Anguilla, British West Indies

[Dave Pressley]

One poorly traveled local (me) gets to go to Anguilla to accompany his wife on her business "retreat". I am desperately looking for any restaurant recommendations as well as any fun "to do" stuff. I have exhausted most of my options for info and nobody I know (seemingly) has ever been there. I'm turning to you all...anyone been? Any help would be gladly appreciated.

[KMango]

One poorly traveled local (me) gets to go to Anguilla to accompany his wife on her business "retreat". I am desperately looking for any restaurant recommendations as well as any fun "to do" stuff. I have exhausted most of my options for info and nobody I know (seemingly) has ever been there. I'm turning to you all...anyone been? Any help would be gladly appreciated.

You may have already "gone there", but if you do a Google search of: lonely planet Anguilla

Lots of good intel emerges.

(if you found this at all helpful, then i'd like to cash in a favor check)

(i collect sand from all over the world)

(and don't yet have a vial specifically from anguilla)

[Merry Mary]

For others who might be interested, there is a forum Full of up to date info from locals, ex pats, and people who have been visiting for years.

Anguilla Forum

[Lola007]

One poorly traveled local (me) gets to go to Anguilla to accompany his wife on her business "retreat". I am desperately looking for any restaurant recommendations as well as any fun "to do" stuff. I have exhausted most of my options for info and nobody I know (seemingly) has ever been there. I'm turning to you all...anyone been? Any help would be gladly appreciated.

Anguilla has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches I've ever seen. I took a day trip over there from St. Martin a few years ago and visited the Cuisinart resort. I took a tour and had lunch at the outdoor restaurant. The resort has its own hyrdoponic farm, so the menu features salads and veggies grown there. It was good, but not outstanding IMHO. http://www.cuisinartresort.com/view.php?catID=22&pID=234.

But I did enjoy the beautiful surroundings as the Cuisinart Resort and Spa, which is modelled after Mykonos, Greece. I can't recommend any other places in Anguilla, but if you have the chance, take the ferry over to St. Martin (port of Marigot). Then take a cab to Grand Case where you'll find many excellent restaurants (especially French--in my opinion, this is the place to find the most authentic French restaurants outside of France) I also tend to think there is more to see and do on St. Martin as opposed to Anguilla (except for the resorts and beaches)--my opinion, based on my experince, of course. There are some nice shops in Marigot and gambling/casinos on the Dutch side (although I tend to avoid the Dutch side; there is a significant difference between the French and Dutch sides). There's a butterfly farm on the French side of the island (la Ferme des Papillons). And if you have the time, take another ferry or quick flight over to St. Barth's.

[Halloween]

Hi Shaggy,

There are many restaurant recommendations in the dr.com "Caribbean All-Inclusive Resort" thread. I posted some of the recs (even though I haven't stayed at an all-inclusive resort), and believe that you will find plenty to do (eat), hear (several local bands) and enjoy (white-sand beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving) in Anguilla. I'm not a fan of vacationing in St. Martin. For me, there's just too much going on. I've been to Anguilla five times, and believe it is paradise, especially for people who love to eat and to relax. There is a vibrant culture beyond the resorts (whatever you do, do not spend you entire trip at a resort), and people are warm and welcoming.

I check the Anguilla Forum (link, above) and Trip Advisor before every trip to obtain the latest restaurant information. I'll check the recs I listed in the dr.com thread (in 2007 or 2008, I think) and update them. You're going to have an amazing trip!

[Merry Mary]

I can't recommend any other places in Anguilla, but if you have the chance, take the ferry over to St. Martin (port of Marigot). Then take a cab to Grand Case where you'll find many excellent restaurants (especially French--in my opinion, this is the place to find the most authentic French restaurants outside of France).

Anguilla is known for its gourmet dining.

