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Anguilla map
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Airport
Wallblake Airport, airport code AXA, is located just south east of Anguilla’s capital, the Valley. The airstrip has recently been lengthened, but it is still only long enough for turbo-props and small jets, so you will definitely have to make a connection in the Caribbean region. From the States the best transit point is St Maarten or San Juan and coming from Europe it is either St Maarten or Antigua. Luggage sometimes goes amiss in the transfer, so make sure to take a full change of tropical clothes in your hand luggage, and your bathing costume of course.
Facilities at the airport’s single terminal building include a gift shop and restaurant which serves snacks landside. The departure lounge has a small gift shop and cable TV, but no food or drink is available.
There is an airport porter, and a taxi stand, t 497 5054. Taxi rates are -
Airport to -
The Valley - US$6
West End hotels (Cap Juluca, CoveCastles) – $20
Sandy Ground - $10
Shoal Bay (East) - $12 |
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Banks
Bank opening hours are Mon-Thurs, 8am-3pm and Fri, 8am-5pm. There are currently five ATMs on island, three in each of the banks (except FirstCaribbean), one at Ashley’s Supermarket in the Valley, and one in Romcan Minimart, South Hill.
There are just a few international and local commercial banks operating in Anguilla and they offer limited offshore services.
National Bank of Anguilla, PO Box 44, the Valley, t 497 2010, f 497 3310, info@nba.ai
Caribbean Commercial Bank (Anguilla), PO Box 23, the Valley, t 497 2571, f 497 3570, service@ccb.ai
Scotiabank Anguilla, PO Box 250, the Valley, t 497 3333, f 497 3344, scotia@anguillanet.com
FirstCaribbean International Bank, PO Box 140, the Valley, t 497 2301, f 497 2980, Sandra.lake@firstcaribbeanbank.com |
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Bars & Nightlife
The nightlife in Anguilla is pretty low key. Sometimes it is centered on the hotels and the restaurants, but the liveliest places are usually beach bars, a couple of which have live music and attract a party crowd. On weekend evenings the place to head for some barefoot fun is Sandy Ground, which can be busy late into the night. Then the crowd returns there, mellower, on Sunday afternoons. Shoal Bay Beach is another regular hotspot on Sunday afternoons with a number of bars playing live music. Mid week, one or two places also offer live music until late. The most popular bars are listed below:
Dune Preserve, Rendezvous Bay
One of the ‘coolest’ spots anywhere in the Caribbean, home to Anguilla’s best known entertainer, Bankie Banx, and in April to the Moonsplash Music Festival. Built around a sand dune, the Dune is a haphazard collection of ‘beach finds’ and upturned boats. It looks out to St Martin and has an outdoor stage where Banx and fellow musicians perform on weekends. Great fun.
Rumza, Lockrum Bay
Very popular bar and air-conditioned nightclub with live music and a DJ several times a week in season, modern setting in a right on the waterfront on the south coast, overlooking the lights of St Martin. Rumza holds plenty of events and has hosted the BET Jazz Fest.
Johnno’s Beach Bar & Grill, Sandy Ground
The leading island hotspot and just what you would expect of a Caribbean beach bar - rustic, charming and attracting a good mix of clientele from the rich & famous to the locals. During the day, except Sunday afternoons, it operates as a typical beach bar, but on party nights it pulls in the crowds and can get packed. A must for a fun night out. Live music and limbo on Wednesday nights, live bands Friday nights and Sunday afternoons.
The Pumphouse, Sandy Ground
The former salt factory now boasts a lively bar with an impressive list of rums and is the closest thing on the island to a discotheque.
Rafe’s, Sandy Ground
Open into the night after other bars have long closed (well, sometimes, anyway). Gets a mixed crowd from all walks of life looking for a late night snack (BBQ pit for ribs, chicken & garlic bread at really cheap prices) or a nightcap with a bit of music. Simple, rustic surrounds with tin roof, drift wood and oddments of furniture, set on the heights above Sandy Ground.
Roy’s Place, Crocus Bay
A lively English pub right on the beach in the quiet Crocus Bay, with a popular Friday evening Happy Hour from 5-7pm, with dinner and drinks specials. They have been serving a traditional roast beef lunch every Sunday for over 20 years. Free internet access. Stop press: relocated to a beachfront spot at Sandy Ground and renamed Roy's Bayside Grill.
Ripples, Sandy Ground
Friendly restaurant and bar with good food and a popular Saturday evening happy hour from 5-7pm. The bar tends to liven up after dinner.
Uncle Ernie’s, Shoal Bay East
Glorious beach setting. Famed for its grilled ribs and for being the Sunday afternoon hotspot for live music. |
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Beach Bars
The beach bars are one of Anguilla’s best features and it makes a great day out to spend the day there. They are easy-going and generally quite simple, offering mostly barbecued and West Indian food, so (apart from Trattoria Tramonte) you are pretty much restricted to the hotels if you want a lingering sophisticated lunch. Most of the beach bars have lavatories but they do not tend to have showers. They may have some limited watersports equipment.
