I have been to Carimar several times, and I highly recommend it. Mead's bay has Malliouhana on one end (next door to Carimar, and Viceroy on the other. It is a gorgeous, long white sand beach on the Atlantic side of the island. I found rough waters in the winter (Nov-Dec), otherwise great for swimming. The live webcam on the Viceroy site shows the beach and ocean (Carimar is towards trhe top of the screen). The Carimar buildings are U shaped, so it is easy to recognize the complex on satellite photos of Mead's Bay.
Carimar has 1 and and 2 bedroom accommodations, with a kitchen, dining room and sitting area. There is also a front porch/terrace. Food is not served, but there are many restaurants nearby, a grocery store (Foods 95) nearby and several other grocery stores that aren't far on this small gem of an island. There is no beach service, but all the rooms are near the beach. There is maid service, and the rooms are clean, good sized and well appointed. The staff and manager are great. Tennis courts, ping pong table, no gym.

Carimar was the first place I stayed on Anguilla, and that stay was the beginning of a love affair that has lasted several visits. Meads Bay is an excellent location on the island. Not only are there several good restaurants within easy reach, it's a great place for sunset visits. We thought that the staff at Carimar was great--especially the ladies in the office, two of whom are named Laverne.

Although we have not returned to Carimar, it's only because we felt Meads Bay was a little crowded and not for lack of facilities at Carimar. We just like to get a little more off the beaten path and not have immediate neighbors on our vacation. But we'd return to Carimar in a heartbeat for its value and its location.

Thank you very much everyone!

After 25 years Carimar Is still the number one apartment hotel on Anguilla. Attention to detail,consistently high service levels delivered by a team of friendly service professionals, offers a trouble-free vacation experience each time. Many long standing guests and their families have returned more times than the age of the property.

One more thing -- How did you guys fly in to Anguilla? Did you fly into St Martin and take a ferry or did you do a puddle jumper flight? Thanks.

I've only taken the ferry from St Martin, it's the cheapest way and I prefer ferries to small planes.
I don't have a Caribbean trip in the foreseeable future but I wish I was going to Anguilla soon!

Thanks Sassy Cat. I'd WAY prefer a ferry over a small plane.

I used to fly straight into Anguilla via San Juan on the American Eagle, but that service has been discontinued. Our flight into St. Maarten this part June was about $150 MORE per person than it ever was for us to fly into Anguilla. There are occasional fare sales into SXM, but you can't bank on them, so these days I think expecting a $600 fare from the US to SXM is about right.

Fly into St Maarten and take a water taxi. The ferry is in St Martin, the French side of the island. The airport is on the Dutch side

We haven't stayed at Carimar but we have stayed at Frangipani, which is also on Meads Bay. I think Meads is my favorite beach on the island and that list includes Maundays Bay, home of Cap Juluca. Well, we also like Shoal Bay East but we prefer staying in the West End.

We used to fly directly to AXA via American Eagle from San Juan. Unfortunately, American has discontinued those flights. We often combine an Anguilla and St. Martin vacation and we just take the public ferry since we like to stay on the French side of St. Martin. If I were going to Anguilla only I would look into a private boat charter from SXM (St. Martin's airport). Traffic can often be heavy and time-consuming from SXM to the ferry launch in Marigot. I'm not familiar with the water taxis referenced by beachykeen. If the water taxis go to Anguilla I would certainly look into that option.