City: Anguilla
Top Things to do in Anguilla
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10 Things to Do in Anguilla That You Shouldn't Miss
What makes Anguilla's beaches the best in the world? White, powdery sand that stretches for miles, pristine waters and the laid-back, welcoming attitude of the Anguillan people. Swim and sunbathe all day—and all year round—at romantic public beaches like the aptly-named Rendezvous Bay, then dance to calypso music at Anguilla's annual summer festival.
Restaurants in Anguilla
1. Shoal Bay
Overall Ratings
5 based on 970 reviews
A popular beach with white sand and turquoise water that has its secluded areas as well.
Reviewed By TiraG
Post hurricane Irma Shoal Bay East is just as stunningly beautiful if not more so. Sugar white sands, crystal clear waters and several beach restaurants and bars make this my preferred weekend getaway.
2. Maundays Bay
Overall Ratings
5 based on 154 reviews
Reviewed By Anna Beth G - Seal Beach, California
We enjoyed this beach very much! Gorgeous! Quiet but you can walk to some bars...........They also have rentals so you can have some water activities. You can jost bob in the ocean, however! It's truly beautiful!
3. Meads Bay
Overall Ratings
5 based on 330 reviews
This scenic beach is located close to several luxury resorts.
Reviewed By Stephanie B
We stayed at the Malliouhana which was on this beach. The sand was soft, the water was beautiful and lunch at Blanchard's Beach Shack tops it off! It's a blue-green sea of tranquility. Great for kayaking and water activities. There's some decent snorkeling by the rocks at Malli. Highly recommend!
4. Rendezvous Bay Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 396 reviews
This bay is the site of a popular beach and was once the location of a key battle between the English and French for colonial control over the island.
Reviewed By Manuela L - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Rendezvous Bay Beach is an unique opportunity for recharging your batteries; fine white sandy bay, cristal clear turquoise water, sometimes alone on the beach in a calm and zen atmosphere, listening the sound of the wawes; Not to mention what give it this name;
No dupte, here we will be fulfilled, and will return.
5. GB Ferries
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 223 reviews
Whether you need an exclusive or shared private charter or simply a ferry shuttle between Anguilla and St. Maarten/Princess Juliana Airport Terminal; a day trip to or drop off and/or pickup from St. Barths; sea excursions around Anguilla or one of its several keys including Prickly Pear and Sandy Island, you are in good hands with GB Express.
Reviewed By Jane L - England
Used in Dec 2017, the departure from St Maarten had changed but it was accessible and easy. Great 30 minutes smooth safe ride, clean and efficient, staff very helpful with my large luggage. Blowing Point had blown away in the hurricane, but it really did not matter, they are coping well. Would also make a great trip day trip.
6. Sandy Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 279 reviews
Sandy Island is a small cay off Sandy Ground beach in Anguilla. It is quite possibly the most beautiful place one will ever visit. A popular off island getaway, Sandy Island offers visitors a sensational tropical experience. It’s far away enough for that quintessential Robinson Crusoe feeling, yet close enough to stay connected to the Mainland. The Restaurant opens daily serving fresh seafood and grilled meats, and the bar is fully stocked with ice cold beers and spirits from around the world.
Reviewed By LuxeFamilyFun - United States
A total beach oasis - a tiny island that serves (way overpriced, but imagine the cost of moving all that product onto what is essentially just a sand bar) drinks and some food.
You can walk the entire island in less than five minutes, of course that depends on how much sand is around since the island grows and shrinks during the year depending on the currents and weather.
This is a "do not miss" if you're in Anguilla. Fun people are visiting here...great time.
7. Little Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 150 reviews
Accessible only by boat, this secluded cove is perfect for a quiet afternoon on the beach.
Reviewed By Mark M - Dallas, Texas
Of all the Beaches in Anguilla, this is probably the current best snorkel on the main island (some of the other nearby Islands like Prickly Pear are at a similar level). This obviously changes over time, and I can remember when the points at Meads Bay and Barnes Bay were this good. Water is extremely calm, lots of marine life. Just be sure to bring a cooler as there are no facilities at this beach.
Best way to get here is to find Calvin at Crocus Bay and have him take you by boat. Can't say enough nice things about Calvin. You'll find him near daVida most every day. Just ask around, or his phone number is on his boat. You can't miss it.
8. Dolphin Discovery Anguilla
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 426 reviews
The Dolphinarium is located in Blowing Point beach, 50 meters from migration. There are two ways to reach the destination: From St. Maarten taking the boat in Marigot from the French side will take 20 minutes by Ferry or from the airport in the Dutch side will take 45 minutes by Ferry. Once the boat has stopped at Blowing Point, you will have to get to our offices by your own. From there we will take you by taxi (included) to the Dolphinarium that is 500 meters from the Office.
Reviewed By happytravelertx77 - Keller, Texas
We paid $600 to book this activity for our family of four as a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean. It was advertised as kid/family friendly and I had read a number of glowing reviews. We expected this to be the highlight of our cruise. The actual experience causes me to question the legitimacy of those glowing reviews, and I'm writing this in the hope that someone else can avoid what we went through.
