Q – Help me – I don’t know how exactly to phrase this but we’re looking for an island in the Caribbean that hasn’t been completely overwhelmed by mass-market, trinket seeking day trippers. We appreciate the finer things in life and we don;t want to give up on the Caribbean but our last several forays were near-disasters. We are seeking high levels of security, elegance, great beaches, and a variety of upper-tier hotels that know how to treat the luxury traveler. And we would prefer that cruise passengers were several hundred miles away in the distance. I know there are semi-private and private islands like Mustique and Necker, but we’re looking for an open island that seems to attract travelers like us who might want to dine around at some fabulous restaurants after a hard day on the beach. Is this an impossible dream unless we just go and buy our own island?
A – It is not that bleak a picture. You can plop your Ralph Lauren shorts down on a nice chaise in a variety of absolutely luxury resorts on the island of Anguilla. Just go to San Juan and hook a right.
The government of Anguilla has devoted its efforts to cultivating the luxury end of the travel spectrum. You might want to look at renting a villa or staying at any one of a number of really fine hotels like the Viceroy Anguilla, CeBlue Villa and Resort, the Cuisinart Hotel and their new project The Reef, and the just opened Zemi Beach House.
The island is growing with a 38% boom in new hotel construction almost all of it geared to luxury travelers. We think this island will meet all of your stated criteria.
