Antigua has some of the best steel bands in the Caribbean. Most nightlife revolves around the hotels. If you want to roam Antigua at night looking for that hot local club, arrange to have a taxi pick you up, so you're not stranded in the wilds somewhere.

The Royal Casino, in the Royal Antiguan Hotel, Deep Bay (tel. 268/462-3733), has blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, and slot machines. It's open daily from 6pm until around midnight, and there's no cover. Far better and the most glamorous place to go if you have time for only one casino is the St. James's Club at Mamora Bay (tel. 268/460-3015), which has the island's most flamboyant gambling palace. Other action is found at King's Casino on Heritage Quay (tel. 268/462-1727), the only casino in St. John's proper.

Steel bands, limbo dancers, calypso singers, folkloric groups -- there's always something happening by night on Antigua. Your hotel can probably tell you where to go on any given night. The following clubs are reliable hot spots.

Eighteen Carats, Long Street at Market Street, St. Johns (no phone), opened in 2002, and rose instantly to the status of most popular and sought-after dance club and night bar on the island. Expect a cover charge of less than $3 per person, an indoor-outdoor format that's open to a view of the night air of downtown St. John's, and a barrage of music that includes lots of reggae and soca. It's open Friday to Sunday from around 8pm to 1am.

Stop in at the Bay House, Tradewinds Hotel, Marble Hill (tel. 268/462-1223), for the island's best mix of singles (both straight and -- to a much lesser degree -- gay). A guitarist performs every Monday and a local reggae band performs every Saturday night at Colombo's, a previously recommended restaurant in the Galleon Beach Club in English Harbour (tel. 268/460-1452).

Live nightly entertainment takes place right on the beach at Millers by the Sea, at Runaway Beach (tel. 268/462-9414). Spilling over onto the sands, its happy hour is the best in town.

At English Harbour, action centers around the Admiral's Inn (tel. 268/460-1027), a barefoot-friendly kind of place. You can always play a game of darts and there's live music Thursday and Saturday nights, usually a local 14-piece steel band. Try one of Norman's daiquiris (the island's best), and ask the bartender about the famous guests he's served, from Richard Burton to Prince Charles. Also at English Harbour, two other much-frequented watering holes include Hype, Nelson's Dockyard (tel. 268/562-2353), the most popular spot for visitors arriving aboard yachts. We like its real nautical atmosphere, the action centering on a wooden pier. At certain times, it's West Indian party time, with live groups performing. The most authentic British pub at Nelson's Dockyard is Mainbrace (tel. 268/460-1058), with darts, of course, beer on tap, fish 'n chips, and on some nights the jazz is live. The pub is part of the Copper and Lumber Store Hotel.