Has anyone been to Anguilla

Travel discussion for St. John
Post Reply
Jo Ann - VA
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 11:56 am
Location: Virginia

Has anyone been to Anguilla

Post by Jo Ann - VA »

I am starting to research this island. Anyone know anything about it?


Jo Ann
Jo Ann
Always planning the next vacation...
Image
DELETED

Post by DELETED »

DELETED
User avatar
ihochman
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:32 pm
Location: East Hampton NY

Post by ihochman »

I went to Anguilla about 5 years ago and stayed at
Cap Jaluca. A fabulous place!!! Gorgeous beach and
great amenities with wonderful restaurants. The island itself wasn't very beautiful. Very dry and not very lush. Some wonderful restaurants (loved Blanchards).
But this was 5 or 6 years ago. I'm sure things have changed and things have grown.
User avatar
Anthony
Site Admin
Posts: 3044
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:45 pm
Location: Clermont, NY
Contact:

Post by Anthony »

Our forum for Anguilla used to be as busy as this one - there isn't much of action on it nowadays, but I know people still ready - check it out here:

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/travel ... um.php?f=1

I would love for you to register on COL and ask some questions there - it would be great to see that thing come to life again!

Thanks -
Anthony for Virgin Islands On Line
quetsch
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:56 am
Location: upstate new york

Post by quetsch »

Hi Jo Ann-Long time "lurker" to this forum first time posting.
My husband and I went to Anguilla in 2006-loved it!
The island is not as green as St.John but the beaches are just as beautiful. We stayed at Carimar which is a small complex on Mead's Bay-quiet,relaxing and very clean. We are going back this Novmeber because we
totally fell in love with the island and the people!
There is not a ton of things to do there-mostly sun,swim,eat and relax-what more could you ask for-it
is also a bit pricey for meals compared to St. John.
St.John and Anguilla are our two favorite places now!!
User avatar
nothintolose
Posts: 1960
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: New Orleans, LA

Post by nothintolose »

quetsch - is there alot of snorkeling right off the beach like on STJ?

Jo Ann - VA...whether you go to Anguilla or not, Melinda Blanchard's book A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean is an AWESOME read. Here is their website: http://www.blanchardsrestaurant.com/

nothintolose
irbgolfin
Posts: 90
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:50 am

Post by irbgolfin »

We went last summer, couldn't get FF tix to STT, but could to SXM, so gave it a try.

Overall we enjoyed it, compared favorably to StJ, nice people, but they are building HUGE resorts on some of the nice beaches which make them tough to get to unless you stay there. Technically the beaches are all public, but if there's nowhere to park or you have to access from the water, it's a moot point. It is also quite pricey (as in I thought StJ was expensive but couldn't get as much villa for the $$$). The villa we found on the slower side to get into our budget has raised its off season rate for next summer by 60%! They were having labor issues at one of the resorts being built (not enough locals to do the work so they've imported Indian and Chinese labor). One article indicated that in a few years when the occupancy availability has tripled with currently planned construction they will have to import labor just to cook/clean the places, not enough locals. I think they said there would be 20,000 hotel rooms, IIRC, on an island that is roughly the size of StJ. Don't quote me on these numbers, they are off the top of my head!!!

We're a middle aged couple with two early 20 kids who did StJ in 2006 and Anguilla in 2007, and all agreed that Anguilla was OK, but we preferred StJ. Biggest plus for StJ is the national park beaches.

Didn't snorkel off the beach, we were at some wonderful beaches that were all sand, and we had snorkel access from our villa via a rocky entry so we snorkeled there. My gut feel is that it's available but not everywhere, you have to pick your spots.
User avatar
susan & herb
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:02 pm
Location: northern nj

Post by susan & herb »

We were in Anguilla about 6 years ago. They had just started building the Mega resorts. I think Quisinart was in the process (not the mixer, the resort).
We stayed in a two story condo right on the same beach as Mallahouna (not sure of the spelling).
People were very friendly, not much to do.
We actually came in on a Sunday, found all the grocery stores closed (I had warned DH but he wouldn't listen). Taxi driver took us to his friends grocery store, he lived upstairs. He opened the store so that we could buy food, milk etc.

Blanchard restaurant on the beach (they wrote the book about their move and opening the restaurant) was excellent.
I don't think you can compare the two islands especially now that there are mega resorts growing in the sand on Anguilla.
Image
Post Reply