s exquisite natural surroundings exude seclusion, a welcome atmosphere for some pampered down time and enough distance from the busyness of daily life.

Exhausted, I arrived at the Carlisle Bay Resort to be greeted by a friendly staff member who immediately handed me a complimentary Antigua Smile cocktail to quench my thirst. I was then escorted along Carlisle Bay resort’s narrow path between the Caribbean Sea’s beachfront and a string of elegant white cottages, and landed in front of a door framed in a vine of hot pink and purple bougainvillea. A perfectly intact watermelon-sized, coral conch shell lay on the floor beside my doorway. As I sipped my cocktail and glanced back and forth from the sea and my suite entrance, I decided the shell had to be a signature of an oceanfront suite.

As I further examined my surroundings, the white Hampton-style steps led my view to the second floor suites—a successful strategy in spacing guests with the added effect of solitude. Although many families were registered during my stay, I barely heard any children. The soundproofing may have been due to the encased glass walls of the children’s playroom and the internet-equipped library, the open-air structure and cathedral ceilings in the dining rooms and lobby, the winding flora and fauna trails spaciously separating the foot traffic, or the combined effect of all factors.

Indulge in a Spa Treatment
In an effort to wind down during my second day on the island, I decided a visit to the hotel spa was in order. I chose a Swedish massage with Dale, the newest staff member at The Blue Spa. I was in good hands with this brawny masseur. He didn’t hold back on his use of oil, and just when I thought my massage was over, he headed to the foot of the table and performed ten minutes of reflexology on each foot. His precise technique of kneading a specific area of my foot triggered my digestive system to an audible growl and my state of mind to pure relaxation. At the end of my session, I wandered harmoniously along the sound of the waves and back to my room before dinner.

Fine Dining
Open to the general public, Carlisle Bay Resort is host to Asian restaurant, East. Decorated in retro-Asian red chairs and scattered palm trees in an open-air room, East cooking fuses Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and Indian dishes. Thai chef Athiwath Kinla takes great pride in the décor of the restaurant; in fact, he personally selected the serving plates from Spain and Germany.

A chef for eighteen years, Kinla learned to prepare Vietnamese dishes in his home city, Kakhon Phanom, Thailand, which borders Vietnam. Kinla prefers the rich sophistication of his Vietnamese dishes, which include recipes made with Vietnam-specific spices and a fermented fish sauce called nuoc mam. But his most popular dish served at East is Pad Thai.

Thai food’s complex flavor and texture are similar to Indonesian, Malaysian, and Indian recipes, but with superior spices, which are an added attraction. Spicy condiments, such as nam prik, and a liquid stew called kaeng distinguish Thai food from any other food family in Southeast Asia. While not all recipes include hot spices, they do include Chinese-influenced noodle dishes, Indonesian-influenced satays, and Indian curries.

In order to specialize in Asian cuisine, Kinla learned to cook Indian, Malaysian, and Indonesian food in Dubai. He was recruited from a Dominican Republic resort, and enjoys his current position at Carlisle Bay because “It’s a more relaxed atmosphere with less stressful working conditions.” He is solely responsible for preparation of his sauces and curries; in fact, he prepares enough to cover for his two days off each week. His future venture will be the creation of a spa menu for East, which will include a selection of light and healthy dishes.

Go exploring
My third day on the island, I was relaxed and ready for adventure. I took a 20-minute boat ride along the perimeter of cliffs in the Caribbean to the historic Nelson’s Dockyard area in the English Harbour. In 1784, naval admiral Horatio Nelson arrived at the English Harbour’s man-made military fortress, leading the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain’s greatest victory against French invasion. Nelson considered Antigua’s tropical weather suffocating, referring to it as a “vile place.” I disagree with Nelson’s assessment, but I slept in an air-conditioned room.

Refreshed and drenched with sea spray, our tour group motored through the turquoise water surrounded by mineral-rich copper soil and walls of creviced rock. As the boat curved to the left at the Pillars of Hercules, we docked at the English Harbour’s luxurious Georgian dockyard area where the remains of more than one hundred stone cane-processing windmill towers are now shops, restaurants, and bars. After a short gift shop and bakery visit, we headed back to our speedboat and munched on a bag of freshly made chocolate chip cookies as we headed back to Carlisle Bay, straight to the lobby’s cocktail lounge before our last night’s dinner.

Instead of the expected Caribbean-style steel drums, a stroll through the open-air lobby might include the soft sounds of classical piano music – played either by a hired musician or a talented guest.

Horatio Nelson’s opinion of Antigua might have changed if he had traveled there for the purpose of relaxation and not to lead a war. The cramped quarters of a battleship cannot compare to an ultra-luxurious resort.

In the famous words of Horatio Nelson, "Every man will do his duty.” My duty was to re-charge during the course of a long weekend, and as I placed my sign of privacy, the conch shell, outside of my door for the last time, I felt my mission had been accomplished.