Anguilla

[[File:|250px|frameless|Anguilla]] Location [[File:|250px|frameless]] Flag [[File:|108px|frameless]] Quick Facts Capital The Valley Government dependency of the United Kingdom Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Area 102 sq km Population 13,477 (July 2006 est.) Language English (official) Religion Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12% Electricity 120V/60Hz (North American plug) Country code +1-264 Internet TLD .ai Time Zone UTC-4 Anguilla is a small island nation in the Caribbean Sea, a few miles north of Saint Martin. Map of Anguilla Villages The Valley - the capital Blowing Point Island Harbour Sandy Ground West End Village East End Village Other destinations Meads Bay Rendezvous Bay Sandy Hill Bay Little Bay Crocus Bay Shoal Bay Scrub Island Sandy Island Silly Cay Understand Anguilla was colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, and administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single UK dependency along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a separate UK dependency. Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Geography Anguilla is a flat and low-lying island. It is 35 sq. miles, 16 miles long and 3 miles wide at the widest point. The highest point is Crocus Hill, at 65 meters. The island is made of limestone, providing many caves. Two of the most impressive being The Big Springs located in Island Harbour and The Fountain located in Shoal Bay. Anguilla also has many attractive coral reefs which provides habitats for a vast array of tropical fish and marine wildlife. This motivates individuals to take part in snorkeling. Get in By plane Cape Air provides two daily non-stop flights to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Cape Air interlines with most major airlines: JetBlue, American, Delta, US Airways, United, etc. Cape Air's flights are timed to make connections with the mainland. Cape Air's San Juan - Anguilla route is codeshared with Continental Airlines and can also be booked with JetBlue connections on JetBlue.com. As of June 2011 JetBlue is the largest airline at San Juan measured by ASMs, ending American Airlines' long dominance. Anguilla is listed as a JetBlue destination on their website thanks to the partnership with Cape Air. Liat provides once daily service to St. Thomas, and onwards to other destinations in the Caribbean. It may be easier to access Anguilla via St. Maarten, which can be reached non-stop from many eastern U.S. cities, as well as European cities. Charter flights can take 8 minutes to reach Anguilla from St. Maarten. Visitors can try to book local air charters via Trans Anguilla or Anguilla Air Service. Many visitors charter boats privately from the pier near Princess Julianna Airport in St. Maarten to Anguilla. There are also modest, private ferries that depart from Marigot every 30 minutes. By boat There are regular ferries from St.Martin to Anguilla. It is a 20 minute crossing from Marigot, St. Martin to Blowing Point, Anguilla. Ferries commence service from 7:00AM. There is also a Charter Service, from Blowing Point, Anguilla to Princess Juliana Airport to make travel easier. This way of travel is the most common method of transport between Anguilla and St. Martin or Saint Maarten. If you do not want to get too wet, choose your seat carefully to sit facing the wind. If you experience sea sickness quite easily, ensure you take medication before leaving Anguilla. Get around Driving is on the left-hand side of the road. Speeds are low, but the island is small. There are also a few round-abouts and stop lights throughout the island. Keep left and Give way to the right! Taxi service is unmetered, with set rates. Taxi drivers offer island tours lasting several hours. Fares must be paid in cash and or credit card. The ferry from Blowing Point to Marigot, St. Martin runs all day on the half hour. The last ferry departs Anguilla at 6:15PM and final ferry departs St. Martin at 7:00PM. Connections and charters are available to other islands. Cars, bikes, and mopeds can all be rented. Rental cars are available in from several different agencies. Hertz, Avis and other local agencies. Talk English is the official language, spoken everywhere. See Anguilla has everything you might expect from