Had been to Antiqua twice before on a cruise ship. This time two of our friends were coming with us and we decided to do something different. Take a private tour. We researched and found Fitzroy Elmo Drew and his Safari Tour. We booked his Historical Lunch Tour for the 4th of February 2015 at 9am. In an email to us, he told us where to meet him and that he would hold up a sign with my name. He was exactly where he said he would be and made it very easy. To members of our party needed to use walkers and he told us to wait and he would bring his car to us.After a short wait of 3-5 minutes, Elmo arrived in his van. A little smaller than a Dodge or Toyota van, but it had double sliding doors and plenty of room for the four of us. We were originally concerned about the cost. More than we normally pay, but and this is a big BUT, it was worth every penny. We saw more in the first hours than we had seen on two previous trips. You can tell Elmo loves his island and his job. He is full of great information and if you ask him, he may sing a little for you. In the evenings he has a local band and plays at places around the island. We visited the beach, sugar cane plantations, ate the black pineapple and had a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant up in the mountains. I wish we had had more time, but when you are on a cruise ship you are limited as to how long are on shore. Our tour lasted 5 hours and it was wonderful. Elmo assisted the ladies with there walkers and made sure he parked as close to the attraction as he could.I highly recommend this tour to anyone going to Antiqua on a cruise ship. He will pick you up and get you back in time. And most of all, you will have a new friend in Fitzroy Elmo Drew.
Simply the highlight of a very relaxing trip to a beautiful island. Whenever we visit an island we always want to escape from the resort and see more than the beach and the bar... An island tour with Fitzroy exceeded expectations. Incidentally, Fitzroy is the name he prefers, rather than Elmo, the name of his company. We learned about the slave trade as well as visited the historical sites for which the island is famous. Fitzroy is a very friendly and considerate man who has a kind and caring personality - if you have a special request, he will do all he can to accommodate you. His comfortabe vehicle and pot hole avoidance skills are also worth mentioning. Thank you Fitzroy. Rich & Jen.
This was the best one day experience of an island, city or a resort that we have had anywhere in the world, and we've had quite a few. It's not cheap but the value that is crammed into it is excellent and by the end we were giving him a tip on top of the fee.We were taken to a dozen really interesting and varied places in the space of seven hours. There were beaches, sugar mill museums, drinks and lunch stops, samples of black pineapple, the dockyard, the capital. We did it all at just the right pace.Elmo is fun and very knowledgeable so we really learnt a lot. He'll take up to six in his bang up to date people carrier but we got lucky and were the only ones on tour that day.The lunch was excellent in a little restaurant with the best view of the whole island. Before that we'd had a drink on Valley Beach, all included in the price. So do what we did, leave the beach and the pool for one whole day and get your tourist fix of Antigua Elmo-style. Highly recommended. ps Sorry if you've not heard of St Elmo's Fire, it's a freakish weather system, a 1985 movie and a song! Thank God for Wikipedia and YouTube....Cheers Elmo from the Cornish couple.
4 of us enjoyed a great day out with Elmo (Fitzroy). It was a second visit for 3 of us and the day was a good as the first visit. Elmo is so passionate about the island and people. Perfect trip off the cruise ship, only on a one day visit or we would have gone again!! Just email him to sort out your day and you won't be disappointed.He is so upbeat and makes the day. Lunch is included and the ratings don't lie- well worth every minute. Thank you Fitzroy- again !!
Had a great day touring the island with Fitzroy. As a part-time travel agent I have been on many tours, but Fitzroy is one of the best. The 97 per cent rating on Tripadvisor is a true reflection of how good his tour really is. He adapted the usual tour to suit the interests of of our family, which included two teenagers. He managed to keep my wife and I and even the two teens thoroughly entertained as he showed us all the highlights of the island. We never felt rushed and there was time for shopping, lunch at scenic Shirley's Heights and a quick dip in one of the island's beautiful beaches. We ended the day knowing the island a little better and feeling like we had made a new friend. We even got the chance to check out his band playing a few nights later. Ask him if he's playing on the island while you're there. The band was a nice mix of Carribean and top-40 songs and worth checking out. Thanks again Fitzroy.
We were very glad to have spent the day touring the Island with Fitzroy/Elmo! He was punctual, articulate, funny, knowledgeable, friendly and a great driver - the latter being of very important given the state of the roads and the tendency of others to speed.As other reviewers have said, he tailored the day to our interests and pointed out things throughout the tour that we would never have noticed.So thanks again for the great day Fitzie!
I had done some research and found Elmo's tour on line, emailed him and booked the tour. He picked us promptly at our resort and our tour began. We went to Devil's Bridge for a great photo opportunity and some history on the folk lore of the bridge. Fitzroy aka Elmo is full of island knowledge and history. He will drive you anywhere on the island in a pristine kept air conditioned minivan. He will let you take as long or a little time as you wish at any stop.He took us to Betty's Hope, to tour of one of the sugar plantations, where we were able to view the museum's documents and history regarding the slaves that ran the plantation. Next we were taken to a couple of amazing beaches.Next was Shirley Heights for a great lunch and stunning views of Nelson Dockyards. The stops are numerous, everything he promises on his site he does and more.I can' t say enough about Fitzroy, he is a great guy and an even greater tour guide! Take the tour!Ron and Shelley (Kingston, Ontario)
We had the most fantastic informative tour of Antiguas attractions by Fitsroy Elmo Drew. I was immediately impressed upon meeting him at the designated meeting point as he was trying his very best to help a couple who had booked and paid for a tour by another operator but who had not turned up for them. The whole tour was wonderful but Bettys Hope stayed with us all day. It was our very favourite trip of our whole holiday. Thank you Elmo. Irene & Ron, Evelyn & Steve (Scotland)
Just returned from 9 days in Antigua and our day with Elmo was the best one of all!What a fine gentleman...very knowledgeable, passionate about his wonderful island,and full of wit and fun! We learnt so much about the history of Antigua and loved the whole day. Elmo (Fitzroy) runs a very professional one-man operation and treats hisguests like family. We can't recommend him highly enough. Do not miss this if you visit Antigua-- it was one of the finest travel experiences my wife & I have ever had!Again "thank you so much" Elmo and you deserve every word in all these great reviews.
The best day of our two weeks in Antigua. A very personal and flexible tour. Elmo starts as your tour guide but by the end of the day you feel he is your friend. Highly recommended.