Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel: Anguilla's Moorish-White Icon on Maundays Bay
A 179-acre stretch of powder-white sand, whitewashed domes, and barefoot Belmond polish.
Why Go
If your idea of Caribbean luxury involves gleaming Moorish-Greco villas dissolving into the palest sand you've ever seen, Cap Juluca is the reason people keep whispering 'Anguilla' like a secret. Set on the crescent of Maundays Bay near the island's southwestern tip, this Belmond flagship pairs a $121 million refresh with the sort of quiet, sun-bleached grandeur that made the original resort a shortlist regular for royals, moguls, and Michelin editors.
The Experience
Cap Juluca sprawls across two miles of beach with the ocean somehow always in view ΓÇö every room, suite, and villa faces the water, and many step directly onto sand or into a private plunge pool. Days blur into a rhythm of Guerlain spa rituals under domed pavilions, sunset paddleboards over the shallow turquoise flats, and Champagne at one of five cabana bars. A dedicated Belmond host quietly choreographs everything from beach picnics on uninhabited cays to reservations at the island's cult-favorite Bankie Banx shack. The mood is closer to a private compound than a hotel ΓÇö hushed, uncrowded, and deeply barefoot.
What to Try
Book a table at Cip's by Cipriani for the resort's signature Venetian-Caribbean crossover — the vitello tonnato with local snapper is the sleeper hit. Reserve a domed cabana at the Cap Shack for lunchtime rum punches and grilled crayfish, then work off the calories with a sunset sail on the resort's Hobie Cat. The Guerlain spa's Orchidée Impériale ritual is the splurge worth making, especially in the open-air pavilion overlooking the bay.
Insider Tip
Ask your Belmond host to arrange a private early-morning breakfast set-up on the far western tip of Maundays Bay ΓÇö before the beach crew rakes the sand, it's the closest thing you'll ever get to having a Caribbean island entirely to yourself. Also: the Pool Villas on the western curve get the postcard sunset view, while the Beachfront Junior Suites on the eastern side catch the softer sunrise light and the calmest swimming.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Maundays Bay, southwestern Anguilla, about 20 minutes (10 km) from Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) or a 25-minute ferry from St. Martin's Blowing Point crossing. Season: Peak is mid-December through April; MayΓÇôJune and November are quieter with softer rates and equally reliable weather. Dress code: Resort-casual throughout, smart-casual at Cip's for dinner. Price: Ultra-luxury (expect USD $1,500+ per night in high season, often significantly more for villas). Getting there: Private transfer arranged through the hotel is easiest; taxis from AXA run roughly USD $28.
Pair It With
- Shoal Bay East — When you want to trade Maundays' cinematic privacy for Anguilla's most famous public beach ΓÇö two miles of blinding-white sand with easygoing beach bars like Gwen's Reggae Grill for a barefoot lunch.
- Bankie Banx's Dune Preserve — The island's legendary driftwood beach bar on Rendezvous Bay, a 10-minute drive from Cap Juluca ΓÇö sunset rum, live reggae, and the kind of scene no resort restaurant can replicate.
- Sandy Island — A tiny sandbar-and-palm-trees cay reached by a short boat shuttle from Sandy Ground, perfect for a long lobster lunch and snorkel between spa days at the resort.