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As a sailor who’s spent years exploring the coasts of Antigua and Barbuda, I’ve come throughout some really wonderful seashores.
Whether or not you’re into snorkelling, swimming, or simply absorbing the relaxed Caribbean vibe, I’m excited to share my favorite spots—together with a number of hidden seashores the place sea turtles typically outnumber individuals!
Over time, I’ve sailed to 40 or extra Caribbean islands, scouting out tradition, sights, native meals and even some historical past. However seashores are my past love.
I’ve sipped Painkillers within the British Virgin Islands, body-surfed off a Puerto Rico seashore, bonded with sea turtles beachside in Trinidad and chilled out at almost each seashore bar in Anguilla.
Whereas Antigua gives many issues to do, it’s nonetheless all in regards to the seashores. Be a part of me on a sail across the island, starting within the northeast, heading west alongside the north shore, south down Antigua’s west coast, then east alongside the south shore.
We’ll cease at some unbelievable Antigua seashores alongside the way in which. And to wrap up our checklist we’ll embody a jaunt to our favorite pink sand seashore in Barbuda.
1. Nice Fowl Island – Escape the Crowds
I used to be skippering a sailboat the primary time I noticed Nice Fowl Island, a nature protect positioned three kilometres off Antigua’s northeast coast.
I favored it a lot we anchored there for 2 nights, visiting a tiny seashore on the south aspect then trudging by way of forest to the north seashore, a 400 metre stretch of sand we needed to ourselves. Removed from the madding crowd.
We spent a pleasant day lounging on the seashore and snorkelling the reef guarding the opening to the bay earlier than going inland.
There we climbed a steep path to a vista providing views of the distinctive landforms on the island itself and close by islands lashed by Atlantic waves.
Final time there – simply weeks in the past – I seen {that a} picket staircase has changed the trail, making that ascent even simpler.
Whereas you’ll have to share the seashore with a number of others in case you’re not a sailboat skipper, you may play castaway on a Nice Fowl Island Eco-Journey.
On this full-day expertise you may snorkel, bask within the solar, go caving at Hell’s Gate, do some birdwatching or discover the mangroves at Guiana Island.
Whereas on Nice Fowl Island, you would possibly even see the indigenous endangered Antigua Racer snakes.
Don’t fear – they don’t chunk.
Test charges and availability of Nice Fowl Island Eco-Journey (together with lunch) on Viator.com.
2. Lengthy Bay Seaside – A Excellent Seaside for Snorkeling
Lounging in Antigua’s northeast nook, Lengthy Bay is a beautiful white sand seashore. It’s arguably Antigua’s prettiest seashore.
Add in a coral reef defending the seashore and creating comparatively calm waters, and you’ll snorkel to your coronary heart’s content material.
Lengthy Bay’s seashore is extensively thought of one of many island’s greatest seashores for snorkelling.
Positioned lower than 50 metres from shore, the reef will be reached by foot.
Given its distance from St. John’s, cruise passengers not often go to this seashore, leading to few crowds.
The method is alongside a considerably bumpy gravel highway, so it’s excellent for individuals who don’t like individuals.
Having mentioned that, Pineapple Seaside Membership occupies one finish of the seashore so that you gained’t get it fully to your self.
However throughout our current go to we encountered only a few individuals as soon as we left the lodge behind.
A pastel-painted row of distributors’ huts is about on a small ridge overlooking the seashore itself. So you may choose up that seashore towel you forgot.
Thought of by many to be Antigua’s most scenic seashores, its north finish options lush vegetation and a weather-beaten stone constructing.
🌟 Insider Tip: Go to Mama Pasta’s Restaurant (Google Map) simply above the seashore itself for extremely rated do-it-yourself pasta and pizza. Or go for extra Caribbean fare.
3. Jabberwock Seaside – A Thrill Seekers Paradise
Should you proceed west alongside Antigua’s north coast and also you’re a thrill-seeker, Jabberwock Seaside (Google Map) is a must-do.
This still-wild Antiguan seashore is near the highway however the mild dunes between the highway and the seashore itself quickly make you overlook the place you might be.
To be honest the seashore, although scenic, is open to waves. However that’s the enchantment for most of the guests right here.
Jabberwock is the preferred seashore in Antigua for kite boarding.
