Calling all the British TV shows enthusiasts: you have watched the first episode of The Apprentice UK and you're now wondering where all those magnificent places are on the map? Daydreaming about your next holiday under the Caribbean sun in Antigua and Barbuda?
You're in the right place: after being on the island two times, in this blog post I'll tell you where The Apprentice UK was filmed in Antigua, I'll list the locations, hotels, bars, experiences and, obviously, all the stunning beaches.
In the first episode of series 17, Lord Sugar's candidates are sent to Antigua to promote, sell, and run bespoke tours to real tourists.
I bet your jaw dropped at the aerial shots of the white beaches and turquoise waters and you wished you were one of the candidates. The good news is: you don't have to be part of the cast to enjoy the best of the island. Everything featured in the show, from hotels to tours and experiences, can be booked by all guests of Antigua and Barbuda!
Let's start!
Please note:
Some of the pictures shown in this blog post are screenshots taken from the TV show The Apprentice UK, whose credits go to, alongside my own photos taken during my trips to Antigua and Barbuda.
The first aerial view takes us to the beautiful Deep Bay, where the candidates stay and debate the details of their tours.
Deep Bay is on the top 5 of my personal chart of the 10 best beaches in Antigua and Barbuda: a beautiful crescent-shaped bay with white sand, blue sea and plenty of vegetation, surrounded by hills.
The hotel we can see in the background is the Royalton Antigua, an all-inclusive resort with classic hotel rooms and overwater bungalows. The Resort provides bars and umbrellas available to hire, as well as water sports opportunities.
If you're looking for a place to stay in Antigua, here's my guide: Best places to stay in Antigua and Barbuda and how to choose the area and the accommodation.
On some of the aerial views we can spot Fort Barrington, one of Antigua's historic 16th-century fortresses built to protect the island from the enemies' attacks. Put on a proper pair of shoes and climb up the Fort for a stunning view of Deep Bay!
At minutes 12:50 and 15:58 we are delighted with a couple of aerial views of Darkwood Beach. Too bad that the cast didn't stop here, as you can see it's a beautiful, long beach with white sand and turquoise waters and inflatable water games.
I strongly suggest you stop here for lunch: the Darkwood beach bar and restaurant serves delicious sandwiches at a reasonable price.
Darkwood Beach is also listed on my blog post the 10 best beaches in Antigua and Barbuda, go check it out!
Nelson's Dockyard is where the boys negotiate the entry price to the Nelson's Dockyard National Park and where their entire historical tour takes place.
Nelson's Dockyard is a historic harbour and shipyard from the colonial era, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This small harbour is home to the Dockyard Museum, which tells the story of the shipyard and the importance Antigua had in protecting ships from hurricanes and monitoring French naval activity over the centuries.
For a quick lunch break, head to the Dockyard Bakery, located at the exit of the museum. They sell freshly baked bread, patties, pastries and cakes.
A visit to Nelson's Dockyard, together with Clarence House and the Dow’s Hill Interpretation Centre, is essential if you want to learn more about the history of Antigua and Barbuda and the British Caribbean architecture.
Find out more on my blog post: things to do in Antigua and Barbuda (beach aside!)
Turner's Beach, one of Antigua's many snorkelling spots, is where the girls' negotiation team try to close a deal for a scenic catamaran cruise with Mystic Cruises.
As I said before, everything featured in the show can be experienced by all guests of the island. In fact, a quick Google search led me to Viator where you can book a catamaran cruise operated by Mystic Cruises.
It's a 6-hour sailing and snorkelling tour to Cades Reef, with buffet lunch, drinks, snorkel equipment and pick up and drop off included in the price.
Check here the availability of the catamaran cruise with Mystic Cruises.
Pigeon Point Beach is the quiet beach where the girls' sales team try to sell tickets for the catamaran cruise with no success.
It's a pleasant beach, relatively small. Lots of trees, white sand, and crystal clear water, although it has a deeper bottom than the other beaches. It's located near the English Harbour marina, surrounded by hills and with a yacht view.
On the TV show, it looks like a boring and desolate beach. The truth is that Pigeon Point beach is very popular with locals on weekends, and there also is a restaurant/bar on the beach and a playground for children.
St.John's, capital of Antigua, is where the boys' sales team start to sell tickets for their historical tour and rum tasting.
The colourful buildings you can spot on some of the frames belong to Heritage Quay, the dock for cruise ships and home to a small duty-free shopping complex. This is one of the main tourist hot spots, crowded with people when a cruise ship is docked and the departure point of many tours of the island and its surroundings.
I was very disappointed when I learned that the TV show spent only a few seconds on one of my favourite beaches ever, Dickenson Bay, the place I've chosen twice as my base to explore the island.
You can spot the bay at minute 20:32, when the girls' sales team try to sell some tickets in a bar. That bar/restaurant is Ana's on the Beach, I've been there for some drinks and also for dinner and yes, I do recommend it.
Ana's on the Beach, together with Salt Plage, are great places to eat and drink and enjoy a beautiful sunset while on Dickenson Bay.
Dickenson Bay would have deserved better shots, please swipe the carousel to find my photos! The beach is long, with white sand and shallow water, shadowed by trees. It's perfect for children because it's surrounded by some jetties that break any waves.
There are 3 beach clubs and an all-inclusive Resort directly on the beach:
I've stayed at the Buccaneer Beach Club with my husband and my 8 month old daughter, it was just perfect at a reasonable price.