Elodia’s Bar & Grill, Shoal Bay (East)
Purpose built, open sided timber beach bar and grill with space for dancing to live the reggae band on Sunday afternoons.
Gwens Reggae Grill, Shoal Bay (East)
Beach bar serving grilled food, with live reggae music on Sunday afternoons. Hammocks slung between the palms.
Johnno’s Beach Bar & Grill, Sandy Ground
Classic rustic deck setting on the sand in Sandy Ground. A mix of businesspeople in for lunch and beachgoers, then live music sometimes in the evenings.
Palm Grove, Junks Hole
Wooden construction on a windswept eastern beach, known for its grilled lobster and crayfish and a beer.
Oasis Beach Bar, Shoal Bay (West)
Simple beachside setting by day, looking out onto the sand and St Martin. Italian restaurant, Trattoria Tramonte, later on.
Uncle Ernie’s, Shoal Bay East
Glorious beach setting. Famed for its grilled ribs and for being the Sunday afternoon hotspot for live music.
Smokey’s, Cove Bay
Classic Caribbean beach bar in a timber frame building. |
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Beaches
Anguilla has magnificent beaches. The sand is bright white, there is plenty of it and it gives into stunning jade and turquoise shallows. And the island is almost completely surrounded by it, in sweeping curves that are wonderful to walk and tiny inlets in the coral limestone cliffs that offer secluded stopovers on a boat trip. Even the main port is on a fantastic beach (it is about to move), so very likely your hotel will be too. The only thing that Anguillian beaches tend not to have is shade - not many are backed by palm trees - but if you want to spend the day away from your hotel, some beaches have facilities and bars and a certain ‘atmosphere’.
Anguilla’s perfect sand comes from the coral limestone from which the island is made. Created by generations of corals it is broken down by wave action and the activity of fish (some fish eat the coral, crunch it up and then spit it out after sifting the nutrients). The result is some of the finest beaches in the area.
Several of the beaches have beach bars, and of course there are the hotel facilities, but there is just one area with its own beach ‘life’, Shoal Bay (East), where there are watersports shops with equipment for hire and several good bars. All the beaches in Anguilla are public of course, up to the high water mark, and most are accessible. If you cannot find one from the map then ask.
It is well worth heading off for the day to explore other areas. For some remoter beaches, see below. Not all the beaches in Anguilla have bars, so remember to take water and food if you will want it.
Hazards
For your own safety it is advisable not to go swimming alone from remote beaches, especially if you are not a strong swimmer. Some beaches have undertows and there are no life guards. Nudity and toplessness are both against the law in Anguilla and they are also frowned on by the Anguillians, so you are asked not to do it.
Here is a selection of the best beaches in Anguilla -
Barnes Bay
A pretty beach with nice views, good for a stroll or windsurfing. Swim with caution. A number of villas, hotels and restaurants are located here.
Captain’s Bay
Wild and remote, a dramatic half moon of sand between limestone cliffs. Not considered safe for swimming because of strong currents and an undertow.
Cove Bay
Lovely, long, gentle curve of supreme sand with calm waters, popular picnic spot, good for children.
Crocus Bay
Set against a backdrop of cliffs with great views from up top. Good snorkelling and swimming beach, and gateway to Little Bay. Also home of Roy’s Place beach bar.
Gorgeous Scilly Cay
Small cay located in Island Harbour, reached by the free boat service which picks guests up for the short journey – just wave from the pier or one of the many boat trips. Great for a day’s swimming, snorkelling and grilled lobster or crayfish lunch. Live music on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. Closed Mondays and Sep-Oct.
Little Bay
A glorious tiny cove which attracts some day trippers, accessible by a water taxi from Crocus Bay or a walk down steep cliffs. Good snorkelling spot. No facilities, so go prepared.
Long Bay
A lovely stretch of sand, good sunbathing and a great view of the sunset.
Maunday’s Bay
A magnificent curve of beach, home to Cap Juluca, whose white domes stand stark against the tropical blue sky. You cannot access the beach without going through the resort.
Mead’s Bay
Another amazing stretch of blazing white sand, one of the longest beaches on the island. Relatively quiet, because the development – some hotels and a top restaurant – are well spaced. Ideal for morning or evening strolls, and good for swimming and snorkeling.
Mimi Bay
A remote, romantic, windswept beach more suitable for walking or simply enjoying the solitude rather than swimming, as the sea can get a little tricky.
Prickly Pear Cay
A lovely uninhabited cay with wonderful beaches and some good snorkelling. Popular stop for yachts and day trippers from St Martin. There are two beach bars serving food, one of which offers special packages to include snorkelling equipment, kayaks and sun loungers. Boats leave from Sandy Ground for the 15 min trip.
Rendezvous Bay
A beautiful arc of powder soft sand with calm and clear water, the longest beach in Anguilla. There are splendid views across to the hills of St Martin. A number of hotels, villas, restaurants and bars are located here.
Sandy Ground
A harbour and beach community set in a huge protected bay with fishing boats and other craft and a long stretch of straight beach and a number of bars and restaurants. Epicentre of Anguilla’s nightlife. The salt pond that backs the bay was commercially harvested until the mid 1980s.