a Caribbean island, with gorgeous bays, some of the best white sand beaches in the world, palm trees and the turquoise ocean all around. That lovely setting is of course what draws most travellers here, and it allows for perfect lazy days of sunbathing and swimming. There are some stunning coral reefs just outside the coast, which make it a fine destination for scuba diving or snorkelling. If you're not that sporty, hop on one of the glass bottomed boats to have at least a glance. Shoal Bay can compete with any beach in the world and has a great reef. Other popular bays are Barnes, Rendezvous, Road and Little Bay, but you can choose from 33 fine beaches in total. From April through November, many of Anguilla’s beaches are nesting grounds for leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles. Maundays, Meads, Captains and Limestone Bay offer the best chances to witness this wonderful natural phenomena. At the Island Harbour you can see local fishermen and sailors at work. The Old Salt Factory & Pumphouse at Sandy Ground is one of the few historic sights. The 1785 Wallblake Househas been beautifully restored and is Anguilla's only surviving plantation house. If you'd like to dive into the island's history and cultural heritage further, make sure to visit the Heritage Collection museum. It has a good collection of photographs, artefacts and documents from the prime days of the Arawak Indians till the present. At 213 feet above sea level, Crocus Hill is the highest point on the otherwise flat lands of Anguilla. On it, there are a few remains of the Old Court House. More importantly however, there's a great view from the top over the underlying bay, which is extra spectacular at sunset. On the way to Crocus Hill is The Old Valley, an area with a few unspectacular but locally important church buildings. Anguilla has many farms of corn, peas, tomatoes and other crops. To see, buy or learn about plants and animals in Anguilla one can visit The Department of Agriculture, located in The Valley, Anguilla. The Anguilla National Trust can provide information on Anguilla's environment and conducts tours. Its main task is to preserve Anguilla's natural environment, historic and cultural resources and archaeology. If you're interested in gardens, try the Hydroponic Farm and Organic Gardens, at CuisinArt Resort and Spa, West End Village or the Endangered Species Garden and Indigenous Local Plants Gardens at the Cap Juluca Resort. Do Hiking, Art Gallery Tours, Horseback Riding at Seaside Stables, El Rancho Del Blues and CLiffside Stables. Tennis, Golf at Play-A-Round Mini-Golf Park and Temenos Golf Club, Spa and Wellness, Glass-bottom boat, Swimming, Snorkeling, Fishing, Festivals: Anguilla Summer Festival, Tranquility Jazz Festival, Moonsplash, Festival Del Mar, Annual Anguilla Yacht Regatta and Annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree. There are many places to lounge, listen to music and dance such as: Elvis Beach Bar, Sandy Ground Ripples, Sandy Ground Johnno's Beach Bar and Grill, Sandy Ground Pumphouse, Sandy Ground Rafe's, Sandy Ground Dune Preserve, West End Elodias, Shoal Bay, there is a live band on Sunday evenings English Rose Restaurant, The Valley, karaoke on Friday nights Ko Ko's Beach Bar, Island Harbour Scilly Cay, a small island a few minutes away from the main island. Seaside Stables, Cove Bay, [1]. Horseback Riding on the Beach  edit Buy Though the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is the local currency, most places frequented by tourists price goods and services in U.S. Dollars (USD) and all locations accept U.S. Dollars for payment. On occasion, you may receive small change in a mix of USD and XCD. Credit cards are taken at hotels and restaurants (not everywhere will accept Amex. Mastercard/Visa preferred). Eat Budget There are many places to dine in Anguilla, with a wide variety of cuisines to chose from. The prices also vary depending on the selected restaurant. Moderate Uncle Ernie's on Shoal Bay beach; inexpensive local BBQ; Smitty's [2] in Island Harbor. Scilly Cay in Island Harbor; pronounced Silly Key; take a boat or swim out to this tiny island off the island. Food is great also the rum punch!! This is a nice place to lounge on a Sunday afternoon. Tastys Restaurant, South Hill, ☎ 1-264-497-2737, [3]. Some day the food is excellent food and the Chef is very personable and enjoys pleasing his customers.  