Anguilla: The Beaches, and Almost Nothing Else

Why Go

Anguilla has no mountains, no rainforest, no volcano and no cruise berth, and it has built its entire reputation on what is left: about thirty beaches, several of which are genuinely among the finest in the region. It is flat, dry and small, a British Overseas Territory with a population you could fit into a football ground, and it has deliberately stayed quiet while its neighbour eight miles away went the other way. There is no nightlife to speak of, no shopping worth the name, and very little to do that is not either on sand or on a boat. For a certain kind of trip that is not a shortcoming, it is the entire proposition.

What It's Like

The island is a long thin sliver, and the road runs more or less end to end with everything hanging off it. The Valley in the middle is the capital, which surprises visitors by being a modest cluster of government buildings rather than a town. Sandy Ground on the north coast is the closest thing to a nightlife strip, which mostly means a handful of beach bars and the boats. Shoal Bay on the north-east is the beach that made the island's name and still deserves it. Meads Bay and Barnes Bay on the west hold most of the well-known hotels; Rendezvous Bay is the long southern sweep looking across at St Martin; West End Village sits out at the quiet tip. Island Harbour on the east coast is a working fishing village and Cove Bay is the empty south. You can drive the lot in an afternoon, and most people end up doing exactly that on day one and then not moving again.

What to Do

Beaches, and then more beaches, which sounds facetious and is simply accurate — Shoal Bay for the postcard, Rendezvous Bay for the length, Meads Bay for the sunset, Cove Bay for having it to yourself. The food is far better than an island this size has any right to: Blanchards and Da'Vida are the names people book months out for, Julian's: A Tropical French Bistro and Uchu are the newer end, and Palm Grove Barbeque Grill is the shack lunch that regulars rate above all of them. Tackle Box Sports Centre and GoodLiving Charters get you fishing or out on the water. Island Harbour is worth an hour to watch the boats come in. St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church in The Valley is the one piece of architecture anyone photographs.

The Practical Stuff

Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required alongside your own licence, issued by the rental company. The island is small and flat and the roads are easy. The currency is the East Caribbean dollar, though US dollars are accepted essentially everywhere and most prices are quoted in them. English is the only language you need. Anguilla is expensive by regional standards — this is a low-volume, high-cost destination by design, and there is little in the way of a budget tier. It IS in the hurricane belt, with the season running roughly June to November, and it was hit hard in 2017. December to April is the dry, busy and most expensive stretch; the shoulder months either side are the value.

Things to Do in Anguilla

1. Shoal Bay — The beach that made the island's reputation, and it holds up.
2. Rendezvous Bay — A long southern sweep looking across the channel at St Martin.
3. Meads Bay — West-coast sand, most of the well-known hotels, and the sunset side.
4. Sandy Ground — The closest thing to a strip — beach bars, boats and the ferry to nowhere much.
5. Barnes Bay — Quieter west-coast neighbour to Meads, with the same water.
6. Island Harbour — A working fishing village on the east coast, worth an hour at the right time.
7. Cove Bay — The empty south, and the beach you are most likely to have alone.
8. West End Village — The quiet far tip, and the road out to the best of the west coast.
9. The Valley — The capital, and smaller than the word suggests.
10. Blowing Point — The ferry terminal, and how nearly everybody actually arrives.
11. Blanchards — The restaurant people book before they book the flight.
12. Palm Grove Barbeque Grill — The beach shack lunch that regulars rate above the famous rooms.