Anguilla has long been the Caribbean island that sophisticated New York travelers mention quietly, as if to keep it to themselves. In recent days, two of its best-known resorts gave those travelers something new to talk about, setting out the tastes, sounds and rituals of the season ahead.
A beach bar, reimagined
On Maundays Bay, Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, has refreshed its beachfront Cap Shack with “a new Caribbean-inspired look” and a menu built around local seafood, Caribbean Journal reported on September 10. The dishes include grilled Caribbean spiny lobster with Creole butter, a Sandy Ground lobster roll with curried brown-butter mayonnaise and mango chow, and Island Harbour crayfish cooked over an open flame, under chef de cuisine Primrose Ritchie-Gumbs.
The resort has also bottled its own spirit. CAP RUM, per Caribbean Journal, is a “small-batch, barrel-aged rum made in Anguilla exclusively for the resort,” created with Topper’s Rhum. A rum made on the island, poured on the beach it was made for, is exactly the kind of detail that turns a bar into a memory.
A festive season, programmed
In a very different register, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla on September 15 unveiled its Thanksgiving and festive lineup, running from November through New Year’s. The highlights, according to the resort:
- Tennis and pickleball clinics, November 16 to 22, led by former ATP professionals Nick Monroe and Donald Young.
- Thanksgiving dinner at Salt, the resort’s oceanfront restaurant, with local specialties.
- Seoul Meets Sunset, December 19 to 23, with chef Esther Choi presenting contemporary Korean cuisine.
- Uchi at Home, December 23 to January 1, private omakase experiences served in the resort’s residences.
- A ViceVersa cocktail residency with mixologist Valentino Longo, December 21 to January 1.
- Latin-inspired dishes curated by chef Mika Leon at Salt, December 27 to January 1.
- Get TORCH’D, low-impact workouts with fitness expert Isaac Boots, December 19 to January 2.
- New Year’s Eve with Grammy-nominated DJ A-Trak at the Sunset Lounge, live music from trumpeter Spencer Ludwig, and fireworks at midnight.
“This year’s exceptional lineup of programming reflects the incredible warmth and energy of the island.” Diego Stembert, general manager, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla, in the resort’s announcement
Families are part of the plan, too, with craft workshops, a Christmas Day visit from Santa, a Boxing Day pool party and a family New Year’s Eve celebration.
Two ways to spend the holidays
The two announcements sketch different versions of an Anguilla holiday. At Cap Juluca, the appeal is intimacy with place: local lobster, a rum made on the island, the curve of Maundays Bay. At Four Seasons, it is a curated calendar, with visiting chefs, residencies and a New Year’s Eve built for celebration. Neither is better; they simply answer different moods. That comparison is ours.
The island is on the map for sea-borne travelers, too: Four Seasons Yachts listed Anguilla among the new destinations in its first Caribbean holiday programme.
Plan ahead
- Holiday dates fill early; reserve dinners and residencies when booking rooms.
- Confirm which experiences are open to all guests and which require reservations.
- Programming can change; check with each resort before travel.
See all sources
- Cap Juluca Just Reimagined Its Beach Bar on Maundays Bay — And Added Its Own Anguilla Rum, Caribbean Journal, 2026-09-10
- Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla Unveils an Extraordinary Thanksgiving and Festive Season Lineup, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, 2026-09-15
- Four Seasons Yachts 2026-2027 Holiday Itineraries, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, 2024-09-25
Lead image: illustrative photo by Chris Grant on Unsplash.