edit Roy's [4] above Crocus Bay; started by a British expat and his wife. Great bargain lunches on Fridays. Very well known for their fish and chips. The Pumphouse in Sandy Ground next to the old salt flats Johnno's is an Anguillan landmark, run by John (Johnno) on Sandy Ground beach. It is an open air bar, restaurant and at night a dance club on the beach, often with live local bands. Zara's, Shoal Bay - Listen to the Chef, Shamash, sing love songs in his kitchen while you watch him prepare your feast. Reservations: 497 3229 Sandy Island, Sandy Ground, 476-6534 (Simone) for reservations.. A tiny offshore island where you're guaranteed a GREAT time! (Be brave and try the rum punch!!) English Rose Restaurant, The Valley. Ripples, Sandy Ground. Elvis Beach Bar, Sandy Ground. Elodias, Shoal Bay. Gwen's Reggae Grill, Shoal Bay. Tasty's at the Dune, West End. B & D's BBQ, Long Bay Big Jim's BBQ, Blowing Point Amy's Bakery, Blowing Point Mary's Bakery, The, Quarter Hall's Unique Bakery, The Valley Le Bon Pain, Island Harbour Oriental Restaurant and Bar, The Valley; Chinese restaurant Landing Strip Restaurant, Blowing Point Nico's Restaurant, The Valley Splurge Michel Rostant at the Malliouhana [5] Incredible view, an awesome view and great food. Conde Nast traveler rated this restaurant 100 out of 100. Hibernia [6] Unique food, gracious hosts and a wonderful time always. Worth the drive! Blanchard's [7] Great decor, which is unfortunately undermined by the bland food. Mango's [8] Directly on the beach, with wonderful seafood. Straw Hat [9] Don't miss the crayfish here! Altamer [10] Delicious lobsters big as orbiting moons, great service. Deon's Overlook [11]Formerly Cyril's Overlook of Montauk/NY fame but now in the trusty hands of Deon. Fabulous seafood and great gazpacho soup! Koal Keel Restaurant, The Valley. Caprice, West End. Kemia, Cap Juluca Hotel, West End. Pimms, Cap Juluca Hotel, West End. La Luna Rosa. Le Bistro, Malliouhana, West End. Santorini, CuisinArt, West End. Veya, Sandy Ground. da'Vida [12] Right on the beach in Crocus Bay. Great ambiance and great food. Drink Sleep Chose from an array of hotels, villas, guest houses and apartments to rest your head at night. Budget Moderate Anguilla Great House Ku on Shoal Bay Shoal Bay Villas [13] - Shoal Bay Arawak Beach Inn - Island Harbour Anacaona Boutique Hotel [14] on Meads Bay Frangipani Beach Club - Meads Bay Rendezvous Bay Hotel and Villas - Rendezvous Bay Caribbean Seaview - Long Path Carimar Beach Club - Meads Bay Lloyd's - The Valley Masara Resort - Katouche Ocean Breeze - Long Path Splurge Sheriva Villas - Maundays Bay Road, West End [15] Cuisinart Resort and Spa [16] Cap Juluca [17] Viceroy Hotels and Resorts[18] Sirena Hotel - Meads Bay [19] Bird of Paradise - Sandy Hill Bay [20] Altamer Villas - Shoal Bay West [21] Coyaba Manor - Lockrum Estate [22] Spyglass Hill Villa - North Hill [23] Temenos Villas - Long Bay [24] Exclusivity - Captain's Bay [25] Kamique Little Harbour Villas - Little Harbour [26] Stay safe Anguilla is a safe island with a low crime rate. But please take necessary precautions--lock your doors at night, don't leave personal belongings in your unlocked rental car and don't give rides to pedestrians. The Police station is in the capital, The Valley. Also, the hospital, Princess Alexandra Hosipal. There is only one hospital in Anguilla, however, there are many private doctors, including Hughes Medical Center located in West End. There are many Medical Clinics located in many villages such as, The Valley, West End, East End and Blowing Point. Stay healthy Anguilla offers a variety of Spas and Wellness centers, Gyms and Healthy Food stores. Gyms Louis Price Fitness, George Hill. Cardigan Connor, Personal Trainer Spas and Wellness Centers Cardigan Connor's Massage OSSIA Massage and Esthetics, South Hill Taino Wellness Center Carey's Ultimate Care Spa, North Side Malakh Day Spa, Shoal Bay Beach, next to Gwen's Reggae Grill Healty Food Stores Simple Natural, The Valley Respect The beautiful people of Anguilla are incredibly friendly and hospitable. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!