Without cruise ships, Caribbean Anguilla bets on uncomplicated luxury

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A paradise of white sands and water-green sea with a certain air of past decades — when designer stores had not yet taken over the Caribbean, vying with casinos for the attention of cruise tourists and guests adept at the all-inclusive service.

About 18 kilometers from the island of São Martinho, the also small Anguilla (which the locals pronounce as if there were an umlaut, “Angüilla”) bets on a different itinerary: luxury resorts and boutique hotels with the kind of unpretentious foot in the sand that it attracts couples, well-heeled families and celebrities looking for a break from the spotlight.

The expansion of tourism took place mainly in the last three decades, and placed the sector as the most important for the local economy, which also profits from lobster fishing and offshore banks.

Considered the first luxury resort in the territory, Malliouhana, built in the 1980s, represented the beginning of the turn where, 20 years before, there was a lack of electricity and a telephone network.

The hotel, by the way, recovers the name that the island originally had, baptized by the indigenous people who arrived there about 4,000 years ago — the term means “sea serpent in the form of an arrow”.

It is said that Christopher Columbus sailed through the region in 1493, but did not land in the territory, which was renamed by Europeans with the current name —”eel” in Spanish.

The island was then colonized by the English in 1650 and became part of the West Indies Federation, as Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. With formally recognized separation in December 1980, Anguilla became a British Overseas Territory, a status it still maintains today.

If Prime Minister Ellis Webster were to propose a distribution of the coastline by the country’s population, there would be only 545 people on each of the 33 beaches. But the 18,000 residents show up very little, and many tourists spend part of their time in the pools of the resorts, which makes the stretches of sand quite peaceful.

There, all beaches are public, and access is guaranteed even in areas where hotels and resorts put their services on the sand, with chairs, umbrellas and cold drinks.

One of the most famous is Shoal Bay East, with calm waters and very white sand, a few restaurants, and one of the luxury hotels on the island, the Zemi Beach House —staff like to say that there tourists find “their home away from home “.

In a quiet corner of the hotel, the Thai House Spa stands out for its dark teak wood construction, integrated with the trees. The house was erected 300 years ago in Thailand using a traditional technique that dispenses with nails.

In the early 1970s, it was completely dismantled, and the parts were transported to Anguilla, to be reassembled on the land that years later would be transformed into a hotel.

Despite the comfort of the suites and “penthouses” with private pools, the atmosphere is uncomplicated: guests wear flip-flops and a T-shirt and can have breakfast at the tables with their feet in the sand.

Some take the opportunity to explore the water just ahead in kayaks, stand-up boards or with snorkeling equipment.

To see more fish and corals, the choice may be the even emptier and quieter Barnes Bay, almost at the western end of the island. This is where another giant of luxury is located in Anguilla, the Four Seasons, with almost all accommodations overlooking the sea.

On the other side of the Four Seasons is Meads Bay, with the same scenery of very clear water, white sand and blue sky horizon.

To change the perspective a little and reach two of the most beautiful spots in the place, you need to take a boat from Sandy Ground.

The first is Sandy Island, a small piece of sand with a restaurant and beach chairs in the middle of the ocean. Despite being very popular, it doesn’t get crowded, and you can enjoy both the water and the dry area.

The second is Scilly Cay, which houses a restaurant run by the same family since 1985, serving lobsters, crayfish and snapper prepared on the grill, to accompany the rum punch —the drink is as Caribbean and ubiquitous as the johnny cakes (flour dumplings, salt, sugar and butter, which can be fried or baked, and are somewhat related to Brazilian raincakes).

Important warning: don’t even think about looking for an outlet to recharge your cell phone while waiting for lunch to arrive, because there is no electricity there.

As the distances are small, it is possible to visit both islets in the same day and still stop at diving points, including the little beach of Little Bay, squeezed between cliffs (the bravest jump from there).

From the boat you can also see the Arch from another angle, carved into the limestone cliffs on the west coast of the island and accessed by land for very instagrammable photos.

Sailors say that there are dolphins in the region, but none of them showed up during the report’s visit at the beginning of last November.

Covering an area of ​​91 square kilometres, Anguilla is also easily accessible by land. The way to cross the island —for the most part, a single lane that goes and another that comes— passes through the capital, The Valley (which concentrates government buildings, commerce and the airport), and through many empty lots, houses with backyard and a collection of abandoned buildings.

Some of these constructions are the subject of legal disputes over the estate, others were stopped in the middle of the process due to lack of money from investors, and still others suffered significant damage during the passage of Hurricane Irma.

The tropical cyclone that devastated the island in 2017 destroyed power infrastructure, toppled government buildings and damaged hotels and resorts.

Much was quickly recovered, but some remained unmaintained. Over the years, wires, doors, windows and other items have been washed away, leaving behind huge skeletons frozen in time and mistreated by the sea air.

There is no public transport on the territory. To get around, it is possible to rent a car (and never forget to drive in the English hand), or arrange destinations with a taxi driver.

For an extra dose of charm, it’s worth opting for a Moke. The British-built retro Jeeps are available in a variety of colors, with a reversible top and automatic or manual transmission options.

Modern luxury, with an antique feel, to match the spirit of the island.


SERVICE

HOW TO GET

American Airlines has direct flights from Miami. Other companies connect in Puerto Rico or San Martino. It is also possible to cross by sea, coming from São Martinho. Ferries operate several times a day.

WHERE TO STAY
Aurora Anguilla

https://www.auroraanguilla.com/
Rates from US$949*.

Belmond Cap Juluca

https://www.belmond.com/hotels/north-america/caribbean/anguilla/belmond-cap-juluca/
Rooms start at $1,962.

Four Seasons

www.fourseasons.com/anguilla
Rooms start at US$1,280.

maliouhana

https://aubergeresorts.com/malliouhana/
Rooms start at $728.

Zemi Beach House

www.zemibeach.com/
Rooms start at $928.

* Prices checked on 24.Nov.2022.

The journalist traveled to Anguilla at the invitation of the Anguilla Tourist Board

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