[Lola007]

Anguilla has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches I've ever seen. I took a day trip over there from St. Martin a few years ago and visited the Cuisinart resort. I took a tour and had lunch at the outdoor restaurant. The resort has its own hyrdoponic farm, so the menu features salads and veggies grown there. It was good, but not outstanding IMHO. http://www.cuisinartresort.com/view.php?catID=22&pID=234.

But I did enjoy the beautiful surroundings as the Cuisinart Resort and Spa, which is modelled after Mykonos, Greece. I can't recommend any other places in Anguilla, but if you have the chance, take the ferry over to St. Martin (port of Marigot). Then take a cab to Grand Case where you'll find many excellent restaurants (especially French--in my opinion, this is the place to find the most authentic French restaurants outside of France) I also tend to think there is more to see and do on St. Martin as opposed to Anguilla (except for the resorts and beaches)--my opinion, based on my experince, of course. There are some nice shops in Marigot and gambling/casinos on the Dutch side (although I tend to avoid the Dutch side; there is a significant difference between the French and Dutch sides). There's a butterfly farm on the French side of the island (la Ferme des Papillons). And if you have the time, take another ferry or quick flight over to St. Barth's.

Anguilla is known for its gourmet dining.

That may be. I can only go on what I personally experienced. FYI, Grand Case in St. Martin is also known around the world for gourmet dining. When I visited Anguilla a few years back, friends of mine were building a house there and were of the opinion that the restaurants in Grand Case far surpassed those of Anguilla. They've lived on both islands for over 15 years (and one of them is a chef who trained in France), so I trusted their recommendations.

[RWBooneJr]

Anguilla is one of the greatest places I've ever been. Blanchards is the best restaurant on the island. If I only went one place, it would be there. The restaurant at the Malliouhana is good too, and provides a really great setting. It is open-air on a cliff and has a great wine list. For something cheaper, go to Tasty's or to Scilly Cay. And for drinks, head to the Dune Preserve or Elvis' Beach Bar.

[durwoodx]

Any other quick recommendations? Wife and I are headed there Monday for 7 days of beachy bliss.

[durwoodx]

Well, we are here. One of if not THE most beautiful places I have ever been but holy crikey is it expensive. As put so timelessly in The Blues Brothers, "The soup is f%$#ing ten dollars!" (Although really it's more like $12-15.)

[genericeric]

Just back from a brief trip to Anguilla.  Mental note - don't take a short trip to Anguilla, took 17 hours in transit.  Beautiful island, very quiet and peaceful (at least on the western end), wonderfully nice people.  Destruction from Hurricane Irma in 2017 is still very apparent.  We stayed at the Four Seasons resort and didn't venture far, but did enjoy a few local restaurants in addition to the resort offerings.

Picante is a local restaurant serving mexican food - great margaritas and, by far, the best chicken enchiladas I have ever eaten.  They're apparently known for their chili-queso corn on the cob, which seemed to be to be mexican street corn, and it lived up to expectations.  Churros and mexican chocolate pudding were both also excellent, but those enchiladas could be my last meal request if I ever find myself in that situation.  Located just outside of the entrance to the 4 seasons.

Blanchards serves upscale beachfront food in their dining room (not to be confused with their beach "shack").  Service was lovely and attentive, and the food was quite good.  Not mind-blowing good, but quite good.  We were with a group so had bites of the herbed ricotta, beef tenderloin, and Anguillan Crayfish.  Had the 'Cracked Coconut' for dessert, which has coconut ice cream inside a chocolate shell covered with coconut, on baileys cream and chocolate sauce.

The offerings at the Four Seasons were quite nice for hotel food.  The Sunset Lounge featured asian cuisine and wonderful sushi, and has quite the nightlife that people from other locations on the island come in for (closes at 11pm).  Knockout drink offerings (I mean that literally AND figuratively).

Anguilla knows the market they are in - most people come and stay for at least a week, many longer, in generally very nice accommodations.  With that in mind, I didn't find the local restaurants to be priced out of line.  The Four Seasons was, but I was expecting that, and honestly it was higher quality than it may have needed to be.