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  There's an old Patti Page song that goes "If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air,
For the longest time Anguilla was really in low gear. Nestled in the shadow of St. Martin / St. Maarten, which lies only ten miles to the south, it remained the Caribbean's equivalent of a sleepy little town until about a decade or so ago. Then travel writers started raving about the Caribbean's "best-kept secret." Soon the crowds on St. Martin started spilling over on ferry day-trips. And the word got out that Anguilla has some of the finest beaches in the Caribbean - not just a few luxuriant beauties, but at least thirty talcum-soft strands lacing the island's wrinkled coastline. Things have been in high gear here ever since, and though still small, the population has exploded to keep pace. During the 1990s development has spread throughout Anguilla, but it is "controlled," so most operations are relatively small and informal - only a few resorts come close to a hundred rooms in size. The proverbial deserted beach (here and elsewhere in the Caribbean) is an endangered species and increasingly close to extinction. Fortunately the sheer quantity of sandy shores is such that Anguilla never feels crowded, even during high season. |
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EY, wait a minute! Isn't it "You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod"? Well yes, but Anguilla could easily fit into Patti's refrain. It's so reminiscent of the Cape and Nantucket years ago that it hits you like a horsefly. Of course some adjustments have to be made - like adding palm trees, turquoise water, West Indians, that kind of thing. But the actual island itself, minus the accoutrements, has the dunes, shrubby vegetation, gentle terrain, and beautiful beaches of the aforementioned area on the 42nd parallel. Any time of the year in Anguilla feels like summer up north - minus the fog, bad weather, and cold water.