Anguilla....Help! Cap Jaluca or Malliouhana?
 

My husband and I are planning an anniversary trip to Anguilla and are trying to decide on a hotel. We have narrowed it down to Cap Jaluca and Malliouhana, but are now split on which hotel to stay at (I favor Malliouhana and he prefers Cap Jaluca). The bottomline is that other than looking at the hotel websites and reading various reviews, we don’t really know much about either resort. It seems that people tend to be very evenly split on the two resorts. I was hoping that if I outlined what is important to my husband and I in a vacation/resort, that someone would be able to give me some good advice on which resort we would prefer. We are definitely very laid back vacationers – we enjoy spending everyday at the beach/pool and going out to upscale restaurants for dinner.

Listed below are some the most important aspects of a resort for us.

1)Quality of food – we will probably eat at least 2 or 3 nights at the resort restaurant. Since we enjoy really nice dinners and wine, we want to make sure the resort we choose has a nice upscale restaurant with a variety of menu selections and a nice wine selection.

2)Closeness to other restaurants/shops – the other nights we spend in Anguilla, we will definitely want to try out some other great restaurants and do some shopping. I am not sure if either resort is close to a central area with a selection of shops and restaurants and we would prefer not to rent a car. Is one resort easier to get transportation from or closer to a central area?

3) Beach and Pool quality – since the majority of our time will be spent soaking up the sun, we want to make sure the beach and pool is top quality. A variety of beaches or pools to choose from would be best.

4) Room quality – we will be getting just the standard oceanview double at either resort. We like a little more formal room and definitely have to have a balcony.

5) Last, we want to make sure whichever place we choose is adult oriented. Given the prices at both resorts, I think both places are fairly adult oriented, but not sure if one is more so than the other.

The one thing that is not very important to us is the amount of activities (especially group activities) that are available at the resort. We are not much for water sports…so this is not our top concern.

We will be there in late May/early June and plan to stay for 6 nights….not sure if the time of year effects the choice in resort at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You are considering two of the finest resorts on Anguilla and while they are different places there are a lot of similarities. That's why you've found that each one has it's supporters. In reality you'd probably be happy at either one. I'll try to answer your questions:

1. The quality of food at both is excellent and you'll find dining to be upscale with very good wine lists. No clear winner here.

2. If I recall, there are two restaurants (Blanchards being one?) that are within a "long" walking distance of Malli. There was one restaurant within a long walk of CJ but I heard that it closed recently. You will need a car or taxi to get to any of the other restaurants on the island. There are no shops within walking distance of either resort. Taxis are readily available at either resort and when you get droped of at your desination you can ask your driver to pick you up for the return trip at a pre-determined time. Be warned that taxis fares are pricey and you might be better off renting a car especially if you want to explore the islands many wonderful beaches.

3. The beach at CJ is spectacular and the beach at Malli is very good butregardless of which resort you choose don't limit yourself to either of those. There are many fine beaches around the island - all among the best in the Caribbean. With such fantastic beaches most visitors spend very little time at the reort's pools.

4. Rooms at both resorts are comparable.

5. While you'll sometimes find families staying at both resorts they are not overrun with children as both resorts are geared more toward adults.

I realize the above info may not have made it any easier for you to decide. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two places is that CJ is spread out on a much larger beach. Other than that the are relativly equal in what they have to offer.

Malliuhana is not situated directly on the beach but on a bluff, with steps down to the beach. Meads Bay is truly lovely, but only hosts two restaurants other than the one at Malliuhana, Blanchards which has very good reviews and is within walking distance from Malliouhana (or get them to take you in a golfcart) and the restaurant at Frangipani which is at the far end of the bay.

Malliouhana also has a fantastic gym and spa.

But Malliouhana also has the Kid's Adventure Pirate ship and playground which is located next to the pool on the beach and the Bistro. If you try to get away from kids, this may not be much fun.

