Nightlife on Anguilla centers mainly on the various hotels, especially in winter, when they host barbecues, West Indian parties, and singers and other musicians. The hotels hire calypso combo groups and other bands, both local and imported.
Open-air Johnno's Beach Bar, Road Bay, Sandy Ground (tel. 264/497-2728), is a favorite of Hollywood types when they visit Anguilla. The club serves Beck's beer on the beach, along with barbecued spareribs, grilled chicken, and fresh fish for lunch and dinner. Live entertainment takes place Wednesday 7pm to 1am and Friday 10pm to 2am. A weekly Sunday barbecue begins at noon, with live light jazz music starting midafternoon in winter. Try the Johnno Special (similar to a piña colada, but made with rum and guava berries).
A restaurant-cum-beach-bar, Palm Grove Bar & Grill, Junk's Hole Bay (tel. 264/497-4224), offers a long stretch of uncrowded white sand and offshore reefs full of eels, squid, and manta rays. Nat Richardson, the owner, is waiting to boil or grill fresh-caught lobster, crayfish, or shrimp for you. Bon Appétit liked his johnnycakes so much it stole the recipe and published it. Hours are usually 11am to around 6:30pm daily, but they can vary greatly depending on when the owner feels like getting there, and whenever clients decide to show up.
Pumphouse Bar & Grill, Sandy Ground (tel. 264/497-5154), is the island's latest hot spot, featuring 30 different rums. The food is good, too, served in a funky dining room with an uneven concrete slab floor that was originally designed as a repair station for heavy trucks. Standard but satisfying menu items include platters of fish or chicken, steaks, and a Caesar salad with slices of jerk chicken. Go any time from 6pm to 2am, except Sunday, when it's closed. Reggae lovers should show up on Wednesday and Saturday nights; Thursday nights are often devoted to merengue.
There are some other little nighttime joints on Anguilla that seem to close with irritating irregularity. Most of these dives are active only on the weekend, including Dune Preserve at Rendezvous Bay (tel. 264/497-2660), where the best-known singer on island, "Bankie" Banx, performs. You might also check out another weekend hot spot, The Red Dragon Disco, The Valley (tel. 264/497-2687), where dancers gyrate to the latest recorded music.
Cigar aficionados flock to Elio's in The Valley at Bedney's Plaza, off West and Main roads (tel. 264/497-7822). Elio's features a walk-in humidor with some 200 exotic brands of cigars, including the fabled Cuban Cohiba Robustos (illegal in the U.S.). The best rum on island is also sold here, including 15-year-old bottles of Ron Varadero, also from Cuba. While you smoke and drink, you can listen to an array of tapes including Cubano and general Latino recordings. The bar is small but choice with only six stools at the counter and five tables outside.
