jmelle

Hi all -

You have been so helpful to me in the past with vacations (St. Thomas and Turks) and I am hoping to impose on you once again. My BF and I are trying to book our yearly vacation and we are thinking about staying at Cap Juluca in Anguilla. Our 2009 trip was to T&C and we stayed the Somerset. I cannot tell you how much we loved it there. I have never seen a beach more beautiful and the ppl at the Somerset were top notch. We are torn between going back but have heard many great things about Anguilla and Cap in particular. Our vacations consist of beach, beach, drinks on the beach, great dinners, and more beach. I am hoping that anyone who stayed in both places can provide feedback on the accomodations (is ius comparable to Somerset)?, as well as recommendations for restaurants and the easiest way to get to Anguilla.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice

Jennifer

Kristen1206

Two of my favorite islands! I think you should give Anguilla a try. If you loved Provo, you will love Anguilla. The beaches are superb and the restaurants are the best in the caribbean, IMO. There is an airport on Anguilla but the flights will likelt much higher than if you fly into St. Martin and take the ferry over. My favorite restaurants are Blanchard's, Mango's and Picante.

blamona

I was going to say exactly what Kristen1206 said.

Give Anguilla a try-restaurants are even better! I too love Mango's, and Blanchards.

Cap is a gorgeous resort, I will say I love Somerset just a little more, but Cap is awesome. The beaches there are almost as pretty as Turks, but what makes Anguilla so special are the incredibly nice people and the beaches are more secluded, so the beach at Cap (one of my favorite beaches in the world) only has Cap on it. Anguilla has what people describe a s a more "Caribbean vibe".

It's 2 of my favorite islands too-and 2 of my favorite resorts.

Anguilla was my first love, but I love Turks so much I wrote the book!

(Fodors In Focus 8-) )

ejcrowe

Beaches, beverages and good food sums up Anguilla better than any other island. I've not stayed at Cap, but it looks just gorgeous. Anguilla is one of the easiest islands there is for getting out and exploring on your own--you could pick a different beautiful beach each day to explore and a different fabulous restaurant for dinner each night.

jmelle

Thanks for your quick replies! Anguilla it is. We are planning to go in the beginning of July. Would you recommend chartering a private ferry from St. Martin (Cap says they can arrange one for us) or taking the public ferry? Also, do you recommend that we rent a car? We didn't rent one on Provo and spent a small fortune in cabs...

Happy Friday all

Kristen1206

We used the public ferry and it was fine. I am sure Cap's will be quicker and more luxurious though. Definitely rent a car. Everything is very spread out...much more so than Provo.

ejcrowe

Driving on Anguilla is easier than any other island I've visited. Having a rental car means having the freedom to get out every day to sample a new beach, beach bar, or restaurant. Or take a leisurely self-directed tour. It will be less money than taking taxis everywhere you want to go, plus you don't have the onus of the taxi driving having to wait on you (or vice versa) when it comes time to be picked up anywhere. If you want to linger over dessert & coffee, or take one more walk along the beach, you can do that without putting anybody else out.

Kristen1206

Emily...just out of curiosity, are more of the roads paved now? When we were there in 04 most roads were dirt.

ejcrowe

hi, Kristen! When we were there last year, almost everything was paved. A few side roads were gravel, like the roads leading to Luna Rosa or Nat's Place, but almost everything else was paved. We're close to booking a return trip in June, so I can let you know then if anything else has changed and/or improved.

emcash

You've made a great decision. We've stayed at Cap and have also stayed at the Regent Palms in T&C. Loved both vacations. I think of the two experiences though, our trip to Cap in Anguilla edges out our trip to T&C. Our meals on Anguilla were superb, on T&C, very good. The beach at Cap was so private and so magical, it was truly a one of a kind experience. have a wonderful trip and be sure to write a trip report!

jmelle

Thanks guys! The decision has been made and we booked the flight and hotel this morning. Anguilla here we come! We got a decent rate on the airfare by choosing to leave on a Thursday rather than a Friday ($450 difference!)and will take the sea shuttle service from St. Maarten over to Anguilla. We depart on a Saturday and our flight is at 6:55 PM so we will need to take the public ferry since the last Cap shuttle leaves at 1:00. Is it easy to get to and use the public ferry?

