tyler

I am planning an August 2005 honeymoon and have recently become intrigued by Anguilla. We are planning on going for 2 weeks and have a budget of $8,000 (not counting airfare). We will be incredibly busy leading up to our wedding (both completing graduate school, she sitting for the bar and me for the CPA) and are simply looking for sun, sand, water, relaxation, tropical drinks and good restaraunts. From what I have read, Anquilla is the place fo us. So, being what are agenda is, lodging become the next agenda. I have read the comparissons between Cuis, CJ and Milli and ask for you all to entertain me once more. We are thinking of staying at Frang for one week (which hardly seems like a compromise) in order to afford a week at one of the other three. It sounds like the beach issue is a moot point as cases can be made any which way. How about the resort and the accomodations. We are looking for a place that really makes us feel like we are in a romantic paradise. We aren't necessarily interested in stuffyness, but we want romance and attention to detail. Any advice you can give would be great.

Thanks

Tyler

MaryD

You can't go wrong with Malli, CuisinArt or Cap for accommodations. For service & romantic ambiance, I think Cap & Malli get the nod over the other. We love Frangipani & stay there every year -- it's very small & intimate (8 very large units) & is on the middle of a spectacular beach. The staff is helpful yet inobtrusive; you won't, however, get the same level of service that you would get at Cap or Malli. There are about 80 fabulous restaurants (a few of which will be closed in August) so don't get sucked into a meal plan.

tyler

Thanks for the reply. Do any or all of the above mentioned hotels have some form of beachside dining for lunch and or afternoon drinks? My fiancee is not a "shop til you dropper", but she is wondering if there is a small town or two with shops that you could spend part of a day walking through (we keep reading that its all about the beaches!!!).

Sunnyboy

Regarding shopping, there are some small shops in The Valley and you will find others (mostly t-shirts, trinkets and souvenier shops) spread out around the island. Really, Anguilla is not about shopping. If your your soon to be wife needs a shopping fix take the ferry over to St. Martin for the day - she'll be in her glory.

penny

Anguilla is all about dining, yes by the beach. CJ has Georges on the beach, and very attentive beach service. Cuisinart has the dining set back, but a gorgeous view of the water, and St. Martin, a little bar right on the beach. I also like the shop at Cuisinart, but St. Martin in Marigot is one of the spots for shop till you drop.
We also enjoy lunches at Trattoria Tramonto, very nice, they also have beach chairs, and a great quiet beach.

tyler

Thanks SunnyBoy. As for dining, we definitley enjoy good meals. How much should we expect to be spending for a dinner for two with salad, appetizer and wine?

Sunnyboy

Besides the fabulous beaches Anguilla's other great draw are it's restaurants. There are more than 80 to choose from but they can get very pricey. How much you spend for dinner will depend on where you eat. For the more upscale places (Oliver's, Pimms, Blanchard's, Altimar, Trattoria Tramonto, etc.) expect the tab for two to be at least $125 and it could easily get to $200+ with a bottle of fine wine. There are a number of more reasonable places like Tasty's, Ripple's, etc. where you can dine for half that amount.

travleis

Shopping on Anguilla is quite basic. A few T-shirt/sundry shops, small grocers, etc. As Penny mentioned, a ferry ride over to St. Martin is necessary to indulge a shopper's craving.
I don't find CuisinArt to be as romantic as M and CJ. It feels more like an apartment complex to me and its beach is not quite as nice.
Everyone has their biases, but for a honeymoon, I just don't think it gets any better than Cap Juluca.
Regardless where you stay, Anguilla sounds like it'll be a great choice for you.

tyler

Thanks for all the great advice - I think we are probably leaning towards CJ and Frang, each for a week, as Malli is a tad pricier than CJ. Also, it sounds like renting a car is the recommended way to go?

Again, thanks for all the advice - we are still narrowing down between the USVI and Anguilla, but we figured it was important to find out where we would want to stay on each so we can take into account the costs and settings!

aname27

Tyler,
Definitely rent a car.

My advice would be to go for CJ, especially if Malli prices are running higher. Also,Malli is more child-oriented and I'm guessing you'll want to avoid that on your honeymoon.

Frangipani's outdoor dining is in a very nice setting- right on the best beach on the island. If I were you, I'd stay at Frang right away, and then spend your second week at CJ. Always better to get what will be much-needed shuteye at the less expensive place.

tyler

Thanks aname. That is how I would prefer to do it too, but it looks like CJ closes August 31 where Frang stays open a couple days later and we won't be down there until the 21st...

