| Directions:
Hawksbill is on the Northwest corner of the island. In St.
John's, at the West end of Market St. turn right on to Valley Rd., then
almost immediately right on to Viv Richards St. This will take you out to
Five Islands Village. Continue on through the Village. The road begins to
climb at the entrance to Galley Bay Resort. Just down from the crest of the
hill the first Hawksbill beach will be on your right. Public parking is
along the roadside here. You can also catch a public bus to Five Islands.
The beach is about a 1 1/2 mile walk from the bus stop. [The hill between
Galley Bay and Hawksbill is not very testing.] We were staying at the Royal
Antiguian and walked about 2 miles.
Just beyond this is the entrance to the resort, where there is a security
building with a guard on duty. Don't be deterred as all beaches in Antigua
are considered public access so even those owned by resorts or hotels must
have an established route onto any beaches on their property. There is a
pretty clear-cut route behind the resort buildings to the third beach. Past
the third beach, there is a sandy path up to a gate in a white picked fence.
Through the fence and around a bend is the nude beach.
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Facilities: Rudimentary, no changing/bathroom facilities or dining at the
beach itself. Dining is available at the Hawksbill Resort facilities or at
any of the nearby places listed under accommodations. At the entrance to the
resort property there is the AAA Snack Shack. We had an excellent and
inexpensive pepperpot stew (with cold local beer) there for lunch - I
recommend this place for lunch.
History/Status: This is only established/legal nude beach on Antigua. [There
is some topless bathing at pools and beaches associated with resorts,
particularly those catering to Europeans.] We also did some nude bathing at
other beaches simply because we were essentially alone on the beach.
Accommodation: Besides the Hawksbill Resort, there are several other
options within two miles of the beach. For resorts, there are the Galley Bay
Resort and the Royal Antiguian. Both have large beaches and full facilities.
There is a bed and breakfast at Chez Pascal, which has a French restaurant
where we ate twice and can recommend. [It is pricey, expect a full supper
for two with wine to cost at least $150 US.] Also, there are cottages for
rent through Galley Bay Cottages.
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