Anguilla Travel Guide
If you want a small, serene, secluded, and exclusive island, this is the place for you. Instead of high rises, one local commented, you get "low-rise dreams" here, referring to the posh inns. Anguilla (rhymes with vanilla) used to tout itself as the Caribbean's best-kept secret. Those days are gone: The news is out. But you still get tranquillity here. Exclusive St. Barts is a prettier island and just as luxurious as Anguilla. Anguilla's interior offers no waterfalls, rivers, or lush tropical foliage. Its scant rainfall makes for unproductive soil that supports mainly low foliage and sparse scrub vegetation. But its white-sand beaches are among the finest in the Caribbean; more than 30 of them dot the coastline, shaded by sea-grape trees. Come here to rest, unwind, and be pampered on the gorgeous sands or by your hotel pool.
You can enjoy the privacy of a small-island experience at Anguilla and still be close to St. Maarten/St. Martin, with its gambling, shopping, and nightlife. You can also take a number of day trips if you get bored with the beach, including visits to Dutch-held St. Eustatius and Saba.
The northernmost of the British Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, 8km (5 miles) north of St. Maarten, Anguilla is only 26km (16 miles) long, with 91 sq. km (35 sq. miles) in land area. The little island has a population of approximately 9,000 people. Most are of African descent, though many are European, predominantly Irish. The locals work primarily in the tourist industry or fish for lobster.
Once part of the federation with St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla gained its independence in 1980 and has since been a self-governing British possession. In 1996, however, London issued a policy statement that locals have viewed as a move to push them toward independence. Many Anguillians believe that Britain has now reduced its global ambitions and wants to relinquish colonies that have become too expensive to maintain. Many islanders fear going it alone as a nation. They know, however, that to retain Britain's protection, they would also have to abide by British laws-including its liberal position on gay rights. For the most part, islanders remain archly conservative and often homophobic.
With the opening of some superdeluxe (and superexpensive) hotels in the 1990s, Anguilla has become one of the Caribbean's most chic destinations, rivaling even St. Barts. Recently more moderately priced hotels have opened, too. Except for a handful of large-scale hotels, operations on Anguilla tend to be small and informal, as Anguilla has tried to control development and conserve natural beauty and resources.
