# Caribbean Vacations Forums > Anguilla Vacation Forum >  >  NYT -- 36 hours in Anguilla

## JEK

What to Do in Anguilla  
Anguilla has no right to be fabulous. The Caribbean island, a British overseas territory about seven miles north of St. Maarten/St. Martin, is a blip on the radar  a mere 35 square miles with just six traffic lights. Its dry and flat, and its tourism scene took off only some 20 years ago; until the 1960s, after all, much of the island lacked electricity and telephone service. Yet fabulous Anguilla is home to some of the regions toniest resorts, epicurean eateries and breathtaking beaches. It has architecturally striking villas like those at Altamer, named for exotic gemstones. And it is a magnet for celebrities like Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Buffett, a kind of British St. Barts. Without the pretension, though  Anguillan style is a perfect paradox: unfussy chic, barefoot elegance. There are no cruise ships, casinos or high-rise hotels, but there is a thriving local music scene, headed by notable up-and-coming singer-songwriters like Omari Banks and Ruel Richardson, and showcased at Moonsplash, the islands annual reggae festival. And the fabulous factor grows with every season: luxe hotel unveilings include Malliouhana, reopened late last year after a three-year overhaul, along with coming debuts of Zemi Beach Resort and Spa, an opulent 115-room resort, and the Reef by CuisinArt, a boutique hotel powered by a four-acre solar field.

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## LindaP

Nice article....except I found a flaw in #8....." Pour yourself a glass of local Pyrat rum" , it used to be local, that is, until it was bought out by Jose Cuervo ! I still like it though :)

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## lmj

Just  returned from Anguilla on Saturday and found this article pretty accurate... with one big exception:  there is no way you're gonna have lunch at Straw Hat for $40 for 2 people.  We just had lunch there on Friday and the total came to $120, with nothing too elaborate.  The food is VERY expensive in Anguilla, more than we expected but the quality was also much higher than we anticipated.  I hate to say this on this forum, but the quality of every single meal we had in Anguilla exceeded that of every meal we had in SBH the week before.  I can't think of a single exception, except our lunches on the beach at Guanahani matched our meals in Anguilla, and our dinner at Tamarin came close.  Other than that Anguilla won hands down.  Adding to our enjoyment of the restaurants there:  NO SMOKING.  More on this in another post...

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## Peter NJ

You just gave the forum a heart attack..LOL...I cant wait to hear your thoughts on the beaches








> Just  returned from Anguilla on Saturday and found this article pretty accurate... with one big exception:  there is no way you're gonna have lunch at Straw Hat for $40 for 2 people.  We just had lunch there on Friday and the total came to $120, with nothing too elaborate.  The food is VERY expensive in Anguilla, more than we expected but the quality was also much higher than we anticipated.  I hate to say this on this forum, but the quality of every single meal we had in Anguilla exceeded that of every meal we had in SBH the week before.  I can't think of a single exception, except our lunches on the beach at Guanahani matched our meals in Anguilla, and our dinner at Tamarin came close.  Other than that Anguilla won hands down.  Adding to our enjoyment of the restaurants there:  NO SMOKING.  More on this in another post...

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## lmj

Peter, the beaches were AMAZING!!!

IMG_3023.jpgIMG_3026.jpgIMG_3050.jpgIMG_2977.jpg

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## andynap

There is no question that the beaches in Anguilla are better than SBH hands down. Lynn- did you and Paul make it to Scilly Cay??  http://www.scillycayanguilla.com/

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## lmj

Yes, Andy, we did, we went to a bunch of them.  We stayed on Meads Bay Beach (great for walking to all of our favorite restaurants) and went to Shoal Bay East, Shoal Bay West, Maundays Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Barnes Bay, Cove Bay and Savannah Bay.  Our favorites were "ours" (Meads) and Maundays but they were all gorgeous with powdery white sand and stunning turquoise water.  No shade though on any of them but fortunately we had an umbrella and chaise on our beautiful beach.  BTW we stayed at Turtles Nest Condos directly on Meads Bay Beach, I highly recommend it!  Next door to Straw Hat, a quarter mile walk to Blanchards and Jacala, and walking distance to Oceans Echo, the Viceroy and Malliouhana as well as the infamous B&D BBQ and the Best Buy grocery store.  We had a car and drove around the entire island but on a day to day basis we ended up walking quite a bit since the restaurants were so close and right on our beach.

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## Peter NJ

Junks Hole/Sav Bay are my favorites I love how wild and isolated it is there...Cove Bay and Maundays Bay are up there too as favorites...You sure hit many of the must have visits on your stay when you go back Sandy Island should be on your list as well as Little Bay for snorkeling..Your pictures are beautiful

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## lmj

I had great guidance from LindaP and also from you (re the rental car in particular, Triple K was a great call, thanks!) and from our local friends on the island.  We felt like we saw the majority of the island and hit the hot spots, but next year we'll definitely hit Sandy Island and Little Bay, thanks for the recs!

BTW, most of my pics are trapped inside my defunct iPhone.  I'm waiting for my replacement (which was supposed to arrive today and hasn't, damn it) and am headed to the Genius Bar to get help retrieving them.  So... more to come!

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