For couples seeking the picture-perfect spot for an unforgettable wedding or honeymoon, the paradise island of Anguilla has all the answers

Weddings
Couples looking to get married on Anguilla can choose from an array of historic churches, secluded off-shore cays, lush resort gardens, luxurious seaside villas or even private yachts on which to tie the knot. Services of experienced wedding planners are available, who will design and create a memorable, one-of-a-kind wedding that reflects the couple’s traditions, personality and wishes. Regulations and requirements on getting married in Anguilla can be found here.

Many resorts offer incredible arrangements and special packages. With just 19 rooms and suites, plus a four-bedroom beachfront villa, Frangipani Beach Resort offers barefoot luxury on Meads Bay and hosts special nuptials for a range of group sizes. As well as intimate weddings, the resort can cater for larger groups of 40+ people with an exclusive “Buyout” option, where couples take over the entire hotel for 4+ nights. A buyout allows the happy couple to craft their dream event, from bands by the pool and private chefs to BBQs on the beach, lawn games and much more. From USD$64,000 for a full buyout for four nights (incl. taxes), this includes 23 rooms, complimentary water sports, daily breakfast and access to guest-only boat charters aboard FrangiCat, the resort’s 36′ power catamaran. Buyouts available from May – August, and 1 November – 15 December.

The elegant Malliouhana, an Auberge Resort, has just launched a new Weddings & Vow Renewals Brochure, to showcase the unforgettable occasions the refined resort can host. Couples can exchange vows in a number of stunning locations, including aWedding Deck, the Malliouhana Deck and Leon’s at Meads Bay, offering private use of this beach restaurant with extensive outdoor space. Malliouhana’s ‘Island Dreams’ wedding package costs USD$3,970 and includes a bottle of champagne on arrival, floral wedding arch, 1hr of photography and the images, guitarist, 90-minute couples massage and much more. An array of other wedding services are available on an à la carte basis.

Nestled on Anguilla’s tranquil Shoal Bay East, Zemi Beach House blends contemporary luxury with experiences anchored in rich island traditions. This intimate beachfront resort is a gorgeous backdrop for a barefoot ceremony, followed by an elegant poolside reception, a formal seated dinner at fine dining restaurant, Stone, or a casual toast at beachfront dining space, 20 Knots.

The luxury Santosha Villa Estate, a mansion wedding estate located on Anguilla’s Long Bay Beach, offers the privacy of a villa with the amenities, staff and service of a boutique resort. Daily butler, concierge, beach attendants, housekeeping and breakfast are included as standard, with other services, such as a chef, massages and wine service, all easily arranged. Up to 21 guests stay across five stylish guesthouses. Santosha’s wedding celebrations range from a lavish extravaganza for a large number of wedding guests to an intimate beachfront hideaway nuptials. The resort’s event spaces are flexible, and in-house wedding coordinators can arrange welcome beach BBQs, wedding party brunches and an extra-special reception under the stars.

Blessed with panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea, Beaches Edge is a wedding villa located on Pelican Bay. Couples celebrating at this oceanfront venue are guaranteed an experience they will remember long after they have said “I do.” The ultra-modern five-bedroom villa offers both indoor and outdoor event spaces for up to 80 guests, including a spacious great room with walls of windows, an expansive terrace, elegant wedding arch and nearby small beach. The venue’s professional team delights in helping couples bring their dream wedding to life. Customisable packages are available to suit a range of budgets and needs.

As an alternative to a hotel-based reception, couples and a small group of guests can celebrate their union with a sunset blessing on board Tradition, a classic West Indian sloop, hand built in 1978. Ideal for groups of up to 12, all aspects of the trip are tailormade – from the pick-up point to the food and drink served on board. Tradition’s islander owners ensure that everything needed for the special day is arranged, including a chase boat for the photographer and/or videographer to ensure that the occasion is beautifully recorded for posterity.

Honeymoons

With its exclusive resorts, fine dining and some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, the uncrowded, unspoiled island of Anguilla is the ideal destination for a memorable honeymoon. Beautiful hotels and villas, candlelit dining, couple’s spa treatments and exotic locations combine to create a tropical paradise for couples in love.

Many of the island’s exceptional hotels provide the picture-perfect spot for a memorable honeymoon. Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel, one of the most romantic resorts in the Caribbean, is loved for its calm, relaxed atmosphere and its resort suites that open right up onto Maundays Bay.

Or for an alternative, more private experience than a hotel, there are many stylish, intimate villas bookable for an intimate honeymoon experience. The oceanfront Fletch’s Cove has been thoughtfully designed for comfortable living both indoors and out. Folding doors from the two-bedroom villa open to the pool terrace, offering stunning views of the ocean and surrounding islands. Honeymooners can follow a short footpath to a small, secluded beach on the south coast, but they are also close to popular beaches, restaurants and other island attractions.

