Brian

It sounds to me like Anquilla is a pretty quite island, with nice beaches and hotels and a decent &quot;island life&quot; outside of the hotels. Is a good place to go for a couple who have traveled a decent amount (Greek islands, Bora Bora, Vietnam, Virgin Gorda, Barbados) who want a Carribbean trip without the masses or the 'tude of St. Barths? Especially since we will be leaving our 11 month old with her grandparents for our first trip away? Where can we get luxe accomodations that won't break the bank and allow for lounging and trips into town for dinner, etc.<BR><BR>Thanks

fyi

no 'tude or masses but just spectacular beaches. No town for dining but wonderful restaurants scattered around the island and some high end ones relatively close to one another and near the higher end resorts - if you didn't want to travel the distance - which btw is not far to anywhere on Anguilla. <BR>'lux there is plenty of and Bob Greens http://hotels.ai is a good overview with prices so you can come back with specific questions about those that might fit the budget and you. Also great info there and on other sites like www.anguillaguide.com and www.anguilla-vacation.com

cedra

Anguilla has its negatives and positives just like anywhere. Since &quot;fyi&quot; stressed the positives, I will provide some negatives to add balance. One negative is that it is a very flat scrubby island, while many other islands in the Carib offer stunning scenery and lushness. Snorkeling is also sub-par on Anguilla compared to many other destinations. Not a lot to do other than beaches and dining compared to some of the other places you mentioned. Also it is more of a hassle to travel to than some other locations, but that has helped to keep it from being overdeveloped, although that is changing with the addition of a golf course and a dolphin &quot;facility&quot; in addition to villa development. It is a very safe destination even though a few months ago an American tourist was brutally raped and murdered and her body dumped on the beach.

Chris

Last I heard that she had a heart attack although there was some evidence of a robbery and she was found on the beach. Could be wrong and compared to many destinations, it is a very safe and comfortable island with wonderful welcomoing hosts. One of the few islands that it is still safe to pick up the islanders and offer them a ride. Wouldn't do that many places including home.

Brenda

Chris: sorry to tell you that the 62 yr old American tourist in Anguilla was in fact raped and murdered. The results the autopsy were death by asphyxiation and there was evidence of the sexual nature of the crime as well.

Susan

Brian: We went to Anguilla in 2001 and absolutely loved the place and its people. We have been to T&amp;C, St. John, Anegada, Cat Island in the Bahamas, Aruba, and some others, so we have been to numerous places to make comparisons. Do not expect the lush greenery of St. John. Anguilla is, as Cedra put it, flat and scrubby. But you will be near the water most of the time!!! When we rented a vehicle and explored the island, we found some of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen anywhere! Some were small, others large, some had water as smooth as glass, others were a bit more rough, etc. All the beaches are public on the island so you don't have to worry about going onto private property. It is a wonderful place and I would highly recommend it as a vacation destination. As far as deluxe accomodations, there are several and there are also some fantastic restaurants. My favorite is Altamer, which has an unbelievably romantic atmosphere with wonderful service and great food. Go ahead and check out Anguilla!!!

watcher

Well Anguilla must be doing something right. Rumored guest last week include Robert DeNiro, Newt Gingrich, and an AXA lover, Kevin Bacon.

mel

Brian, you're gonna love Anguilla. We went there in 2001 and had the greatest vacation, stayed at Cuisinart, best place we've ever stayed.... We're returning on our 10th anniversary next year as a treat to ourselves... and leaving our son at home...it really would be boring for a kid. Just fabulous beaches, hotels and great restaurants...I wish I was there right now instead of freezing and snowy NYC!

GM

Have to agree with the poster 'Mel' - (we are in the NYC area too btw). My place of choice would be Cuisinart over Cap Juluca. When we went to Anguilla a few years ago, we went to Shoal Bay and checked out areas in Anguilla. The beaches are pretty; scrubby as other folks described and the island pretty flat. We like most of the volcanic islands for the scenery, and hubby is the diver/snorkeler in our fam who says he doesn't find that there's too much of snorkeling/dives for him on Anguilla (he's partial to St. John and the BVI's for snorkeling, but did try it when we were there). But we both agree Cuisinart is a wonderful property that offers what we would like in a resort.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

anguillafan

Have just returned from Anguilla for xmas vacation, can confirm sighting of Kevin Bacon at Cap Juluca where we were staying. Went to Mangos on Saturday night and Liam Neeson came in, followed by Robert de Niro, followed by Robin Williams, followed by Billy Crystal! Its the place to be seen obviously!!!

Billy

oh please, star struck! I am sure many of the islands can claim to have their &quot;stars&quot; and you might start with Mustique with Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger and Denzel Washington at Basil's Bar but since Mick had the sniffles he didn't venture out on Old Years Eve. If the stars with their flocking groupies and photographers are there, better head elsewhere.

steve-o

I'm headed to the Cuisinart in May. Staying in the junior suit. Any info about the resort is appreciated. Do all of the rooms have a good ocean view? Is the pool area usually crowded? How is the Dune Preserve? Any good restaurants for lunch/dinner in walking distance close by?<BR><BR>I wanna hear about your Cuisinart experience!

DC

other than the Dune Preserve there is nothing within walking distance of CuisinArt. The junior suites in the oceanfront villas all have views of the water and St. Martin in the distance.

DC

hit send before reading and was thinking of Cap. Anguilla Great House and Rendezvous Bay Hotel are also on Rendezvous Bay and people do walk the length of the bay.

penny

The infinity pool is beautiful, never seen it crowded. It does get activity as the beach ocassionally can be windy,<BR>it is directly in front of the luncheon restaurant, not very private. The food at CuisinArt is wonderful, Santorini was our top meal this last trip. Love the veggie antipasto at lunch, tuna sashimi at dinner. Rendezevous is a very very long bay, with The Dune at the close by west end,<BR>Rendezvous Bay Hotel at the further east end. They have a causal dining area,Cedar Grove, nice spot. Since CuisinArt is on the west end lots of dining spots within 10 minutes. Mangos, Blanchards, Georges at CJ, Pimms, Saphire, Trattoria<BR>Tramonto, Olivers, Malliouhana, etc.!!!!

Dan

The reason you see many celebrities there is because NONE of them have any taste whatsoever, and never will!!

Anon

Oh no - its 'Tim', 'Dan' or whatever he wishes to call himself, knocking the Caribbean again! Soon he'll start talking about Hawaii... Anyway, don't listen to him, everybody else is right, Anguilla is a wonderful island, been there for the first time last summer and going back again this summer.

Kim

Anon, Tim (or Dan) or whatever his alias happens to be this day is an idiot. His posts about the Caribbean can be spotted a mile off and sound like a broken record. It is obvious that he is the one without any class or taste and it is just as obvious from his postings that he will never have it.

Anon

Absolutely agree Kim, good to hear that I'm not the only one who is annoyed by all these posts from Tim, Dan etc. Perhaps we should just ignore him, maybe he'll go away...

jackievw

I thought I'd try this bb to get away from all the other bashing on other bbs. Guess this is not the case.