Sandy Island
A tiny desert island a couple of miles offshore to the north of Anguilla, with just a few palms and a beach bar serving BBQ lunch, a great spot to chill out and snorkel. Occasional live music on Sunday afternoons. Free boat service from Sandy Ground Bar, closed Saturdays and mid August for one month.
Savannah Bay
A breezy beach with shallow and occasionally lively waters, which makes for good body surfing and boogie boarding. There is some good snorkelling in one protected corner and the beach is ideal for beach-combing. The popular Palm Grove beach bar is located here at Junks Hole nearby.
Shoal Bay East
Anguilla’s most famous and popular beach. Startling white, powder soft sand that stretches for miles with plenty of bars. There is a string of beach bars, some smallish resorts, glass bottom boat trips, snorkelling (‘shoal’ means reef and this is some of the island’s best snorkelling) and places to rent sun shades and loungers from which to enjoy the closest Anguilla has to a beach scene. Things heat up on Sunday afternoons when bars have live music and attract a crowd. The more sheltered Lower Shoal Bay has calm water that gently slope from the beach.
Shoal Bay West
A much quieter beach than its easterly namesake, but equally beautiful with a perfect crescent shaped bay, fine white sand with sometimes exposed rock, good swimming, and views to St Martin. There is a beach restaurant and two of Anguilla’s architecturally striking resorts. |
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Calendar of Events
2009
JANUARY
30 Jan, National Arts & Crafts Exhibition & Demonstration, Anguilla Craft Shop
FEBRUARY
21 Feb, Annual Garden Party, with buffet dinner and live music at St Gerrards Church grounds, The Valley
28 Feb-01 Mar, ABC 10th Anniversary Flower & Garden Show held by the Anguilla Beautification Club at Wallblake House with booths selling local crafts and pottery
MARCH
01 Mar, ABC 10th Anniversary Flower & Garden Show continues
26-29 Mar, 19th Annual Moonsplash Music Festival, local and overseas musicians and groups, many from the Caribbean, perform with festival creator Bankie Banx under the full moon, on the beach at Dune Preserve, Rendezvous Bay
APRIL
13 Apr, Easter Monday Boat Race & Beach Party, Sandy Ground
MAY
08-10 May, Annual Anguilla Yacht Regatta, Road Bay, Sandy Ground
JUNE
01 Jun, Whit Monday Boat Race
02 Jun, Anguilla Day Around the Island Boat Race
02 Jun, Anguilla Day Parade
JULY
05 Jul, John T Memorial Annual Cycling Race
19 Jul, NBA Peter Perkins Memorial Boat Race
30 Jul, Anguilla Summer Festival, official opening day with firework display
AUGUST
01-09 Aug, Anguilla Summer Festival, ten day event with calypso competitions, dancing, beauty pageants, carnival parades and boat racing:
02 Aug, Heineken Cup Boat Race, Sandy Ground
03 Aug, August Monday Boat Race, Sandy Ground
03 Aug, August Monday/J’ouvert Morning, The Valley, dancing in the streets from dawn to noon, followed by with a Caribbean Beach party at Sandy Ground
06 Aug, August Thursday Boat Race, Meads Bay
07 Aug, Grand Parade of Troupes, carnival parade through The Valley
08 Aug, Sunrise Street Jam
09 Aug, Champion of Champions Boat Race from Sandy Ground, followed by the Grande Finale and Fireworks to mark the end of the Summer Festival
NOVEMBER
12-15 Nov, 7th Annual Tranquility Jazz Festival, international and regional artists.
DECEMBER
11-18 Dec, Festival de Noel including annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, The Valley
19-20 Dec, 2nd Annual Reggae Festival
Anguilla Public Holidays 2009: 01 January, 02 March, 10 & 13 April, 01 May, 01 & 2 June, 03, 06 & 7 August, 21, 25 & 28 December.
Please note that the above events and dates may be subject to change/cancellation. Please check locally for confirmation of details |
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Car Hire
With so many beaches to visit by day and the excellent restaurants to eat out in in the evenings, it is well worth having a car during your visit to Anguilla, at the very least for a couple of days. And if you are staying in a villa then you will probably want one for the duration. There is no public transport on the island and taxis are relatively expensive.
A visitors' driving permit is required to drive in Anguilla, cost US$20 (valid for 3 months) and it can be obtained from the car hire company on delivery of the car, or at the Treasury in the Valley, on presentation of a valid licence from home. The minimum age to rent a car in Anguilla ranges from 23 to 25, depending on the company, and you may have to have held a valid licence for at least 2 years. Car hire companies are happy to deliver cars within certain restrictions on ports of entry.
Note that most hire cars are left hand drive, which may seem a little unnatural to begin with driving on the left hand side of the road (the law in Anguilla). If you are visiting during the peak winter season, it is advisable to book a car well in advance due to high demand. Please see here for Essential notes on Caribbean driving.
On Anguilla we recommend -
Apex Car Rental
A friendly and efficient Anguilla car rental company. Apex/Avis Car Rental has its offices in The Quarter in the Valley and will deliver to the hotels and villas around the island. |
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