See more pictures - Here
Anguilla map
|
Emergencies
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police – 911
Fire – 911
Ambulance – 911
Hospital – 497 2551/2
Coast Guard – N/A |
| ^ back to top |
Flights/Getting There
Wallblake Airport does not have the facility to serve long-haul flights, so you will need to transit in another island nearby. The main hubs for Anguilla are St Maarten (from France, the Netherlands and the States), San Juan in Puerto Rico (from the States) and Antigua (from Britain).
Airlines currently serving Anguilla are American Eagle, t 497 3500, and Anguilla Air Express, which have daily flights from San Juan in Puerto Rico, and LIAT, t 497 2238 with services to Antigua, St Kitts & St Thomas.
Charter flights are operated by Anguilla Air Services, t 498 5922, Trans Anguilla, t 497 8690 and Lloyds Aviations Services, t 498 4141. A jet service is available through Rainbow International Airlines, t +1340 626 1112.
Ferries
If you travel via Sint Maarten then rather than catching a plane it may be easier to make the crossing to Anguilla by ferry. There are two options.
The first is to take a taxi up to Marigot (around US$20) and then take the twenty minute ride across to Blowing Point on Anguilla’s south coast. Departures start at 7.30am and run every 45 minutes or so until dusk. Currently there is a sailing returning to Anguilla at 10pm in season (7pm in season). For information, t 497 6665.
Link, t 497 2231, fbconnor@anguillanet.com
The other option is to travel with Link, which runs a twice daily service between Blowing Point and the Immigration Office at Simpson Bay Bridge, which is closer to the airport. It departs Anguilla at 8.45am and 4.15pm and departs St Maarten at 9.30am and 5pm. The regular fare costs US$30 for a single and $50 for a return, but if you are transitting through Anguilla, you might want to use their meet and greet service at Juliana Airport (they collect and transport you to the ferry and back), for which the price is US$40 each way. There is a maximum of 12 seats, so reserve early. The boat is also available for private charter.
There is also a service between Anguilla and St Barths from time to time in season, at around US$150 round trip. |
| ^ back to top |
Flora & Gardens
Though Anguilla has fantastic beaches, the island is certainly not lush and verdant and the greenest places tend to be the hotel gardens. There is no botanical garden, or any other public garden. This said, there are many species of flowering plants and trees and in February the island stages an annual flower show. The Anguilla National Trust also runs the Anguilla Flora Project, which has so far to identified a list of up to 500 species of plants and wildflowers. These have been photographed or pressed by visiting botanists and a local naturalist for deposit in museum collections. A herbarium specimen case stores collections for research. |
| ^ back to top |
Food & Cooking
Perhaps unexpectedly, for a barren island, owned by the British and visited largely by the Americans, the food in Anguilla is often excellent, both in the hotels and outside. It happened as the island began to develop. The hotels had a wealthy clientele who wanted to eat out.
With the excellent source of supply – daily fresh food imported from France and Florida to St Maarten next door (which is then brought over in a hopper plane) – and some French chefs to put it all together, gradually Anguilla has gained an excellent reputation for its food. You can eat out, well, in a different place, each night for ten days in Anguilla.
There is even a second generation of restaurants in Anguilla now, opened by Anguillians who have trained as chefs in the big hotels, who have used their skills to open their own restaurants, often combining French techniques with local produce and ideas. For more information about Anguilla’s restaurants, see Restaurants.
Local food in Anguilla is fairly typical of the area, but the island is fortunate because of its abundance of spiny lobsters and crayfish, which appear on menus not just in posh restaurants but also in simpler places such as the beach bars. See an article about fishing for crayfish and lobster in Anguilla, and eating them.
An unexpected but traditional Anguillian breakfast is salt fish, which is prepared with chopped onions, tomatoes, hot pepper, green pepper oil and seasoning and then served with boiled egg and avocado. Johnny Cakes are another item that are eaten for breakfast, and of course at local festivals, where they are fried in hot oil to accompany fish, taking the place of rolls (some islands call them ‘floats’). For a bit of a tongue twister and only if you like really tart, almost sour tastes with a touch of sweetness there is the Tamarind Ball, which is very much an acquired taste. Throughout the Caribbean, Peas and Rice is a staple and very much loved dish and Anguilla is no exception.
Some restaurants that offer great local food include:
Gwen’s Reggae Grill, Upper Shoal Bay
A cracking setting at the quieter end of Shoal Bay.
