A Sliver of Shangri-La: A Guide to Anguilla by Melanie Reffes
Featured Hotel in Southern Anguilla
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For a small island, Anguilla rivals the best in the Caribbean with cosmopolitan restaurants, grand resorts, championship golf course and endless strands of sandy beaches. A chi-chi forty square miles of sea grape trees and gentle British vibe, Anguilla is a seashell away from St. Martin and a coveted playground for privacy seekers who come to perfect the fine art of the Caribbean chill-out.
Its highest point, Crocus Hill, rises 213 feet above sea level while the capital, The Valley, sits in the middle of the coral limestone island. “We look forward to a steady flow of business as we move forward in 2010, “said Marie Walker, director of tourism, North America, Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB), “Anguilla will be assertively going after her lion share of the business this year.”
Posh Properties
The first resort to open in nine years, Viceroy boasts 166 beachfront and bluff top units, spa by the waters edge and a lounge carved out of the cliff. “The opening is the perfect setting for Viceroy’s first international expansion,” said Brad Korzen, CEO, Kor Hotels.
Unapologetically sinful, Cap Juluca is fresh from an expensive renovation that bought refinements to guestrooms and Flights wine bar that shines with three two-ounce pours. Adjacent to the new Temenos golf course, the upscale resort with whitewashed villas ala Arabian Nights is selling a Shark Golf package that includes a round with every three-night stay, golf cart and sorbet served on the beach to celebrate a day on the course.
With an expanded Venus Spa that includes a healing pool for salt-water massages; CuisinArt Resort also added six villas and brought in Chef Daniel Le Guenan to spice up the menu at the acclaimed Santorini restaurant.
On Shoal Bay Beach, Ku tempts with twenty-seven suites, restaurant and spa. Less expensive than the more opulent resorts, the property excels with a friendly ambience and beachfront location.
Overlooking Road Bay Harbour, La Vue is a bed & breakfast with rates starting at USD 130.00 for an oceanfront suite. "If you're looking for perfection, this is not the place," says Kirk Hughes, owner, "But if you want a comfortable, welcoming feeling, we have a place for you."
Construction has started on a 200-room property on Rendevous Bay between the CuisinArt resort and the Anguilla Great House. Expected to open in two years, Etesian Resort will have a spa and tennis courts.
Vivacious Villas
From the Latin word for heaven, Cerulean on Barnes Bay is a seven-bedroom villa that comes with a staff of fifteen including a breakfast chef. Designed to take advantage of the spectacular views, bedrooms have louvered doors facing the sea.
Aptly named, Paradise is a seven-bedroom oceanfront villa with a freshwater pool and adjacent coral reef. Rates through April 5th start at USD 4013.00 nightly for the entire villa and private dock.
Overlooking the yacht-dotted bay, Spyglass Hill caters to the romance market with ensuite Jacuzzis and concierge service. USD 6,000 buys the villa, champagne and chef for a week
Tee Time
Designed by Greg Norman and managed by Cap Juluca, Temenos is a 7,063-yard championship golf course that has reopened with dramatic elevation changes and a spectacular vista of St. Maarten at the 390-yard starting hole. Sand dunes and a saltwater pond frame the perilous drive on the 440-yard 16th hole that ends with an elevated green surrounded by water. Fees are discounted for twilight play.
Play Time
Thirty-three beaches include the most popular Shoal Bay East, Rendezvous Bay, Cove Bay and Mead’s Bay with long curved strands of sand. Pocket beaches include Limestone Bay, revered for snorkeling and reef-ringed Prickly Pear Cays.
Cyclist Ronnie Bryan has added road bike tours at his Bryan’s Car Rental including an escorted island-wide cycling trip. Also popular, horseback riding, bird watching and for archaeology-minded landlubbers, The Fountain is a cave filled with Arawak-carved petroglyphs.
Whet your Appetite
As legendary for celebrity spotting (Robert De Niro likes the 1994 Domaine Bouchard Pere & fils Grand Cru burgundy wine) as it is for its menu, Blanchard’s is dining par excellence.
Supervised by two-star Michelin toque, Michel Rostang, Malliouhana tempts with a fine French menu and unparalleled wine selection. The Barbecue Buffet at CuisinArt is an outdoor extravaganza and Ripples in Sandy Ground attracts the ex-pat crowd who chow down on heaping platters of fish and chips and cottage pie.
An afternoon at Scilly Cay where the spiny lobster reigns supreme and the rum punch is a potent chaser is a Sunday family tradition while roadside chefs dish up a bevy of specialties from grilled pork at Ken’s across from the Peoples Market to the legendary Corn Soup Lady who sets up shop near the National Trust Building.
Art Attack
Sixteen galleries showcase woodcarving, hand-blown glass and fine art. At Irie Life, rainbow-hued clothing is de rigueur while the new ZaZAA Boutique in Shoal Bay is a miniature souk with Malian jewelry, Kenyan fabrics and bikinis from Brazil.
Art Café in Little Harbour is an eclectic gallery designed by owner Jan Pavluk, a Polish ex-pat who invites artists to paint in the studio which also includes a shop that sells eco-friendly Danish clothing.
See this beautiful paradise and book a stay at one of our exquisite luxury hotels in Anguilla.