Hotels

For the next few years, expect to see construction going on at several prime spots on the island. The ambitious re-creation of the homey old Rendezvous Bay Hotel into a mega resort/hotel/condo complex is under way (although some say the project is stalled); for information, see www.rendezvousbay.com. At Meads Bay the Viceroy Resort (www.viceroyanguilla.com) is going up. When it opens in 2010, the Fairmont Anguilla (www.fairmontanguilla.com), on the island's south coast, will feature a hotel; an 18-hole championship golf course; and Fairmont Residences, a collection of condominiums, villas, and estate homes. At the west end of the island, the St. Regis Temenos hotel, villa, and condo complex (www.temenosanguilla.com) is still under construction. However, the Greg Norman-designed golf course is open (Bill Clinton played here in 2007), as is Zurra, the snazzy new golf course-front restaurant run by Anguilla's best-known restaurateurs, Bob and Melinda Blanchard, proprietors of Blanchards.

Keep in mind that "villa" is used on Anguilla to mean either a separate unit or a self-contained unit in a building with several other self-contained units. That's a big difference, so be sure which kind of villa your rental is before you send off your deposit!

Very Expensive

If your idea of a Caribbean getaway includes being cared for by a personal butler and staff of eight, you may want to make one of architect Myron Goldfinger's three villas at Altamer (Shoal Bay West, the Valley; tel. 264/498-4000; www.altamer.com) your "private palace," just as its website suggests. The five- to six-bedroom villas go for prices that nudge upward towards a whopping $50,000 a week in high season, but tumble to a mere $27,500 to $30,000 off season. The furnishings suggest casual luxury, with floating stairways, cantilevered walls, and dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. Creature comforts at all the villas include a private swimming pool, an elaborate game room (with pool table), and entertainment center (including a home theater).

Down on the (Hydroponic) Farm

It's the world's only hydroponic farm in a greenhouse setting, where hundreds of ripe red tomatoes, foot-long cucumbers, dewy lettuces, and fragrant herbs ripen spectacularly in a giant greenhouse with little more than water and a sprinkling of plant nutrients. There's no soil, no weeds, no bugs. To help feed guests and staff in a country where the soil is non-arable and most of the fresh produce must be flown in, CuisinArt hired plant scientist and horticulturist Dr. Howard Resh, Ph.D., to devise a greenhouse that could produce vegetables year-round and withstand strong winds. Today the farm supplies both resort restaurants and the employee cafeteria, with an average harvest of 128 heads of lettuce a day. Tours of the hydroponic farm are very popular; call tel. 264/498-2000 to join one of the regularly scheduled tours with Dr. Resh, who is passionate about every aspect of the farm. You'll get to sample some of the incredibly sweet cherry tomatoes right off the vine.