Elodia’s, Shoal Bay East, t 4977 3363
Set in a huge wooden shed, lively atmosphere, very good local fare.
Lucy’s, Long Bay, t 497 8875
A simple and friendly restaurant in a modern Anguillian house with brightly-painted murals in Long Bay village (above Meads Bay). Excellent local fare - conch fritters and other fish and seafood. Easy West Indian atmosphere.
Palm Grove, Junk’s Hole, no phone
Very simple grilled and barbecued food, excellent crayfish. Don’t go if you are in a hurry.
It is worth noting that you can get some excellent (and inexpensive) food at the simple roadside grills, which are usually open at the weekends. Try Rafe's in South Hill and B&D's Barbecue above Meads Bay. Even simpler stopovers for hearty Anguillian food include Mable the corn soup lady, Carl at Webster Park, Hungry's food van near the roundabout just outside town and Ken's pork and chicken grill (on Fridays) opposite the market in the Valley.
If the island is known its food, it is also possible to get lessons in how to prepare it. Guests at CuisinArt can take a cooking masterclass that features the resort’s Executive Chef and other guest chefs from Europe and the United States. It is a 2 ½ hour course and it is followed by a chef’s table lunch with accompanying wines at which you are served the food that you have prepared.
If you are staying in a villa and fancy getting to grips with how to prepare some local food such as stewed chicken with peas and rice, then most housekeepers would be more than happy to show you how. |
| ^ back to top |
Golf
There is one championship course on Anguilla.
Temenos Golf Club, t 222 8200, is a 7063 yard, 18-hole championship golf course designed by Greg Norman. Situated towards the western end of the island, surrounded by the spectacular villas of Temenos estates, it has some lovely views, an unforgiving rough and plenty of water hazards.
The course is operated by Cap Juluca, which also has a driving range into the lagoon at the resort.
|
| ^ back to top |
Health & Fitness
Body and Soul Beach & Fitness Club, Sandy Ground, t 497 8363/4 bodysoulaxa@hotmail.com
Exercise Room with cardio machines. Regular fitness classes with certified aerobics instructor, personal training available and massages by certified therapist.
See also Yoga/Pilates. |
| ^ back to top |
Hiking
The company Walking Tours, t 264 497 2711, led by island notable Sir Emile Gumbs and his son Laurie, offers walking tours to historic and remote places on the island. |
| ^ back to top |
History/Population/Politics
Anguilla History: Archaeological finds indicate that settlements of Arawak Indians have lived on Anguilla since more than 3300 years ago, with as many as 40 villages dotted around the island. In later times, the Amerindian name for the island became Malliouhana, which is thought to have meant ‘arrow-shape sea serpent’. The name Anguilla derives from the Spanish (it means eel). The island is thought to have been spotted by Christopher Columbus in 1493, but the explorer certainly did not set foot on the island.
There were occasional visitors and attempted settlements in the early yeas of European presence in the Caribbean, the French in 1564, the Spanish again in 1633 and the Dutch from Sint Maarten, but these did not work and it was not until 1650 that the island was permanently settled. This time it was the English, but it was still hard. After six years they were practically wiped out by Amerindians and in 1666 they received more harassment, from the French this time. Not to be thwarted the French were back in 1688 with the help of the Irish. This time the settlers were forced to seek refuge in Antigua.
Life on Anguilla was always hard, due mainly to lack of fresh water. When sugar didn’t work so they turned to cotton, importing African labour in the early 1700s to work the plantations. Raids on the island continued were a plague into the late 1700s. The last attack on the island was the French again in 1796, but it is reckoned to have been brought on by the Anguillan attack on that island a short while before....
The island was so poor that the slaves were left to their own devices for a couple of days a week, so that they could grow their own food to feed themselves. They also began to trade with other islands in locally built boats. After Emancipation in the 1840s things got so bad through droughts and near famine that the British suggested that Anguilla be abandoned and everyone be moved to Demerara in Guyana (then British Guiana). In an early show of their determination, the islanders refused to leave and continued to be peasant farmers or make a living from the sea.
In a colonial reshuffle in 1825 Britain decided to annex Anguilla to St Kitts and Nevis. Eventually in 1872 the island was forced reluctantly into a federation with St Kitts. Nevis joined the Presidency of St Kitts and Nevis in 1882, but it took until 1951 for Anguilla to be added. Throughout this period the Anguillians were simply neglected. Their dissatisfaction finally erupted in 1967, when Britain made a move to create an Associated State of St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, forcing on Anguilla the prospect of Independence in association with the other two islands.