Excessive overhead an orange kite grasped by an adventurer driving a surfboard wheels and soars above the boarder who rides the waves and catches air – generally flying three metres above the floor.
Out on the water one other rider hangs off what appears like an enormous wing.
“That’s wingfoiling,” says an Aussie named Adam, on the weather-beaten picket shack that homes Kitesurf Antigua “it’s thenewest factor.”
Whereas this isn’t Antigua’s calmest seashore, Adam praises it enthusiastically.
“Greatest place on the island,” he says.
Then he gives me a lesson. You may supposedly be taught to kiteboard after three classes.
Possibly subsequent time. Extra seashores await my pleasure.
4. Dickenson Bay Seaside – The place the Motion Is
Just some kilometres east of St. John’s, Dickenson Bay (Google Map) and neighbouring Runaway Bay are Antigua’s hottest seashores.
If I wanted any additional convincing, I get it once we drop the anchor of our sailboat a few hundred metres off the seashore.
We’re nearly instantly buzzed by a trio of waverunners.
Moments later two Hobie Cats slice the close by waters.
One finish of the seashore is populated by water sports activities centres and umbrellas sheltering company of the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa.
At first intimidated by the crowds, I ultimately make it ashore. I stroll he kilometre-long seashore, discovering a wealth of eating places dotting the shoreline.
A stunning lunch of grilled mahi mahi at one spot – Ana’s on the Seaside – washed down with a freezing Piña Colada enhances my relationship with Dickenson.
A go to to a hopping floating bar (a free water taxi experience from the seashore) provides to the enchantment.
It’s not essentially my favorite Antigua seashore however I’ve but to satisfy a seashore I didn’t like.
🌟 Professional Tip: Should you’re planning a trip throughout sargassum seaweed season (Might to September), Antigua’s seashores on the northwest coast — akin to Dickenson Bay Seaside — have traditionally been a few of the greatest Caribbean seashores with out seaweed.
5. Fort James Seaside – A Serving to of Historical past
Fort James Seaside, a white sand oasis roughly a kilometre lengthy and fringed by an unbroken emerald ribbon of vegetation, is sort of as in style as Dickenson Bay.
Cruisers flock right here after they’re in Antigua cruise port. The closest seashore to the cruise port, it’s a five-minute experience or a comparatively brief stroll from the cruise ship terminal.
Doubtless as a result of that proximity to city, on a Saturday morning it’s filled with Antiguans, partying with their households, enjoying seashore volleyball, tending barbecues wafting blue-gray smoke and irresistible aromas of conventional Antigua meals.
Since this Antigua seashore is sufficiently lengthy you may nonetheless discover a place to put your seashore towel. Possibly within the shade of a few clumps of boulders that remind me of artists’ sculptures on the seashore’s west finish.
Historical past buff that I’m, I’m enamoured of a landmark simply up a close-by hill. Take a break from the sand and sea and stroll contained in the partitions of an eighteenth-century stone fort.
Or take a guided Fort and Seaside E-Bike Tour, an tour that mixes a cease at Fort James or Fort Barrington.
Be sure you try the Treehouse Seaside Membership (Google Map) with its stained picket loungers and engaging eating space in a mini-forest of native crops, even a treehouse.
Should you introduced the children you’re in luck. This seashore membership encompasses a supervised kids’s play space.
🌟 Insider Tip: Beachlimerz restaurant proper beside Tree Home, is a Fort James Seaside establishment. It gives, along with a full foods and drinks menu, loungers, kayak and SUP leases.
6. Deep Bay – An Antigua Seaside with a View
Whereas Fort James occupies a strategic headland guarding the approaches to St. John’s from the east, a hill roughly 200 metres excessive surmounted by the ruins of one other historic bastion – Fort Barrington – stands sentinel over the harbour within the west.
Within the lee of that towering landform you’ll discover Deep Bay Seaside (Google Map), certainly one of my favorite Antigua seashores.
Go away the sand for a bit, discovering the trail by way of the timber and climbing the steep path resulting in this erstwhile fortress. Right here you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful view of the mountains marching south alongside the coast, St. John’s harbour and the seashore itself.
It’s a skinny strip of land bounded by the ocean on one aspect and an enormous saltwater lagoon on the opposite.
