Grace

Hi all,<BR><BR>I have searching the internet, calling travel agents, etc and finally found a GREAT deal! Actually two deals that are pretty good, but wanted to ask you all what you thought.<BR><BR>On AAVacations, I was quoted $1977.00 for 2 people, 7 nights at Anguilla Great House, and round trip airfare from Boston. This is a fabulous rate (I think) especially because all the other rates I was quoted were much higher. As I am sure most of you know, this hotel is on Rendezvous Bay.<BR><BR>Again on AAVacations, I was quoted $2188 for 2 people, 7 nights hotel, airfare from Boston. This is on Meads Bay.<BR><BR>My questions are: Which beach is nicer, Rendezvous or Meads? By &quot;nice&quot; I mean clean, clear and stunning blue waters.<BR><BR>Which hotel is nicer? <BR><BR>Are the above deals as good as I think they are or would it make sense for me to wait to book to try to get a better deal? We are going July 1-8.<BR><BR>Is early July a nice time weather wise in Anguilla?<BR><BR>Finally, I base my vacation destinations on the beach primarily. We went to Provo Turks and Caicos last summer and the beach was amazing. Do Rendezvous or Meads Bay compare to Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos? Will I be in heaven on either of these two beaches?<BR><BR>Any other advice or tips??<BR><BR>Thanks and sorry for all the questions!<BR><BR>Grace

Mary

I love both those beaches -- Meads is wider &amp; less populated (tho neither is crowded). Rendezvous has a beautiful view of St. Martins. You can get a car for $215/wk in Anguilla &amp; there are 33 beaches so you might want to base your choice on the hotel. Where on Meads would you be staying?

xxx

Meads Bay is our favorite. Personally, we don't like the beaches that face St. Martin.

Grace

HI Mary,<BR><BR>We looked at La Sirena on Meads Bay. We are on a budget so our choices are limited.<BR><BR>My biggest concern is the clarity of the ocean water. Believe it or not, I would stay at a nasty hotel if the beach was the best! That is how much I love the beach.<BR><BR>We will probably rent a car for 3 days but I would prefer to stay on a beach that I never want to leave!!<BR><BR>Thanks for responding!<BR><BR>Grace

Nancy

We fell in love with Anguilla last year and was planning on going back this year, but my husband wanted to try another Island so we're going to T &amp; C in June. We also base our decisions on the beach and the view and after doing research on T &amp; C, I have found that T &amp; C beaches and Anguilla beaches are equally beautiful. The difference I believe is that Anguilla has 33 of them! Meads Bay and Rendezvous Bay are gorgeous. You can't go wrong on either one. We were there last June/July and had perfect weather, it rained for 1/2 hour one morning and about 10 minutes the rest of the time. Howard, who frequents this board has been to Anguilla and Provo. Do a search on his name and you will probably find info comparing Anguilla and T and C. Enjoy and have a great time!

Susan

Hi Grace!!! I'll put a plug in for Meads Bay, which we liked more than Rendezvous Bay. While both are beautiful, the days we rented a car and visited Rendezvous Bay, it was a bit more breezy and the water a tad bit more choppy for our liking. Meads Bay is like glass and very clear, and wider than Rendezvous. I would recommend you rent a car and visit some of the other beaches on Anguilla. We stumbled upon several that were spectacular. We just followed roads not knowing where they would lead and we ended up on some of the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen. We have also been to T&amp;C, and while my husband would disagree with me on this, I think Anguilla is the better of the two. Grace, if you read this, check out the Carimar Beach Club on Meads Bay. We stayed there and absolutely loved it. Less expensive than many of the other places and very nice. Just a few steps out your door and you are on Meads Bay. We saw La Sirena and while it looked nice, it was on a rocky outcropping and looked like a bit of a trek to the beach.

Darcy

We go to Anguilla and Turks and Caicos for our island vacations. They are both wonderful, but with different qualities. Anguilla is our favorite for those fun beach bars, music the people and reasonably priced villa rentals. But, we go to Turks and Caicos for the beach. We have found nothing to compare with those 10 miles of pure white soft sand on Grace Bay and the incredibly calm water. Also, there is less wind on Provo. We have also vacationed on Middle Caicos and North Caicos. North Caicos has a nice miles of beach, but both these islands are very, very, very quiet. We find the Turks and Caicos a bit cool for us during the winter and early Spring. We prefer to go to the islands during the summer months for calmer water.

Howard

Love Anguilla and Provo but have to honestly say nothing compares with the beach at Grace Bay. Part of the atraction is the ever changing color of the water. The only place that comes close on Anguilla is Shoal Bay Beach East. That said we stay at Frangipani on Meads Bay rent a car and go to other beaches. for a good idea of what Anguilla beaches are like go to www.festival.ai. They have pictures of last years carnival in August but on the right click on screen saver and beaches. It is like a slide show. Lots of other info on this site. Re AA Packages. I am not a big fan of Anguilla Great House. Small pool, fair restaurant. As I recall you have to rent a portable A/C unit and mini fridge if you want it. You will probably want both. If the other package you are refering to on Meads bay is La Serina it is not on the beach. About a 5 min walk to Meads Bay. They do have a pool, maybe two. Okay rstaurant Rather than a package I would consider this. Look at Cocoloba-www.cocolobaresort.com. Just reopened under new management and is very nice. Great setting. Has a pool and restaurant. Direct access to Barnes Bay Beach to the west and short walk to Meads Bay beach to the east. Accomodations are small cottages with A/C and about a 36&quot; high mini fridge. I suspect you can get a cottage (they call them villas but cottage is probably a better description) for about $150/night including taxes. If you decide to stay there recommend a unit in the 100 block probably 135 or higher. Be advised that all units do not have TV so if you want a TV tell them. Then check AA for sales to Puerto Rico and Anguilla. You might also check out Carimar on Meads Bay. www.carimar.com. They normally have summer sales for about $900/week. These are condo suites so you have a kitchen which will cut down on meal costs. They don't have a pool or restaurant. You have to rent a portable A/C unit for the bedroom. I really think Cocoloba is your best bet. Feel free to e-mail me with questions. PS--You will definitely want a car on Anguilla

Grace

Thank you all so very much for your responses. You have been so incredibly helpful.<BR><BR>I think that we are going to head back to Turks this summer after all. There was something about this place that really gets to me. I had the most wonderful time there, and I never felt so at peace while sitting on the beautiful sand, looking into that gorgeous water.<BR><BR>Anguilla is a place that I know I will visit in the future. Thanks for givng so many ideas on where to stay, do, etc.<BR><BR>Howard, I think I will take you up on your offer to e-mail you if that is okay. I want to get all the info I can before I make a definite decision, even though at this very moment I think it will be Turks.<BR><BR>Again, thanks to all of you who responded!<BR><BR>Grace