A five-bedroom above a west-coast beach asks $26,000 a week over Christmas and $14,000 in November. Antigua runs the classic Caribbean calendar in reverse to the Mediterranean: the dry winter from mid-December through April is the peak, the summer is the value season, and the hurricane window from June to November sets the insurance question. The full structure, by season and coast.
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The number that matters first: $5,000 to $200,000 per week. The floor is a four-bedroom near Jolly Harbour in the summer low season, and the ceiling is a private-island estate at Jumby Bay over Christmas and New Year. Antigua quotes in US dollars, and the Eastern Caribbean dollar that locals use is pegged at 2.70 to the US dollar, so the exchange question is stable.
The peak is the dry winter, from mid-December through April, and the tightest, dearest week of the year is Christmas to New Year, when the best villas carry a 10-to-14-night minimum and book a year ahead. Four things move a quote, in order: the season, the coast, the bedroom count, and whether the villa sits on its own beach. The hurricane window from June through November is the value season, with a real but manageable storm risk.
Indicative weekly rates in US dollars. Summer, June to early November, is the low season. Shoulder is November, early December, and May. The dry winter, mid-December through April, is the peak, and Christmas to New Year sits above it.
| Villa size | Summer (low) | Shoulder | Dec–Apr (peak) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bedrooms | $5,000 to $10,000 | $9,000 to $18,000 | $16,000 to $32,000 |
| 5 bedrooms | $8,000 to $16,000 | $14,000 to $28,000 | $26,000 to $50,000 |
| 6 bedrooms | $14,000 to $28,000 | $24,000 to $48,000 | $42,000 to $85,000 |
| 7+ bedrooms | $25,000 to $55,000 | $45,000 to $90,000 | $80,000 to $200,000+ |
Bands reflect Jolly Harbour, Galley Bay, Hodges Bay, English Harbour, and the Jumby Bay private island, May 2026. The seven-bedroom peak band tops out at Jumby Bay, which rents in its own tier. Christmas to New Year carries a further premium over the Dec–Apr figure.
Antigua’s pricing turns on the season first and the coast second. The sheltered west and northwest, around Jolly Harbour, Galley Bay, and Hodges Bay, hold the calm-water beaches and most of the villa stock. English Harbour in the south is the sailing end, and Jumby Bay, a private island off the northeast, sits in its own category.
Antigua and Barbuda levies its sales tax (ABST) on accommodation at 12.5 percent, below the 15 percent general rate. On a $26,000 Christmas week that is $3,250. The government has signalled a temporary cut to the general ABST rate during 2026, but the accommodation rate is the one that lands on a villa invoice, so budget the 12.5 percent and confirm at the point of booking.
The fortnight from roughly 20 December to 3 January is the single dearest window of the Antigua year. The best villas carry a 10-to-14-night minimum, rates run well above the rest of the winter, and the trophy houses book 9 to 12 months ahead. If your dates are flexible, the first two weeks of December and the back half of January deliver the same dry weather for far less.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with the statistical peak from mid-August to mid-October. Antigua sits in the belt, though direct hits are far less frequent than near-misses. Summer is the value season precisely because of this risk, so check that the villa contract carries a clear storm-cancellation clause and consider travel insurance with named-storm cover before you book a late-summer week.
Jolly Harbour, Galley Bay, and Hodges Bay on the calm west and northwest hold most of the family villa stock and the best swimming beaches. English Harbour and Falmouth in the south are the yachting end, busiest around the December charter season and Antigua Sailing Week in late April and early May. A sailing group bases south, a beach family bases west.
Jumby Bay, the private island two miles off the northeast coast reached only by the resort’s launch, rents in a tier of its own. Its estates command the highest rates on Antigua and a Christmas week there is the most expensive combination on the island. The trade is total seclusion and no cars, which suits some groups and frustrates others.
Managed villas often add a service charge of around 10 percent that covers staff and concierge, on top of the ABST. A private chef runs $350 to $600 per day plus provisioning, a driver is around $250 per day, and a refundable deposit of $3,000 to $30,000 is standard, returned within two to three weeks of checkout.
Each budget is the rate plus the fees that land on the invoice. In Antigua the line items, with the service charge, add roughly 18 to 25 percent on top of the headline.
Headline: $16,000 / wk (mid-November, west-coast beach villa).
ABST (12.5%) $2,000. Service (10%) $1,600. Cleaning $400. Chef for three dinners $1,350 plus provisioning $700.
All-in: about $22,050 for the week, roughly $3,150 a night for eight.
Headline: $60,000 / wk (mid-February, beachfront villa).
ABST (12.5%) $7,500. Service (10%) $6,000. Chef for five dinners $2,750 plus provisioning $1,400. Driver for the week $1,750.
All-in: about $79,400 for the week, roughly $11,340 a night for twelve.
Headline: $160,000 / 10-night minimum (Christmas to New Year, staffed estate).
ABST (12.5%) $20,000. Service (10%) $16,000. Full-time chef $6,000 plus provisioning $4,500. Launch transfers and staff gratuities $5,000.
All-in: about $211,500 for the holiday, before events and a chartered yacht.
Three levers move the all-in cost on an Antigua week.
Avoid the Christmas fortnight. The first two weeks of December and the back half of January give you the same dry winter weather for 30 to 45 percent less than the 20-December-to-3-January peak, and without the 10-to-14-night minimum. If the holiday date itself is not the point, this is the largest single saving.
Take a summer week, with storm cover. June and early November run 40 to 55 percent below the winter peak, the sea is warm, and the island is quiet. The trade is hurricane risk, so insist on a named-storm cancellation clause in the contract and buy travel insurance with storm cover before you book.
Do not pay the Jumby Bay premium for a beach you can get on the mainland. The private island is genuinely secluded, but it is a launch ride from everything and rents at the top of the market. A family that wants a great west-coast beach and the freedom of a car does better at Galley Bay or Hodges Bay for less.
From about $5,000 per week for a four-bedroom near Jolly Harbour in the summer low season to $200,000 or more for a Christmas week at a Jumby Bay private-island estate. Most quality five-bedrooms land between $14,000 and $28,000 per week in shoulder season and $26,000 to $50,000 in the dry winter.
Christmas to New Year, roughly 20 December to 3 January, is the single dearest window. The best villas carry a 10-to-14-night minimum, rates run well above the rest of the winter, and the trophy houses book 9 to 12 months ahead.
Antigua and Barbuda charges its sales tax (ABST) on accommodation at 12.5 percent, below the 15 percent general rate. Managed villas often add a service charge of around 10 percent on top, which covers staff and concierge.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, with the peak from mid-August to mid-October. Antigua sits in the belt but direct hits are far less frequent than near-misses. Book a summer week only with a clear storm-cancellation clause and travel insurance carrying named-storm cover.
Summer, June to early November, runs 40 to 55 percent below the winter peak, and the first two weeks of December and the back half of January give the same dry weather as Christmas for 30 to 45 percent less than the holiday fortnight.
Antigua villas are quoted in US dollars. The Eastern Caribbean dollar used locally is pegged at 2.70 to the US dollar, so the exchange rate is stable and predictable.
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