Hi all! My fiance and I are trying to plan our honeymoon in July of 2011. We are very interested in going to Anguilla, but cant decide on which hotel to stay at-Cap Juluca, Frangipani, or Cuisinart.
We are a 30 year old couple from northern NJ, whose top priorites are gorgeous BEACH, phenomenal FOOD, and great SERVICE (and of course a clean up to date hotel)!!! I have heard great things about Anguilla, but we are having trouble deciding on which hotel will best suit our needs....we def like to have drinks at night and hang out, but are not too concerned with "clubbing" or anything crazy...
Any input would be appreciated! Also open to other hotel suggestions in Anguilla!
Thanks!!!!!!

Cap Juluca is on THE most fabulous beach on an island full of fabulous beaches. It has more privacy than Cuisinart. Both have bars, and there are other beach bars on the island (Elvis', Dune Preserve and Pumphouse, etc). Don't just eat at the hotel, there are so many fantastic restaurants on the island. Cap is being renovated, but even the "tired" rooms are magnificent. It does look exactly like the website

Thank you so much beachykeen for your response. I have heard that Cap has alot of mosquitos...is that true? I LOATHE bugs!

CJ is fantastic...we LOVED it. Frangipani is a step below the other 2 IMO. We did eat there though years ago and dinner was very good.

Cuisi is the best. You can't beat it. I'm not kidding! You must stay there.

Cap has no more mosquitos than anywhere else. If there is a light breeze, no mossies. If it has been very damp and no breeze, more mossies. AXA is usually dry

Loved CJ, perfect for a honeymoon-not too many kids, gorgeous beach, phenomenal service. very top notch.

i was nervous about bugs too, but we had no issue.

thanks everyone, so helpful!!!!
Has anyone been to Cabo? We are deciding between Cabo and anguilla.....let me know if anyone has been to both and recommends one over the other!
Thanks

I have not been to cabo, but that one and only palmilla looks amazing. However, i hear the beaches are very rough there.

the food on anguilla is superb, if you're into food, that's a great choice.

Interestingly enough, I've stayed at all 3 of your Anguilla choices and 2 years ago we stayed at Las Ventanas in Cabo. Anguilla and Cabo are very different so you should decide which appeals to you.

Anguilla is known for its beaches and restaurants. What it's not noted for is its nightlife. There are certainly a few places to go but you have to pay attention to which bar has entertainment on a particular night. I agree that Frangipani isn't quite in the same class as Cuisinart and Cap. Both Frangipani and Cap Juluca are on fabulous beaches. In my opinion the beach at Cuisinart isn't quite as nice as the other two.

Even though Cap Juluca gets rave reviews here I have to admit that neither my husband nor I were overly impressed. Our room was sadly in need of not only an update but simple maintenance. Nor were we impressed with the level of service. We aren't hard to please and rarely complain but at those prices we expected more.

I would certainly return to both Cuisinart and Frangipani. We enjoyed our visits to both. A nice thing about Cuisinart is its proximity to The Dune Preserve, a fun bar owned by reggae star Bankie Banx. He plays 2-3 times a week and the food is good, too.

Restaurants on Anguilla are very good. There are many posts on Fodors about Anguilla restaurants so you should be able to find lots of information. Plus St. Martin is an easy ferry ride away if you need a shopping fix. There's not much shopping on Anguilla.

Las Ventanas is a fabulous property but we probably won't return. You can't get in the water because of the rough water and undertow. We also found the food at the resort surprisingly mediocre, and very expensive. The resort is located about halfway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas and it was just far enough away to be a little bit of a hassle. Count on about $30 taxi ride each way. We loved the property, however, and service was outstanding. Lots of Hollywood types and beautiful people.

I hope I've helped a little. I've been to Anguilla 4 times and it's a definite favorite but I realize it might not appeal to everyone since it's relatively quiet. My only experience in Cabo was our one trip to Las Ventanas, which probably isn't a good representation.

Write back if you have specific questions. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

P.S. You probably know that July is low season for the Caribbean and most islands are likely to be fairly quiet.

Sharona! THank you so much for all of your helpful information!!! I think you have helped me come to a decision. I met with my travel agent tonight, and St Lucia was thrown into the mix. But I think I want to stick to Anguilla...I was torn between Cuisinart and CapJuluca...Ive heard great reviews of both, but taking into consideration everything (proximity, rooms, service) I think Cuisinart may be the one!
Have you ever been to St lucia?
Thank you again for all the info!

Can only speak to Cap Juluca for I stayed there a few years ago...One of the highlights of my travel experiences; the beach was truly spectacular and the service is exactly what you would expect from such an establishment.

I absolutely recommend.