Cap Juluca is in separate villas spread over Maundays Bay, no other hotels or restaurant so it is the most "private" beach on the island. But not entirely private to CJ residence as all Anguilla's beaches is open to the public.

CJ has three restaurants, and therefore more choices and variety if you want to stay at the resort.

There are no public transportation on the island, and I would recommend to rent a car, the island is very easy to get around and explore, safe and the local people are extremely friendly. You then have the opportunity to see the real Anguilla and experience the other beaches and restaurants for lunch and dinner. Cost per day is around $0 - $45 dollar plus $20 for a temporary licence.

The restaurants and shops are fairly spread out all over the island, but most upscale are at the West End, and if you do not want to drive at night, the fare will be somewhere around $30 - $40 round trip.

Hope this has been of some help!

opps .. a small typo there -

taxi should be $30 - $40 approx..

opps again.. (brain not working)

the car rental is $40 - $45..

(should proofread properly, but I am a bit excited because we booked our ticket for the next trip today!)

You will be happy at both resorts, but I have a slightly different take than the other posters. We have stayed at both (with and without kids) resorts, and CJ's three restaurants do not equal Mali's one in terms of food and service. But it is very expensive, and eating at different restaurants is part of what makes going to Anguilla so wonderful, because it is hard to get a bad meal on the island. But you will need to take cabs from both resorts (except for Blanchards as was already mentioned.) The CJ beach is tops - beter than Mali, but the CJ pool is mediocre, while Mali's pools are gorgeous. Finally, although we finally settled on CJ (especially with kids - no playground, but a lovely kids' camp at holiday time) CJ does not have Mali's fabulous western sunsets (wonderfully romantic.)
Enjoy!

I AGREE WITH ISLAND 1856. CAP IS VERY, VERY NICE---BUT THEIR THREE RESTAURANTS DO NOT COMPARE TO THE RESTAURANT AT MALLI. I THINK MEADS' BAY AND TURTLE COVE AT MALLI ARE PICTURE PERFECT. THE POOLS AT MALLI ARE GREAT---WHILE THE POOL AT CAP SHOWED NO PLANNING ON THE PART OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I HAVE STAYED AT BOTH BUT I HAVE FAVORED MALLIOUHANA , AND HAVE BEEN THERE 23 TIMES.....I LOVED MY ROOM AT CAP---THE FAR END VILLA--WITH A SHARED POOL---BUT AT NIGHT THE WIND WAS UNBELIEVABLE---IT RATTLED THE WINDOWS EVERY NIGHT. I THINK IS YOU ARE CELEBRATING TOGETHER---YOU WOULD PREFER MALLIOUHANA----THE SPA IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE SEEN ON ANY CARIB ISLAND---THE BEACHES ARE GREAT, AND IF YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT OTHER RESTAURANTS ON THE ISLAND DRIVING IS EASY----DIRECTIONS ARE EASY---JUST STAY TO THE LEFT

I just got back from CJ......I loved it....
I have been all over the world and never usually go back to the same place twice....
but I already scheduled another visit next year,.....Only saw Malli from a private boat...
it was beautiful but looked very different from Cap., If you want a beach (CJ)was one of the most beautiful I have seen in the islands....choose CJ....for pool choose Malli and just vist all the other beutiful beaches...
I really do not think you can go wrong!!!

Samara:
Sorry to highjack the original poster's thread, but please give us a trip report on Cap Juluca! I'm going in May and would love to hear your thoughts!!
Thanks :)

Definetley, have dinner at Altamer. The view is lovely and an awesome russian pianist awaits you

Oh I will....

I promise.....just trying to gather my thoughts..

I will post this weekend....I loved it!!!!

Samara----Welcome back!!! I am so glad you had a wonderful time. After all your pre trip jitters, you have to do a report. It sounds like it all went well, post soon!!!!

Hi - are congratulations in order? :) Can't wait to hear about your trip!!

M&M