My Anguilla Travel Guide

Here's my guide for spending a week in Anguilla, packed with delicious restaurants and beautiful beaches.

My Anguilla Travel Guide

Back in December, I asked for recommendations for Anguilla on Instagram. And you all delivered. It was really out of character for me to ask, but I took screenshots of all the replies that came through and that really planned our whole trip. It was amazing. This community really made our much-needed time away incredible, and I want to pay it forward by sharing! If you want to go to Anguilla or have it on your hit list, I hope you have an incredible experience, too.

If you like travel guides like this, let us know! I'm happy to do more of this.

When it came time to choose our vacation destination, Adi and I wanted somewhere beautiful, but less commercial, and somewhere that felt luxurious and had delicious restaurants. Anguilla hit all the points.

We flew into St. Martin (a 4-hour flight from Newark) and took a 30-minute boat ride over to the island. Once there, we took taxis when we needed to go places, but next time I would rent a car—the cabs add up!

If your ideal vacation involves hopping from one crystal clear beach to another, eating delicious meals, and avoiding large crowds, Anguilla is for you. They're in the process of building a bigger airport that will allow for more commercial flights to come in, so if you're planning to go, do it soon before it loses its island charm.

Where to Eat in Anguilla

Anguilla is known for having the best food in the Caribbean, from freshly caught seafood to Caribbean classics like jerk-style meats. And rum! Here are the best restaurants we went to in Anguilla (and everything we ate!).

Blanchards

Blanchards is located in Meads Bay, one of the most popular beaches on the island. This is where most of the hotels and a few of the best restaurants are located. We started with happy hour at Blanchards Beach Shack, which is great for lunch and snacks (or feeding your kids if they're with you), then walked Meads Bay to watch the sunset and explore the hotels on the strip before heading back for dinner. We will definitely be going back to the Beach Shack for lunch and happy hour next time we come and Blanchards for dinner without question—it was my favorite meal in Anguilla.

We got two salads, one with iceberg and tahini ranch (how could I not get it) and a chickpea salad. We also got string beans and homemade ricotta. After those apps, we didn't feel like we needed mains, but they all sounded great. To finish the meal, we got the lemon pound cake and cracked coconut for dessert. So good.

Tasty's

The people eating here were both local and tourists, but more so locals which I loved. Everything we ordered was prepared in a simple and delicious manner which my husband and I both really appreciated. I had the tuna tartare and seafood salad, with crayfish, snapper, lobster, shrimp, and conch—it was the best I've ever had. Adi got the lamb shops which were also delicious. We got the coconut cake and brownie for dessert; the coconut cake was incredible and the brownie didn't disappoint. The whole meal was simple, light, and incredible.

Straw Hat

Our dinner here was amazing. I especially loved the tuna flatbread and the guacamole appetizer served with plantains. The tuna dish reminded me a lot of the tuna pizza at Momoya (one of my favorites) but Straw Hat's was even better. We both got the simply prepared fish as mains, Adi got snapper and I got grouper. We got two desserts, a chocolate cake and an ice cream pie, both delicious. We left feeling full and satisfied.