Five years ago, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston picked one of the most idyllic places on Earth to break up: the tiny coral island of Scilly Cay, a short boat ride from the town of Island Harbour on Anguilla. What a waste of a great vacation spot.
Celebrities and commoners alike head to the cay for lunch at the restaurant owned and operated by Sandra and Eudoxie Wallace. No electricity on the island means all the food is freshly prepared. Sea grape leaves line the plates that are piled with grilled Anguilla lobster, crayfish and chicken marinated in a Scilly Cay sauce, with sides of pasta salad and fruit. It's all washed down with Eudoxie's rum punch, an elixir that might not be a marriage-saver but one that can, at least momentarily, ease the pain.
Shoal dramatic
Two miles from Scilly Cay is Shoal Bay, rated one of the best beaches in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today and Fodor's. Its calm, crystal-clear water and pure white sands justify its accolades. On the other side of the island, 16 miles long and up to three miles wide, are the numerous white-sand bunkers at the 7,063-yard, links-style Temenos Golf Course, designed by Greg Norman. Dramatic water holes and unforgiving tight fairways add to the respect one must give to Anguilla's only golf course, reopened in December 2009 by the Cap Juluca Resort.
Cap Juluca, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, has 18 Moorish-style, beachfront villas with a maximum of six suites per building, all with ocean views and direct beach access. A recent $28 million makeover added 60,000 flowering plants to the grounds and state-of-the-art electronics to every room as well as creating a re-envisioned spa and three renovated restaurants.
The most celebrated of its eateries, Pimms at Cap Juluca, overlooks Maundays Bay and features "Euro-bbean" cuisine, a new culinary style emerging throughout the islands. Anguillan lobster bisque and green-peppercorn-marinated swordfish serve as savory examples.
The newest resort on the island is the Viceroy Anguilla. The interior design and exterior feature decorative details by Kelly Wearstler, whose work routinely graces the pages of the top home and fashion magazines.
With more than 3,200 feet of beach frontage along both Barnes and Meads bays, the Viceroy Anguilla has 166 private villas, beachfront suites and bluff-topguestrooms. The resort's signature restaurant, Coba, offers dining with great views, as does its more casual Sunset Lounge and Half Shell Beach Bar and Restaurant.
Historical pastimes
While Anguilla's resorts make it tempting for clients to stay put for their entire vacation, at least half a day should be devoted to an exploration of the island.
A good place to start is the Heritage Collection Museum on the outskirts of The Valley, Anguilla's capital city. This is a must-visit for history buffs or for those just interested in a better understanding of the island's past.
The name Anguilla derives from the Spanish and French words for "eel" (in Spanish, anguila; in French, anguille) because of the island's eel-like shape. Anguilla was first colonized by English settlers from St. Kitts in 1650.
Among the more interesting incidents documented in the museum are the 1967 and 1969 revolts led by Ronald Webster and known as the Anguilla Revolution.
The locals were protesting Britain's incorporating the island into a unified dependency with St. Kitts and Nevis in 1967, with St. Kitts basically running the show.
By the summer of 1971, British authority was restored. With all quiet on the Caribbean front, the sun-deprived British paratroopers disrobed and basked in the buff, as evidenced in some of the more unusual photo displays in the museum. (How could they resist? The island's average year-round temperature is 80.6 degrees.) In 1980, Anguilla became a separate British territory.
For more on Anguilla, visit www.anguilla-vacation.com. For Cap Juluca, visit www.capjuluca.com. For the Viceroy Anguilla, see www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla.
This report appeared in the July 26 issue of Travel Weekly.