Blue Waters or Carimar??
 

I'm looking for help from some experienced travelers to Anguilla. We will have a family of 6, ranging in age from 11 to 67, traveling next August. We are looking for a place with a full kitchen. Both Blue Waters and Carimar look good in terms of amenities and price, but I'd love to hear how they compare, both in terms of accommodations and beaches (Meads Bay vs Shoal Bay West). Thanks!

Very similar -- there's a wonderful restaurant next to Blue Waters (Trattoria) but, in my opinion, Carimar is on a better beach (Meads) but the water may be calmer at Shoal Bay. Also, Malli is next door to Carimar & you can get a day pass for the kid(s) -- Malli has cool stuff (pirate ship, slides, etc). You would need to rent a/c in August at Carimar (the Atlantic side is more still at that time of year). There's a small grocery/mini-mart right up the street & a pretty terrific bbq place. Neither place has a pool. Blue Waters has a beautiful view of ST. Martin; both places have very loyal fans.

Have seen both resorts and agree with Mary. Carimar is the better choice. In august you will need A/C as ceiling fans just won't hack it and you can rent portable A/C units for the bedroom at Carimar. The grocery store is Christine Flemings at the top of the hill. She has a little of this and that. Food 95 is also good and a better variety. It is to the west just past the road to Cap Juluca on the left. The BBque place is just across from Christines and they do Que on Fri and Sat. Don't know what your budget is but you might look into Frangipani on Meads Bay. They have 2 three bedroom condo suites #3 and #6. Have stayed in both. My preference would be #6 on the second floor. Frangipani has a pool, restaurant and rental car agency on site. All suites have dual zone central A/C The Sun Sea and Sand package is the best deal. Thre bedroom suite is $3400/week plus tax and service charge and includes a continental breakfast. Not aware of any 3 bedroom suites at Carimar so you would probably have to get two suites so you would have to do a trade off price wise. If you stay at Carimar try and get in buildings 1 or 6 which are beachfront.

P.S. If you go the first week in August you will be there for Carnival which is fun.--Parades, sailboat races, band and beauty contests etc. For more carnival info go to www.festival.ai

We've stayed at Carimar and absolutely love it. Howard, of course, is right with noting such places as the variety store and the BBQ place, a short walk (up hill) from Carimar. Depending on the health of the more senior travelers, Carimar has units both upstairs and downstairs. I do not recall having ever seen anything other than stairs, so you might want to keep that in mind. I think Meads Bay is one of the most stunning on Anguilla. You will lack for nothing as far as cooking utensils in a Carimar unit - pots and pans galore, standard size fridg., microwave, dishes, measuring cups, etc. The units do not have A/C but you can rent portable units for the bedrooms at a nominal cost. These work quite well. All the rooms, including the kitchen, have ceiling fans. Carimar will help you arrange a car rental, which I highly recommend. While Meads Bay is wonderful, other beaches on the island deserve to be recognized and visited as well. Have a wonderful trip!!! Oh yeah, meant to mention that Carimar rooms do not have TV's, but there is a television room with a ping-pong table just across the way for Carimar guests to use.

If TV is a criteria you might also look at Nathans Cove which is on Meads Bay between Blanchards and L'Indigo restaurants. The upstairs units would be preferable for a good view. Anain no restaurant or pool. wwwnathanscove.com