Active Pursuits

Beaches

Superb beaches are what put Anguilla on the tourist map. There are dozens of them, plus another handful on offshore islets, like Sandy Isle and Prickly Pear. I love Anguilla's limestone and scrub interior, its roaming goats, salt ponds teeming with birds, and the wildflowers that spring up after the rains. Still, let's face it, it's the beaches that bring us here. Miles and miles of pristine, powdery-soft sands open onto crystal-clear waters. As new roads are built, fewer beaches are reached via the bone-jarring dirt paths that make some of us nostalgic for the old days of, well, 10 or 20 years ago. For now, keep in mind that all beaches -- even those of the fanciest resorts -- are open to the public. That said, many locals and old-timers are increasingly unhappy at how many beaches are becoming the de facto preserve of new resorts.

Most of the best beaches (Barnes, Maundays, Meads, Rendezvous Bay, Shoal Bay West) are on the west end of the island, site of the most expensive hotels. Rendezvous Bay is still the best of the west end bunch, a long, curving ribbon of satiny, pale gold sand that stretches along the bay for 4km (2 1/2 miles). This may change once (some say if) the much-ballyhooed Rendezvous Bay resort complex gets off the ground. For now, you will probably have to enter the beach from the public access near the Anguilla Great House or Bankie Banx's Dune Preserve -- and pray that future construction does not ruin this beach forever.

In the northeast, 3km (2-mile) Shoal Bay is Anguilla's most popular beach, a Caribbean classic, with silver-white, powder-soft sands and a backdrop of sea-grapes. This beach is often called Shoal Bay East to distinguish it from Shoal Bay West . The waters are luminous, brilliantly blue, and populated by enough fish to make most casual snorkelers happy. At noon the sands are blindingly white, but at sunrise and sunset they turn a pink to rival any beach in Bermuda. Rental umbrellas, beach chairs, and other equipment are available just behind Uncle Ernie's at the long-established, amazingly helpful Skyline Beach Rentals (tel. 264/497-8644) from brothers Calvin, Raymond, and Solomon. And, no trip to Anguilla is really complete without at least one order of ribs (washed down with a Ting or a Red Stripe) at Uncle Ernie's.

Shoal Bay West has pristine white sands tinged with pink opening onto the southwest coast. Visitors find deluxe accommodations, including Covecastles, and superior snorkeling at its western tip. Adjoining it is 1.5km-long (1-mile), white-sand Maundays Bay, site of Cap Juluca and justifiably one of the island's most popular shorelines, with gentle surf for good snorkeling and swimming. Though the waters are luminescent and usually calm, sometimes the wind blows enough to attract windsurfers and sailboats. Most days, you see St. Martin across the way; some days, you see the pointy peak of Saba in the distance.

Sandy Isle, on the northwest coast, is a tiny islet with a few palms surrounded by a coral reef, a beach bar and restaurant, and a place to rent snorkeling gear and buy underwater cameras. During the high season, a speedboat from Sandy Ground (which has its own long sand beach) brings visitors back and forth to Sandy Isle almost hourly from around 9am to 4pm.

The northwest coast has a number of other beaches worth seeking out, notably the glittering white stretch of Barnes Bay beneath a bullying bluff. You can admire the offshore islands silhouetted against the horizon or join the windsurfers and snorkelers.

Little Bay Beach is at the foot of Anguilla's steepest cliffs. The sands are not the characteristic Anguillian white but, well, sandy. That said, none of us who have been there, including serious bird-watchers, snorkelers, and scuba divers, seems to mind. (We do mind when day-trippers from St. Martin come over and occupy the beach.) You can get a boat here most days from about 9am to 4pm from Crocus Bay for around $10 round trip. You can also climb down (and back up) the cliff at Little Bay, holding onto a knotted rope that is bolted into the cliff; I have done this, and do not recommend it for anyone who, like me, has trouble with heights (and is suspicious of the strength of a knotted rope).

Sandy Ground (aka Road Bay), also on the northwest coast, paints an idyllic old-time Caribbean scene, right down to meandering goats, spectacular sunsets, and clear blue waters, often dotted with yachts coming from St. Martin and beyond. You can watch fishermen and lobstermen set out in fishing boats as brightly colored as children's finger paints. Johnno's is arguably the archetypal beach bar, serving burgers and grilled fish and rocking at night. Indeed, many of the weathered wooden Antillean houses around here shaded by turpentine trees and oleander hold casual bars, making Sandy Ground Party Central on Friday nights. Island Harbor is still a working fishing port, with island-made boats bobbing by the pier. For centuries Anguillians have set out from these shores to haul in spiny lobster, which are still cooked up here at Smitty's (tel. 264/497-4300). It was Smitty who set up generators and started the tradition of live music and grilled lobster at his toes-in-the-water restaurant here back in the 1970s before Anguilla had electricity. Islanders of a certain age remember walking for hours to get to Smitty's on the weekend to hear the music -- and then walking back home after dark by the light of the moon.