Would people suggest staying at Frang the whole time and bagging CJ?

Does anyone have any car rental advice?

MaryD

I'd do both because a honeymoon is special & you'll always remember Cap Juluca. You can get a car right a Frangipani (Carib operates on the premises) and keep it the whole time. They run about $240/wk. There are so many beaches (30+) and restaurants, that it will be well worth it. Check out www.news.ai -- at the top of the opening page, there are links to the restaurants & menus on the island.

Baligirl

For what it's worth, both of my good girlfriends have gotten married in the past year and both went to Anguilla and stayed at Cap juluca. Both have nothing but good things to say!

tyler

So, I have done some research and in my budget, I can stay at a Superior room at Cap Jaluca (the lowest class) or I can stay at a Luxury Jr Suite at CuisenArt (the third class from the bottom). Does this change anyone's impression of where I should stay?

penny

Now Tyler that is a hard call for some!
The superior rooms at CJ are wonderful, same furnishings, same patios size as
their junior suites, all beachfront, same service-honestly there is no way to tell this is the lowest price room and nicer than most caribbean rooms!
The main and only difference in the superior room is that you have a beautiful marble bathroom, its interior so no glass wall, double tub. Cuisinarts junior suites are nice too, but I really feel the privacy on the patios, terraces, beah at CJ really out shine Cusinart. Both hotels do have their fans, and you can not go wrong with either one! I have stayed at both.
BTW-Frangipani is lovely, I have never stayed there, but I view it more like a private villa, again on another spectcular beach.

Sunnyboy

Here's my take on the "room" situation. Decide on the resort not the room. After all, while everyone wants to have the "best room possible" in actuality the room and type of view has very little effect on the overall enjoyment of your honeymoon. Think about it, you are going to spend the better part of your day outside the room either on the beach, exploring the island, dining out or enjoying the night life. When you are in your room you will spend most of your time either sleeping, using the bathroom facilities or have the shades drawn while your are engaged in personal activities. All of which can be accomplished with equal results regardless if you are in a standard room or the presidential suite. The money you don't spend on the bigger room can be saved or used for another romantic dinner, an extra special bottle of wine, a day sail to a deserted stretch of beach, or any number of activities with your new spouse that you'll remember long after you forget what the room even looked like. Just my $.02. Hope it helps you make the decision that is right for you.

tyler

Again, thanks for the posts you guys. The bigger room at the CuisinArt is actually $60 cheaper a night!

mt1234

I have been to Anguilla 6 times (lived there for 10 months) After staying at various places around the island (we tend to rent a villa for 2-4 weeks and then stay in a hotel) We were quite sad that CJ was booked last year....but after staying at Frang...we fell in love with the little hotel. The large beachfront rooms are incredible - having a little kitchen in Anguilla will save you $$$$$ - we usually ate breakfast at our place and then dinned out lunch and dinner. There is only one decent place Tasty's for breakfast...other than normal hotel food.
Give Fran a try - the beach is the best!!!!! At Mali you are NOT on the beach!

HowardC

Before I read one of your last posts I was going to suggest you go the first week in August for Carnival but see you are looking toward the 21st. After carnival things really wind down on Anguilla and some restaurants start to close around 15 August. You can find dates of this years closings on www.news.ai. We are staying at Frangipani for the 17th time this Nov. It is small, quiet and intimate. Suggest you look into the Sun Sea and Sand Package where you get a one bedroom condo suite with kitchen and a daily continental breakfast buffet daily. Don't have the 2005 rates scheduly but is ran about $1900 per week including tax and service charges. Really good deal/ You can see suite plans on www.frangipani.ai--click on condo sales. The ocean terrace restaurant and bar is a lovely place for breakfast, lunch and a candlelight dinner. Personally I would stay at frangipani the whole time just because I wouldn't want to pack up and move after one week. You can always go to Cap to eat and look around. Don't know if TV is a priority, Probably not on your honeymoon, but don't think Cap has TV in the suites only a TV lounge off the lobby. The suites at Frangipani are being renovated and redecorated and will be finished by Nov. Either way you do it you have made a good choice with cap and Frangipani.
A good eb site for Anguilla info is www.festival.ai--Click on screen saver on the right and check out the Beaches screen saver

tyler

Thanks for the advice Howard. you certainly seem to be an Anguilla expert on this message board. It looks like we are going with the first week at Frangipani and the second week at Cuisinart. Obviously all of the storm activity this summer is making my fiancee a little nervous, but I have tried to reassure her that the Caribbean is a very large area and there shouldn't be anything to worry about.