Look to the south finish of the seashore. You’ll see the over-water bungalows and the seashore umbrellas lined up seaside which can be a part of the Royalton Antigua Resort.
If the view had been the one promoting level to this seashore I’d nonetheless find it irresistible. However wait, there’s extra.
Each due to its location on Antigua’s leeward coast and due to the form of the bay itself, waters are each crystal clear and quiet as a Sunday morning.
It’s an everyday bath-tub of a spot.
However that is additionally a terrific place to snorkel. Make your method from the north finish of the seashore and see a lot of marine life and a few wholesome coral.
Hold going additional then minimize throughout to the center of the bay and snorkel over a historic shipwreck.
A particular must-see seashore in Antigua.
🌟 For an additional distinctive journey hop on a Tuk Tuk Tour of Rainforest and Seashores from Saint John’s.
7. Hawksbill Seaside – For That Full Physique Tan
I’ve sailed Antigua 4 instances now and my favorite stretch of water is that skirting Antigua’s west coast south between Deep Bay and Jolly Harbour.
Lush mountains kind the background whereas verdant forest reaches nearly to the sand itself.
Surreal rock formations dot the water, most notably the one that offers this space its identify.
It thrusts up from the waves attacking its base, wanting precisely like the pinnacle and neck of a Hawksbill turtle.
These seashores are nearly fully abandoned. They’re so remoted I’ve heard taxi drivers don’t even wish to take you there.
Eden Seaside
Someplace alongside that stretch you’ll discover Antigua’s solely nude seashore (Eden Seaside), the right spot for that general tan.
Accessed by way of a laid-back resort, all-inclusive (Hawksbill Resort) boasting 4 seashores, Eden Seaside is essentially the most southerly (Google Map), nearly fully abandoned.
Living proof, final time we sailed previous we noticed one individual (sans bathing swimsuit) and two seashore chairs.
Learn how to get to Eden Seaside? Entry is thru Hawksbill Resort (Google Map). They’re cautious to let you realize it’s not a naturist resort, then it’s a 5 to 10 minute stroll.
Be sure you convey your sunscreen. Plenty of sunscreen.
8. Ffryes Seaside – My All-Time Favorite Seaside in Antigua
First time I noticed Ffryes Seaside was from a sailboat anchored perhaps 200 metres offshore.
If ever there was a postcard-worthy seashore this was it: Amber sand nuzzled by neon lime waters, an oh-so-gentle surf, palms and sea grapes hugging the seashore within the shadow of a seventeenth century windmill.
Behind, a procession of emerald mountains appeared to march into the space. And there was nobody in any respect on the seashore.
How a lot did I like Ffryes Seaside? After our first go to 20 years in the past I requested my spouse to explode a seascape she photographed there. I hung the picture in my workplace for the subsequent 15 years.
Right now, Ffryes Seaside is simply as beautiful as I keep in mind it. But it surely’s a lot livelier now, because of the rows of individuals lounging on seashore chairs, hugging matching blue towels from a Norwegian cruise.
Nonetheless my favorite seashore by way of surroundings and swim-friendliness, however right here’s a caveat.
Darkwood Seaside
You’ll find a seashore (Darkwood Seaside) nearly as fairly a few bays to the south. It’s a secluded spot for when cruise ships are available.
🌟 Professional Tip: Dennis Restaurant, certainly one of my favorite beachside watering holes, is housed in a rambling low-lying constructing overlooking Ffryes Seaside itself.
9. Turners Seaside – A Excellent Place for Lunch (and Extra)
Although some could name this gem Crab Hill Seaside and it truly occupies the southern reaches of Picarts Bay, it’s straightforward to search out Turners Seaside (Google Map) in Antigua’s southwest nook.
One of the crucial stunning seashores in Antigua it encompasses a mild slope from alabaster sand into sapphire waters which can be completely calm just about year-round.
That’s as a result of its location on Antigua’s west coast and the truth that a bit ridge referred to as Fort Johnson’s Level protects it from Atlantic waves out of the south.
For me certainly one of Turner’s primary promoting factors is the restaurant housed in a country beachside constructing surrounded by a white picket fence.
The ambiance may be very informal – suppose naked wooden rafters overhead with decorations reflecting its nautical location – and so is the meals. However don’t be stunned by its high quality and selection.
