Belmond Cap Juluca: Anguilla's Moorish Beach Icon
Whitewashed domes, a mile of sugar-white sand, and the Caribbean's most legendary hush.
Why Go
Cap Juluca has been the not-so-secret hideaway of the jet set for three decades, and Belmond's revival gave the property a discreet polish without stripping the barefoot romance that made it famous.
The Experience
Spread along the crescent of Maundays Bay on Anguilla's West End, Cap Juluca is the only resort on this mile-long stretch of powder-fine sand — meaning the beach in front of your Moorish-domed villa is effectively yours. The architecture is theatrical (think whitewashed turrets, arched breezeways and interior courtyards inspired by Greece and North Africa), but the mood is deeply relaxed. Guerlain runs the spa, an 18-hole golf course sits minutes away at Aurora, and days settle into a rhythm of long swims in impossibly calm turquoise water, lazy pool time, and dressed-up-but-barefoot dinners. What sets it apart from other luxury Caribbean stays is the ratio of ceremony to ease: staff know your name by breakfast, but there's no rigidity — you can dine in linen at Cip's or sandy-footed at Cap Shack and both feel like the right call.
What to Try
Book a table at Cip's by Cipriani — the offshoot of the Venice landmark — for pillowy Bellini brunches and cacio e pepe with your toes almost in the sea. Save one dinner for Uchu, the resort's Caribbean-Latin room, where the chef leans on local grouper and Anguillan spices. Do at least one afternoon at Cap Shack right on the beach for grilled snapper, rum punch, and zero shoes. Sign up for a morning of bonefishing on the flats with Sean (complimentary), the daily Caribbean rum tasting, and — non-negotiable — the nightly sunset ritual where a staffer sabers a bottle of champagne on the sand as the sky turns pink. A Guerlain spa treatment in one of the beachfront cabanas is worth budgeting for.
Insider Tip
Ask for a villa on the western curve of Maundays Bay (the pool suites in the 'Pimms' end) — they get the most dramatic sunsets and are a shorter barefoot walk to the main pool and Cip's than the far eastern rooms. Also: several signature experiences (rum tasting, fishing with Sean, sunset champagne saber) are included, so don't assume they cost extra and skip them — they're the memories guests talk about years later.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Maundays Bay, West End Village, Anguilla — about 25 minutes by taxi from Clayton J. Lloyd (AXA) airport, or a 25-minute ferry from St. Martin plus a 20-minute transfer. Season runs roughly November through August; the resort typically closes for a few weeks in September–October for hurricane season. Rates start around US$1,200/night in low season and climb well past US$2,000 in peak winter weeks — Anguilla is a cash-serious island, so budget accordingly. Dress code is resort-casual (no shorts at Cip's dinner). Currency is East Caribbean dollar but USD is accepted everywhere; tipping is customary on top of service charges. Kids are welcome but the vibe skews couples and honeymooners.
Pair It With
- Sunset champagne sabering on Maundays Bay — The resort's signature nightly ritual — a staffer sabers a bottle on the sand as the sun drops, and it's the single most photographed moment of any Cap Juluca stay.
- Dinner at Blanchards on Meads Bay — A short taxi north to Anguilla's most beloved independent restaurant — a perfect one-night break from the resort that shows off the island's serious culinary scene.
- Day trip to Sandy Island — A five-minute boat ride from Sandy Ground drops you on a speck of sand with grilled lobster and rum punch — the quintessential Anguillan castaway lunch that pairs beautifully with a laid-back Cap Juluca stay.
- Bonefishing with Sean — The complimentary in-house guided fishing trip on the flats — a genuinely local experience that most guests overlook.
