By Steve Griswold, Sandals & Beaches Chairman’s Royal Club Platinum Elite advisor at Pixie Vacations. Published November 9, 2026.
You’ve looked at the big resorts, decided they’re not your trip, and now you want to know what doing Antigua without all-inclusive actually costs. Fair question, and almost nobody answers it with a dated number. So on November 9, 2026 I priced the same two weeks at eight regular hotels and condos, read three current restaurant menus, added the taxes and the taxis, and set the total next to Sandals Antigua and five other all-inclusives for the same dates.
- The room runs $1,330 to $3,590 for the week with taxes at six hotels and condos that are not all-inclusive, from a hillside cottage with a kitchen to a beachfront hotel on Dickenson Bay.
- Checkout adds 25% to 32% to the nightly rate you see first: 14% sales tax, a guest levy of about $3 or $5 per person per night, and the hotel’s service charge.
- Food and drinks for two add about $950 to $1,740, and taxis plus three days of a rental car about $300.
- All in: $2,581 to $5,630. Sandals Antigua was $7,087 for the same week, but three mid-priced all-inclusives were $3,965 to $4,701 and one value all-inclusive was $1,875.
What does a week in Antigua without all-inclusive cost?
For two adults in peak season, between $2,581 and $5,630 once you add food, drinks and getting around. The room is about half of that at the cheap end and about two-thirds of it at the top.
Here is the room piece. Every price is seven nights for two adults with taxes and fees included, read on November 9, 2026. Where the hotel’s own booking rate was listed I used it; where it wasn’t, I used the lowest of Booking.com, Expedia or Hotels.com and said so. I priced a peak week (February 6–13, 2027) and a shoulder week (May 8–15, 2027).
| Hotel | Feb 6–13, 2027 | May 8–15, 2027 | Whose price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickenson Bay CottagesOne-bedroom cottage with a full kitchen, Dickenson Bay area | $1,330 | $1,131 | Hotels.com |
| Antigua Superyacht Marina & ResortFalmouth Harbour, 49 rooms and studios | $2,088 | $959 | Hotel’s own rate |
| The Catamaran HotelFalmouth Harbour | $2,293 | $1,759 | Hotel’s own rate |
| Trade Winds Hotel51 rooms on the ridge above Dickenson Bay | $2,863 | $2,093 | Hotel’s own rate (Hotels.com: $2,526 / $1,859) |
| Antigua VillageBeachfront condo resort with kitchens, Dickenson Bay | $3,004 | $2,426 | Hotel’s own rate (Hotels.com in May: $2,028) |
| Siboney Beach ClubBeachfront hotel, Dickenson Bay | $3,590 | $2,659 | Booking.com / Expedia |
| Copper & Lumber Store HotelInside Nelson’s Dockyard | No rooms shown | $2,076 | Booking.com |
| Admiral’s Inn & Gunpowder SuitesInside Nelson’s Dockyard | No rooms shown | $3,359 | Expedia |
Why is the checkout price 25% to 32% higher than the nightly rate?
Because three charges land after the price you first see. Antigua and Barbuda taxes hotel stays at 14% (the standard sales tax, ABST, is 17%). On top of that is a tourism guest levy of EC$8.06 per person per night on rooms under EC$403.23, and EC$13.44 per person per night above it. At the fixed rate of about EC$2.70 to the U.S. dollar that is roughly $3 or $5 a head, per night, with the line at about $150. Then most hotels add their own service charge.
You can watch it happen in the numbers. Antigua Village’s own rate for the February week was $330 a night before taxes and $429 after, 30% more. The Catamaran Hotel went from $250 to $328, Trade Winds from $322 to $409, Antigua Superyacht Marina & Resort from $237 to $298. Across those four the gap ran 25% to 32%.
An all-inclusive quote usually arrives with this already inside it. Sandals’ own price was the same number before and after taxes. That is the first trap when you compare the two kinds of trip: one price is finished and the other isn’t.
What will you spend on food and drinks in Antigua?
About $950 to $1,740 for two for the week, depending on how many meals you eat in restaurants. I built that from menus that are current right now, not from memory.
| Where | What | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Salt PlageOn the beach at Siboney Beach Club, Dickenson Bay. 2026 menu; 17% tax included, 10% gratuity added | Eggs with toast and bacon · Antiguan breakfast · Americano Salt Plage burger with fries · chicken club Catch of the day · BBQ ribs · steak frites · half rock lobster | $15 · $22 · $6 $22 · $17 $34 · $32 · $42 · $45 |
| Catherine’s CaféPigeon Beach, English Harbour. September 2026 menu in EC dollars; 17% tax included, 12.5% service added | Lobster roll · shrimp burger · Caesar salad · fries Cocktails | EC$95 ($35) · EC$85 ($31) · EC$70 ($26) · EC$29 ($11) EC$50 ($19) |
| Sheer RocksAt Cocobay Resort, Ffryes Beach: the special-occasion dinner. 2026 menu in EC dollars | Four-course tasting menu · six-course | EC$350 ($130) · EC$495 ($183) per person |
| Local price levelNumbeo crowd data, updated October 8, 2026 (80 entries, 7 contributors, so treat it as a rough guide) | Meal at an inexpensive restaurant · three-course dinner for two, mid-range · local draft beer | EC$30 ($11) · EC$200 ($74) · EC$8 ($3) |
From those I made two budgets. They are my arithmetic, so here are the assumptions.
Restaurants every meal, about $1,740 for two. Per person per day at Salt Plage prices: eggs and coffee ($21), a burger and a juice ($25), the catch of the day and half a shared starter ($43). That is $89, or $98 with the 10% gratuity. Add three drinks a day at an $8 average plus gratuity (a local beer is about $3, a beach-club cocktail about $19) and you are at $124 a day each.
Kitchen breakfast, local lunch, five dinners out, about $950 for two. Groceries for breakfast at $8 each (my estimate), an $11 local lunch, that same $47 dinner five nights and an $11 local plate the other two, and three $4 beers a day. That is the budget a studio with a kitchen makes possible, and it is $790 less for the week.
What do taxis and a rental car add?
About $300 for the week, the way most couples would do it. Start with the airport. Taxi fares in Antigua are set per car, not per person, but I could not find a current official fare sheet online, and the published guides disagree. One with a table marked summer 2026 lists $45 each way for two to the Dickenson Bay resorts and $60 to Jolly Harbour; an older guide from July 2024 lists $17 and $25. A private transfer company quotes $60 each way to English Harbour. I budgeted the high end: $90 round trip to the north, $120 to the south. Ask the dispatcher for the fare before you get in.
Then add three days of a rental car to see the island and reach dinner. The average on Kayak was $55 a day, and the Tourism Authority says the local driving permit is EC$50, about $18.50. Buses are cheap, but the Tourism Authority lists them as running 5:30 AM to 6 PM between St. John’s and the villages, which does not get you home from dinner.
Sandals includes airport transfers. Check whether the other all-inclusives below do for your booking; if not, add that same $90 to $120 to them.
How does that compare with Sandals Antigua and the other all-inclusives?
Against Sandals Antigua, going without saves $1,457 to $2,832 on the same bay in February. Against the mid-priced all-inclusives it saves little or nothing, unless you cook.
| All-inclusive (resort’s own rate, taxes in) | Feb 6–13, 2027 | May 8–15, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Jolly Beach AntiguaSells itself as the island’s best-value all-inclusive; Google lists it as a 3-star | $1,875 | $1,534 |
| St. James’s Club | $3,965 | $3,145 |
| The Verandah | $4,674 | $3,210 |
| Royalton Antigua | $4,701 | $4,407 |
| Sandals AntiguaAdults only; lowest-priced room category shown; airport transfers and tips included | $7,087 | $5,319 |
| Pineapple Beach Club | $9,691 | $3,069 |
One caution on that Pineapple Beach Club February number: $9,691 looks like last-rooms pricing, not a normal week (the same resort was $3,069 in May). And Sandals’ Black Friday sale (book by December 1, 2026) lists a $1,000 instant credit on 7-night stays at most resorts; I did not subtract it here. The terms are in our Sandals Black Friday 2026 report, and Pixie keeps a running grade of the current Sandals Antigua offer.
Where are the hotels that are not all-inclusive?
In two clusters, and the choice between them shapes the trip more than the room does.
Dickenson Bay, on the northwest coast. This is the beach in the photos above, and the short taxi from the airport. Siboney Beach Club says plainly that it is not all-inclusive; its beach chairs, umbrellas and towels are free for guests, and breakfast is free only when you book direct. Antigua Village is the condo choice, with kitchens. Trade Winds sits on the ridge above the bay with 51 rooms and its own restaurant. Dickenson Bay Cottages publishes its rates on its own site: $160 a day for a one-bedroom cottage for two from December 18 to April 15, and $123 a day the rest of the year.
