5 Best Sights in Anguilla

Follow the signs to Smokey's at the end of Cove Road, and you will find water that is brilliantly blue and sand that's as soft as sifted flour. It's just as spectacular as its neighbors Rendezvous Bay and Maundays Bay, though this one is more secluded. You can walk here from Cap Juluca for a change of pace, or you can arrange a horseback ride along the beach. Weekend barbecues with terrific local bands at Smokey's are an Anguillian must.

The dazzling, platinum-white mile-long beach is especially great for swimming and long beach walks. It's no wonder that the Belmond Cap Juluca, one of Anguilla's premier resorts, chose this as its location. Public parking is straight ahead at the end of the road near Cap Juluca's Pimms restaurant. You can have lunch or dinner here (be prepared for the cost) or, depending on the season, book a massage in one of the beachside tents. There are bathroom facilities.

Arguably Anguilla's premier beach, Meads Bay is home to many of the island's top resorts (Malliouhana, Four Seasons) and a dozen fine restaurants. The powder-soft champagne-color sand is great for a long walk and is as beautiful now as it has ever been. Park at any of the restaurants, and plan for lunch. Several of the restaurants offer chaises for patrons.

Before there was tourism, Anguilla relied heavily on salt production. At 100-acres in size, Road Salt Pond is the largest enclosed body of water on the island. Filled with highly mineralized salt, it's a very therapeutic and shallow pond. Ideal for bird watching, it's considered an "Important Bird Area" by the local government and hundreds of species have been spotted. For visitors who want to get their hands dirty (or rather, wet), Quest Salt Picking Experience will take them into the pond to pick the salt.

Anchored by seagrape and coconut trees, the 2-mile (3-km) powdered-sugar strand at Shoal Bay (not to be confused with Shoal Bay West, at the other end of the island) is one of the world's prettiest beaches. You can park free at any of the restaurants, including Tropical Sunset or Gwen's Reggae Bar & Grill, most of which either rent or provide chairs and umbrellas for patrons for about $20 a day per person (some offer chairs and umbrellas free of charge with lunch). There is plenty of room to stretch out in relative privacy, or you can bar-hop. The relatively broad beach has shallow water that is usually gentle, making this a great family beach; a coral reef not far from the shore is a wonderful snorkeling spot. Sunsets over the water are spectacular.