Scilly Cay
Wave down the boat for lobster on a private Caribbean cay
Why Go
A tiny palm-dotted islet just off Island Harbour where the Wallace family has been grilling lobster over open coals since 1985 — no electricity, no shoes, no problem.
The Experience
Scilly Cay is the kind of place travel magazines can't stop writing about, and for once the hype is earned. You stand on the Island Harbour dock, wave your arms toward a speck of turquoise-fringed sand offshore, and within minutes a little boat putters over to collect you. The two-minute ride drops you onto a barefoot island of powder-white sand, thatched palapas, and hammocks strung between palms. There's a reggae band on busy days, a rum-punch bar mixing drinks strong enough to make the ferry ride home interesting, and a wood-fired grill sending plumes of lobster-scented smoke into the trade winds. Lunch stretches into swimming, swimming stretches into another round, and suddenly it's late afternoon and you're plotting when you can come back.
What to Try
The grilled Caribbean spiny lobster is the headline act — split, basted in Sandra's secret honey-mustard-curry sauce, and charred over coals. Crayfish (local slipper lobster) is the slightly cheaper, equally sweet alternative. If you're not doing shellfish, order the jerk-tinged grilled chicken or the herb-butter fish of the day. Wash it all down with the legendary rum punch, served in a plastic cup with a warning: they go down easy.
Insider Tip
Call ahead to reserve your lobster — they only cook what's spoken for, and walk-ups on a busy Sunday can be turned away hungry. Bring cash (or confirm cards in advance), water shoes if you want to snorkel the reef just off the beach, and don't over-schedule the rest of your day. Lunch here is a three-hour commitment, minimum.
The Practical Stuff
Open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday for lunch only (roughly 11am–sunset); closed the rest of the week and typically shuts for the low season (Sept–Oct). To get there, drive to the Island Harbour public dock on Anguilla's northeast coast, then wave toward the cay — the free boat will come get you (round-trip ~US$5, often folded into the bill). Reservations strongly recommended, especially in high season. Bring swimsuits, sunscreen, and a real appetite.
Pair It With
- Shoal Bay East — After lunch, drive 10 minutes west to one of the Caribbean's most celebrated beaches to walk off the rum punch on two miles of powder-soft sand.
- Hibernia Restaurant & Art Gallery — For a completely different Island Harbour vibe on a non-Scilly day — inventive Franco-Asian tasting menus and a garden gallery just up the road.
- Smokey's at the Cove — When you want the same barefoot-beach-bar energy on a day Scilly Cay is closed, this Cove Bay institution delivers grilled fish, live music, and toes in the sand.
- Island Harbour fishing village stroll — Wander the colorful fishing boats and rum shacks lining the harbour before or after your boat ride — it's the working village that supplies half of Anguilla's seafood.