There, we bob in mild waves, lounging on a picket deck sipping the Painkiller cocktails.
Final time there I sampled their scrumptious fish desserts for a starter. My spouse went for the entire grilled purple snapper. Killer rum punches added to the expertise.
Provided that there are solely two different individuals doing lunch right here and the seashore is occupied by solely three {couples}, I ask our server about how busy it will get.
She admits they’ve a particular deal for cruise passengers. So that you would possibly wish to time your go to. However you gained’t get the crowds you would possibly meet nearer to St. John’s.
On the subject of facilities, Turner’s Seaside boasts each showers and alter rooms. And whereas I’ve seen individuals snorkelling off the rock formations at Johnsons Level I’ve by no means snorkelled right here myself.
(Cades Reef, an underwater marine park and one of many island’s greatest snorkelling and diving spots is to the southwest).
I’ve, nevertheless, basted on the seashore, swam within the sea and noshed down on a terrific lunch a number of instances.
Turners is a must-do for me.
10. Carlisle Bay Seaside – Bonding with Turtles
If the view that greets you whenever you uncover the seashore at Carlisle Bay on Antigua’s south coast had been this oasis’ solely promoting level, it could be adequate testimonial to earn it a spot on this checklist of the most effective seashores in Antigua.
Amber sand graces the north aspect of this horseshoe bay, onerous by a beautiful resort.
Rising up behind the resort, voluptuous inexperienced hills fully devoid of any signal of humanity attain skyward in certainly one of Antigua’s most unspoiled areas.
Two huge hills defend this pure great thing about a bay from Atlantic waves. One in every of which sports activities a large stone cliff.
Dramatic rock formations throughout the bay are adorned by spectacular views of crashing surf.
Above that headland itself pastel-painted houses cling to the slopes.
However this gorgeous Antigua seashore (Google Map) has much more to advocate it.
Final time we sailed right here, we anchored on its japanese shore. Our crew snorkelled off in the hunt for this spot’s different attraction.
Carlisle Bay Seaside is named the most effective place on Antigua for encountering – and bonding with – sea turtles.
Our crew returned to the boat with out seeing any turtles however they raved in regards to the different marine life they encountered.
And in case you keep at Carlisle Bay Resort you may console your self.
This 5-star resort boasts suites from Backyard to Seaside Balcony items, so that you gained’t expertise any hardships as a result of absence of turtles.
And there’s at all times subsequent time.
11. Pigeon Level Seaside – A Seaside For Watching the World Go By
Although it’s not significantly massive – probably 200 metres lengthy, if that – Pigeon Level on the south coast continues to be near the highest of my checklist of favorite seashores in Antigua.
It’s well-shaded, seashore chairs are available and it’s in style with each vacationers within the know and Antiguans themselves.
Regardless of that, I’ve by no means seen it actually crowded.
For me its chief enchantment is its location.
Simply previous the village of Falmouth, it occupies an undulating inexperienced level jutting into the Atlantic, lounging on the east shore of a reasonably slim channel.
A few of the most luxurious mega yachts within the Caribbean should negotiate that channel, simply metres out of your seashore perspective. Excellent place for watching the world – or no less than the haute monde – go by.
Final time I got here right here I heard I missed seeing Jeff Bezos’ yacht by simply two days.
However that’s not the one promoting level. A concrete pier juts into the water, pointing towards a fleet of sailboats gently bobbing at their mooring balls. A number of persons are snorkeling simply to seaward of that pier.
Think about doing lunch on the south finish of the seashore at Catherine’s Café, boasting French-inspired fare and a surprisingly intensive wine checklist for a seashore institution. The opposite finish options the purple-painted rudimentary picket watering gap referred to as Bumpkin’s (they’ve additionally obtained a popularity for nice jerk rooster).
Even cooler from my perspective, you would take a break out of your break and climb the roughly three-kilometre path main from right here to Nelson’s Dockyard, or simply take pleasure in a twenty-minute stroll ( or brief drive) alongside the primary highway and immerse your self in an irresistible bastion of historical past at this UNESCO-designated website.
I’m a dedicated seashore bum however I’m additionally a critical history-lover.
