Vivienne Chan / 14 January 2025 / Categories: City, What to see

Heritage Quay Antigua and Barbuda

I could feel the rich poor divide

I’ve visited quite a few poor places. The Caribbean is usually not a place where you feel the locals are really suffering. The reason I love this part of the world, the joy and hospitality of the people.

Over the holidays I went to Antiqua for a few days. I have visited once before and was returning after about 8 years for a special reunion.

I was supposed to be going with someone, they decided to end it before Christmas and I decided crying in a tropical paradise better than at home in my apartment watching Bridget Jones on repeat.

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I packed in haste, just threw a few things in a travel bag and when I arrived I found I needed a decent bikini.

It’s a Caribbean island smaller than Barbados or Jamaica with most of the tourist shopping in one place at Heritage Quay, which doubles as the port where all the cruise ships pop in for the day and the travellers aboard step off for some duty free shopping.

The port area is like an outdoor shopping mall you’d find in the US kinda like an outlet mall, loads of jewellery, but the clothes and beachwear selection although quite extensive I was really shocked by the inflated prices.

I decided to venture a little further outside the Heritage Quay and walked into an area that definitely had more local vibes.

I asked these women pictured where I could find a bikini for my four day stay. They directed me to a couple of local shops I was happy to explore, imagine a shanty type set up with a curtain over the door, stepping into the unknown to find a couple of living rooms filled with clothes in plastic bags.

This is definitely a place of two halves, the Heritage Quay, constructed for tourists only where a bikini that should cost $100 costs $500 and a local economy where the people are so disillusioned by the seeming inequity of the tourists they rely on; when they get a customer they are a bit hostile.

The experience I had trying to support local was a bit scary, I felt I needed to give them money, I had to buy something to get out of the shop.

I even had to pay to take the photo.

I think it’s pretty obvious these beautiful islands we have taken a bit for granted for our two weeks in paradise a year are struggling so badly even the tourists can’t pay the inflated prices when absolutely desperate.

I wore my exercise bra top to sunbathe instead.