Savannah Bay (aka Junk's Hole) offers a long stretch of uncrowded white sand and offshore reefs full of eels, squid, and manta rays. The one big attraction here is Nat Richardson's Palm Grove Bar & Grill (seemingly the only building for miles), with its perfectly boiled or grilled lobster, crayfish, or shrimp. Chances are you'll have Captain's Bay all to yourself. Here's why: There's no shade and the undertow is very dangerous. The rock formations are starkly beautiful, but this is a spot for a stroll, not a swim.

Cruises

At Sandy Ground, Sandy Island Enterprises (tel. 264/476-6534), Island Yacht Charters (tel. 264/497-3744), and Gotcha! Garfield's Sea Tours (tel. 264/235-7902) all rent boats and arrange fishing excursions. They can advise you on the best beaches for a quiet swim, or where the fish are.

Fishing

Your hotel can arrange for you to cast your line with a local guide, but you should bring your own tackle. Agree on the cost before setting out, however, to avoid the "misunderstandings" that are commonly reported.

Golf

The 18-hole, par-72 Greg Norman-designed Temenos Golf Course, between Long and Rendezvous bays (tel. 264/497-7000), has a 111-hectare (274-acre) site that by 2008 will include a luxury spa and residential complex (the first three villas are utterly splendid and stratospherically priced). Bill Clinton has already played here, and so can you, for green fees of around $400. Check with your hotel desk or the tourist office for the latest details on this development.

Horseback Riding

First-time and advanced riders can go horseback riding on the beach or "through the bush" with Seaside Stables, located at Paradise Drive (next to Paradise Cove in western Anguilla), Cove Bay (tel. 264/235-3667; www.seaside-stables.com). Rates for beach rides are $60 per hour/person; half-hour pony rides to the beach $35; moonlight rides $85; rides including a swim on horseback $80/hour. Call for current ride times.

Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

Most of the coastline is fringed by coral reefs, and the crystalline waters are rich in marine life, with sunken coral gardens, brilliantly colored fish, caves, miniwalls, greenback turtles, and stingrays. Conditions for scuba diving and snorkeling are ideal (check out www.scuba.ai for some helpful information). Over the years, the government of Anguilla has artificially enlarged the existing reef system, a first for the Caribbean. Battered and outmoded ships, deliberately sunk in carefully designated places, act as nurseries for fish and lobster populations and provide new dive sites. At Stoney Ground Marine Park, off the northeast coast, you can explore the ruins of a Spanish galleon that sank in the 1772. Offshore cays (Anguillita, Prickley Pear, Sandy Isle, Scrub) offer pristine conditions.

At Sandy Ground, ask around for PADI-trained Douglas Carty (tel. 264/235-8438 or 264/497-4567; dougcarty@antuillanet.com), who has been taking visitors on scuba excursions for many years; single tank dive costs from $50. At Meads Bay, Anguillian Divers (tel. 264/497-4750; axadiver@caribcable.com), is a one-stop dive shop that answers most diving needs. PADI instructors are on hand, with a two-tank dive costing $70, plus another $10 for equipment. Another good choice is Shoal Bay Scuba & Water Sports (tel. 264/497-4101; mjb@anguillanet.com), with a custom-built, state-of-the-art boat. A two-tank dive costs $80, plus $10 for equipment. They also provide windsurfer rentals and lessons. Both offer packages of three to five dives at deep discounts.

Several places, such as long-established Skyline Beach Rentals (tel. 264/497-8644) at Shoal Bay, rent snorkeling gear, if your hotel doesn't provide it. The snorkeling's great at Shoal Bay, Maundays Bay, Barnes Bay, Little Bay, and Road Bay.

Tennis

Once it's completed, the state-of-the-art Anguilla Tennis Academy (www.anguillatennis.com) will feature a pro shop, locker rooms, gym, and six lighted courts modeled after those at the U.S. Open facility in Flushing Meadows, New York. You can get lessons, hit with the pros, or have your racket strung. Most of the resorts have their own tennis courts. Malliouhana, Meads Bay (tel. 264/497-6111), has a pro shop and four championship Laykold tennis courts. All courts are lit for night games.