Captivated at Cap Juluca

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Anguilla - which surprisingly most people have never heard of but it is a British island right next to St. Maarten. In order to get there you can fly into Anguilla (AXA) directly or you fly into St, Maarten (SXM) and take a 20 minute small ferry. My personal recommendation would be to fly into Anguilla directly if possible because it saves you from multiple immigration stops on your way to paradise!

Once arriving at Cap Juluca, you are captivated at this special place with a cool towel and welcome drink of your choice. There is not a traditional check in area, rather you sit in the open living room area while a host checks you in for your stay. From there, the host will whisk you away in a golf cart to your new home for the duration of your stay and explain to you how to get in touch with them as well as what the room offers. The hotel offers complimentary bikes for guests to move around the resort however ,my personal recommendation is to rent a golf cart in your reservation if your suite or villa does not automatically come with one! The golf cart is $50 a day and depending on where you are located on the resort grounds, it can save you a ton of walking plus it adds to the adventure.

What a great place to complete a check in!

Room: We booked a deluxe room for 4 nights but since we booked with a travel agent we were given a room upgrade at checkin to a premier beachfront room. To give you an idea of cost - our 4 nights at the beginning of June cost $3700 (925/night) all in including taxes. I found this deal in September 2021 while still in Covid and started to look to see if we could come back next year and its almost double the cost! This is why I am so adamant on searching for deals - it allows you to experience places you never thought possible! We were in Villa 11 - Persimmon. We had a ground floor unit that did have someone located above. We were able to walk out our patio and right to the beach which made the ground floor unit worth it for us if we had too much sun. The room itself had its own minibar, nespresso machine, and twice daily housekeeping. Pro Tip: Ask your host to schedule turn down service when you are out for dinner and give them the specific time!

When the walk to your villa is as pretty as the villa itself!

Beach/Pool: In addition to the beautiful grounds, there are two pools and of course an excellent beach set up. The beach set up includes a chair per person in your party, an umbrella, table, and yeti cooler with boxed water already chilled. The beach attendant will put the towels on the lounges and can help you with any alcohol or lunch order from Uchu. The attendant also has 30SPF and 50SPF sunscreen so take my advice and apply often as the sun is very strong! Pro Tip: At 3pm, they have complimentary sorbet served to each chair so do not miss it! We had coconut, raspberry, and mango during our stay!

Food Options-

Breakfast or Dinner - you can have both at Pimm's!

Breakfast: Breakfast is included in your stay and is a fabulous buffet in the Pimms restaurant area. They make all their pastries in house everyday so do not miss it! You can also have in room dining but trust me - the view and atmosphere will make you get up early everyday!

Lunch: There are two main lunch options at Cap Juluca. One is the Cap Shack which is at the end of the beach. We found this menu to be vast as well as affordable. You do need to trek to the end of the beach but trust me theres a cold drink waiting for you! The other option is Uchu. You can have Uchu delivered to your chaise lounge or you can make your way to the lobby and eat it there. Personally I would eat it there as the food is uniquely fresh and you get a great view with some time out of the sun!

Dinner: My favorite by a landslide was Uchu. Their dinner menu was perfectly portioned and diverse in offerings. They had live music every night to go along with the meal and honestly it was one of my best meals I may have ever had. My husband and I both opted for chicken dishes and they were unique, well presented, and perfectly spiced. There are two other restaurants on property. Cips - is an italian option but only open Sun-Wed as it shares a space with Pimms. We did not get a chance to go there but had heard decent things from other guests. We did go to Pimms on our last night - I was extremely disappointed. Items were either very bland or overly spiced, there were little in the way of sides to our main dishes, and the menu was quite small. The view was great but I would not go back to Pimms for dinner again. I said to my husband - I wish we could have just gone back to Uchu :)

Outside the resort: We went to Veya - which is a treehouse restaurant and I would highly recommend. We also went to Celeste which is at the "other" large resort on Anguilla. Celeste was nice but would recommend Veya over Celeste due to the menu and overall food options.

Nightly Champagne: This one deserves its own category. Every night at 6pm the hotel manager invites all guests to come to the champagne sabering. They tell you a story about the hotel and allow guests to saber the champagne bottle open. After the sabering is complete, guests mingle with their complimentary champagne. This is every single night and let me tell you - it was such a treat to start the evening out this way. Do not miss this!

Other amenities: The resort does have a fitness center that is quite large as well as yoga options throughout the week. They also provide tennis courts, aqua driving range, trampoline, and spa. In addition, there are boat charters for snorkelling and fishing that you can arrange. They also have a kids camp but personally I would leave your children at home cause this place is all about relaxation and pampering you in luxury! In addition, they have a boutique on site in case you forget anything that you need. You can do as much or as little as you would like with a team that is always ready to help!

Final Notes: I am honestly dying to go back already - but will have to wait until I find another deal! When I find one, I will share it with you because this place must be experienced. Belmond has done a wonderful job in cultivating this special place and I cannot wait for you to be able to enjoy it as much as we did!