The Anguillians were emphatically against this and showed their displeasure in an armed, if gentlemanly, revolt (nobody was killed). They forced the St Kitts police off the island and to prevent them returning blocked the runway and manned the ports. Two years of negotiations came to nothing. As the political situation deteriorated further, the Anguillians found themselves on the receiving end of a show of force. They were invaded by British paratroopers, who in turn found themselves welcomed. An administration under a Commissioner was established and after a further decade of negotiations, on December 19, 1980, Anguilla finally became a separate Dependent Territory of Britain. Currently Anguilla is called a British Overseas Territory, one of five in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Queen Elizabeth II has been represented by Governor Alan Huckle since 2004.
Anguilla Politics: The head of Anguilla’s legislative government is Chief Minister Osbourne Flemming of the Anguilla United Front, who was re-elected to a second term in February 2005. The Executive Council is appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the 11 person House of Assembly, in which there are 7 elected members, 2 ex officio and 2 appointed members.
Anguilla population: Anguilla’s has a population of approximately 12,750 (July 2003), and a literacy rate of 95%. |
| ^ back to top |
Horse Riding
There are two stables for Anguilla horse riding.
Cliffside Stables, North Hill, t 497 3667
Riding trails above Katouche Bay and down to the beach. Both English and Western tack available.
El Rancho Del Blues, t 497 6164
Daily trail rides and riding lessons. |
| ^ back to top |
Island Hopping
The possibilities for island hopping around Anguilla are good. Firstly some of the surrounding islands have similar levels of comfort. St Barths, an expensive but without doubt the most chic island in the Caribbean, has some extremely smart hotels, villas and excellent restaurants and Nevis, a charming, gentle former British island which has some delightful plantation hotels. But the area is also good if you want to experience something with a different feel from Anguilla. There are French and Dutch islands nearby. Anguilla is connected by a 20 minute ferry to the French side of St Martin, which is highly developed but has excellent restaurants. Beyond St Maarten (the Dutch side of the same island) are two other tiny Dutch islands, Saba, an unutterably pretty island with old Caribbean charm, and St Eustatius, which has an extraordinary history, though it is really very simple now. They can both be reached by a short onward flight from St Maarten.
Anguilla was once connected politically (or more accurately lumped together for political convenience)with St Kitts and Nevis, but they are completely different islands. They are volcanic to start with, which means they are tall, steep and much lusher than Anguilla and the islands near it, but they have a completely different heritage. Lastly, you might consider spending a few days in the hub of your arrival in the Caribbean. If you are arriving from the UK then this is likely to be Antigua. If you are travelling from the States then you are most likely arrive via St Maarten, but can also approach through San Juan in Puerto Rico, which has its own very different Latin flavour.
Regional airlines that serve Anguilla include:
American Eagle, t 497 3500
LIAT, t 497 2238
Winair, t 497 2748
Local charter airlines include
Air Anguilla, t 497 2643
TransAnguilla, t 497 8690
By Boat
If you fancy a completely different day out, a visit to a busy town and marina with good shopping, it takes just 20 minutes to reach Marigot in St Martin by ferry. There are daily services between Blowing Point and Marigot Bay, every 30 minutes. An evening ferry service was re-introduced in January 2004 and allows you to enjoy supper or an early evening flutter on the Dutch side of the island. The night ferry departs Anguilla 9.20pm and returns from St Martin at 10pm. The earliest ferry from Anguilla leaves at 7.30am. Day fares are currently US$10 one-way and night fares $25. Blowing Point Ferryport, t 497 6070.
A day trips are also available to St Barths once a week. A ferry service operates on Tuesdays, leaving Anguilla at 9.15am and returning at 5pm. Fares are approximately US$65. Deluxe Ferry, t 497 6289/4754.
| | Island BirdsIsland Birds is a small and reliable charter airline that is based in the BVI. It has a small fleet of 5 and 7 seater Piper aircraft that are used for transfers, island hopping, day trips and sightseeing from the air. They make regular passenger and sometimes cargo transfers to the BVI, but they are licensed for almost every airstrip between San Juan and Grenada, including St Barths. | | St Barth CommuterA local airline based in St Barths, which offers scheduled flights from there to St Martin/St Maarten and private aircraft charters to islands all over the Eastern Caribbean. They have a fleet of six twin-engine planes and five specially trained (STOL) pilots with permission to land in St Barths. |
|
| ^ back to top |
Local Organisers
On Anguilla we recommend Bennies Travel & Tours for their concierge service, destination management, tours and business incentives. See details of services provided by local organisers.
