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Kú Hotel Anguilla sits right on the sands of Shoal Bay, the liveliest beach in Anguilla and one of the most spectacular in the Caribbean, with mounds and mounds of blinding white sand giving onto a fantastic, surreal blue sea. Set in a semi-circle of buildings around a pool and palm trees, the small hotel has a very informal atmosphere, carefully styled to be unfussy and minimal, with light and bright rooms splashed occasionally with green and teal blue. Each of the 27 suites has a bedroom and a large sitting area with a full kitchen, so you can look after yourself (there is a provisions shop), when you don’t eat out at the island’s many excellent restaurants. The hotel’s own French-inspired dining room is exceptionally pretty, set under canvas right on the beach and lit by lanterns and flaming torches at night. Kú, well priced for Anguilla, is very low key and informal and offers barefoot freedom on a truly spectacular, lively beach.
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KEY FEATURES
| Good small hotel for Anguilla holidays, relatively cheap Anguilla vacation with self-catering facility, on a blinding white sand beach. Twenty-seven large suites (bedroom, open-plan kitchen, living room and balcony or terrace) with white wicker furniture, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, oceanfront or ocean view balcony, kitchen (fully equipped with fridge, stove, microwave, coffee maker, kettle), DVD and CD player. Beachfront restaurant and bar, free-form pool, small spa, fitness centre, shop for provisions and beach essentials. Watersports including scuba on the beach. |
STYLE
| Modern buildings softened with white muslin hangings and low rock walls with white render, lanterns and flaming torches at night; minimalist interiors, a base of white and off-white touched with green and teal blue. Stylish but low key beach club atmosphere |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Independent travellers, mainly couples, occasional families |
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Shoal Bay is one of the truly lovely beaches in the Caribbean. The whiteness of the sand and the power of blue in the sea seem to defy reality at times. At Ku they have taken these colours and reflected them in the hotel, in the white buildings and awnings at the restaurant and reception – which they then soften with white drapes and wispy material gathered material at the corners. The outrageous blue of the sea is caught and toned down slightly into a rich teal blue that runs through the resort.
Kú is situated right on the sand of Shoal Bay. You turn in just as the road comes down to the beach and low coral-limestone walls topped with white render appear either side of the driveway. You see the Reception is ahead of you, its entrance immediately noticeable by an awning with white drapes gathered at its corner poles. Briefly you sweep past it, around a circular drive, but then you arrive back at it again. It is only when you get out of the car that you hear music, wistful and atmospheric (or easy-listening reggae), which fills the air from speakers hidden in the trees and bushes around this drive. It feels particularly good at night when the drive and the path down to the pool and restaurant are lit with lanterns and gas flames.
The Reception sets the tone for the small resort. The dominant theme of the decoration is white, which you will see in the floor tiles, the ceiling (which is hung with drapes), and the white leather bench seat that runs along one wall. As a contrast to the white there are cushions in the blue of the small resort and a lustrous green (perhaps in reflection of the coconut palms).
The land gives away gradually beneath the Reception building as you head to the main heart of the resort, which is situated right on the beach. Beyond the drive steps lead down between two three-storey buildings (containing the rooms) and deliver you to the pool, around which there are palm trees. On a small island in the centre of the pool is a statue of Neptune and beyond it is the restaurant, which sits right on the sand of the beach. It is open-sided, its white garden chairs and tables set under a huge flying white canvas awning, with the same white drapes gathered at the corners. All three meals are served here, but room service is also available.
At the forward edge of the restaurant, along its entire width, is a bar. You can have your meal here, eating with a view through the parasols and to the sea, but it is used mainly in the evening when people gathering for a drink at sunset. For your time on the beach Ku has parasols and loungers on the sand, which starts right on the other side of the bar.
The bedrooms of the small hotel encircle the pool and restaurant, some of them giving directly onto the beach, others onto the pool area and behind. They stand in two and three-storey blocks, each with a central stairway either side of which you see the half moon arches in front of the balconies. The blue reappears in the balustrades.
The rooms at Kú are almost all on the same floor plan (there is just one that is larger, the honeymoon suite, which stands in its own single-storey building next to the pool). And they are decorated similarly, in the small resort’s bright minimal style. The walls inside are painted a light pastel green which gives a calm feel, but otherwise the room is largely white or off-white, including the furniture and the drapes. The cushions are vivid splashes of blue and green.
Actually the rooms are self-catering suites with a large sitting area. This is furnished with a cane sofa, an armchair and a glass-topped dining table with four cane chairs. A television with DVD player sit in the corner, beyond which is a bank of glass windows that give onto a patio or balcony overlooking the beach or the ocean. At the rear of the sitting room, behind a breakfast bar, is the kitchen, which is large and well equipped. From here, an arched doorway leads to a small entrance hall, off which lead the bathroom and the bedroom. The beds have linen duvets and the room can be ventilated by fan or air-conditioned.
Kú has a handful of central facilities. Upstairs above Reception is a spa treatment room and a small gym, which has Techno-gym equipment. Opposite Reception is a small shop with all you need in the way of packaged food and some fresh provisions as well as some essentials for the beach. There is an internet station in the corner of the shop which is free to guests of Kú.
There is a good deal of sleek style about Kú, but it does not have the precious and sometimes pretentious atmosphere of a ‘boutique’ hotel. It was originally built as self-catering apartments, and this still enables guests to hide away and to look after themselves, with the result that it never seems over busy. And although Shoal Bay is right there – it gives the hotel a certain feel of activity, and of course you can dip into it any time you like – actually Kú sits slightly independent from the beach. Really Kú is extremely low key and an ideal place to hide away with a fantastic beach on your doorstep. |
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Beach & Swimming
Shoal Bay is one of the Caribbean’s supreme beaches - the sand, sea and swimming are superb – and the hotel sits right on it. You can walk along the beach both ways for a mile or so and it is only steadily becoming built up. There is a watersports shop on the hotel premises where you can get a windsurfer, a small sailing boat, a kayak and snorkelling gear with which to explore the reef offshore (it is where the name Shoal Bay comes from). They can also arrange scuba diving and day sails to the offshore islands.
