There’s a Spanish proverb that translates to, “How wonderful to do nothing, and then rest.” It’s printed on t-shirts at Ernie’s Bar, a humble beach shack on Anguilla’s Shoal Bay—a stretch of powder-white sand and endless turquoise-teal water, once named the number one beach in the world. It’s a sentiment that’s easy to settle into on Anguilla, a Caribbean island of 35 square-miles with just 15,000 inhabitants.
Long a sanctuary for celebrities in search of an under-the-radar retreat (it’s where Brad and Jen had their infamous breakup walk on the beach), it’s also an up-and-coming foodie destination for both authentic West Indian cuisine and elevated organic fare. A British territory and northernmost Leeward Island, Anguilla is accessible by direct flight from the East Coast to St. Martin/St. Maarten, followed by a 20-minute ferry transfer. Unblemished by cruise ships, this island is the perfect distance off the beaten path.
1. Malliouhana
Debuting in 1984, the storied Malliouhana (pictured above) was one of the Caribbean’s first luxury resorts. It reopened to guests in November 2014 after a three-year closure and 18-month restoration by Auberge Resorts. The result is a sublime escape that’s part Beverly Hills chic and part F. Scott Fitzgerald on the Côte d’Azur. The airy, tiered lobby sparkles with mosaic mirrored tile floors and a cerulean blue wall lined with vintage dive helmets leading to Caribbean views and tiered infinity pools with yellow ruffled umbrellas.
If you can’t swing the nightly room rate (starting around $1,000), stop by for lunch at chef Jeremy Bearman’s bluff-side restaurant. Shaded by a terracotta tile roof, the open-air eatery with endless views of the Caribbean is designed in a blue and white nautical motif with rope accents and Art Deco light fixtures. Formerly of New York City’s Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate—famous for its elevated, healthful organic fare—Bearman brings the same approach to Malliouhana, working with local farmers, fishermen and purveyors to source the freshest local ingredients for inventive Caribbean fare. Start with the grilled kale salad sourced from nearby Rainbow Farms. The bitter greens are sweetened with chopped apples, acorn squash and dried cherries drizzled with pecan oil, a touch of lemon juice and fresh parmesan. In Anguilla, spiny lobster (as well as its crustacean cousin, the mushier and slightly sweeter crawfish) is as abundant as cheeseburgers in the U.S. At Malliouhana, indulge in the lobster atop a brown garlic oregenato butter pizza with conch, lemon, chili, parsley and pecorino. For dessert, try the lighter than air, housemade coconut yogurt with seasonal tropical fruit.
2. Sandy Island
The only thing better than a secluded beach on a Caribbean island is an even smaller, barely inhabited island a few miles offshore. In Anguilla that’s Sandy Island, a tuft of pale pink sand that’s been swept away by hurricanes more than once over the years, but somehow always reforms to welcome day boaters to its beach shack restaurant and driftwood-laden shores. It’s accessible from Sandy Ground Beach via the wooden boat Happiness for $10 round trip. You may also wish to charter a boat with Shoal Bay Scuba to discover Anguilla’s dramatic cliffs and cays with a boat tour and snorkel excursion before being dropped off at Sandy Island.
If possible, place your order for lunch ahead of time because the tiny kitchen gets backed up and they’re definitely operating on “island time.” With a straightforward Caribbean BBQ menu, you can’t go wrong with the coconut and ginger grilled lobster served with peas and rice, coleslaw and pasta salad alongside a giant plastic goblet of rum punch. The only thing left to do post-lunch is sunbathe and frolic in the pink sand.
