Idahospud

Oh, how I was anticipating the beauty of Anguilla! We start our 3rd week in the Caribbean by flying from the Caymans back to Miami & then on to St Martin where we caught the ferry to Anguilla. The ride was smooth & pleasant & arrived in Anguilla at around 5pm. We had rented a car but no one told us everything closes on Sundays so our Hertz car rental had to wait until the next morning. We took a taxi to our condo ($40) & then again to dinner (another $40). We ate our first meal at Tasty's. It was ok but spendy & that was the reasonable restaurant. After settling into our condo, we took off exploring. The hugest shock was that the island is really ugly. There is lots of garbage, scrubby brush, unfinished houses, lots of goats & dirt roads. People were not friendly & everything was so expensive! The resorts on Rendezvous Bay were beautiful as well as the beaches but unless you can afford $995nt, you couldn't sit in their chairs. We visited Cap Jaluca on Maunday Bay which was beautiful, CuisinArt on Rendezvous Bay & Viceroy, the newest resort. The beaches were empty. There was one couple at Viceroy that we talked to & they had been by themselves most of the week. We did eat at Smokeys which had the best ribs ever. They give you chairs & umbrella if you eat there so we hung out there a few times. The other area that you can find a reasonable chair is at Shoal Bay. We did tour the entire island & stopped by Straw Hat, Frangipani & the Italian restaurants & they were all empty. The tourist we talked to were all disgruntled about the increase in prices & said they wouldn't return. We tried snorkeling at various sites but found it a waste of time. The best part of our trip was Ambrose, the owner of the resort where we stayed. He hosted rum punch gatherings & a fun barbeque. He made our stay there enjoyable.
I'll give it to Anguilla for beautiful beaches & pretty ocean in parts but unless you can afford to stay in the $1000nt resorts & love to lay in the sun on the beach, I'd pick another more friendly island.

Kristen1206

That's a shame about the uunfriendliness of the people you encountered. We found the Anguilla locals to be the friendliest of any island we have been to.

Anguillagirl

I could not agree more with the above poster. The people on Anguilla are wonderful, at least that is what we've found. I'm wondering if you had different expectations going in? Yes, there isn't much to the island other than the beaches and great restaurants. If you were expecting jungle or mountains or shopping or anything like that another destination may have been better. We stopped going anywhere in the Caribbean after finding Anguilla. I am wondering if you did a lot of research prior to this trip? Yes, there are unfinished homes because people build them as they can afford the materials. Yes, there are goats-as on many caribbean islands. I am just trying to be honest. I'm not sure what you were expecting? Can you explain how you came to the decision to go to Anguilla?

TurtleTagger

With a bit of research travelers can usually find out how expensive a destination is or what the geography is like. I find it amusing that the OP has commented on how expensive things are on both Anguilla and Grand Cayman in postings, neither of which are known to be budget travel friendly. Getting information is what these sites are for, but it usually helps to visit before your make your plans.

Kristen1206

Its sounds like the OP didn't really care for any of the islands visited. You are right TurtleTagger & Anguillagirl, the experiences would have been much better/expected (or maybe would have chosen different islands) if he/she had done some research.

sassy_cat

I must have gone to a different Anguilla where the locals were friendly!

I do find it odd that people go to Anguilla, stay in a condo and then 'visit' the high end resorts and complain about how expensive they are! Why?

Take your towels or take beach chairs from your condo to Rendezvous Bay or Shoal Bay. The beaches are perfect the ocean is blue and tranquil and that is what Anguilla is all about.
Oh, and high end resorts plus expensive restaurants for those that need/want those extras.

blamona

I'm surprised. I saw your posts on Caymans and Costa Rica too. Seems like you're well traveled--but this time, my opinion, didn't do your homework.

A little homework would have gone a long way--Caymans and Anguilla are definitly beach destinations. All about the beach. Also considered expensive upscale destinations.

As for finding rude people at 2 different islands with reputations for having the nicest people in Caribbean==forgive me for this=but is it possible that your dislike came across at these islands, (maybe without even realizing it) and therefore thought they were rude? It's amazing that you would have so much bad luck at 2 completely different islands? I don't mean this as a cut down, just an observation.

No one island is for everyone. The attraction of Anguilla is it's quiet luxury. Anguilla has never pretended to be anything else.