A freshwater pool sits at the heart of the small resort for moments when you want to retreat from the beach. Shaped roughly like a clover leaf, it has a small island with palm trees and a waterspout. There are loungers around where you can lie in the sun or shade. The pool is right next to the open sided dining room and bar. |
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Sports & Recreation
There is a spa treatment room at Kú, upstairs and behind the Reception. Massage and facials are available. Next to it is a small gym, which has a handful of Techno-gym running machines and bicycles with a television to watch, a multigym and some free weights.
All rooms have DVD players and there is a selection of films in the reception for your use. |
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Staff
Kú is headed up by General Manager Delroy Lake, an Anguillian who has worked in tourism since the mid 1980s. He is assisted by Yvonne Lloyd, who has worked in tourism since 1990. |
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The Rooms
The rooms at Kú are actually large one-bedroom suites and they are pleasantly decorated in a cool, minimal style based in aqua off-white, with white furniture, curtains and upholstery. The resort’s theme of teal blue and occasional green is splashed on them in the cushions. A large living area gives onto a balcony or patio which is either beachfront or ocean view. At the back of the room, behind its own breakfast bar, is a fully-equipped kitchen. A small entrance hall leads off the main room, from which you can access the bathroom and the bedroom, where there is a king size or twin queen size beds. A turn down service is offered in the evenings. |
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Dining
Kú’s dining room has a lovely setting right on the beach under a flying awning of bright white canvas. It offers a contemporary international menu which gathers tastes from France and other regions as well as the Caribbean. Ku’s dining room offers room service if you wish. |
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Rates
| | 07 Apr- 21 Dec 2007 | 22 Dec- 03 Jan 2007-08 | 04 Jan- 31 Mar 2008 | 01 Apr- 21 Dec 2008 | | Ocean/Garden View Suite 1-2 persons | 160 | 355 | 315 | 180 | | Ocean/Pool View Suite 1-2 persons | 175 | 415 | 365 | 195 | | Beachfront Suite 1-2 persons | 200 | 475 | 420 | 220 | | Extra person sharing | 30 | 60 | 55 | 35 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, room only and are subject to 10% Service Charge and 10% Government Tax. Meal plans are per person, per night, plus 20% Government Tax and Service Charge: BP = continental breakfast only UD$16. MAP = breakfast and lunch or dinner US$80. FAP = breakfast, lunch and dinner US$105. Dinner only US$60. Rates are subject to change without notice. A deposit is required within 48 hours to secure all reservations. A loss of deposit will be incurred for cancellations/early departures/no-shows within 21 days of arrival during summer and within 30 days of arrival during winter – these booking conditions may vary for Christmas/New Year and are subject to change without notice. American Express, Visa and MasterCard are accepted. |
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How to Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page, or if you wish to telephone Ku, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. |
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Locality
Shoal Bay (East, not to be confused with Shoal Bay West at the other end of the island) is on the north shore of Anguilla, beyond the Valley towards the eastern end. While this is not the principal tourist area, the east of the island has seen quite a bit of development recently and so the beach is steadily filling in with hotels and condominiums and the rocky shoreline further along is growing with private villas.
There are beach bars in both directions along the strip of Shoal Bay, and with all the beach-based activity they give the area a very nice atmosphere. Uncle Ernie’s is a classic (a simple wooden deck and a kitchen in the shed behind) and then there is Madeariman’s, which is a bit more of a restaurant on the sand. Close by, look out for Elodia’s, which offers West Indian fare. Not far off, the Arawak petroglyph and carving at the Fountain, an Arawak religious shrine, is still closed off for protection. No date has been scheduled for it to be reopened.
Five minutes to the west you come to the Valley, Anguilla’s main town. Most of the island’s best restaurants are down in this direction, beyond the town. Heading the other way from Shoal Bay you come to Island Harbour, one of Anguilla’s few other settlements. Here you will find other beach bars including Scilly Cay, set on an islet in the bay. It is a popular spot for an extended lunch. The restaurant Hibernia is well worth a try in the evenings. |
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Meet & Greet
On arrival in Anguilla (this will usually be at the airport or at the ferry terminal at Blowing Point) it is easiest to catch a cab to Kú.
If your international flight arrives in St Maarten, Kú is happy to help with your transfer across to Anguilla. You might want to consider making the transfer by boat, which is generally more pleasant than waiting around at Princess Juliana airport. There are a couple of different options, but basically Kú can arrange for a representative to meet you at the airport and transfer you to the dock to meet a shuttle boat or a private water taxi. Once you have cleared Customs in Anguilla you should get a cab to the hotel.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
If you would like to explore Anguilla, to visit other beaches and beach bars by day and then the restaurants in the evenings, then you may want to hire a car, which is easily arranged. We recommend you book in advance via your travel organiser or direct with Avis/Apex Car Rental, who will deliver to the property and issue your Anguillian driving licence, price US$20. Vehicles can be left at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.
Be aware that around Christmas there can be a shortage of cars in Anguilla, so you are advised to book well in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better. Taxis are readily available through the reception at the hotel, through drivers who remain on property. No regular public bus service runs in Anguilla. |
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All the information on this page comes to you free of charge. Please remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean when you contact Kú Hotel to enquire or book your Anguilla beach holiday.
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