Anguilla
Thirty-three beaches on an island you can drive across in twenty minutes. This is the honest guide to which ones matter, where to eat, what is worth planning ahead, and how to arrive without spending the first day in a transfer.
Updated July 2026, after a week on the island
Anguilla, Quickly
Maundays Bay
Meads Bay
Shoal Bay East
5 to 7 nights
December through April
Nonstop to AXA, or via SXM
Booking through a travel advisor does not cost more. The rate is identical to booking direct. What changes is what comes with it.
Complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, and resort credits at all three hotels, through Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Belmond Bellini Club, and Virtuoso.
Room category advice, restaurant reservations, transfer logistics, and someone to call if anything goes sideways. How it works →
Three Luxury Resorts on One Small Island
Anguilla has three luxury resorts worth booking, all on the West End, where the best beaches and the highest concentration of restaurants cluster. They are not interchangeable, and choosing between them takes more room than a destination page should give it, so I wrote the comparison separately.
Malliouhana vs Cap Juluca vs Four Seasons
I stayed a week at Malliouhana and gave a full day each to Cap Juluca and Four Seasons. Beaches, pools, dining, spa, mobility, family logistics, value, and how you actually get there, compared side by side. It is the answer to which one is yours.
Read the comparison → The Malliouhana review →
Four Seasons Anguilla
The largest of the three, with access to two beaches, several pools, residences with kitchens, and a full activity program. Polished without being stiff.
Hotel Guide →
Cap Juluca
Whitewashed Moorish villas along Maundays Bay, on flat ground, steps from the sand. Home to the Guerlain Spa, which opened in 2024 and is the best on the island.
Hotel Guide →
Malliouhana
The smallest and the one with the most character, on a bluff above Meads Bay with a second, quieter beach at Turtle Cove. Stairs down to the sand. Independently managed since 2023.
Hotel Guide →Skip Anguilla if you want nightlife, all-inclusive pricing, or a resort with a dozen restaurants and a waterpark. The island is small, quiet, and expensive. That is the point. If you are still deciding between Anguilla and somewhere else, the full destinations guide is a good place to start.
Tell me your dates and who is going.
Most Anguilla trips start with a five-minute conversation. I will tell you the resort, the room category, and when to book, before you spend another hour reading comparison sites.
Best Beaches in Anguilla
Anguilla has 33 beaches on an island you can drive across in twenty minutes. Here is the honest ranking of the ones worth planning around.
Maundays Bay
Calm, clear, cinematic. The kind of water people assume has been edited, but has not. Worth the visit even if you are not staying at Cap Juluca, and Pimms makes the natural lunch.
Meads Bay
Long, swimmable, and social without being crowded, with several restaurants along the sand and the best walk-to-lunch on the island. During our July week it stayed brilliantly clear while sargassum turned up elsewhere, which is a reminder that nature does not read the rankings.
Shoal Bay East
Consistently ranked the number one beach in the Caribbean. Not attached to any hotel, which is part of the appeal. Shore-entry snorkeling, beachfront lunch at Madeariman, Gwen's Reggae Bar, or Elodia's. Go at least once regardless of where you are staying.
Rendezvous Bay
Long, calm crescent with very shallow water and a view of St. Martin's mountains. Home to Sunshine Shack and The Dune Preserve, Bankie Banx's open-air music venue. A different energy from the busier bays and worth the short taxi.
Scilly Cay
Technically a restaurant, but the experience is the point. A family-owned place on its own tiny island, open 35 years. Grilled lobster, strong rum punches, live reggae on Sundays. The free ferry takes three minutes. Go on Sunday and budget the full afternoon.
Best Restaurants in Anguilla
Meads Bay has an absurdly good concentration of restaurants for one stretch of sand. In Anguilla, where you stay and where you eat are two separate decisions, and the island is small enough that you can eat at all three resorts no matter where you sleep. These are the ones worth planning around.
Celeste
Chef Kerth Gumbs does refined Caribbean that takes the island's ingredients seriously. Three tiers, so the sunset view is not a fight. Book six o'clock. The wine list has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence two years running.
Best for: arrival night, a proper dinner, any occasionLeon's at Meads Bay
Right on the sand. Caribbean with Asian touches, walk-in only. If your trip includes a Thursday, the beach barbecue with Mystic Vibes is worth planning the week around. Live music Thursdays and Sundays.
