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Which Island is your Island?
The entire Caribbean has a
lot of Islands to choose from. As we know Anguilla and the neighbouring
Leeward Islands very well, we decided to concentrate on those 9 Islands
featured on this website. However, if you like to explore any of the
other Islands in the Caribbean (for example Dominica for its mountains
and natural beauty) do not hesitate to contact us and we will assist you
on finding the perfect place to stay there as well. Most of our Islands
are exclusive, do not have mass-tourism, but they are also rather
expensive compared to other tourism destinations. In the selection of
our places to stay we tried to include not only the best hotels but also
affordable alternatives for people, who prefer a more local, more
personal place over 'glamour and glimmer'.
All of our 9 Islands are
small and each of them has its own charm and beauty. Depending on what
you are looking for, we can help you to find your perfect Island or
maybe even a combination of Islands. Here are our first, very personal
impressions of each of our Islands: |
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Anguilla - the best beaches:
Anguilla has been and still is our home for the past 20 years. We have
chosen this Island for many reasons, but mainly for its friendly people,
and its smaller properties which don't overcrowd its long, unspoiled,
white sandy beaches. Of course the time did not stay still here neither
and the island developed as well: we now have better roads, more hotels
(often recognized as the best in the Caribbean), many high class but
expensive restaurants, just to mention a few highlights. As so often,
with progress along come some challenges too: we do not leave our doors
open anymore (we lock them like anywhere else in the world), too many
(high end) projects are approved and could, if ever finalized, maybe
spoil the beauty and the tranquillity Anguilla is still well known for. |
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St. Martin/Sint Maarten - two cultures, nightlife and shopping:
Half Dutch and half French, our sister island is about the same size
like Anguilla, but has different things to offer. Besides secluded
beaches and a large selection of accommodation, there is enough to keep
you busy for weeks. You might share the great duty free shopping with
sometimes thousands of cruise ship passengers in Phillipsburg; enjoy the
wide selection of restaurants, from cheap local spots to the best French
Gourmet places; enjoy a day at Orient Bay where you can join in the fun
of all kinds of water sports, including jet skis, and find your way
through the many restaurants and bars along the beach. And if you are
not tired yet, there are excellent choices for nightspots on the island.
St. Martin is certainly perfect for people who love the Caribbean but do
not want to miss action and shopping. And if you really are coming just
for the quiet beaches, you will find them too. Not to forget, that St.
Martin has the largest airport in the region with daily flights to and
from Europe and the USA. |
| St. Barths - c'est chic:
Very,
very, French. The small Island of St. Barths is special within the
Caribbean. Small, mountainous, some exquisite, small beaches and a lot
of restaurants. And it is not cheap. We always enjoy our stay, driving
up and down the hills from one side to the other, exploring some of the
nice coves for a quick swim. There are some of the finest hotels in the
Caribbean on St. Barths, all small and often very exclusive. We would
maybe not spend an entire vacation of two weeks here, but it is a
perfect place to combine with St. Martin, Anguilla or maybe even Saba. |
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| Saba - Diving & Climbing:
This tiny Dutch Island is about a 90 minutes boat ride away from St.
Maarten. You can see it from there as a rock appearing from the ocean,
reaching a height of more than 3000 feet. This Island is for nature
lovers. Having one of the best marine parks it attracts mainly divers.
It also offers some challenging hikes, including to the top of the
mountain. Often, the peak is covered with clouds, but the jungle forest
on the way up there is a great reward for the brave ones hiking all the
way up. Saba offers some very comfortable, nice, simple hotels in the
Village (they call it town), but the selection of restaurants and
nightspots are limited. If you dream of hanging on the beach for the
rest of your stay - sorry, no beaches here. In that case it will be best
to combine Saba with another Island like Anguilla. |
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St. Kitts - History and more:
St. Kitts and Nevis are part of the same state, but still quite
different from each other. Both have to offer a lot of history, but
being by far the larger of the two Islands, St. Kitts has a real town
(Basseterre) and it takes quite some time to explore it. The sugarcane
industry, although replaced lately by tourism, still shows its beauty on
the landscape all over the island, reaching from the shore up to the
hills of the mountains. There is a train, built for transporting sugar,
now taking tourists on a ride. When we visited Brimstone Monument (a
huge fort built by the British) we have been followed by a colony of
island monkeys, giving a special touch to our visit. Some hotels are in
old plantation houses, some are on the beaches, including the largest
hotel on the Island, the Royal Marriot on Frigate Bay. The beaches are
not as pristine or long as in some of the other Islands, but the mixture
of history and culture makes it a place for a real Caribbean vacation. |
| Nevis - Queen of the Caribbean:
Nevis is both very different and at the same time similar to Anguilla.
Both are small islands, tourism is still at the beginning, the local
people are extremely friendly and it is just a place where you feel
welcomed and comfortable. Where Anguilla is flat and offers its beaches
as main attraction, Nevis, although there are some nice beaches,
consists of one large volcanic mountain and everything is laid around
it. We stayed in a small guest house and enjoyed driving around the
island, passing all different type of green landscapes, picked up
mangoes on the road (which cost US$ 2.00 per piece in Anguilla) and
waved to the kids and road workers (there will be a new road around the
Island one day). Before the Four Season Resort arrived, Nevis had only a
couple of small Inns and Hotels, some of them in historic Plantation
Houses up in the cooling hills and some on the few beaches. Today, the
elegant Four Season started a small real estate boom and we sincerely
hope that Nevis can keep its natural beauty and the kindness of its
people. This is a beautiful and typical Caribbean Island with a lot of
charm. |
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Virgin Gorda - Beaches & Sailing:
The British Virgin Islands are well known within the sailing community.
One of the reasons is all the different smaller and larger Islands of
the BVI are so close to each other. In addition, the infrastructure for
the sailors is just everywhere available. But not only for sailors do
the BVI offer a lot. Virgin Gorda, one of the larger Islands, gets its
natural beauty from the hilly landscape interrupted by some of the
nicest beaches in the Caribbean. They are not as long as in Anguilla,
but very lovely as well. We enjoyed the day at 'the Baths' tremendously.
However, as the Island is smaller than most of the other Islands,
restaurants and activities are somehow limited. We can recommend Virgin
Gorda without hesitation, but maybe the best is to combine it with
another island, maybe St. John or Tortola. |
| St. John - Rockefeller and much more:
St. John is part of the US Virgin Island. But besides the regular US
Immigration hassle (in case you are not American) it has nothing common
with the bigger sister Island St. Thomas (which we do not feature). 2/3
of St. John is a National Park, given to the Island by the Rockefeller
family in the fifties. This allowed the Island mostly to keep its
natural beauty, which now can still be enjoyed by everybody. There is
limited hotel selection on the Island and all of them are expensive.
Some alternatives are either one of the many villas or apartments (still
pricey) or get really natural and stay in one of the official Camp
Grounds (tents or simple cottages are provided). Besides the great
beaches (with some infrastructure) and nature there is also a little
town with a nice selection of restaurants. We certainly can recommend
St. John, especially if you combine it with one of the many other
Islands during your trip. |
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Tortola - Lush Greens and Jamming on the Beach:
Although Tortola is only a few miles from Virgin Gorda, it is another
world over here. The largest of the British Virgin Islands has grown a
lot in the past years. The busy city is full of traffic, especially if
one of the cruise ships anchor in the port. There are plenty of beaches,
but not as nice as in Virgin Gorda, and certainly touristier. On the
other hand, if you like to have a large selection of restaurants,
nightspots and hangouts, this is most likely your preferred spot on the
BVI. |
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