Meads Bay, Anguilla: The Beach With the Kitchens
A long west-facing crescent of sand with the island's best restaurants on it.
Why Go
Meads Bay is where Anguilla puts its resorts and, more to the point, its restaurants. The beach is a mile of pale sand facing west, so the sunsets land squarely on it, and the water is calm and clear the length of it. What makes this beach different from Shoal Bay is not the sand — Anguilla has no shortage of sand — but what is behind it: a concentration of serious cooking that would be notable on an island ten times the size. Stay here if dinner matters as much as the beach.
The Experience
The bay curves gently with the hotels set back behind sea grape and low walls, and the beach in front stays broad and largely uncrowded even when the resorts are full. It faces west, which means afternoon light and proper sunsets, and it also means it takes more swell than the north-coast beaches when the weather is up — some days the water is glass and some days it moves. Between the hotels there are gaps where the beach is simply beach, and Anguillan beaches are public to the high-water mark, so nothing here is closed off. It is quiet: no strip, no music beyond the restaurants, and evenings that end when dinner does. Anguilla's night, such as it is, is at Sandy Ground fifteen minutes away. The absence of anything to walk to is deliberate on this island and it is the reason the beach stays as good as it is, but it does mean a car and a plan for every evening.
What to Try
Eat, seriously. Blanchards has been the name on this beach for decades and the beach shack version alongside it is the informal counterpart; Straw Hat Restaurant, Julian's: A Tropical French Bistro and Mill House Café Bar & Bistro fill out the range; Celeste by Kerth Gumbs is the ambitious one, and Savi Beach Club and Nim's Nook cover the daytime. It is worth booking well ahead in season — these are small rooms on a small island. The Epicurean cafe and boutique and Food Ninety Five Supermarket handle self-catering, which most villa guests here do for at least half the week. For shopping, The Shop by Wheat Anguilla, Petals Boutique, Beach Happy and Totally Anguilla are along the road behind, and Q Art Gallery is the art. Cove Pond nearby is the birdwatching, and the Malliouhana Pickleball Club is the unexpected sporting fixture.
Insider Tip
Book the restaurants before you fly. This beach's dining rooms are small, the island's high season is short and intense, and turning up in February expecting a table at Blanchards is how people end up eating at their hotel all week. The other thing worth knowing: walk the beach at either end where the hotels stop — those stretches are as good as any on the island and nobody is on them.
The Practical Stuff
Meads Bay is about ten minutes from The Valley, fifteen from Clayton J. Lloyd International and fifteen from the Blowing Point ferry, on the west coast. You need a car — Anguilla has no useful public transport, and the beach is a drive from the ferry, the airport and the other beaches. Parking is informal along the road behind and generally straightforward. The beach is public along its whole length. Restaurants here close in the early evening by most standards and the bay is quiet afterwards; Sandy Ground is fifteen minutes away for a later night. Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required. Anguilla is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November, and a large share of the restaurants and hotels on this beach close for part of that window.
Common Questions
Meads Bay or Shoal Bay?
Shoal Bay for the more famous sand and snorkelling off the reef; Meads Bay for the restaurants, the sunsets and the resorts. Meads is where you stay and eat, Shoal is where you spend a day.
Is Meads Bay public?
Yes. All Anguillan beaches are public to the high-water mark, so the stretches in front of the resorts are open to anyone, and the quieter ends of the bay are as good as the middle.
Where should you eat at Meads Bay?
Blanchards is the long-standing name, with Straw Hat, Julian's, Mill House and Celeste alongside. Book well ahead in season — the rooms are small and the high season is short.
Is Meads Bay good for swimming?
Usually excellent — calm, clear water along a broad beach. It faces west, so it takes more swell than the north-coast beaches when the weather is up, and some days the water moves.
How far is Meads Bay from the airport?
About fifteen minutes from Clayton J. Lloyd International, the same from the Blowing Point ferry, and ten from The Valley. You will want a car for all of it.
Is there nightlife at Meads Bay?
No. The restaurants close and the bay goes quiet. Sandy Ground, fifteen minutes away, is where Anguilla's bars and live music are.
Pair It With
- Blanchards — The dinner this beach is known for.
- Meads Bay Beach Guide — A mile of sand facing the sunset.
- Savi Beach Club — The day before the dinner.
