The Valley is the capital of Anguilla, and this guide covers the whole island: its beaches, its areas to stay and how to get there. Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the northern Leeward Islands, directly north of Saint Martin, a flat, low island of coral and limestone about 26 kilometers long and only a few kilometers wide.
What Anguilla lacks in mountains it makes up for in sand. The tourism board counts 33 beaches, all open to the public, and the long curves of Meads Bay in the west and Shoal Bay in the east are the island's most famous places to stay, lined with villas and beachfront apartments. The Valley, near the center, holds the government offices, the small airport and Wallblake House, often described as the island's oldest building. Life here is quiet and unhurried: no cruise-ship crowds, a strong sailing tradition and a reputation for food that has made Anguilla popular with couples, families and anyone looking for calm water.
The West End is the heart of Anguilla's tourism, with Meads Bay and Barnes Bay as its best-known beaches. Villas and condos here suit travelers who want soft sand, calm water, sunsets over the sea and the island's widest choice of restaurants within a short drive. Maundays Bay and Rendezvous Bay are two more of the island's celebrated beaches.
The East End is growing as an alternative base, centered on Shoal Bay East, a broad beach of white sand and clear water; it suits families and anyone who wants a quieter, more local feel. Island Harbour, a fishing village on the north coast, offers simple houses close to the water. The Valley, in the middle, is practical for short stays and business, with the airport and shops nearby. On the south coast, Blowing Point is home to the ferry terminal, and villa estates around Little Harbour suit those arriving by sea from Saint Martin.
All of Anguilla's beaches are publicly accessible, and most are calm, with gentle shoals that make them easy for swimming; the Atlantic-facing side can see surf in winter. Meads Bay, in the West End, is a long and graceful arc of sand, and Shoal Bay East, at the other end of the island, is the East End's signature beach. Sandy Ground, on Road Bay, is the island's main port, with a long curved beach backed by cliffs and a disused salt pond.
Offshore, small cays make classic boat trips. Sandy Island, a tiny sand islet a short boat ride from Sandy Ground, is popular for snorkeling, although hurricanes have repeatedly reshaped it. The Prickly Pear Cays, about 10 kilometers north of Road Bay, are uninhabited and protected as one of Anguilla's marine parks, reached by catamaran or sailboat. Little Bay, a secluded cove below the cliffs, is reached mainly by boat.
Indigenous peoples from South America lived on Anguilla for thousands of years; the earliest artifacts date to around 1300 BC, and the Big Spring site holds more than 100 petroglyphs carved between about AD 600 and 1200. They called the island Malliouhana. English settlers from St. Kitts arrived around 1650, and the island's thin soil supported tobacco, cotton and small farms rather than great sugar estates.
In The Valley, Wallblake House, built in the late 18th century by a sugar planter, is considered the oldest structure on the island and its only surviving plantation house, with its kitchen, stables and quarters of the enslaved still standing. Modern Anguilla was shaped by the Anguillan Revolution of 30 May 1967, when islanders expelled the police of the new St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla state. British authority was restored in 1969, and in 1980 Anguilla formally separated from St. Kitts to become a British territory in its own right.
Boat racing is Anguilla's national sport. Locally built and designed sailboats, each with its own name and sponsors, race around the island on national holidays, and the biggest regattas take place during the Summer Festival, the island's carnival, held around the anniversary of emancipation in early August. Music festivals and a lobster festival also fill the calendar.
The tourism board promotes Anguilla as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, and its kitchens lean on the sea: spiny lobster, crab, conch, red snapper, mahi-mahi and grouper are everyday ingredients, while salt cod remains a home-cooking staple. The cuisine blends Caribbean, West African, Spanish, French and English influences. Because the island is small and has few large resorts, dining in local restaurants and beach bars is a big part of any stay, and many villa guests also cook with the day's catch.
Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA), formerly Wallblake Airport, lies right beside The Valley. It is small, with no jet bridges, and handles regional flights from nearby islands as well as some direct flights from the United States. Many visitors fly into Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Sint Maarten, then cross by boat: ferries from Marigot, on the French side of Saint Martin, reach Blowing Point in about 20 minutes, and charter boats run directly between Blowing Point and the airport.
There is no public bus service or rail; taxis are the only public transport, and cars drive on the left. A rental car is the easiest way to explore beaches at both ends of the island, and because Anguilla is so small, driving times are short, usually well under half an hour between The Valley and either the West End or Shoal Bay. Roads are generally quiet, but some side roads to beaches are unpaved.
Anguilla is sunny, warm and relatively dry, with northeast trade winds keeping temperatures comfortable; the average annual temperature is about 27°C. December to February is the coolest period and July to October the hottest. Rainfall averages around 890 millimeters a year, less than on the mountainous islands to the south, and showers are usually short.
The winter months, from about December to April, are the main season for visitors, so villas on Meads Bay and Shoal Bay should be booked well in advance. Tropical storms and hurricanes can occur from July to November, within the Atlantic hurricane season that officially runs from June to November; Hurricane Luis in 1995 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused serious damage. Late spring and early summer are quieter, and early August brings the Summer Festival and its boat races.
Meads Bay and the West End suit travelers who want calm water, sunsets and the widest choice of restaurants. Shoal Bay East suits families and those who prefer a quieter, more local atmosphere on a wide white beach. The Valley is practical for short stays near the airport.
Many visitors fly to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Sint Maarten and take a ferry or charter boat to Blowing Point, Anguilla; the ferry from Marigot takes about 20 minutes. Regional flights, and some direct flights from the United States, also land at Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) near The Valley.
Yes. According to the Anguilla Tourist Board, all of the island's 33 beaches are publicly accessible. Villas and hotels may stand behind the sand, but anyone can walk and swim on every beach, including Meads Bay and Shoal Bay.
December to April is the most popular season, with dry, breezy weather. July to October is the hottest period and falls within hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Early August is lively, with the Summer Festival and its traditional boat races.
It helps. There is no public bus service, so the choice is between taxis and a rental car. The island is small and roads are quiet, which makes driving easy, but remember that traffic keeps to the left and some beach roads are unpaved.
Anguilla is known for its 33 public beaches, especially Meads Bay and Shoal Bay, for clear, calm water, for boat racing, its national sport, and for a food scene that its tourism board calls the culinary capital of the Caribbean.
The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD), fixed to the US dollar at 2.70 to 1. US dollars are widely accepted across the island, and cards are common in restaurants and shops, though some cash is useful for taxis and small purchases.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .