Antigua & Barbuda

MY VACATIONS AFTER MY TRIP TO ANTIGUA

How I had a vacation from my hyperactive son ofter a trip to Antigua. See below

MY VACATIONS AFTER MY TRIP TO ANTIGUA

I have a lovely family. My sweet wife Emma gives me a wonderful life. We got a son now 12 years old. He is a blessing in our life. But his energy often drains mine and my wife’s. This year I decided to have vacations in a place where our loved Noah could spend all his energy without causing us trouble nor getting us exhausted.

The day finally arrived. Waiting for it made Noah even more exited as his normal. I really thought it was not possible...
We touched down at 2 p.m., threw the suitcases in the room at Pineapple Beach Club, and sprinted to the beach in flip-flops. The water was that impossible shade of turquoise you think is Photoshopped. A guy from the resort water sports hut saw Noah staring at the hobie cats and said, “Want to take one out right now?” Twenty minutes later Noah was on the trampoline, main sheet in hand, screaming “FASTER, DAD, PULL HARDER!” as we flew across the bay at what felt like 30 knots (probably 8, but whatever). We capsized twice, laughed until we cried, and sailed back with the biggest grins on the planet while Emma filmed everything from her paddleboard. Best welcome ever.

After the sail, Noah wanted more, but the rest of the day we spend just bathing at the beach. The sun had already sat when I managed to drag Noah back to the room. After a quick bath we had our dinner. After dinner the resort offered a karaoke session. My energy was already exhausted, but Noah still had some left to participate this event.

On the next day, we brought Noah to the National Sailing Academy. Noah got his own little Optimist dinghy the size of a bathtub. By 10 a.m. he was tacking like he’d done it for years. The coach, a chill Antiguan named Calvin, kept saying “Easy, mon, easy!” while Noah attacked every gust. I signed up for the adult course next door just to keep an eye on him — ended up racing him in the afternoon. He rounded the leeward mark two boat-lengths ahead of me and yelled “Suck it, old man!” as he crossed the line. I’ve never been prouder (or more humiliated) in my life.

That took all day with just a quick break for lunch. Noah could use all his energy while I and Emma could save ours. We were nearby, of course, but we spent our day just watching between some piña coladas and enjoying the lovely Caribbean sun.

By the end of the day, Noah was exhausted. I and Emma enjoyed our day without reprehending him nor having to run after him all day long. Something that we seldom had in our lives. All of us had a perfect day. And at night, Noah slept almost immediately after dinner, what was an opportunity for me and Emma enjoy the night in peace. A perfect night for all of us.

The next day we decided to visit the Stingray City. The boat ride out was 15 minutes of pure excitement. When we anchored in chest-deep water, dozens of velvet-soft southern stingrays came gliding in like puppies looking for treats. Noah lay flat on the surface with a handful of squid and had three stingrays sucking it straight out of his palm within seconds. One huge female (they call her Scarface) let him stroke her back for five straight minutes. Even Emma, who swears she hates anything slimy, was in the water giggling and feeding them. Noah’s exact words when we got back on the boat: “I want to be a marine biologist now… or maybe a stingray.”

We spent all day there. After lunch, more swimming with rays. After a day long of sharing the beach with them, we got back to the hotel and managed to go to bed early without a dispute with Noah.

The next day, Noah was thirsty for a new high dose of adrenaline. So we went to “Screaming Eagle” line for a rappel line that feels like flying. Noah volunteered to go first every single time. On the longest line he spread his arms like Superman and howled the entire 45 seconds across the valley. My heart was in my throat; his wasn’t even beating fast. Between lines we walked wobbly suspension bridges while howler monkeys screamed at us from the canopy. By the end Noah had invented a scoring system for each zip (“That one was an 11 out of 10!”). I still have the GoPro footage of him yelling “BEST. DAY. EVER!” mid-air.

On the next day we drove past a recreation ground and saw a pickup cricket game in full swing. Noah jumped out of the car before I even parked. Ten minutes later he was padded up, bowling leg-spin to barefoot local kids twice his age — and got a wicket with his third ball! The entire field cheered.

In the afternoon the resort ran “Beach Olympics”: kayak relay, stand-up paddle races, tug-of-war, and a sand-sprint obstacle course. Noah captained the 10–14 age group to gold medals made from painted coconut shells. He wore that medal to dinner and refused to take it off for two days.

Another day we could let Noah spend all his energy without we demanding us to run after him all day long. A perfect day for all three of us.

The next day, I enjoyed with Emma a morning at the beach, tuning my skin with the lovely Caribbean sun between a piña colada and the next one. Noah was running on the sand and splashing in the sea with so much energy I became tired just by watching. After lunch, the resort offered another interesting activity: the treasure hunt. The participants would sail kayaks and a guide named Troy who turned the morning into a pirate mission. He hid some waterproof treasure tubes around the mangroves and reefs near Bird Island. Each tube had candy, fake gold coins, and a riddle for the next one. Noah paddled like an Olympian, flipping his kayak twice in excitement but never losing focus. He really loved that activity and came back with five “treasures”. I and Emma could enjoy a calm afternoon while Noah was on his hunt.

The next day was the departure day. But Noah was still thirsty for more adventure. We spent some time at the beach, where he run and splashed in the water, as he used to. But the morning turned to noon and we had to go. Our adventure was over.

But my real vacations happened after my return. For me and Emma. After this overdose of adventure, Noah spent his next week in a much more serene way. He went to bed early and was not so excited we did not have to run after him all day long – for one week. At least when I was back home I could enjoy a week of vacations.