Plan it proper, getting the seashore and Nelson’s Dockyard in on the identical day and also you’ve obtained the right likelihood for a bit historical past and plenty of enjoyable.
Another excellent day in paradise.
12. Galleon Seaside – An Even Greater Serving to of Historical past
Possibly the good factor about discovering your house within the sand at Galleon Seaside (Google Map) in English Harbour is the distinctive – and unbelievable – view of the stone partitions and powder journal of an 18th century fortification referred to as Fort Belvedere.
Chill to these views or make your method up cactus-studded hills amid dense vegetation behind the seashore.
There you may hike the reasonably difficult path ascending to Shirley Heights, residence to in style weekly get together and barbecue.
Simply south of the seashore itself a reef extends from the shore. It’s one other prime snorkel spot.
Or simply chill on the sand and take a look at the mega yachts that decision this harbour residence.
The vistas are simply as interesting for wannabe yachters because the views you encounter in Pigeon Level.
After your morning within the solar, step off the water taxi and discover historic Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, a working Georgian dockyard.
Top-of-the-line seashores in Antigua, Galleon Seaside is rarely crowded regardless of its location close to this high Antigua attraction.
A water taxi is among the solely methods of getting right here.
🌟 Insider Tip: On the lookout for a little bit of hydration? Take a look at the Free Cannon Seaside Bar (Google Map). You’ll love its specials from Brunch on the Seaside on Saturdays to daybed leases full with cocktails or wine.
13. St. James Membership Marmora and Willoughby Bay – Two Seashores for the Worth of One
Select an Antigua base right here at a resort referred to as St. James Membership & Villas (Google Map) on the south coast and also you’ve obtained your self a deal – two seashores for the value of 1.
Each are simply achieved whenever you guide a keep at this resort.
Admittedly the easterly one – dealing with Willoughby Bay – is way smaller than the pleasant seashore positioned at Mamora Bay on the opposite aspect of the resort.
It’s extra a spot for gazing than swimming given the sturdy surf.
The Mamora aspect is sheltered, calm and downright spectacular. Marvel how fairly this seashore is? A big hill dominates the view to the west from this seashore.
You may’t see the home from right here, however that promontory is host to Eric Clapton’s sprawling mansion.
Fairly good style in actual property.
However there’s a caveat in case you select to remain right here. Beautiful and dramatic although their seashore choices could also be.
Again from a day of exploring Antigua we cease for a drink at one of many lodge’s pool bars and I chat with a fellow Canadian. Subsequent day he was going residence.
“Favorite a part of the island?” I ask, inquisitive about his adventures.
He appears sheepish. “Haven’t left the lodge.”
Completely comprehensible.
Unfold throughout greater than a 100 acres, its décor and format – from the beachside villas to our personal room with a balcony not more than 10 metres from a rocky shore – could be the most interesting of any Caribbean resort I’ve visited.
And as soon as we pattern the actions from trivia nights, to state-of-the-art pickleball courts, from tennis courts to a 24 hr espresso store, I’m struck by how apt Antigua’s tourism slogan is whether or not describing this resort or the island as an entire.
“The seashore is only the start”.
An excellent place to begin.
🌟 Professional Tip: Commune with gigantic wild stingrays on a 3-hour tour to Stingray Metropolis in Willikies, a 20 minute drive from St. James Membership.
14. Rickett Harbour, Inexperienced Island – Play Castaway on an Uninhabited Island
Rickett Harbour, on Inexperienced Island, a Robinson-Crusoe-worthy spot positioned off Antigua’s southeast coast, is residence to a drop-dead beautiful seashore.
It options cactus, palms, century crops and a few nice snorkelling inside a reef that juts out from a degree on the seashore’s south finish.
As a result of this uninhabited island is privately owned by the Mill Reef Membership (Google Map) on the mainland you may’t go exploring additional than the seashore.
However when you get right here you’d by no means wish to depart anyway. The waters are crystal clear. So clear you may not even your masks to take a look at some sea life.
Mockingly, regardless of Carlisle’s popularity as the most effective place to see sea turtles, once we anchor right here on a chartered sailboat we see at least 10 or 15 sea turtles surfacing simply metres from our boat.
There are not any amenities right here. However that’s most likely okay.