So I looked up your posts because I have traveled to more places than I can count. I assumed from your posts that Costa Rica would be perfect for you. Funny thing--ended up as your favorite place! Judging by your tastes, I could only assume Caymans and Anguilla weren't for you. Nothing wrong with that, now you can say, "been there done that."

So, Anguilla is not known for snorkeling. I actually thought it was some of the worse snorkeling in the Caribbean. What it does offer is excellent beaches and upscale atmosphere.

You seem you need more to do than sit on a gorgeous beach. You seem to need good snorkeling. May I suggest:

Hawaii
Fiji

and please don't project that you found people of those places rude, because you're posts come across as you projected you didn't like those places. In all of my travels I have learned one thing: You get back what you give.

Naveron

Some people mistake reserve for rudeness. I have never found the locals in Anguilla to be rude. They are perhaps a little more reserved than others, maybe a little shy -- but never rude.

SUMMAGOLD

wow, we actually thought the locals in Anguilla to be the nicest in the caribbean. Barbados a close second.

you are right about the scrubby brush and dirt road. but we thought it was what an island should feel like. loved how the beaches were empty! we spent two weeks there and yes we did get a bit bored. we are city folk. but thats what we signed up for. quiet and relaxation.

Anguillagirl

Ok, you guys on this site are the best! Way to stand your ground for our wonderful Anguilla! Very honest opinions and it's why I keep in touch daily. You know what you are talking about.

ejcrowe

Idahospud, I'm sorry that your trip to Anguilla wasn't wonderful, as I count myself among the Anguillaphiles on this board--it's one of my two favorite islands, in fact. However, it feels like we have collectively jumped on you for not enjoying the island and saying bluntly what you didn't care for, so I'm sorry for that, too. You're not the first person who didn't love Anguilla and I'd bet there are travelers out there who share your opinions, so what you have to say is valuable to them--maybe your report will prevent somebody else from choosing Anguilla and having a bad vacation.

eileen

Idahospud -- I have enjoyed reading your reports and can't blame you for wanting to try islands that are usually raved about on this board. So you didn't like them -- to each his/her own! Personally, I agreed with you 100% about Grand Cayman. Even though I only visited for one day, I was glad it was a port on one of my cruises because I had absolutely no desire to go back. I found it devoid of personality and too reminiscent of Florida. Seven mile beach was okay, but I didn't think it was spectacular. Even though I have not been to Anguilla, it's long been on my list but the tales of the expense have kept me away. And I know what you mean about scrubby and ugly, when I went to Turks & Caicos, I thought the island of Provo was the ugliest I had ever seen. As long as you were on the beach, it was beautiful, but the rest looked like the moon! Have you been to St. Lucia? I think you would really like it. P.S. Many of the islands are not too pretty this year because there has been a real drought. We just got back from Barbados and it was very brown and not as lush as usual.

Idahospud

Thanks for your comments Eileen. It was refreshing to read a comment from someone that might be my type of traveler. I'm a very upbeat traveler that loves adventure. We have loved Fiji & found them to be the friendliest of people & the beauty of the islands is magnificent. We loved snorkeling & diving in their pristine waters. We've been to Tahiti & loved it. Costa Rica & Belize are tops of our list. We love the Mayan ruins, wildlife, birds, ziplines, etc. We loved the simplicity of Roatan. We've been to Mexico many times & had a wonderful time & have traveled all over Europe. I feel fortunate to have traveled so many places & have the opportunity to share each of those experiences. I'm thankful we don't all like to travel to the same place.

eileen

Hi, two other islands that might be more to your liking are St. Kitts and Nevis, only a ferry ride apart so it is like two for the price of one! We found them to have more of a Caribbean charm than some other islands, interesting history, picturesque landscape, fairly lush and tropical. Snorkeling not that great but there are lots of hiking/outdoor adventure opportunities, climb Mt. Nevis, etc. One of our all-time favorite resorts is Nisbet Plantation Beach Club on Nevis -- it's a former beachfront plantation that's now a boutique resort, really unique. Our favorite ever resort is Galley Bay on Antigua, but that's if you want to just have a relaxing, vegging out vacation and stay fairly resort-bound, as it's a small, charming, upscale AI with all meals and drinks included, on a great beach. FYI, Tahiti and the South Pacific is my dream destination but we can never take enough time off/leave our teenagers for that long . . . someday! I hope you will try the Caribbean again, each island has a very distinct personality and landscape, you just have to try until you find the right fit. We never met a Caribbean vacation we didn't like, just some that were a better fit than others!