Falmouth and English Harbour, on the south coast. This is the yachting end of the island, built around Nelson’s Dockyard. It has the island’s biggest cluster of restaurants, and the longer, pricier taxi from the airport. The Catamaran Hotel and Antigua Superyacht Marina & Resort were the two cheapest hotels I priced, at $2,293 and $2,088 for the February week. The second one dropped to $959 in May, 54% less.
The honest negative: neither cluster gives you everything. Dickenson Bay has the long swimming beach and a handful of beach restaurants. English Harbour has the bigger restaurant scene, but the hotels there sit on a harbor rather than a long swimming beach. Decide which one you would rather take a taxi to.
How would I decide?
I plan Sandals trips for a living, and I’ve stayed at every Sandals and Beaches resort — including a few that have since come and gone. So take this from someone who likes the all-inclusive model and still thinks it is the wrong trip for some people.
My rule is the one I use everywhere: I hate wasting money, but time is money; you only get so many vacation days. A week without the all-inclusive means about 21 meals to choose, pay for and get to. If that sounds like the vacation, go without, and use these four money moves:
- Pick the shoulder week. May 8–15 was 15% to 54% cheaper than February 6–13 at the six hotels with prices for both weeks, and 25% cheaper at Sandals.
- Get a kitchen. It is worth about $790 a week for two in my budgets.
- Price the hotel’s own site and one big booking site. For the February week, Hotels.com was $337 cheaper than Trade Winds’ own site, while Antigua Village’s own site was $293 cheaper than Booking.com.
- Split the stay. Four nights in English Harbour eating out, then three nights at an all-inclusive on a beach, gets you both trips for one airfare.
If the 21 decisions sound like work, that is not you overpaying for an all-inclusive. It is a different vacation, and at St. James’s Club or The Verandah it priced within a few hundred dollars of doing it yourself on Dickenson Bay, sometimes under.
FAQ
Is Antigua expensive without an all-inclusive?
A week in Antigua without an all-inclusive cost a couple $2,581 to $5,630 in peak season in my November 9, 2026 pricing, flights not included. That covers a room at $1,330 to $3,590 with taxes for February 6–13, 2027, food and drinks at $950 to $1,740, and about $300 for taxis and a car.
How much tax is added to a hotel bill in Antigua?
Antigua adds 14% sales tax to hotel stays plus a guest levy of about $3 or $5 per person per night, and hotels add their own service charge. At the four hotels where I could see both numbers, the total came to 25% to 32% on top of the nightly rate.
How much is a taxi from the Antigua airport?
Budget about $45 each way to the Dickenson Bay area and $60 to English Harbour or Jolly Harbour for two people. Fares are per car and set by destination, but published guides range from $17 to $45 for the same Dickenson Bay ride, so confirm the fare with the dispatcher first.
Is Sandals Antigua worth it compared with a regular hotel?
Sandals Antigua was $7,087 for two for February 6–13, 2027, which is $1,457 to $2,832 more than a hotel or condo on the same bay plus food and transport. What the difference buys is every meal, every drink, tips and airport transfers settled before you leave home, on an adults-only resort.
Do you need a car in Antigua?
You’ll want a car or taxis for dinners out, because the buses stop around 6 PM. Rental cars averaged $55 a day on Kayak, plus a one-time EC$50 (about $18.50) local driving permit.
Is Antigua cheaper in May than in February?
Yes: the week of May 8–15, 2027 was 15% to 54% cheaper than February 6–13 at the six hotels I priced for both weeks, and 25% cheaper at Sandals Antigua. I only priced those two weeks. For the weather side of that choice, see our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Antigua.
Want this priced for your dates?
Planning with Pixie Vacations is free — no fees. Send us your dates and how you like to eat, and we’ll put a hotel-plus-dinners week next to an all-inclusive week so you can see both totals. Call 678-815-1584 or send your dates.
Get my free Antigua quoteSee Sandals Antigua
Related on CaribbeanMag: our Sandals Antigua review · the same math for Turks and Caicos: villa vs. condo vs. hotel vs. all-inclusive · which St. Lucia resorts you can walk to dinner from.
Have a fantastic vacation.
