Shari

Hi Folks,

I have been over researching these properties, and now my head is spinning! Please help me to decide which one to pick. I really like calm and secluded beaches. I don't like to see a lot of boats. I do not need to be entertained. I like to snorkel. I like fantastic beach service, and fine dining with plenty of wine options. I also like beautiful rooms and unobstructed views of the water.

FYI: I have been to Pink Sands, Elbow Beach, Sandy Lane, Maroma, Amanyara and Parrots Cay.

THANKS!

Becca

Shari,

I have stayed at Caneel Bay and Cap Juluca. I have been to St. Barts twice but never stayed at Eden Rock, so I can't really speak to that. I will address your requirements and how Caneel Bay and Cap Juluca match up.

Calm and secluded beaaches: There are seven beaches at Caneel Bay. There is one at Cap Juluca. The beaches at Caneel Bay are much more secluded than Cap Juluca. Many times we would find ourselves on Scott's Beach at Caneel Bay and be the only people there. I could never say the same at Cap Juluca -there were people around everywhere, though the beach is pretty long, so I wouldn't exactly call it crowded.

Beautiful room: The rooms at Caneel Bay are pretty basic and small - the draw there is the fantastic beaches. You aren't going to find big bathtubs or marble showers. There are no telephones or televisionis. The rooms at Cap Juluca are much nicer - our room had a very large bedroom, a porch off the bedroom, a den complete with cable television and another porch that overlooked the beach (though was a bit obstructed by some trees). The bathroom had a huge jacuzzi tub, a marble shower and a bidet.

Beach service: If you are at Caneel Bay and are at any beach besides the main beach, you can pretty much forget beach service. At Cap Juluca, however, there is one beach, and the servers go up and down the beach all day, taking drink and food orders to people who turn down their little flag on their beach umbrella to notify them they need service. Also, in the afternoon, they bring a choice of sorbets by, and there is always bottled water located in coolers spread throughout the beach. You can pretty much forget any of this at Caneel Bay.

Snorkeling: We stayed in a room on Scott's Beach at Caneel Bay (in my opinion, the best beach there). We could walk right out of our room onto the gorgeous beach, jump in the water with our snorkeling equipment that Caneel Bay provided and see all kinds of beautiful fish. I had heard the snorkeling on Anguilla wasn't very good (though the water is extremely clear), and my husband tried snorkeling at Cap Juluca and agreed that it was so much better at Caneel Bay.

Fine dining: I liked the restaurants at both Caneel Bay and Cap Juluca. I much preferred eating outside of both resorts, though, and I would say that Anguilla probably has more fine dining than St. John, though St. John certainly has its fair share.

Bottom line: If it is all about the beaches and snorkeling for you, go to Caneel Bay if you can overlook bare bones rooms and no beach service. Otherwise, I would recommend Cap Juluca all the way.

A_Traveller

Caneel Bay mets most of your requirement - your choice of 7 "on-resort" excellent calm water uncrowded beaches with very good to excellent off-beach snorkeling plus the island has several other secluded beaches you can visit, great views from many rooms of the water and neighboring islands, better than average dining (FYI the resort just hired a new chef so food service is "in transition&quot, and they have a very good wine selection. If memory serves me, I believe the resort only offers "beach service" on the main beach at the resort. Aside from that about the only thing lacking from you list of wants is your request for a "beautiful room" as the rooms at this resort are on the simple side.

Cap Jaluca is on a terrfic sparkeling white sand beach which is large enough to be uncrowded even during high season. Water is generally calm but can be wavy on occasion. Adjacent to the resort's main beach is a second mile+ long "natural state" beach that virtually has no one on it. There is, however, no off-beach snorkeling to speak of on either of these beaches. The best off-beach snorkeling on the island is at Shoal Bay East (on the opposite side of the island about a 30 minute drive away). The resort has excellent beach service, several different fine dining options and an above average wine list. Some rooms have great views of the water (especially those on the second level) but many of the lower level rooms are descretely screened from prying eyes by tropical planting which limit views from the rooms.

Eden Rock is on a much smaller beach that tends to be more crowded with resort guests. There's a lot of watersports activity on the beach so you'll see plenty of small sailboats, windsurfers, swimmers, etc. The food at this resort is the best of all the places you are considering as is the wine list and it has prices to match.

Hope this helps you in your decision.

pangs

Cap Juluca all the way. Great restaurants on Anguilla, and for a real change of scenery, neighbouring islands are a short ferry ride or plane ride away - St Maarten/St Martin, St Barths, Saba, St Eustatius. Mid December to mid April is the busy time throughout the Caribbea, so if you really want it to be quiet, avoid those month. It's still cool in November, and cheaper too.

marbleheadguy

Caneel hands down for me.

