With about 3 weeks notice that Jimmy Buffet was playing a small charity concert in Anguilla, I was determined to get my parents (parrot-heads) and siblings there to see the show. Anguilla, being a tiny island hosting a popular event, didn't seem to have a hotel room left. I had scoured the internet for options without luck, and finally called the Chamber of Commerce in Anguilla (which I'm pretty sure is a one-man operation). The person there referred me to the Royal Palms which had several rooms open!
I was concerned as to why everything was booked, but the Royal Palms, and then I became a bit more concerned because when I compared the price of the Royal Palms to the prices of the sold out hotels. It was SUCH a deal--almost too good to be true.
Well, it turns out it wasn't too good to be true at all. It was fabulous. The 3 level pink building, had six villas and a pool. Everything was shiny and new. The building is not waterfront, but on a hill and had a very clear view of the ocean, and neighboring island St. Marten. Our unit had a master bedroom with bath, and an additional bedroom with another bathroom. There was a sizable living/dining/kitchen area, and then a very sizable balcony with table that sat 4 and a chase lounge.
The property manager arranged to have a driver pick us up from the dock and gave us a warm welcome on arrival. We actually had one additional person come with us and when she learned this she had another bed brought into the unit immediately. We were even offered a personal tour of the island by her--although my Philly based parents were overwhelmed by her island friendliness (which I thought was great) and declined.
We were able to rent a car that was owned by the villa, although it was pretty terrible. Rusty, and the auto lock was broken so every 5 seconds you would hear "click!" which got annoying. However, it did get us around the island without a problem which was all we really needed I guess.
The concert was held at Bankie Banks Dune Preserve which ending up only being a 3 minute drive from our villa. Bankie is a Caribbean reggae favorite and hosts several musical events there through the year. Also pretty close was the Sandy Ground Village which had several dining options, and is where we picked up our sailing charter on "The Chocolat" which was probably the highlight of the trip, and not the Jimmy Buffet concert.
If you are staying in Anguilla I would highly recommend The Royal Palms. Especially for a family because the unit which accommodates 5 or 6 is far less expensive that most of the hotels and possibly twice as nice.
The only thing I would warn about in general (an praise Anguilla for at the same time) is that Anguilla is a very very rustic island. My parents whom are more partial to cruises, Disney and other staged environments, were a little out of their comfort zone. The roads are 95% dirt, at night it is dark and much of the island is genuine wilderness and a little rough looking. On the other hand, the beaches are pristine and a genuine paradise. Bring your own snorkel set and go anywhere along the coast and your will find yourself surrounded by tons of tropical fish. Their are numerous places on the beach, especially around shoal bay, that have great cabanas for rental (like 5 to 10 dollars for a day) and bar service with restroom facilities. We lounged under straw thatched umbrellas, drank rum punch and walked along sand that it looked like no one else had ever walked on...
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
