Friday was the first day that I felt we were settled in, rested, relaxed and truly on a vacation. It was our first real beach day, so we decided to head back to Fryes Beach (this is one of my top picks for favorite Antigua beach thus far).

All of the 365 beaches here are beautiful in their own way, I’m sure. But if you’re looking for wide, soft, white sandy beaches and bright blue-green waters, Fryes Beach does not disappoint.

We spent the morning soaking up the sun, swimming in the Caribbean Sea, and digging in the sand. I couldn’t stop staring at the turquoise perfection of the waters. I really couldn’t.

Traveling with a young child adds some additional considerations to a vacation. (That topic is an entire blog post in itself, my friends. More on that later.) Nap time is one of those very important considerations. I repeat: very important!

I tried my best to keep my toddler on some sort of familiar schedule, so we decided to return to the villa around his nap time in order for him to get some decent rest. (Naps in the vehicle are better than nothing but are never ever the same as a real nap.)

Once he was in dreamland, I had a couple of glorious kid-free hours to myself. I poured myself a coconut rum and tropical fruit juice drink and spent that time enjoying the sun and the views on the back deck. Ahhhh! Hubby joined me for a portion of the time out there and it was really, really nice.

When the munchkin woke up, we all walked to North Jolly Beach and stayed to catch a lovely sunset. It was the perfect way to end the week and a nice transition to our first weekend in Antigua. Cheers!