We stayed at Shoal Bay Villa's Nov 6-13/2011, we arrived around 8:30pm, the office closes at 5pm but there is always a security guard on duty from 5-5 so he gave us our key and showed us to our room. We stayed in the unit closest to the new Villa's being built on the top floor ocean front, it had one bedroom, full kitchen, living room, bathroom and balcony. The unit was clean and tidy. A/C only in the bedroom but if you keep the bedroom door open with the balcony door closed it will cool down, next time we go, I will ask them to have the A/C on in the unit for when we arrive. The kitchen is basic, it has everything but could use a facelift. We are very simple people so it was ok for us. This is not a luxury resort as far as the villa is concerned, it is for the location and view though, so if that's what you are wanting then stay here. We did bump into Cathy, who is the owner of the property, and they are building new units, shes hoping they will be finished in Nov of 2012. We had rented a vehicle and it was already there for us when we arrived, we met with the manager the next morning and got the keys and our temporary drivers license and we were set. We will deffenatly be returning to this place. After we stayed on Anguilla, we went to the British Virgin Islands, and I can say that nothing compared to Shoal Bay East. We have only been back home for 3 days and we are already budgeting for next year back here!

I took my family here for the Thanksgiving week. We wanted a quiet low key holiday with plenty of beach time and pure relaxation. This place delivered exactly that and more. We rented a two bedroom which as it turned out was right next to the pool. We had a lovely little patio which was a great place to dine. The beach was a whole 30 feet away. We arrived on a Saturday and were greeted with a wonderfully warm and accomodating welcome. A great start to the week. It took us a whole 5 minutes to settle in.

I want to preface this rating with the following commentary. If you are looking for the Cuisinart you are in the wrong place. If you are looking for the Viceroy you are looking in the wrong place. If you are looking for a 5 star resort with tennis, golf, spa, fine restaurants etc look somewhere else. Thats not what this location is about. This location is about kicking off your shoes and relaxing on one of the world's top beaches without being bothered by pretentious guests and even more pretentious staff. The staff here are extremely helpful wonderful people who quietly go about their tasks. If you want a recommendation they have it. If you need something, they are there. If you don't, they're always available.

I didn't wear shoes for 3 days! If you want a drink, wander down the beach to KU or my favorite places Uncle Ernies or Madeariman. My kids loved being able to wander down the beach and get whatever they wanted and wander back. If you want water activities, the shoal bay dive shop is fantastic. If you are there on a Sunday you must go to Gwens Reggae its fantastic. Be careful with the rum punch and leave your shoes at home!

A word about the construction. They were working hard on the buildings but this is Anguilla not NYC. I was NEVER bothered in the least by the construction at all.

We had a fantastic 6 nights at this place and we intend to come again and again.

After our last trip to Bora Bora we wanted to find a lovely, low key beach and island to stay for our 1 year anniversary. We knew going in that the hotel was not going to be 5 star and that was just fine with us. Just like all the reviews have stated, Shoal Bay Villas are wonderful. Friendly accommodating staff and owner, very clean room with a full kitchen, and THE BEACH! The kitchens could use a little updating and the bed was a little stiff but, so what? We meet a couple of fantastic couples, one from Boston (which we kept accidentally following around the island) that had been to Anguilla many times and gave us great suggestions on places to go. In fact we meet a lot of people who were repeat visitors to Anguilla and it's easy to understand why. The people and food on the island were great. All the beaches we visited were so beautiful although Shoal Bay East is the best imo. They were doing construction on the new buildings but the noise was minimal, it didn't bother us at all. We visited the first week in Nov. and most restaurants and hotels were just opening on Nov. 1st. The beaches were not crowed at all but I'm not sure how it would be during the high season. The water was warm, the weather was perfect. I highly recommend renting a car to explore the island and restaurants (you really kind of need a car). There are a few lunch places around SBV but going out for dinners meant driving. All around this was a fabulous vacation. We would return to Anguilla and SBV in a heartbeat! Thank you Shoal Bay Villas for making our 1 year anniversary so special!

As repeat guests at Shoal Bay Villas, it has become part of "our" Anguilla experience. Probably not too different from other repeat AXA visitors who fall in love with the island and their first experience there, and keep coming back year after year. The best location on Anguilla, friendly staff, clean comfortable units on the beach, etc. - - the perfect beach vacation. SBV certainly is toward the "basic" end of the spectrum on accommodations, and it could use a little updating, but it is priced at a point that allows us to enjoy an experience that we can't get anywhere else, on AXA or elsewhere in the Caribbean. A perfect combination for us.