Help me choose Anguilla Restaurants and Beaches...
 

Right now we have reserved Trattoria, and Straw Hat. We will be there for 5 nights in 2 weeks. I know the first night we will probably eat at the hotel (Cuisinart) or somewhere we can walk to. Any recommendations for the first night? Maybe Cedar Grove, Santorini, or Tapas at the Bar?
Second Night is Trattoria
Third night either E's Oven or Tasty's (want a nice meal but not too expensive or stuffy) which one is better? which one is close to our hotel?
Fourth night: Straw Hat
Fifth Night either one of the third night's restaurant or Oliver's.

Please help. I appreciate all responses. thank you! Oh and we are in our mid-late 20's no kids and enjoy great food (from burgers to seared foie gras).
One more question we rarely like leaving beach resorts but if it is very worth it to rent a car for a day and travel to another beach which would you go to?
Thanks!!!!

Hi,

5 nights and so many good restaurants to choose from, a tough one!

Have not tried any of the CuisinArt restaurant but have read some good reviews of Santorini.

Cedar Grove is a wonderful restaurant, never had a bad meal there. I would suggest going by car or taxi, it is a long walk, especially at night as the roads have no side walks and the sideroads are badly lit. You could walk along the beach, it is about a mile, but suggest to bring a torch!

Trattoria is a great choice, both for lunch and dinner. Straw Hat is nice too.

Have not been to E's Oven or Tasty's for a while, but both have good reviews. We find E's Oven often get very hot and don't like the setting of Tasty's, it's right on the main road, and we don't like the noise from the traffic.
E's Oven is closest to you hotel, but Tasty's is not than much further. It is not within walking distance.

I would recommend Roy's Bayside Grill in Sandy Ground, lovely setting and great food.

Hibernia (East End) has a great reputation and the re-opened Koal Keel in the Valley has also received great reviews recently.

I would highly recommend a car, for at least a couple of days. Drive around, explore the island, stop at different beaches they are all wonderful, have lunch. After all your are visiting Anguilla, not just CuisinArt. And the beach in front of CuisinArt can at times be very windy, and a car gives you the freedom to move to another beach. A car would cost you approx $40 per day, plus $20 for a temprary drivers licence, well worth it, as taxis are not cheap.

Mangos is fun on Mon and Thurs night--Live music. Definitely recommend Koal Keel in the Valley. Lovely dining experience. Le bar at Shola Bay East and Barrel Stay in Sandy ground are great for lunch. Go to the Anguilla forum on www.caribbean-on-line and read Jack and Leslies trip report. Scrool down as it's in several parts.

Oh! So many good restaurants and you have so little time - you'll just have to plan a second or third trip.

I see you are considering Oliver's - it a great place (Oliver himself is usually always there to make sure the meal is perfect) but it is on the expensive side (I point this out as you were thinking of going there instead of Tasty's or E's Oven). If it is in your budget definitely give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Tasty's is also very good. It's more casual dining than some of the other places on your list but we've always had enjoyable meals there.

Also, here's another vote for Trattoria - very good food.

Lastly, you really should consider renting a car during your stay. If you don't leave the resort you will miss out on Anguilla's big draw - that is it's 33 beaches. Given the fact that very few of the restaurants you are considering are within walking
distance of Cuisinart and the fact that taxis are expensive - one round trip from Cusinart to say Trotteria (including tip) will probably be equal to 2/3's the cost of a daily car rental - it is possible you are being a little "penywise, pound foolish". Having a car at your disposal will allow you to come and go as you please, dine out for both lunch and dinner, tour the island, visit the beaches and still have time to enjoy the facilities at your resort. I simply can't imagine why anyone would take the effort to get to Anguilla (after all it's not easy) and never leave their resort. But then again, that's my preference and it may not be yours so it's just a suggestion.

We loved Olivers so much we went back twice in a week! The food was delicious and the restaurant was beautiful. It was very laid back and we really enjoyed ourselves. The grouper was my favorite! We did not like Mangos at all. I think that was the worst night we had in Anguilla, I cant even remember what I ordered. We also liked Flavors which is a restaurant owned by Cap Juluca but not on there grounds. We tried Piconte's to which is Mexican not bad but the bugs were bad there, make sure you bring bug spray!

Thank you so much!

Jus got back this morning...so tired so I'll make this brief but will give a full report later. Straw Hat was fantastic (I think my favorite?), as was Altamer (best ambience)and Mango's for us (the food at Mango's not the service). Pimm's at Cap (where we stayed) tried a bit too hard & seemed uncomfortable and Tasty's for lunch was good but if you can spend the extra bucks go for some beach atmosphere for dinner. Tramonte was delicious and I had the most fanatastic pizza at Cusinart. Gosh we went to many beaches but we were content with the one at Cap & all the watertoys to play with. Have fun, it is such a relaxing place!

Trattoria is terrific but you can have a fabulous lunch there or dinner. But if you miss Hibernia, you will be missing by far the best restaurant on Anguilla. I believe they currently have a terrific foie gras appetizer on the menu (since you mentioned that you enjoy it). Absolutely do not miss it. As for a car rental, you will not really understand how special the island is unless you rent a car and drive around to various beaches, meet locals, etc. By all means do this, if only for a couple of days.