This is where you go to hide away from the world, but fair warning, you will go to Anguilla for the beaches – you will remember Anguilla for the people.
Insider Tip: Early May welcomes the Anguilla Culinary Experience (ACE), a new four day epicurean festival that celebrates why this tiny island is the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean!
Some Anguilla restaurant recommendations to tickle your taste buds.
I have highlighted a little about what makes each of Anguilla’s luxury properties unique, and once again, attempted to distill the essence of each experience into three words. This is your island tour of a Lake Shore favorite!
ÀNI Villas, Anguilla
Exclusive. Inclusive. Inspired.
For those looking for that special villa experience, ÀNI Angilla and her dedicated staff of 20 are here to deliver. ÀNI offers an all-inclusive private resort experience, designed for just a single group at a time! There are 10 rooms housed within two contemporary villas, nestled side by side. Included with your stay is half-board dining, free-flow beverages (including premium spirits, cocktails and wines!) daily spa treatments, complimentary activities like a sunset cruise or Movies by Moonlight, babysitting, tennis lessons, transfers, daily laundry, cooking classes, mixology sessions, the list goes on! You honestly couldn’t wish for anything else, and just in case you can – the staff will magically make it happen.
Aurora Anguilla
Chic. Possibilities. Cycladic.
Aurora means “New Day, New Dawn” – and what better way to describe this re-imagination of an iconic and sprawling Grecian inspired resort. With two very different, but connected sides of the property, Aurora Anguilla offers (more than) a-little-something for everyone, with 7 Food & Beverage Outlets, a redesigned Greg Norman golf course, and a brand new Entertainment Complex (boasting an amphitheater, tennis center, pickleball, a climbing wall, beach volleyball, clay bocce, basketball, mini golf, splash pad, zero entry pool, lazy river and water slide) They have literally thought of everything, including how to arrive in style, with their direct air charter with white glove service, straight from White Plains NY and Fort Lauderdale.
Insider Tip: Bankie Banx Dune Preserve is a local (and legendary) live music venue, just steps from the Merrywing Bay beach at Aurora.
Cap Juluca
Connections. Community. Legendary.
It’s easy to see why guests return to Cap Juluca year after year. This is a hotel where memories are made, barefoot on a bicycle. White domed, low rise “villas” complete with arches and columns, hug the hotel’s crescent shaped shoreline (one of two beaches you have easy access to!), ensuring each room has a view over the endless cerulean sea. With assigned beach loungers, you never have to wake up before sunrise to fight for a chaise, so you can sleep in – you’re on “island time” now! And you can perfect your Champagne Sabering technique each night at sunset, as you toast to another day in paradise.
Four Seasons Anguilla
Bold. Sophisticated. Sunset Lounge.
Striking and ultra-chic, this tropical modern getaway brings a completely different flavor to the island. The incredibly stunning Sunset Lounge (my favorite spot) is set on a rocky promontory, straddling both Barnes and Meads Bay. With three pools and two beaches, you can lounge in a different spot every day of the week. And if you book a Beachfront Villa, you can walk out from your patio, right onto the powdery sands.
Malliouhana
Vivid. Whimsical. Personality.
As the first luxury resort on Anguilla, Malliouhana’s owners had the unique opportunity to select their favorite slice of paradise on which to build their vision – and what a location they found! A prime cliffside retreat overlooking an expanse of white sand beach and turquoise water. Malliouhana makes you feel like you are in the Caribbean by immersing you in the colors of the island. The design, a mix of traditional charm and modern swag, incorporates every shade of ocean blue, the verdant greens of the surrounding foliage, and the warm pinks and oranges displayed across the sky at sunset. It’s a property bursting with personality, a visual delight hidden around every corner – from the lobby’s ‘Cupboard of Curiosity’ and collection of vintage diving helmets to the mirrored floor tiles and canary yellow (and ruffled!) sun umbrellas, this hotel is a photographer’s dream.
Quintessence
Eclectic. Collection. Maximalist.
Fully embracing the art of “more-is-more,” the Quintessence Hotel is what maximalist dreams are made of. It’s bold and playful, with layers of art, patterns, textures, greenery. A grand mansion, with only 8 rooms, this boutique property is set up on the hillside, and boasts not only the largest collection of Haitian art outside of Haiti, but also a 2,000 bottle wine cellar, unrivaled in the Caribbean, and built in the style of a Tuscan cavern. Think of the Q Hotel as your private (and playful) Caribbean home.
Zemi Beach House
Secluded (but accessible). Warm. Soul.
The only luxury hotel on Anguilla’s Shoal Bay, a seemingly endless beach on the northeast side of the island, Zemi oozes both the elegance and warmth that the island is known for. Every aspect of the property aims to create that feeling of zen, including their spa, which is an authentic Thai rice barn – meticulously dismantled, labeled, shipped to Anguilla, and reassembled, piece by piece. With over 300 years of history, the Zemi Thai House brings a spiritual and calming presence to the property, but has also drawn inspiration from the local Taino people of Anguilla, incorporating multiple water elements to enhance wellbeing.