No passport needed and US territory with protections.

You'll love it.

Shari

Thanks to al of you! These have been great responses!

MIM04

Of the three Caneel has the worst food. Not that it is bad, but not the best of those choices.

marbleheadguy

sorry mim---it does not anymore..

Alex Chen thge old "chef" is gone.

A class act VETERAN chef is back...Czekelius who was there 20 years ago..

The culinaruy art and taste is extraordinary now...

MIM04

When was the last time you ate at Eden Rock? or Cap? Never since you obviously don't have a passport.

blamona

Marbleheadguy: While I appreciate your love for St. John (who doesn't love it?) It doesn't make the other choices "worse" as you imply. It's not a hassle to have a passport, the rewards of those places are more than worth it. What's the difference between showing a birth certificate (in St. John) vs a passport? If anything, even to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas it's less hassle with a passport. The places that require a passport open your mind, and broaden your horizons-how is that a hassle? If this is your reason to not see the most beautiful beaches you'll ever see in Anguilla and T&C, have the best meal in your life at St. Barth or St. Martin, or Anguilla, save on duty free shopping in St. Martin, meet people from different backgrounds, or even have COMPARISIONS?

Shari: I have either been through, or stayed where you have or your choices.
Caneel Bay is gorgeous, but a little more "rustic" (still upscale) than where you have stayed. I don't remember beach service, and most villas have ubstructed views of the water. (It gives seclusion, but can "block the views&quot The food, while good, is much better and superior in Anguilla and St. Barth. Caneel does have secluded beaches that are hard to reach, but as someone who gets around, Honeymoon Beach (probably the prettiest) can get a day trippers from Tortola or St. Thomas by boat for snorkeling.
Eden Rock is my least favorite. This doesn't make it bad, just not my tastes. St. Barth is very chic, awesome food and shops, but my opinion beaches are far nicer in Anguilla and St. John. You will have unobstructed views of water (it's on a rock that jets out over the water) and you can even see the airplanes land-which is an experience. Eden Rock is not as secluded as the other 2-quite the opposite, you are in the middle of a busy beach, with no hidden coves.
Cap Juluca is my favorite of the 3-stunning beach (one of the prettiest) and views out to hilly St. Martin. Terrific restaurants, you'll also find that it's more on scale of the properties you've been to before. On par with Parrot Cay and Pink Sands. Cap is on it's own beach, and while all beaches are public, it's really hard to reach, so you'll have seclusion. No day trippers go on this beach.

marbleheadguy

mim--be careful of your assumptions.
I travel all over the world and have had a pasport since I was 16.

I believe you know better than to use FODORS for this type of exchange.

My passport stattus has nothing to do with SHARI's quetion.

Once again, I'd stay at Caneel and avoid the hassles.

ejcrowe

marbleheadguy, you also assume that any poster asking a question here is a US citizen. And while it's true that US citizens don't need a passport to visit the USVI, nationals from other countries do.

Many posters, including those from the US, simply don't want to recreate an Americanized tropical experience on their vacation. Of course, many do want just that and your advice is invaluable there, but I would gently suggest to you that not everybody seeks what you assume they seek.

xkenx

Shari, your tradeoff seems to be snorkeling vs. beach service. Eden Rock has neither snorkeling nor great beach. Between Cap Juluca and Caneel, you'll have the service at Cap; you'll have the snorkeling at Caneel. Some people criticise the rooms at Caneel; they are not small and motelly--they are upscale casual, with a sitting area and a balcony or patio. And you can get good food at Caneel. I guess to put it another way, you can get truly outstanding food and over-the-top service w/o leaving the states. But Caneel is incomparable for providing a tropical paradise beach (7 of them) setting with fine wade-in snorkeling available all day every day.
Caneel's website room photos are a pretty good representation of what you'll get.

MIM04

marbleheadguy - actually I was kidding. I am sure you probably do have a passport. Good for you. However, if you do have a passport and have been outside of the USVI, I fail to understand though why you think its such a "hassle" to have a passport or travel to another country (where passport is needed)
In all honesty I would love to know why you discourage posters from traveling to places where passport is now needed. It really is not a hassle at all. I have held a passport since I was a toddler, same for my daughter. I have never found it to be a "hassle" as you put it.
No it does not relate to Shari's question - but neither does telling her "avoid the hassle" she did not ask for an opinion on that. She simply asked about certain properties (plus she must have a passport or be a resident of a country where it is not needed, you need a passport for St Barth, that is not a new rule)
I am just curious why you are so determined to keep people in the US and as EJ mentioned you assume ALL posters are from the US, certinally not. Be careful of your asumptions too

ExpertTripPlanner

Can't we all just get along?