This week’s dream: Hopping from beach to beach in Anguilla
“For the ultimate chill Caribbean vacation, there’s no beating Anguilla,” said Jonathan Melmoth in Thrillist.com.
“A sliver of paradise with 33 pristine beaches lapped by electric-blue sea,” the tiny island east of Puerto Rico isn’t as glamorous as nearby St. Barths, but that’s part of the appeal. Anguillans have resisted an incursion of megaresorts and cruise ships, and the island has been quieter than usual this fall in part owing to the damage done a year ago by hurricanes Irma and Maria. But this British territory has been quicker to bounce back than some of its neighbors, and with high season arriving in December, many of its “sun-kissed” porches are even now enjoying fresh coats of pastel paint.
Once you fly into St. Maarten and catch a speedboat to Anguilla, “the only tough decision is which beach to hit first.” The island’s north coast has the clearest water and whitest sand, but “pick a number between 1 and 33—you can’t go wrong.” West-facing Little Bay is great for watching the sunset. Beautiful Shoal Bay offers “a 2-mile stretch of sugary white sand with a snorkel-ready reef in the middle.” If you’re feeling adventurous, charter a boat ride with Tradition Sailing. You’ll set off on a ruby-red West Indian sloop for Prickly Pear Cay, “which is Robinson Crusoe all over, except for the lobster lunch served at the beach café.”
It’s “not for nothing” that Anguilla is known as the Caribbean’s culinary capital. Crayfish, lobster, and other fresh seafood is plentiful, and both the high- and low-end dining is great. At the Straw Hat, a beachside spot in Meads Bay, you can look out on the “impossibly turquoise” sea while sipping cocktails and feasting on Caribbean goat curry. For true local flavor, visit The Valley, Anguilla’s capital, and look for Mabel Gumbs’ corn soup shack. Mabel makes her chowder by grinding corn and pigeon peas in a mortar and stewing them with salted pigtail. “There’s no official address, but all you need to know is what every local knows—it’s under the tamarind tree.”
At Turtle’s Nest Beach Resort (turtlesnest beachresort.com), studio condos start at $190.