JUST YOU, the sand and the water on one of Antiqua's many public beaches. -- Photos by Joe Warmington, SUN

All of a sudden everything just stops. It's not as if things were ever moving all that fast in the first place on this 24-km-long and 19-km-wide island of 68,000 residents. That crazy pace is for back home. The idea here is to get away from that world of rules, regulation and ridiculousness. Relaxation is the R word used here.

However, once a day -- visitor and resident alike -- take time out to watch Mother Nature bring to an end yet another glorious day in the West Indies.

It's about the only thing conducted like clockwork here, where things are normally done on a more laidback schedule affectionately known as Antigua time. Things will get done when they get done. But no one passes up an appointment with the sun's daily departure. And what a sight! There are sunsets and then there are Antigua sunsets.

It doesn't seem to matter where you are on this luscious green and mountainous island in the Caribbean Sea -- north of Montserrat and east of St. Kitts, St. Barts, Nevis and St. Maartin -- you will see people savouring the sunset.

It could be simply a group of people coming outside on a warm evening or the hundreds who head up to Shirley Heights, one of the island's highest lookout points and a popular spot. It's here, where once the sun does come down locals and tourists mix it up with food, drink, dance and the best reggae this side of Jamaica.

And what a party! But nothing happens until that sun has completely disappeared into the sea.

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

It's the serene silence and almost worship of the giant, orange/red ball in the sky that captured me. At home you might complain about it being in your eyes as you drive home, but here, honouring the sunset is a daily ritual and for some, almost a religious experience.

"This is another one of those pinch yourself moments," says Lorna Carmichael, who is visiting from London, England.

She's right. There were many of those moments in the four days I was there but nothing that left a bigger impression than my first sunset. Just as that ball of fire vanished into the aqua blue water a quick green flash appeared -- something not seen in many places and something that brings tourists here from almost every part of the world.

Another British influence, Louise Miller,takes a dip in Antiqua's hot-tub temperature water.

"We got to talking of when we would get tired of that view," jokes Russell Jones, a car dealer, from Yorkshire, England. "We pretty much agreed in about 100 years."

At the end of the few minutes it takes to watch the sun go down, you really do feel relaxed. Imagine! You are sitting on the beach, surrounded by people who are normally just as stressed. But no one seems that way during the three sunsets I witness.

No wonder Antigua is the secret home-away-from-home hideaway for such world celebrities as Oprah Winfrey and novelist and politician Ken Follett. Just how laidback is this place? Rock 'n' roll legend Eric Clapton looked here for the world's most tranquil location to build his drug rehab centre.

The world-renowned Crossroad's Centre now sits on a private shore, a 10-minute drive from the airport. A lot of famous faces have been through there.

"We don't say who they are," assured a local tour guide. "Avoiding the spotlight is the whole reason they come here."

Visitors say it does wonders for them so you can imagine what it could do for an ordinary working-stiff simply stressed out from everyday city life.

HOME AGAIN, after living in Canada for 30 years, Oliver Joseph lives his dream of running his own beach bar. At O.J.'s, in the tiny village of Crabbe Hill on Antiqua's north shore, one of Joseph's specialities is fresh lobster.

Welcome to friendly Antigua -- home to 365 public beaches and just as many beautiful days to use them.

"Welcome to my island," says Sylvester Cyril Scotland, the easy-going and always smiling cab driver and tour guide. "Where do you want to go?"

He knows every nook and cranny of the former British naval outpost set up in 1784 by Royal Navy Admiral Horatio Nelson. And with every beach being a public beach, he can take you to out-of-the-way paradises with lots of palm trees and water that is literally hot-tub temperature.

Seclusion -- meaning beautiful white sand beaches without another person on them -- is easy to find in Antigua.

"I know a lot of places like this," says Sylvester.

We stood on one of these secluded spots, where an interesting piece of driftwood lay on the pristine sand, and I had to ask,"Why isn't there a hotel here or a condo or something?"

