Anguilla: A week in paradise

We recently spent a week at Malliouhana and it was everything you want in a relaxing beach vacation. Read about the highlights, and one meal we'd skip, here.

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Elizabeth

8/2/20262 min read

Overview

We tend to vary our vacations. Sometimes we're looking to be active and do something like ski, other times we might be looking for a bit of history. On this vacation, we were looking to relax on beautiful beaches without crowds and we got exactly what we were looking for. Here is just some of what we loved:

  • I am not just a travel snob but also a beach snob. The beaches here are gorgeous. On Meads Bay the sand is soft, the waters are calm, and there is no seaweed. Come on in and enjoy.

  • We were there in the off-season (July) so perhaps we had an unusual experience but it just wasn't crowded. There were always chairs at the pool and beach. We could always find reservations at the restaurants we wanted to go to. Even the airport was so easy to get through.

  • While you might have to fork out a bit to get here and for lodging, we found a lot of the other benefits were free. At Malliouhana, the cabanas were first-come, first-served, free of charge. We never paid for a beach umbrella, even when visiting other beaches not associated with our resort. The resort had free gym classes and occasional free events with food and drinks that were out of this world.

  • The food. Oh my goodness the food.

Itinerary

  • Resort (Highly recommend): Malliouhana

  • Car rental: Bryans. Also highly recommend. It was nice to be able to drive around the island to different beaches, restaurants, and shops. Bryans drops the car off right at the airport and then you bring it back to the same spot. So easy and convenient.

  • Entertainment: I have to mention FunZone on Meads Bay. This is within walking distance of Malliouhana so we just stopped by. First of all, they have a complimentary floatie in the ocean for everyone which is a nice touch. Second of all, my daughter and I road their mega duck ($40/person - money well spent). I do not think I have ever laugh-screamed so hard in my life! Ridiculous? Yes. Glad we did it? Also, yes.

  • Shopping: Note there is not a lot of shopping on Anguilla but there are a few places you can hit. We liked Irie Life. You might also check out Village Bakehouse for some baked goods.

  • Restaurant highlights and a skip:

    • Recommend: Straw Hat, Sunshine Shack, Vincy.

    • Maybe skip: Sandy Island. This is a small island with its own restaurant. We took a boat there and while the food was fine. However, we found the service pretty unexceptional. Note that in general, people in Anguilla are laid-back (read: service may be slow, and don't expect the check unless you ask for it). However, we went here on a day that wasn't crowded and it still took forever to get basic service. It just wasn't worth it to us. We had much better experiences at other beachside restaurants which there are plenty of.