Best for: beach lunch, casual evenings, live music nightsBlanchard's
The most celebrated restaurant on the island, and it earns it. Over 25 years of creative Caribbean cooking. The Cracked Coconut dessert is non-negotiable. Book Saturday if you can. Dinner only, Monday through Saturday. Reservations required.
Best for: the definitive Anguilla dinnerBlanchard's Beach Shack
Possibly the best beach lunch on the island. Fish tacos, burgers, hot dogs for kids, and the frozen BBC for adults. Order at the window, grab a table on the sand. Open through dinner at 8pm. No reservations.
Best for: beach lunch, kids, going back more than onceStraw Hat
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the sand with a welcoming, unfussy feel. The flatbread, goat curry, and snapper are all good. A reliable all-day option. Reservations recommended for dinner.
Best for: breakfast, any relaxed mealJacala
One of the best restaurants in the Caribbean. Run by two former Malliouhana chefs. French technique, island ingredients, beachfront setting that feels like a secret. Only 35 seats. Reserve as early as possible. Wednesday through Sunday.
Best for: couples, a truly special dinnerVeya
Treehouse setting. Caribbean meets Moroccan meets Asian. The Moroccan-spiced shrimp cigars are the signature. Wednesday is crayfish night. The Meze lounge downstairs has live music nightly from 8 to 10pm. Dinner Monday through Saturday.
Best for: something completely different, Wednesday crayfishKaraya
Opened November 2025 from the Veya team. Housemade pastas, grilled catch, charred octopus. The setting at sunset with views across to St. Martin is beautiful. Book an early table. Open daily.
Best for: sunset dinners, a newer spot worth tryingSALT, Lima-Limon & Sunset Lounge at Four Seasons
SALT sits on the bluff with views over both bays. Lima-Limon on Barnes Bay is worth the walk, and the birria short rib is the order. Sunset Lounge does the island's best sushi. All open to non-guests.
Best for: sunset drinks, sushi, a change of sceneJohnno's + Da'Vida
Johnno's is as local as it gets: fresh fish, strong rum punch, Sunday funday with live music. Da'Vida sits on Crocus Bay with a beach club downstairs and a restaurant above. The steak is reportedly the best on the island.
Best for: local atmosphere, Sunday afternoonsPimms & Cip's at Cap Juluca
Pimms is close enough to the water that you can hear it, and the most romantic table on the island. Cip's by Cipriani does the crayfish linguine and a lovely breakfast on the water. Both pair naturally with a Maundays Bay beach day.
Best for: combining with a Maundays Bay afternoonBest Things to Do in Anguilla
The island is easy to get around. These are the outings worth actually planning.
Nim's Nook
The rocky area at the base of the Malliouhana cliff, accessible from the beach. Parrotfish, eagle rays, and silverfish. Ask the Malliouhana watersports team for gear, or bring your own.
Best for: easy snorkeling without leaving the bayLittle Bay
A tiny enclosed cove with turquoise water, turtles, rays, and a famous rock the kids can jump off. Head to Crocus Bay and find Calvin or a local boatman for the short ride over. Combine with lunch at Da'Vida. The must-do excursion on the island.
Best for: families, the single best half-day outingSandy Island
A tiny ribbon of white sand surrounded by reef. Lobster lunch, rum punches, and snorkeling all the way around. Shuttle from Sandy Ground Wharf, departing hourly from 11am. Confirm timing with your hotel before heading out.
Best for: a classic castaway dayPrickly Pear Cays
Two small islands with pristine reef, a beach bar, and a sense of being genuinely away from everything. The best snorkeling of any cay. No private charter needed: Tradition Sailing runs scheduled shared trips. Plan a half or full day.
Best for: serious snorkelers, a full day awayA Private Boat Day
Charters can collect you directly from the beach at Cap Juluca, which makes a boat day feel seamless. A marina is also in development nearby, which should make arriving by boat, or folding Anguilla into a longer Caribbean itinerary, considerably easier.
Best for: couples, repeat visitors, a day with no scheduleBest Time to Visit Anguilla
Five nights minimum. Seven if you want to actually settle in. Anguilla rewards doing less.