Nelson's Dockyard is historic because of the Royal Navy Admiral's arrival in 1784. - Photo by Nelson's Dockyard/SUN files

Sylvester just shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, man."

For this day, anyway, it's our beach. There are no lifeguards and no signs saying you can't do this or that. It's just you, the water and the sand.

The idea of so many beaches -- many rarely visited -- is not lost on the locals, whether native-islanders like Sylvester or even ex-patriot Canadians Julia Friend and Katherine Hutchinson.

"I call them my treasure days," says Julia, who moved down here from London, Ont. to work with a theatre group. No matter how busy she gets, she makes time to enjoy the sand and sea. She never forgets where she is.

The same goes for Katherine, who moved here from Toronto a few years ago and works in the hospitality business. No matter the day, she and her dog hit the beaches. "I love it," she says.

There's nothing like carving out your own personal little oasis. It's not difficult to achieve in Antigua.

British influence extends to a phone box on Dickenson Bay Beach.

Even well-known beaches are not busy. The one right off the Antigua Village Resort where we stayed was postcard-worthy enough. Down the way is Sandals Resort, also hugging Dickenson Bay, just a short drive to St. John's, the island's capital and home to markets and designer shopping.

CONDO RENTALS

Antigua Village Resort encourages visitors to interact with islanders. Guests at Antigua Village -- www.antiguavillage.net, rent an owner's condo for a week or more -- which gives you access to tennis, golf and reservations to some of the island's top restaurants.

"We feel a part of the community," says our friendly host Bob Bone, from London, England, who came up with the idea of the Owner's Club and has now opened it up for rental at a rate of $110 to $500 US a night.

MIGUEL TONGE serves fresh fish and cold beer on tiny Prickly Pear Island.

"We have Canadian owners so it made sense to offer them to Canadians," he said.

Bone's idea is to attract Canadians, who kind of like to go their own way while on vacation.

"They like the idea of a resort but also like to have the flexibility to do what they want," he said.

There is fine dining on site or a beach snack bar. If you want to eat in, every suite has a kitchen and a patio with dining table. I can understand people wanting to cook but not me -- I had never experienced such fine cuisine as this island had to offer. I ate at The Beach, Julian's, The Coconut Grove, The Bistro and Catherine's -- all five star and exquisite.

And there are two little gems -- both of which were reached by boat.

One is Prickly Pear Island, a tiny little beach island which, thanks to the tide, has a different configuration every time you visit. Some 30 years ago a guy named Miguel Tonge came upon it and decided to start serving freshly caught fish, cold beer and island drinks from a make-shift cabin he erected on the island. It's worth seeing.

Can you imagine something like that happening back home? After the taxman, health department and city bylaw and zoning people got finished with it, they might just allow a fast food franchise or even a concession stand.

But somehow that wouldn't fit here.

"Try the fried sugar cane before I take you snorkelling," says Miguel's 28-year-old son Terence, who plans to carry on the family business. "Or do you want a rum punch first?"

Oh yeah, I forgot the liquor inspector. They'd have something to say too. But that's for back home. Here on the island of Antigua none of those big-city rules apply.

"You are here to enjoy yourself," says Miguel's wife Josephine.

And over on the north side of the island you'll find Oliver Joseph. In his more than 20 years in Canada he had a good life but admits he often missed the quieter and easy-going ways of his home island.

"I always had a dream," he said. "I wanted to open a special beach bar."

So finally, after his kids were raised, Oliver came home and opened O.J.'s on the beach, in the tiny village of Crabbe Hill.

"You want the fresh lobster?" he asked.

Do you even need to answer a question like that? He'll put a couple in a pot for you. But in a minute. There's no hurry. First things first.

The sun is starting to set.

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BOTTOM LINE

GETTING THERE: Air Canada has direct flights to Antigua.

MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Office in Toronto at 416-961-3085 or visit www.antigua-barbuda.org.