With views of tropical sunsets each night, Spyglass Hill Villa offers an elegant and relaxed setting just for two. Couples will feel the natural warmth of wood throughout, from authentic bamboo floors to the beach driftwood décor. The open-air courtyard will entice honeymooners with its hand-carved Anguilla stone walls, large terrace and infinity-edge pool that gives the illusion of water cascading into the Caribbean Sea.

For added romance on the island, lovers can book a relaxing, rejuvenating couple’s massage at one of Anguilla’s luxury hotel spas. Bookable by guests and non-guests alike, options range from the traditional Thai houses at Zemi Beach House Resort & Spa, to the stylish Malliouhana Spa and The Spa at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla. All offer spa packages, ideal for couples, with private suites or poolside cabana treatments.

Other romantic honeymoon ideas include lunch on a private island such as Sandy Island or Prickly Pear, hiking and exploring the 80-acre Katouche estate – often referred to as the “rainforest” of Anguilla, or seeing the beauty of the tropical sea at night with Liquid Glow’s LED transparent kayaks, which attract tropical fish while the couple paddles.

Love is always in the air in Anguilla, so much so that the website for the Anguilla Tourism Board has a suggested Romance Itinerary, with ideas for couples, including sunset strolls, dancing and bar-hopping, horseback riding, sunset cruises, private dinners and chilled beach shack lunches with toes in the sand.

From strolling along secluded beaches hand-in-hand, to taking a private boat trip around the 37.9 miles of shoreline, Anguilla offers romance to the max.

How to get to Anguilla

Anguilla is accessible via British Airways (Gatwick and Heathrow) or Virgin Atlantic (Heathrow) services to Antigua followed by a short inter-island flight transfer to Anguilla, or with KLM/Air France via Amsterdam/Paris to St Maarten followed by a boat or ‘plane transfer. KLM’s Cityhopper network makes the latter an excellent choice for those travelling from regional airports who can easily make the Schiphol connection.

American Airlines is launching twice-weekly flights between Miami and Anguilla in December 2021, which will provide a third route option for British travellers to reach the paradise shores of Anguilla.  It also offers sunseekers the chance to combine Miami and Anguilla in a twin-centre getaway.

Discover more about romance on Anguilla at www.ivisitanguilla.com.

Entry requirements
Effective from 1st July 2021, entry to Anguilla is open to all visitors who are fully vaccinated (with second dose received at least three weeks before arrival). As of 1 October 2021, guests must take a PCR test on arrival and on Day 4 after arrival in Anguilla. There are no quarantine requirements for international leisure visitors staying at hotels, resorts or licensed villas. Guests must stay-in-place at their hotel or villa while awaiting the result of their test on arrival (usually delivered within 12 hours).  Provided this is negative, they can move freely around the island in between testing negative on arrival and receiving their Day 4 test.

A single testing fee of US$200 (approx. £145) will be implemented from 1 October 2021. This covers the arrival test and Day 4 test for all visitors and is payable via an online portal. The Day 4 test can also be used for onward travel, if the visitor requires it, at no additional fee.

Different rules are in place for visitors staying with persons living in Anguilla, at a private home or in rental accommodation which is not a licensed villa.

International visitors must continue to apply for Entry Permission at www.ivisitanguilla.com and must submit a negative Covid-19 rt-PCR test from a nasopharyngeal swab taken 3 – 5 days prior to arrival on island. Proof of vaccination must be uploaded to the entry application portal: the legally issued card/identification by the country administering the vaccine will be reviewed by the Anguillian authorities to ensure authenticity.

Exemptions are in place for under 18s and pregnant women. Full details of all entry requirements are detailed at ivisitanguilla.com.

All protocols are subject to change based on the prevailing epidemiological situation in Anguilla, with the government conducting regular reviews at two-weekly intervals.

About Anguilla

Tucked away in the northern Caribbean, Anguilla is a shy beauty with a warm smile. A slender length of coral and limestone fringed with green, the island is ringed with 33 beaches, considered by savvy travellers and top travel magazines, to be the most beautiful in the world. A fantastic culinary scene, a wide variety of quality accommodations at varying price points, a host of attractions and exciting calendar of festivals make Anguilla an alluring and entrancing destination.

Anguilla lies just off the beaten path, so it has retained a charming character and appeal. Yet because it can currently be conveniently reached from two major gateways: Antigua and St. Maarten, and by private jet, it’s a hop and a skip away.

For more honeymoon inspiration read here