We assembled at the dock in St. Maarten at the designated time, where we stood in a crowd in the heat for 20 minutes or so waiting for direction. We were each given two wristbands - one for the excursion and one for the water taxi, and marched through the crowded streets to the water taxi dock, where we stood in another crowd for a while. We then checked in with an overwhelmed looking woman holding a clipboard, who directed us to our water taxi - an old, rusty, dirty vessel that was entirely enclosed and smelled of exhaust fumes. We took our seats and waited. As people boarded the boat, the operators asked that if anyone started to feel sick, please ask for a bag because they didn't like cleaning vomit off the floors. Very shortly into the 75 minute boat ride, the excursion turned into a nightmare. The boat was bouncing uncontrollably in every direction. The crew was visibly worried. My kids began to cry. And then the vomiting began. Nearly every child on that boat threw up - a few made it into the trash bags hastily distributed by the crew, but many did not. I spent the last 45 minutes of the ride covered in vomit, trying to comfort my terrified kids and keep myself from getting sick, while praying silently that we got off the boat safely. Needless to say, there was no commentary about the Islands or the dolphins. The windows of the water taxi were so old and filthy that we couldn't have seen much of the Islands even if we were interested.
When we arrived at Anguilla, each pale passenger emerging from the boat was at first just grateful to be off the boat, and then furious at the situation. As we were herded through a building and then onto a bus, everyone was expressing outrage. But no one associated with the tour seemed a bit concerned about it. No one apologized, asked if we needed anything, or even asked if we were okay.
We then arrived at a beach area, half of which was devoted to the dolphin encounter. We weren't given any instructions (I headed toward the water hose to rinse the vomit off of myself and my daughter). Then we waited at the beach for an hour or two, while everyone asked each other what we were supposed to do. There were sandwiches available, but no one felt like eating. There were also $3 soft drinks/water, and a cash bar. The ads for the excursion mentioned kayaking, snorkeling, and other water sports, but none of that appeared to be available. The kids played in the water for a while, but eventually everyone became impatient and worried that there had been no communication about what was going on. At this point we were also becoming concerned about the time, as we knew we had another long horrible boat ride back before boarding our cruise ship. Finally word got around that we were to assemble on the other side of the beach and put on life jackets - which was another messy and confusing scene. Then we sat and waited for the same (increasingly overwhelmed) lady to call our group up to the pier. Eventually our group was shown to a section of the pier and told to walk onto a submerged platform to see a dolphin. The waves were so bad that my youngest was too scared to get in. They were almost too much for my my oldest, but she and I enjoyed the dolphin bit while my husband and youngest sat on the pier. The dolphin encounter consists of standing on the platform holding onto a chain link fence while a trained dolphin interacts with each participant one at a time. A photographer takes pictures of each participant interacting with the dolphin - in fact as another reviewer noted, the entire thing is set up to get photos. After about 15 minutes in the water, we were shown out of the water and back onto the bus. Our group was very worried about the time at this point because our cruise ship was leaving in an hour and a half, and we knew we still had a long return boat ride. And the kids had begun to cry again in anticipation of the return boat ride. But the bus took us to a tiny gift shop area, where we waited along with dozens of other people for another 30 minutes. The staff told us that they were having technical difficulties getting our photos to appear on screens. We asked if we could just go ahead and leave in the interests of time, but the staff barked at us that we had to stay and our cruise ship was not going to leave us. There was a large sign in the crowded gift shop (which was of course full of little kids) warning that if you break something you must pay full price for it, amid dozens of small glass objects and toys on very low shelves. When the pictures finally appeared, the staff explained that it was $40 for a single photo (prior reviews noted $30-$35 per photo, so apparently these prices increase frequently) and $189 for a CD of all of our photos. On top of the $600 we paid for the activity. Plus, the images on the screens were too small and grainy to tell if they were any good.
Then we were sent back onto a boat - mercifully, a different boat this time. We were among the lucky few who got a seat outside for the return trip. The ride back was also very rough, but being outside and having empty stomachs at least kept the nausea at bay. I can't speak for the poor souls who did not make it onto the boat in time to claim an outdoor seat.
By the time we got to the Guest Services desk on our cruise ship to complain, the cruise ship staff explained that they had already been made aware of the situation (no doubt by many other angry passengers) and refunds were in process.
So I credit Royal Caribbean for the speedy (partial) refund. And we did get to interact with a cute and amazingly well trained dolphin for a minute. And I genuinely felt bad for the lady with the clipboard. But my kids called it "the worst trip ever" and made us promise never to take them on a boat ride like that ever again. So I sincerely hope that others will read this before subjecting their kids to this excursion.
9. Sandy Ground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 128 reviews
This crowded coastal area is filled with popular restaurants, bars and dance clubs.
Reviewed By Paul F
The village of Sandy Ground is an interesting place to visit or stay. The bay is home to many smaller boats as well as the major port on the island, so the beach isn't as pristine as most on the island, but still better than the Jersey Shore! There are lots of good eateries along the beach, ranging from affordable to expensive. there are also a number of shops and galleries to check out.
10. Prickly Pear Cays
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
This small island is located six miles from the Anguillan Mainland and is popular among swimmers and snorkelers looking for a less crowded experience.
Reviewed By Manuela L - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Anguilla provides a wonderful opportunity to relax in a stunning natural setting:
a British overseas territory since 1982, so Anguilla has some features that are essential to know when travelling there, it's very nice to visit this natural island; the most important is probably driving on the left.
