Emily Ashwell, TW's community editor on maternity leave, has just returned from a week in Antigua. Due to technical problems Emily did not get these posts and pictures on the site, so here they are
Post #1
I am staying at The Verandah Resort and Spa in Antigua (pictured).
It is part of Elite Island Resorts, a hotel group that also includes St James's Club and Galley Bay on Antigua.
The rooms are big, with a kitchenette area including a fridge and microwave. The hotel's kids' club was created by celebrity designer Linda Barker. It has a fantastic wooden climbing frame with huge towers and yellow tubes.
Post #2
It's raining in Antigua, so its 365 beaches - one for every day of the year - are empty. So what do you do in the Caribbean in the rain?
Most of the guests at The Verandah Resort and Spa are spending time around the pool bar, drinking cups of tea and chatting. It's an all-inclusive hotel and capacity is quite low at the moment as it's not peak season, so people get to know each other very quickly. In fact, after a couple of days it's easy to become completely institutionalised , as has happened to me - I can't imagine not having a buffet breakfast now.
Activities away from the black clouds include the hotel cinema - The Devil Wears Prada and Little Miss Sunshine are on this week, there are board games at the bar, people are working on their lap tops and there are organised activities such as walks, beach Olympics and beer drinking competitions. Otherwise there are excursions, such as shopping in St John's, the capital.