“Welcome to paradise!” This is a phrase I heard repeatedly during my three-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla, and no fewer than four times from the moment I exited the plane to the instant the bellhop dropped off my bags in my oceanview suite. Was it overkill? Maybe. Was it accurate? If paradise is a beachfront resort where the sunsets look Photoshopped into the sky and champagne service is available from inside the pool, I died and went to vacation heaven.
Your five-star experience at the Four Seasons Anguilla begins at check-in, where the receptionist will direct you to one of the couches in the lobby for a shooter of rum punch before handing over your room keys. Then it’s off to your accommodations, which include standard resort-facing rooms, ocean-view suites and what they call residences—from a penthouse with a wrap-around balcony to a full villa with a private pool, beach access and a complimentary golf cart to zip around. I had the pleasure of an ocean-view suite, complete with a plunge pool on my balcony. It overlooked the family pool, one of the resort’s waterfront restaurants and Mead’s Bay. As someone who’s never had the luxury of a private hotel pool (editing this piece was the closest I’d been until this point), staying in this room was one of the highlights of the trip.
The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla was Kelly Werstler’s first international project—a fact I learned upon falling in love with the capiz credenza in my suite’s living room and immediately Googling who designed the space. We toured the property and had the opportunity to see several other rooms and every one of them was impeccably appointed with a variety of natural textures, organic elements, coastal motifs and different types of wood in rich hues. It was a real treat for fans of interior design.
The property sits on 40 acres and comprises two pools, one for families and another infinity option for adults, featuring a floating happy hour bar; a state-of-the-art gym offering fitness classes (morning yoga is on the agenda daily); a full-service spa (pro tip: make your reservations early, it books up fast!); and four restaurants. There’s the Half Shell Beach Bar, which sits right on the sand and serves excellent tacos (the portions are very generous). The Bamboo Bar and Grill is a nice option if you’re laying out on the sand in Mead’s Bay and prefer a light but proper lunch seated at a table. SALT is the resort’s main restaurant and where you’ll go for breakfast and dinner. It’s a mostly Anguillan menu (lots of freshly caught seafood) and many of the dishes are made with herbs and vegetables grown on the property or sourced locally—including the namesake seasoning mined from nearby salt ponds. The Sunset Lounge is a hybrid bar, Pan-Asian restaurant and general hangout spot where the majority of guests seem to convene nightly for live music and DJ sets.
Anguilla is a beautiful island with many beaches and bays to discover, but there’s plenty to keep you busy on the property too. There are free classes for guests, including a hands-on ceviche-making class led by one of SALT’s chefs and a sip-and-learn that’s part tasting and part mixology session. We learned how to whip up a traditional daiquiri but themes vary to include lessons on wine, beer and other tipples. Prior sign-up is required because the classes do fill up quickly.
An off-campus activity worth pursuing is the Taste of Anguilla Experience, where executive chef Emmanuel Calderon takes guests to Anguilla’s most fertile salt ponds for a harvesting excursion. You’ll pick your own salt and then enjoy a traditional Anguillan breakfast at Vinty’s Veggies—where he sources most of the produce he uses for the resort’s restaurants—before returning to the property with plenty of time to resume your position on a beach chair. The perfect balance of relaxation and excitement.
