I have read about this island and am wondering if it is for us. Background: We have been to St. Kitts and Nevis (3 times), St. Martin (french side 3 times), Guadeloupe, Aruba, St. Barts and the Bahamas. What we love...food , decent snorkeling, hiking, rain forest, dh hiked the volcano when in Nevis, some scuba diving, sunset sails and seeing the local shops. We do not like extremely built up areas like Myrtle Beach or the more touristy places in Florida, but do like to interact with other tourists and people that live on the island. I prefer to take taxis, but a rental car is fine.
Might Anguilla be for us? We typically stay at a resort/hotel type area but would consider a villa. We do like a fridge for keeping sodas and snacks.

I think the the British Virgin Islands would be more to your liking. Anguilla has no rain forest or hiking. It's a flat scrubby island. The shopping is fairly limited as well. But the other things you want e.g. food, snorkelling and sails are all on offer in Anguilla. I think it's a great place but no lush rain forest.

I think you'd love Anguilla. It doesn't have everything on your wish list but what island does?

No hiking or rain forest but otherwise it's all good and as you mentioned food first on the what you love list then Anguilla delivers.

It's easy to combine a trip to Anguilla with St. Martin as you probably know or maybe you could check out Saba on the same trip (no beaches but you could hike there).

We're going to Anguilla in June and we haven't been there in nearly 20 years. I'll let you know how the snorkeling goes.

Ahh....2 conflicting reviews. I had considered the BVI's. Humm...Off for more research. Hiking is not a must, but dh gets bored after more than a day of sitting!
I also wondered about revisiting St. Barts since our stay was short last time and combining it with Anguilla.

Having been there, i know there is a lot of downtime...if you prefer to explore, I recommend St. John. However, the food on Anguilla rivals if not tops all of the rest. S

Visited Anguilla for a week July 2008 and stayed at a small condo complex. Low season so not every restaurant was open. Food ranged from excellent to just average. Island is ugly - flat & dry. Beaches can be very hard to access (getting to Captain's beach could destroy your car) & we felt did not live up to the hype (not close to St John). People generally did not seem all that happy to see tourists (Anguilla's attitude seemed to be the polar opposite of Nevis - loved the feeling of Nevis). Almost nothing to do but beach and eat. Going wasn't a mistake, but we won't be going back. One of the 4 star resorts would make for a different experience, but your post doesn't sound like that is your perference.

gtm...thanks...While we love to eat, it is not a priority, ever. Although, dh does love Grand Case....Having said that, I am leaning towards the BVI thought. I do have the Fodor's 2007 guide and am looking/researching/reading it as much as possible. I appreciate your honest opinion. If it is just an island for eating and lounging, that is not for us. I love Nevis and am trying not to be to same-same in finding a new destination for us!!

Meant to say..sorry...hated Aruba for the same flat, dry and scrubby details.

iw, Grand Case is almost in a class by itself - it should be illegal for one street to have so many excellent choices. Loved the food on St. Martin.

I don't think Anguilla is for you. It is definitely an island for eating and lounging and not much else. The snorkeling is so-so, there is no hiking or rain forest, almost no shops and tourists generally rent cars. The beaches are very nice, however, and the food very good. I agree that perhaps one of the Virgin Islands would suit you more, maybe St. John or Tortola. Anguilla is flat and dry. Both St. John and Tortola are mountainous and lush. If you liked Nevis I think you'll be better suited to one of the Virgin Islands. (BTW, I've been to Anguilla 3 times, St. Martin 4 times, St. John, Tortola 2 times and Nevis.)

Another possibility is St. Lucia. There's a volcano and rain forest there. We did a day hike through the rain forest and swam in volcanic pools. My hair and skin were incredibly soft afterward. The beaches aren't like some others in the Caribbean and the food was mostly average but there are definitely things to do other than lounging and eating.

Have you looked at Grenada? We have been to Nevis twice and, like you, think it's incredible. Grenada is probably the closest we've come to finding that same vibe. If you do the BVIs, we loved Biras for the food and the use of the Boston Whalers. Plus you can do trips to Jost and up to Anegada.

We're in the midst of doing research for our next trip in November. It's tough...so many islands, so little time!

Good luck!

Hi Dave.....I have thought of Grenada. Oh the task of planning a trip! Thanks for the thoughts! I will continue to check the ideas out and post more specific questions.

Sharona: We probably have some ADHD tendencies which are not conducive to just eating and lounging. I do want to go to Anguilla, but it does not sound like it is for us right now while we are so "mobile".

I appreciate all of the thoughts. They are all helpful!

I have been to both Anguilla and Nevis as well many others . I have also been to Virgin Gorda . Both Nevis and Virgin Gorda are my two favorite Islands . If you go to Virgin Gorda it is great to rent a villa and you will want to rent a car . Anguilla has nice beaches and good resteraunts but the island itself is not pretty . Virgin Gorda has a small population is a beautiful island with each point of it holding a different personalty . The beaches are amazing .The Food is good with a few really nice places to eat . Your taste sound similar to mine I think you would love it !

Also .. Have you thought about Barbados . Tons to do ... Great Resteruants ! Over all not has pretty as VG due to its size but has some beautiful areas !

I would like to second the suggestion that you consider the British Virgin Islands. Lots of great things to do from day sails, trips to other islands, hiking, etc. I agree with GTM and Sharona about Anguilla. The locals seemed just to tolerate us. I am not the type of person who can lie on a beach all day so I need other things to do. Anguilla didn't have much else to offer besides great beaches and expensive restaurants.

I just got back from Virgin Gorda last month. I absolutely loved it. My favorite island so far. It is beautiful. The people were friendly. A few upscale restaurants which was just what we were looking for. After a day at the beach or hiking most nights we are looking for a somewhat casual dinner.

Someone on another website stated that Anguilla has a bunch of abandoned constructions sites, and flat, dried up terrain.

I have to disagree and say that Anguilla might be the island for you. There are over 30 beaches to explore, so although there isn't hiking, there is exploration.
The food is outstanding-and the people are very inviting. You can strike up a converstation very easily with anyone. The snorkeling isn't the greatest, but it certainly is an option. To me there is no more beautiful place than our lovely Anguilla! Give it a try. I bet you won't regret.

GO. We've been to St. Bart's, St. Martin, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Anguilla is the best. THE BEST. It has the most gorgeous beaches I've ever seen in my life, and that includes Greece, Spain, etc. It's amazing. And the food is phenomenal. Nobody can touch their Caribbean lobster. Do it. You'll thank yourself for many years to come.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder-I did not lkie Virgin Gorda and I love AXA. VG was very pretty, but I thought the people were not very nice, the food just OK and the beaches couldn't hold a candle to AXA. AXA is mostly flat and dry, so the gardens outside people's homes always amazes me. Anguillians have a lot of pride and don't tolerate rudeness or patronizing attitudes, but when treated repectfully are very friendly and will gladly show off their home. There are areas for hiking (Katouche Bay among others)and lots to explore. The former Chief Minister gives a bird watching tour! If that's not for you, I would recommend Barbados over the BVI-more variety and more to do.

I found the people on Virgin Gorda to be VERY nice!