How to Get to Anguilla
Getting to Anguilla used to mean connecting through St. Maarten no matter what. That has changed, and it is worth understanding the options before you book, because how you arrive shapes the first and last few hours of the trip.
Direct to AXA
American flies nonstop from Miami to Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, and AnguillAir lists seasonal direct service from cities including Newark, Boston, Baltimore, and Tampa. Schedules shift by season, so check what is actually operating for your dates.
The Ten-Minute Hop
SXM has the widest choice of flights from the US and Europe. A short regional flight to Anguilla takes under ten minutes and lets you skip St. Maarten immigration entirely, since you never formally enter.
The Sea Shuttle
Roughly twenty-five minutes to Blowing Point, which does require clearing St. Maarten immigration first. Four Seasons runs its own shared and private shuttles with a greeter at the airport. For the other two resorts, I arrange the crossing.
Compare a through-ticket to AXA against flights into SXM plus a separately arranged transfer. The best option depends on schedule, fare, luggage, and connection time, and it is not always the one that looks cheapest at first. A valid passport is required, and entry requirements vary by nationality. If you are flying with small children, the connection is the part worth planning around, and my approach is in the jet lag with kids survival guide.
Do You Need a Car in Anguilla?
Not always. If you mostly want beach, lunch, and the occasional field trip, taxis are easy and your hotel will arrange them. If you like trying different beaches on your own schedule, hate waiting on other people's timing, or travel with children and too many beach bags, rent the car. Anguilla is small. The emotional benefit of not coordinating every ride is large.
What is the best beach in Anguilla?
Maundays Bay is the most photogenic. Meads Bay is the most swimmable and the easiest to build a day around. Shoal Bay East is the best public beach and worth a dedicated day from anywhere on the island. Rendezvous Bay has the calmest water for young children. You will not be disappointed by any of them.
How many days do you need in Anguilla?
Five nights minimum, seven if you want to settle in. The island is small and the pleasure of it is doing less, so a short stay spends most of its time on transfers.
Do you need a car in Anguilla?
Not always. Taxis are easy and your hotel will arrange them. Rent the car if you want to try different beaches on your own schedule, or if you are traveling with children and the associated luggage.
How do you get to Anguilla?
American flies nonstop from Miami to AXA, and AnguillAir lists seasonal direct service from Newark, Boston, Baltimore, and Tampa. Otherwise fly into St. Maarten and cross by a regional flight of under ten minutes, which skips SXM immigration, or by sea shuttle to Blowing Point. Full detail in the logistics section above.
Is Anguilla good for families?
Yes. The water is calm, the drives are short, and Rendezvous Bay and Shoal Bay East are easy days with children. There is no nightlife and no waterpark, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on your family.
Where should I go instead of St. Barth with kids?
Anguilla. Same turquoise water, less traffic, more family-friendly infrastructure. If you are still weighing the two, the St. Barth guide lays out exactly who that island is for.
Beyond the Three
I still send most clients to Cap Juluca, Four Seasons, or Malliouhana. But not every trip wants the same thing.
Zemi Beach House
The luxury answer if Shoal Bay East is the reason you are coming. Smaller and more intimate than Four Seasons, with direct access to the best public beach on the island. Good for couples or smaller families who want the Shoal Bay experience without the day-trip logistics.
Aurora Anguilla
For travelers who want more resort infrastructure: golf, multiple pools, broader activity programming. A different scale from the three resorts I recommend most, but the right answer for certain trips.
Quintessence
Twelve suites, all-inclusive with a private chef. For people who prefer their luxury with fewer people in it and find even small resorts too social.
Go Deeper
You pay exactly what you would pay booking direct. The perks (breakfast, upgrades, resort credits) come from my preferred partner relationships with Four Seasons, Belmond, and Virtuoso, not from a markup on your room.
I know which room categories are worth the upgrade and which ones you can skip. Which views are overstated and which are not. Which connecting-room configurations actually work for families. That comes from real stays and real client feedback, not brochures.
Pre-arrival coordination, restaurant reservations, transfer logistics, and a direct line while you are traveling. If something goes wrong, you are not calling a 1-800 number. You are calling me.
Tell me the dates, who is going, and what kind of trip this is.
I will tell you the resort, the room category, and when to book. Preferred partner perks at all three. No fees, no markups. The same rate you would pay booking direct, with considerably more coming with it.