No really wrong choice. I adore Cap Juluca, and have been
to the island many many times. I think we have stayed at CJ at least 18 times. The beach at Cap is perfect,never had a problem with the service. The rooms are far from shabby! I only stayed at Cusinart once-CJ was closed due
to hurricane Lenny. I enjoyed my stay, its a very lush property. Rendezvous is also a stunning beach. The Dune Preserve is just up the beach a bit. The beauty of Anguilla is that its a small island, easy to get around, wonderful beach front dining, how can you go wrong? I think you will enjoy the island no matter where you stay.

Years ago we went to St.Lucia, stayed at that time The
Jalousie Plantation. It was lush and tropical, and
on a steep part between the Pitons. Glad we went--BUT
I was missing Anguilla. IMHO you cannot compare the two islands. St.Lucia was so very hard to get around, we
never rented a car. The island is volcanic so you will
have some black sand. I was longing for my Anguillian
beaches.

BTW--the newest hotel on the island, also on the west
end is Viceroy. Its stunning, and feels like south
beach or L.A. -- it is an interesting addition to
this low key --island.

BTW I grew up in Bergen county, so I know Northern NJ
very well.

jlslonglash, yes, I have been to St. Lucia. We stayed at Le Sport for a week and then moved to the Royal St. Lucian for a week. Like Penny, we didn't rent a car. Because of all the steep terrain it is a tough island to get around and that's one reason we stayed in the Reduit Beach area since there are lots of nearby restaurants. We did a rainforest hike, which we really enjoyed, and then took another daytrip to the Grenadines. We were pleased with our visit but I'd probably choose Anguilla for a honeymoon.

I was hesitant to mention any displeasure concerning Cap Juluca since it is a fan favorite around here. And truly it is a beautiful property on the most gorgeous beach. But we didn't love it. There was nothing major wrong. It just didn't live up to expectations. We had tried to stay at Cap on 2 previous trips to Anguilla and it was always booked. So when we checked on availability for our trip last year we were happy to find there were rooms to be had.

First of all, nowhere did I say the rooms were shabby. They simply needed an update and some maintenance. We had lights that didn't work (not burned out lightbulbs), slats in the louvred doors that didn't move so you couldn't let in the light and fresh air, holes in the screens, plumbing issues and a non-existent internet connection that took almost 2 days to fix. When we asked for help in making a couple of dinner reservations we felt like we were bothering them. And then they didn't even leave us a message to let us know if the reservation had been made! We asked if they knew when Bankie Banx was playing at The Dune Preserve and they said they didn't know. They made no offer or effort to find out. And there were a couple of other things I won't even go into.

Perhaps I'm being a bit picky but we paid over $600 a night in low season and I think at that price point they could do better. We had just been to Las Ventanas the previous year where the service was outstanding (and still fresh in our minds) and the difference in the level of service between the two resorts was night and day. Perhaps that's what I had trouble with -- we stayed at one resort (Las Ventanas) that put an emphasis on service and one (Cap) that did not seem to.

I wanted to relate MY experience at Cap. Obviously others have had very enjoyable visits to that property. The funny thing is, we spent a week at the Radisson on St. Martin before moving to Anguilla and Cap Juluca and my husband said he actually enjoyed our stay at the Radisson more than at Cap. Imagine that!

jlslonglash, honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either Cuisinart or Cap Juluca. It just seems that no one ever has a negative thing to say about Cap but no place is perfect. I think Cap is renovating the rooms now and perhaps we simply caught them at a bad time. We might even give them another try one day.

Sharona, Cap is a favorite, but you are right to relate
your experience. Expectation is everything, and CJ is
far from perfect. I understand Las Ventanas is a wonderful
hotel and well noted for its service. I guess Cap is not
quite a 5 star for service and I would also add that
I feel the same about Cuisinart. To me its all about the
beach-beach and more beach.
Cap has replaced some of the louvred doors, with new full
glass, and louvred doors plus improved the a/c. I am not sure
what is going on with the room renovation---

This forum and others really can help someone make up their
mind about a hotel. Years ago all those guide books helped-
but its hard to ask a book a question!

Thank you both so much!!!! I truly appreciate all of your suggestions, comments, ect. After a VERY hard decision, we are going to do Turks and Caicos, at the Gansevoort hotel. That is more our speed in regards to accomadations. And the beach looks amazing, im sure no where near to what the beach is at Anguilla. Hopefully one day, maybe our one year anniv, we will be able to visit Anguilla. I just have such high expectations, esp bec its our honeymoon, that i dont want to chance being let down. I will post a report on TCI when we return. Thank you again!

Grace Bay Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Don't think you are taking a step down from Anguilla in terms of the beach. I'm sure you'll have a fabulous honeymoon and by the time you're ready for Anguilla Cap should be all nice and renovated!

Best of luck to you.

(Thanks Penny.)

We have been to both TCI & Anguilla as Sharon above said...you will not be taking a step down in terms of beach. You will love Grace Bay-beautiful!!!

So now you can relax and look forward to your wedding.
The hotel looks wonderful!

Thanks to all!!! Looking forward to it, 11 months away! yay!