Your solely method to get right here is a part of an organized tour such because the Xtreme Circumnavigation of Antigua. tour with Island Routes. It features a high at Inexperienced Island in addition to Stingray Metropolis.
15. Pink Sand Seaside in Barbuda – The Pinkest Seaside of All
You probably have time for only one extra seashore, then it’s obtained to be one of many stunning seashores in Barbuda, positioned north of Antigua.
Dwelling to only 1,300 full time residents (and accessible by ferry, direct scheduled flights and helicopter constitution from Antigua), Barbuda is the smaller and fewer populated of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.
But it surely’s wealthy in pure wonders.
Whereas the island’s Princess Diana Seaside (as soon as a favorite of Diana, Princess of Wales) continues to be a beautiful excessive wattage stretch of sand that continues to draw celebrities (because of Robert de Niro’s Nobu restaurant), you don’t wish to miss Pink Sand Seaside.
It’s a stunner. Whereas you could find rose-hued seashores in Bonaire, the Bahamas and Bermuda, Barbuda’s Pink Sand Seaside is the pinkest seashore within the Caribbean.
That is as a result of abundance of tiny pink shells washed ashore blended with luminescent sand. Whereas the depth of its pinkness is seasonal (the sand will be nearly fuschia from November to February relying on the tides) the pinkest seashores are at Low Bay, Palmetto Level (Google Map) and across the Barbuda Belle Boutique Lodge.
Open seasonally, the Barbuda Belle (Google Map) is positioned on the west aspect of Barbuda close to Cedar Tree Level between the seashore and Codrington Lagoon. It has the added benefit of swimmable water (with out seaweed) along with pink sand.
🌟 Insider Tip: Don’t miss exploring Codrington Lagoon Nationwide Park, a various ecosystem supporting reef fish, hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles, in addition to magnificent frigatebirds.
Witnessing male frigatebirds inflating their throat pouches into good purple balloons to draw the eye of females throughout mating season is a bucket checklist factor to do in Antigua & Barbuda.
Remaining Ideas and Map
Hopefully this round-up has given you a great begin on planning a seashore trip in Antigua and Barbuda.
And make sure you do some unbiased exploring. You’re sure to find your individual favorite stretch of sand in Antigua.
Click on to view and obtain a map of Antigua’s Greatest Seashores on Google Maps.
Getting Round
You’ll want a automobile (or a ship) to go exploring across the island in Antigua & Barbuda. A lot as in Nassau, Bahamas, Anguilla, Trinidad and Grenada, driving is on the left-hand aspect of the highway.
We hire our vehicles on Discovercars.com. It’s a web-based automobile rental reserving website that compares charges from a number of firms to search out the most effective deal.
Test for the most effective automobile rental charges at Discovercars.com
SVG Airways
BMN Airways (with SVG Airways plane) gives two scheduled passenger flights every day, one within the morning and one other within the night, from V.C. Fowl Worldwide Airport in Antigua to Barbuda Codrington Airport. Flight time is 17 minutes. booknow.antigua-flights.com
FAQs
Moreover nice seashores what else is there to do on the island of Antigua?
Take a look at our checklist of high issues to do in Antigua & Barbuda for some concepts past the seashore.
A few of our favorite actions embody visiting the UNESCO designated historic website Nelson’s Dockyard, dancing on the Caribbean’s greatest get together at through the weekly get together at Shirley Heights) and touring the ruins of a plantation at Betty’s Hope.
What’s Antigua greatest identified for?
With 365 seashores, solar, sand and sea are most likely Antigua’s chief declare to fame. However crusing and yachting are proper up there too. From regattas that includes mega yachts and traditional boats to weeklong celebrations like Antigua Crusing Week with races days, shore occasions and events there’s heaps to do.
Official Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Web site
Find out about Licensed Tourism Companies and extra at: Go to Antigua & Barbuda
Extra Antigua Journey and Meals Concepts
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Mark Stevens and photographer/accomplice Sharon Matthews-Stevens are a multiple-award-winning staff who’ve supplied tales and photos for retailers from Canadian Yachting to the Washington Submit. Collectively they’ve swum with sharks in Bahamas, dogsledded within the Yukon, cooked within the mountains of Morocco and reported from no less than 40 Caribbean islands. Go to their portfolio at Journey Write Click on
Be taught extra about Mark and Sharon.