P.S emcash - we ate at the Regent Palms twice while we were in T&C and LOVED the ambiance there. Would you recommend accomodations if we were to visit over the winter? We stayed at Somerset last time.

emcash

The accomodations were beyond gorgeous at Regent Palms. Full viking kitchen, gorgeous marble and moldings.Rour poster bed, just amazing. Truly a 5 star experience. If you click on my screen name you can read the detailed Trip report I wrote. We went Feb 2009.

The accomodations at Regent Palms are, IMO, much nicer than Cap jaluca, and the pool at the RP is far superior. BUT, the vibe of Cj and the beach at Cj and the exclusivity and privacy are above and beyond.

I think if you click on my screen name and go back a bit, you will see my trip report for cap jaluca as well. We went in March 2007.

emcash

I tried finding my Trip report for cap juluca and it mys be too old, but rest assured, we loved it! loved it!

sunblockstock

Have traveled to Anguilla 2x and Provo...too many to count.
Love the location of CJ in that is on it's own cresent beach.
Like the restaurants but think they are more $ than TCI.
As far as accomodations go CJ is not as up to date as The Somerset nor Regent Palms.
Think that taking the ferry from St. Martin is better than trying to fly right to Anguilla.
Anguilla has wonderful beaches to explore- definately check out Shoal Bay.
You will have a very nice trip and it is good to see many other islands before you settle down with just one.
sbs

BellaClaire

I just got back from TCI on Saturday....first time....I've been to Anguilla 3 or 4 times. TCI is Anguilla times 100 - literally mean the stretch of beautiful water..and the sand is like flour...I mean I could not get over the beach and the crystal clear water. I thought Anguilla had great water....OMG....TCI was fantastic. Can't wait for my next trip. And don't get me wrong - Anguilla and TCI are both beautiful. Can't go wrong at either place

Caribzack

BellaC...so glad that you loved TCI...where did you end up staying?

BellaClaire

Beaches - now before you cringe - get this - there were 18 of us - 9 couples - 8 of which are avid Sandals frequent travelers.....there were no children with us - and we still had a fantastic time....would I go again and stay at Beaches - only with kids next time (even though they had adult only restaurants - and their swim up pools were awesome)...but I would go to TCI in a heartbeat.....I want to stay somewhere else to get more of a taste of the island...I became quite aquainted with the beach and water excursions......now I want to experience the restaurants on the islands, go to the caves on Middle Caicos,etc.

Caribzack

Hey, sounds great, Middle Caicos is fantastic...my wife & I did a day trip over to North & Middle and had a blast. Take the early ferry over, rent a car and explore! There are great restaurants to check out and the resorts are excellent with many choices ...we have stayed at many different ones.

jmelle

Hello again all!!

We are leaving for Anguilla on Thursday and we can hardly contain our excitement! So far, we have made reservations at Pimms, Veya, Blanchards, Straw Hat and Mango's. We have not yet determined the other restaurants though I hear Barrel Stay is pretty great. Any other last minute recommendations would be welcome. We decided to rent a car and are keeping our fingers crossed that driving on the left is easier than we think it is
Quick question on weather - does it rain every day on Anguilla? I suspect that the rain/sun icon simply means a stary afternoon shower and then it gets back to being sunny but I know that this is considered the rainy season and wanted to check.
If anyone has any other recommendations of things see/do while on Anguilla, please let me know. I will provide a full trip report when we get back.

alr0495

I'd add DaVida at Crocus Bay or its beach bar Lloyds. Llyods has Boss on Sundays starting around 6 pm. Also SandBar in Sandy Ground for drinks and tapas. Both are new within the past couple of years.