Why Travel to Antigua to Play a Game You Can Play at Home?

When I was first asked to consider running group trips that combine pickleball and travel, it was important to me that this be more than a visit to a resort to play.

I love pickleball. I play it. I coach it. I know the potential of the game to bring connection, joy and that wonderful feeling of actually PLAYING again.

If we are going to travel, I want travel to matter too.

So why go all the way to Antigua to play a game you can play at home?

For me, the answer is what happens around the game.

Pickleball gives us a way in

Travel has the power to build friendships. It awakens curiosity. It can remind us that a place is not simply scenery - it is people, relationships, rhythms, stories.

Pickleball is surprisingly good at helping us cross that first little distance.

We already know how to gather around a court.

In Antigua, our group will not only play and learn at The Verandah. We will also have the opportunity to connect with local players through Antigua Pickleball Club 268.

Anna-Maria Joseph has become one of the people most closely associated with pickleball in Antigua. Affectionately known as the island’s “Pickleball Queen,” she helped grow the game from a few resort players into a much wider local community and later created Pickleball 268 in Falmouth, now a six-court hub for local players and visitors. What I love about Anna-Maria is that she represents exactly what this trip is about: pickleball not simply as an activity, but as a way to meet people, share a court, laugh together and feel a little more connected to the place you came to experience.

Pickleball has taken off on the island, and Club 268 has become part of that story. Local players have even competed internationally and medaled at the 2026 World Cup.

I love the idea of sharing court time with people who live there. You arrive with something in common. Then conversation happens.

And then there is Antigua

Of course, Antigua also knows how to make you put the paddle down.

The island is known for 365 beaches — one for every day of the year. There is Caribbean water to swim and snorkel in, places to explore, local culture in St. John’s, and views from Shirley Heights over English and Falmouth Harbours.

At The Verandah, we have four pickleball courts, two white-sand beaches, pools, kayaks, paddle boards and other ways to move through the day.

That balance matters to me.

Play in the morning. Challenge yourself. Pay attention.

Then, swim, walk, sing, dance.

Explore.

Sit with someone new over a meal.

Let the day unfold, find you way to slowing down.

The With Heart part

What matters deeply to me is creating connection with local organizations and people beyond the usual visitor experience.

I call this a “giving exchange.” Because there is something different about meeting people, sharing time, learning from one another and allowing the destination to become personal.

We are planning connection with our local community partners, including the Antigua Sailing Academy and Victory Center to learn about community efforts and engage, share together, and join in their efforts. 

More than the game

Pickleball may be what gathers the group. Antigua becomes more than the place where the courts happen to be.

It is in the people you meet. The water. The laughter. A conversation you did not expect. A point you finally learned to play differently. A moment when you realize you have arrived.

That is why I keep coming back to this idea of travel with heart.

We go to enjoy.

We go to learn.

We go to connect.

And if we are fortunate, we come home seeing something - perhaps even ourselves - a little differently.

Our March 2027 Antigua experiences are forming now. 

If Antigua is tapping your curiosity, come learn more. Read a little, and give me a call to learn more.

Thanks for your interest in all!

With Heart,
Melinda