ÀNI Anguilla Private Resort
A clifftop Caribbean estate you rent whole, staffed like your own private embassy.
Why Go
Perched above Little Bay on Anguilla's wild northern coast, ÀNI is not a hotel you check into — it's a two-villa private resort you take over entirely, from the infinity pools to the tennis court to the twenty-strong team that quietly makes everything happen.
The Experience
You arrive to find the whole place is yours. Just one group at a time books ÀNI, so the North and South villas, the clifftop lawns, the spa, the gym, the cinema room and both ocean-facing infinity pools belong to you and yours for the week. The mood is barefoot-elegant rather than stiff — kids in the pool, cousins on the tennis court, someone reading in a hammock — while a rotating cast of chefs, spa therapists, dive guides and butlers glide in and out anticipating what's next. Meals happen where you want them: a long lunch table under the sea grape trees, a beach BBQ down at Little Bay, a candlelit tasting menu on the terrace. Because the staff-to-guest ratio is nearly 1:1, the resort effectively molds itself around your group's rhythm rather than the other way around.
What to Try
Book the full-board dining program and let the kitchen improvise ΓÇö the chefs cook from a global playbook but shine when riffing on Anguillan seafood (spiny lobster, snapper, conch) pulled from local boats that morning. Take at least one daily spa treatment (it's included), do a sunset dip in the cliffside infinity pool as the light turns pink over Scrub Island, and use the resort's boat for a private snorkel run to Little Bay's caves ΓÇö reachable only by water or a rope descent down the cliff. Cultural add-ons like a steel drum lesson or a private cooking class with the sous chef are genuinely worth doing.
Insider Tip
ÀNI's real magic is 'ask and it appears' — but only if you ask early. Send the concierge your group's obsessions (a specific rum, a preferred pillow firmness, a nut allergy, a surprise anniversary cake, a dawn hike to Windward Point) a week before arrival and the entire stay is pre-choreographed. Also: the North Villa's master suite has the better sunset view; the South Villa is quieter and better for families with small kids near the pool.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Little Bay, on Anguilla's rugged northern shore, about 20 minutes by car from Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) or 25 minutes from Blowing Point ferry terminal. Booked as a full-resort buyout for 1ΓÇô20 guests across two villas; rates are all-inclusive (meals, drinks, daily spa treatments, most activities, airport transfers, childcare). Reservations: +1-888-302-6651 (US toll free) or reservations@aniprivateresorts.com. Best for multigenerational trips, wedding parties, milestone birthdays and corporate retreats where privacy is the whole point.
Pair It With
- Aurora Anguilla Golf Course — The Greg NormanΓÇôdesigned championship course is a short drive away and ├ÇNI can arrange tee times and clubs ΓÇö a natural half-day for the golfers in your group.
- Little Bay (by boat) — The tiny half-moon beach directly below the resort is only reachable by kayak, paddleboard or a rope down the cliff ΓÇö the concierge will set up a private snorkel trip into its sea caves.
- Scilly Cay Guide — A castaway sandbar off Island Harbour famous for grilled lobster and rum punch, perfect for a laid-back lunch excursion arranged through the ├ÇNI team.
- Sunshine Shack (Rendezvous Bay) — When you want to escape the bubble for a night, this beach shack's Sunday BBQ and live music is the antidote to full-board dining.