Travel Agents:
Bennie's Travel & Tours, The Valley, t 497 2788
Carib-World Travel (Anguilla) Ltd. Water Swamp, t 497 3613
Malliouhana Travel & Tours, The Valley, t 497 2431
| | Malliouhana Travel and ToursA local organiser and tour company based in Anguilla in the North-eastern Caribbean. Malliouhana Travel & Tours can arrange transfers on your arrival and departure, tailored tours around the island (and sailing trips to offshore cays) and travel agency services. They can also arrange weddings, conferences and other activities. |
|
| ^ back to top |
Local Transport
There is no local transport to speak of in Anguilla, but there is an impromptu bus service than links the ferry Blowing Point to the Valley. Catch it if you can. Otherwise you will be dependent on taxis, or hitch-hiking, which is only reasonably reliable. |
| ^ back to top |
Medical
There is only one hospital in Anguilla and facilities are limited. Private medical services are available at Hughes Medical Centre, t 497 3053. Prescriptions can be filled at the Princess Alexandra Pharmacy, the Valley or Paramount Pharmacy in Water Swamp. It is advisable to travel with sufficient medication for your stay.
Check that your coverage for polio and tetanus is up to date. There is no malaria in Anguilla. You should take normal precautions against mosquito bites. If you are susceptible then make sure to use insect repellent during daylight hours and after sunset.
ANGUILLA HOSPITALS
Princess Alexandra Hospital, The Valley, t 497 2551
In-and-out patient care and a 24 hour emergency room. Serious medical cases/those requiring surgery need to be flown to the nearest suitable facilities which in many cases will be in Miami.
Anguilla has something of a reputation in certain circles for its medical tourism, particularly in plastic surgery, through the Hughes Medical Centre owned by Dr Lowell Hughes, a blue building on the West End Road.
VACCINATIONS
With the exception of Yellow Fever, where a vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age coming from infected areas, no vaccinations are required for entry into Anguilla, however please check with your GP prior to travelling. |
| ^ back to top |
Music
The music you hear in the bars of Anguilla and in the hotels is a fairly solid mix of international favourites and Caribbean rhythms from reggae through merengue, salsa, zouk and calypso. You can hear live music over the weekends in the bars and beach bars. There are a number of home grown bands including Happy Hits, the Mussington Brothers and Dumpa and the Anvibes.
There are a couple of Anguilla musical festivals:
Moonsplash, held each year in February (24-27 in 2005) at Bankie Banx’s Dune Preserve, an excellent bar built into the dunes of Rendezvous Bay. Acts are revealed late in the day but include regional artists (previous years have included Freddie McGregor, Third World, Marcia Griffiths, Culture and Black Uhuru),a few international bands and of course Anguillan performers including Bankie Banx himself.
Tranquillity Jazz Festival, www.anguillajazz.org, is held each November. It headlines on ‘smooth’ jazz, giving easy listening jazz concerts held in venues all over the island. |
| ^ back to top |
Nature
Although Anguilla is relatively flat and its soil poor, the island is not barren nor devoid of any interesting wild life. The salt ponds that now lie unused, especially the large Road Salt Pond, attract a wide variety of birds, in all about eighty, mostly migratory species, including herons. Elsewhere around the island you will spot egrets, herons, red legged stilts, white cheeked pintails, hundreds of yellowlegs, various waders, ospreys, pelicans, frigatebirds and the occasional peregrine falcon. You will also see sandpipers twittering along the shoreline in small flocks, dodging the waves.
The island is also home to a number of reptiles including the anole lizard, brown iguana, snakes and red footed tortoise, which tend to be found in the more wooded areas along the cliffs, to the north of the island. Less appealing creatures to be found are tarantulas and scorpions.
From April to November the fours varieties of turtles, hawksbill, green, leatherback, and loggerhead, come ashore to lay their eggs. There is currently a government ban (this was set for 5 years) in effect against hunting these endangered marine animals.
Also see under Conservation. |
| ^ back to top |
|