Check out my blog post Best places to stay in Antigua and Barbuda and how to choose the area and the accommodation if you need help in finding an accommodation.
At minute 21:16 we have a view from the top of English Harbour.
Once an important naval base, today is a thriving nautical centre. Thanks to its deep natural harbour, several protected bays and two of the best tourist marinas in the Caribbean, this area attracts sailors from all over the world.
Together with St. John's and Jolly Harbor, English Harbor is one of the places with the highest number of catering services, from small bars to fine restaurants, offering Caribbean and international cooking.
The shot is taken from Shirley Heights, another unmissable spot which I'll write about later.
At minute 23:10 the girls are selling tickets in the local, family-owned and operated bistro-bar Beachlimerz in Fort James Beach.
Fort James beach is popular with both tourists, because of its proximity to the cruise dock, and locals, who like to play volleyball or cricket on this beach. The beach is long, with white sand and turquoise water, and has two beach bars: Beachlimerz, featured in the show, and Thirty six 5.
During their catamaran cruise, the girls stop at Galley Bay where, instead of explaining the beauty of the bay, they try instead to involve their guests in a "Caribbean" dance on the ship, making the businessman Claude Littner even more puzzled.
Galley Bay is an exclusive, beautiful bay set between acres of lush tropical gardens with a long, white beach and a Caribbean blue sea.
The bay is ruled by the homonymous Galley Bay Resort & Spa, an all-inclusive resort with beautiful cottages on the beach. Looks like turtles spawn here anytime between February and July, but I've not been lucky enough to spot any.
The beach is also accessible by non-residents, despite being almost completely fenced. Just ask Security how to get in!
Fun fact: Giorgio Armani owns a couple of villas perched on the rocks, on the far north of the beach.
After the catamaran cruise, the girls offer a session of pottery painting to their guests. They closed a deal with Cedar's Pottery and the session took place at the Royalton Antigua.
Cedar's pottery workshop and gallery is set within the grounds of the family estate on St.Claire Drive, Buckleys Road, in the green centre of the island.
A good idea would be to match a visit to Cedar's Pottery to a scenic drive through the rainforest along the Fig Tree Drive, which is only 8 minutes away from the gallery.
Read more about Antigua's rainforest on my blog post: Things to do in Antigua and Barbuda (beach aside!).
While on the Nelson's Dockyard National Park, the boys' team took their guests to Fort Berkeley, the oldest fortification in English Harbour, built by the colonial government in 1704.
From up there you'll have a stunning view of English Harbour and, during the regatta season, it's a great spot to watch Antigua’s many world-class sailing regattas.
You can get to the fortification via a short nature trail, departing from the Copper & Lumber Store Historic Inn. It will only take you 8 minutes to walk.
The last experience of the boys' team historical tour is a rum tasting on Shirley Height, a restored military lookout with stunning views over English Harbour.
Shirley Heights is another hotspot for tourists looking for some fun. It is in fact located on a hill which has become famous for its bi-weekly parties with BBQ, Caribbean music, drinks and beautiful sunsets over English and Falmouth Harbour.
Parties are held every Thursday and Sunday, starting at 4:30 pm. I recommend that you arrive early because these events are really popular, with high chances to get stuck in a queue to get inside, to buy food, even to take a photo.
For more info about the famous Shirley Height sunset BBQ parties, check out my blog post Things to do in Antigua and Barbuda (beach aside!).
The apprentice UK was filmed in April 2022, which is a good month to visit Antigua and Barbuda.
When it comes to the weather in Antigua and Barbuda, there is no season to be avoided completely. Its tropical weather makes it a suitable destination for beach holidays almost all year round.
The best time to visit the island is from December to May: it's high season, when it rains very little but prices are slightly higher, especially around holidays such as Christmas, New Year's Eve and Easter.
If you can only travel during the so-called "rainy season", between June and November, you can rest assured the temperatures stay high, between 26° and 31°C, and the prices are lower.
Learn more about the climate of Antigua and Barbuda, to understand when it rains and how long it lasts, on my blog post: Weather in Antigua and Barbuda: best time to visit the twin-island nation.
The crew and cast of the TV show stayed only 4 days in Antigua and Barbuda, a very short time - enough for shooting but greatly insufficient to visit the island.
I highly recommend staying a minimum of one week to enjoy the endless beauty of the twin-island nation, explore historical sites, experience land and water activities, enjoy classic Caribbean food and indulge in relaxing days on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
That's all for now.
If you are yet to visit the island, I hope to have sparked your interest. If you've been to Antigua before, I'm sure you recognised some of the spots and you are already planning your next visit!
If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to drop me an email at: flavia.iarlori@outlook.com.
See you soon!
Note:
This post may contain affiliate links. If you book a tour/accommodation on the partner website through my link, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This way, you will help me to support and keep my blog going, without any additional expense for you.
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Ciao! Sono Flavia, vivo a Londra e viaggio instancabilmente dal 2010. Travel blogger, mamma, moglie, dipendente full time: nulla di tutto ciò mi impedisce di partire ogni mese. Sono qui per ispirarti ed aiutarti ad organizzare il tuo viaggio fai da te, sfruttando al meglio il tuo budget e il tuo tempo. Se sei una persona curiosa e intraprendente che ama esplorare nuove destinazioni in modo indipendente, questo è il posto che fa per te.
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got any question? feel free to ask me!