Belmond Cap Juluca: Anguilla's Moorish-Inspired Beachfront Sanctuary
Domed-white villas, powder-soft sand and butler-level polish on Maundays Bay.
Why Go
Picture a mile-long crescent of blindingly white sand fringing water so clear it looks Photoshopped, then plant twelve gleaming Greco-Moorish villas along it — that's Cap Juluca. Since a $121 million rebirth under Belmond, the 1988 icon has traded its dowager charm for a sharper, quieter kind of luxury, but the DNA is unchanged: barefoot days, no crowds, and the sense that the Caribbean is happening only to you.
The Experience
The resort strings itself along Maundays Bay in a slow arc of domed villas, arched loggias and hand-laid Moroccan tile that stays cool underfoot even at midday. Everything is oriented toward the water — rooms open onto private terraces where the sea starts about twenty paces from your bed, and paved sand-side paths connect the pools, the Guerlain spa, and Chef Andy Gaskin's restaurants without ever forcing you into shoes. Service is anchored by a personal Belmond host who acts as concierge, fixer and local intel channel for the length of your stay. Expect a rhythm that runs from sunrise Pilates on the sand, to long lunches, to rum-tinged sunsets on a daybed that no one else seems to know exists.
What to Try
Book dinner at Pimms, the whitewashed pavilion that sits almost on the water — the Anguillan crayfish and the tasting menu are the two things regulars order without looking at the card. For something looser, drop into Uchu for Peruvian-Caribbean small plates and a pisco flight before the sun goes down. Spend at least one morning at the Cap Juluca Spa by Guerlain (the ocean-view treatment rooms are the reason to come), and book the sunrise horseback ride down the empty beach — it's the resort's signature experience and it doesn't disappoint. Sailors should ask the host to arrange a private catamaran to Prickly Pear Cay for a lunch you'll still be talking about a year later.
Insider Tip
Villa numbers matter more than category. The lowest-numbered villas (starting around Villa 1) sit at the quiet, curved end of Maundays Bay closest to the point — you get the best sunset angle, the calmest stretch of sand and almost no foot traffic. If you're celebrating something, ask specifically for a beachfront one-bedroom in the 1–6 range rather than upgrading to a bigger category further down the beach.
The Practical Stuff
Fly into Princess Juliana (SXM) on St. Maarten, then take the 25-minute private Funtime or Calypso ferry to Blowing Point — the Belmond host will meet you dockside. A direct Anguilla (AXA) arrival via San Juan is smoother but pricier. High season runs mid-December to mid-April with a hard peak around the holidays; May and November are the sweet spots for lower rates and near-empty beaches. The resort typically closes for a few weeks in September for the low season. Dress code is Caribbean-elegant at dinner — linen, no flip-flops at Pimms. Currency is Eastern Caribbean Dollar but USD is accepted everywhere; tipping is not automatically included on the bill.
Pair It With
- Sunset sail to Prickly Pear Cay — A half-day catamaran charter from Cap Juluca's beach to the uninhabited cays off Anguilla is the perfect counterweight to a resort-heavy stay — snorkeling, grilled lobster, and no one else in sight.
- Dinner at Blanchards — Anguilla's most storied off-property restaurant sits ten minutes up the coast on Meads Bay; go for the corn chowder, the rum list and a night away from the resort dining room.
- Shoal Bay East beach day — Even guests at a beach as stunning as Maundays owe themselves an afternoon on Shoal Bay East — it's the island's other legendary stretch of sand and the beach bars (Gwen's, Uncle Ernie's) are pure Anguilla.
- Scilly Cay lunch — A five-minute boat hop from Island Harbour to a tiny private cay where you eat grilled crayfish and drink rum punch with your feet in the sand — a rite of passage on Anguilla and easy for the Belmond host to arrange.
