Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel ΓÇö Maundays Bay's Moorish-White Fantasy
A 179-acre Moorish-Mediterranean hideaway on arguably the Caribbean's most beautiful beach.
Why Go
Domed white villas fanning out along a mile of powder-soft sand and unreasonably turquoise water ΓÇö Cap Juluca is the Caribbean-luxury benchmark that other resorts quietly measure themselves against.
The Experience
Set on the healing shores of Maundays Bay at Anguilla's West End, Cap Juluca is a low-slung, sun-bleached compound of 108 rooms and suites built in a whimsical Moorish-meets-Santorini style ΓÇö think domes, arches, private terraces and a horizon that never stops being blue. Every room faces the sea, and the top villas come with freshwater infinity pools and heated jacuzzis a few steps from the sand. Days move at a deliberately slow tempo: sunrise yoga on the beach, a swim in the bay's absurdly calm water, lunch with your toes in the sand, a Guerlain spa treatment, and cocktails at one of four cabana bars as the sky turns pink over St. Martin in the distance. Belmond's takeover polished the service to Forbes-level precision without stripping out the barefoot, island-chic soul that made the original Cap Juluca a legend.
What to Try
Book a table at Pimms, the flagship over-water restaurant where the Caribbean laps the foundations while you eat elevated Anguillian cuisine ΓÇö it's widely called the most romantic seat on the island. For a change of register, Cip's by Cipriani delivers al fresco carpaccio and pasta from the Venice playbook, and UCHU is Anguilla's only Peruvian kitchen (order the ceviche). The Cap Shack is the toes-in-the-sand lunch. Beyond food: a sunset paddleboard along Maundays, a rum tasting at the beach bar, and at least one Guerlain spa ritual in a domed treatment room.
Insider Tip
The property closes every September and October for the low season, so plan around that ΓÇö and if you can, request a Villa on the western curve of the bay: the sunsets frame Saint-Martin's silhouette perfectly, and you're a shorter barefoot walk to Pimms. Ask the concierge to arrange a private beach dinner rather than defaulting to in-restaurant seating; it's one of the few luxury add-ons here that's genuinely worth it.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Maundays Bay, West End Village, Anguilla ΓÇö roughly a 20-minute drive (about 10 km) from Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, or a short transfer from the Blowing Point ferry terminal if you're coming via St. Martin. Season: open November through August; closed SeptemberΓÇôOctober. Vibe: barefoot luxury, resort-casual by day, smart-casual for Pimms at night. Book villas and holiday dates several months ahead ΓÇö Christmas and February half-term sell out first.
Pair It With
- Sandy Ground & Roy's Bayside Grill — For a laid-back off-property lunch on Anguilla's most social beach ΓÇö a good counterpoint to Cap Juluca's polished calm.
- Shoal Bay East — Consistently rated one of the world's best beaches; an easy half-day excursion when you want a different stretch of sand and a beach-shack lobster lunch.
- Sunday Brunch at Malliouhana — A rival grande-dame resort a short drive away ΓÇö worth a visit for the clifftop views and a taste of Anguilla's other luxury icon.
- Prickly Pear Cays boat trip — Charter a day sail from Sandy Ground to snorkel, grill lobster on an uninhabited cay, and see Anguilla from the water.