Carimar Beach Club: Meads Bay's Barefoot Home Base
Bougainvillea-draped apartments right on Anguilla's most beautiful beach
Why Go
On a mile of powder-white Meads Bay sand, wedged between the five-star Malliouhana and the beloved Blanchards, sits Carimar Beach Club ΓÇö a cluster of six Spanish-style villas where you get the same postcard beachfront as the luxury resorts, but with your own full kitchen, a fraction of the price tag, and a repeat-guest community that books the same unit year after year.
The Experience
Carimar feels less like a hotel and more like your own Caribbean apartment. The 24 units are spread across six low-rise, two-story buildings wrapped in bougainvillea and set around manicured gardens that open straight onto Meads Bay. Each roughly 1,100-square-foot one- or two-bedroom suite comes with a full granite-counter kitchen, a proper living and dining room, and a balcony or patio angled toward turquoise water and famously fiery sunsets. There's no pool, no on-site restaurant and no bar ΓÇö and that's the point: the beach is the amenity, chairs and umbrellas await on the sand, and some of Anguilla's best dining is a barefoot stroll away. Tennis courts, free bicycles, WiFi and a friendly front desk round out a deliberately low-key, self-catering rhythm that regulars fiercely defend.
What to Try
Book a beachfront (rather than beach-view) unit if you can ΓÇö waking up with the surf a few steps from your patio is the Carimar signature. Stock the kitchen with provisions from the West End groceries, do slow breakfasts on the balcony, then spend the day working your way down Meads Bay: a morning swim, lunch at a beach restaurant, and a sunset walk the full length of the bay. Borrow the free bikes to explore the West End, and grab a paddle on calm mornings when the bay turns glassy.
Insider Tip
Carimar's location between Malliouhana and Blanchards means you can walk to a half-dozen top restaurants without getting in a car ΓÇö but light sleepers should ask for a unit away from the Leon's beach bar side, which occasionally runs a loud DJ until late on random nights. Also note there's no air-conditioned lobby lounge or pool deck to retreat to, so shoulder-season trade winds and ceiling fans are your friends; repeat guests book the popular beachfront units close to a year ahead for high season.
The Practical Stuff
Located on Meads Bay Road, West End, Anguilla ΓÇö about 15 minutes' drive from Blowing Point ferry terminal and the airport. 24 self-catering one- and two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens, WiFi and cable TV; property amenities include tennis courts, free bicycles, beach chairs and umbrellas, concierge and front-desk service. No pool, restaurant or bar on site. A rental car is recommended for exploring the island; groceries and many restaurants are within walking or short driving distance. High season (roughly DecemberΓÇôApril) books far in advance; some years the property closes for part of the low season (typically around SeptemberΓÇôOctober) ΓÇö confirm dates directly.
Pair It With
- Blanchards Restaurant & Beach Shack — Literally next door ΓÇö fine dining at the famed main restaurant or toes-in-the-sand lunch at the Shack, no car needed.
- Malliouhana's Sunset Lounge — A short walk up the bluff for Anguilla's most glamorous sunset cocktails overlooking Meads Bay.
- Jacala Beach Restaurant — A barefoot stroll down Meads Bay for elegant French-Caribbean lunches right on the sand.
- Meads Bay beach walk — The mile-long crescent outside your door is the island's classic sunrise and sunset promenade.