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Barbuda, the less well-known sibling island in the Antigua & Barbuda pair, is a flat island of limestone origin with possibly the best beaches we’ve ever seen.

"But wait!" fellow beachcombers will interject. What about Anguilla's Shoal Bay? What about Culebra's Playa Flamenco? Or Anegada's Cow Wreck Beach? All these beaches are right up there with Barbuda’s. But the sheer absence of people on Barbuda’s remarkable shoreline makes for a set of beaches noteworthy not just for their striking beauty, but also for their ability to fulfill desert island fantasies.

Barbuda's Tourist Profile

The tourism profile of the island has been dominated for quite some time by extremely expensive, all-inclusive resorts along the island’s periphery. Most of these resorts have lasted for just a few years apiece. Presently, there are two very fancy resorts on Barbuda—Lighthouse Bay and Coco Point Lodge. These properties, quite understandably, once you take their literally awesome locations into account, define tourism on Barbuda.

For any budget traveler, and in fact for most tourists of whatever stripe, these resorts are wildly expensive. The good news is that there are plenty of other accommodations options on the island. The lion’s share of Barbudans live in the village of Codrington, the island's only settlement, which features a handful of quite inexpensive guesthouses. They range from about $50 a night through $90 for a double room. Most of these guesthouse rates include taxes. All are run by Barbudans.

A Small Place: Guesthouses and Mood

The schism between the untrammeled luxury of Lighthouse Bay and the simple guesthouses in Codrington is dramatic. The small guesthouses of Barbuda are simple places with straight-forward decor and little in the way of luxury. They are also inexpensive enough to welcome many different classes of traveler. Given the close-knit nature of the island, staying in these guest houses will also provide a ready-made introduction to daily life on Barbuda.

Palm Tree Guest House, run by tourism industry veteran Cerene Deazle, is a fine spot with air-conditioning and cable television, located on a quiet street on Codrington's edge. My single room cost $65 per night, including tax. Cerene arranged a late night taxi pick-up for me, instructing the driver to lead me to Park Terrace Restaurant to make sure I was able to find a dinner. She also cooked breakfast for me, a big delicious meal for $10, and arranged a bike rental through John Pereira, Codrington's one-man bicycle rental agency. John dispensed all sorts of helpful advice.

Codrington is very small. You'll meet a few people and then run into them constantly. Returning from my pizza dinner at Wa O'monis Best Restaurant, a pizza and shwarma outfit on a winding lane in Codrington (managed, rather improbably, by two Syrian fellows) through narrow, dark lanes teeming with mosquitoes, I hear my name. It's John, the water plant manager and one-man bike and kayak rental agency. US-born to Barbudan parents, John is a font of knowledge about the island. "There’s so much unbelievable stuff here that no one sees," he tells me. We talk about the island's tourist profile, the relative trickle of tourists on the island, the politics of the island, the new fishieries project financed by the Japanese government, and the relatively poor links between Barbuda and Antigua. 

To Do: Beaches, Biking, and Hidden Bounty

You could find yourself completely blissed out on Barbuda doing nothing but wandering from extraordinary beach to extraordinary beach. A bike rental will open up much of the island's beaches. We recommend Two Feet Bay on the northern end of the island for its sea grape tree-shaded beach and proximity to the island's fascinating cave system and sinkhole. South of Codrington is the island's nicely maintained Martello Tower and well as an unexpectedly lush palm tree grove and more exquisite beaches. A word of advice: take food with you, as restaurant facilities are very limited, and slather on tons of sunblock.

Barbuda's Basic Infrastructure

Even for hardy travelers used to bare-bones accommodation, Codrington can be a challenge. Two markets and a smattering of rum shops can be counted on to be open, but restaurants with regular hours are in short supply. There’s It’s A Bit Fishy, a friendly sand-floored place open on Friday nights. Solid island fare can be found at Park Terrace, right by the airport. Call ahead. Park Terrace will open for reservations.