Belmond Cap Juluca vs. Malliouhana Auberge vs. Four Seasons Anguilla – Which Resort is Best?

When it comes to high-end resorts in the Caribbean, no destination beats Anguilla. This little gem of an island is home to some of the world’s most architecturally stunning, and beautifully decorated hotel options that will leave you breathless at every corner as you sip your rum punch overlooking the sparkling Caribbean sea. But how to choose where to stay in Anguilla!? The good news is while there are multiple amazing options of luxury resorts in Anguilla, I believe each is best for different types of trips, and different types of people. Which is why I wanted to write this post putting the best of the best resorts on Anguilla to battle and breaking down their exact differences, and who I think would thrive at each.

When it comes to choosing a luxury resort to stay in Anguilla, you’ll often see three names written up about over and over again: Cap Juluca, a Belmond resort, Malliouhana, and Four Seasons Anguilla. They each cater to a different audience and are all amazing options for a trip to Anguilla, but I do think they have stark differences. Ideally, I’d recommend choosing two if you have 5 nights or more on the island, because they truly are so different from one another, and it’s great to experience different sides of the island (we chose two both when we were there for a week for our babymoon in Anguilla, and again when we went back as a family of four, and it was perfect)

Cap Juluca is Anguilla’s prized jewel. The 70 guest rooms that make up Cap Juluca are housed inside 15 white stucco villas that feel like Santorini-meets-Caribbean. The famed Belmond hotel is spread across 180 acres on the best beach in Anguilla – Maundays Bay, with its picture-perfect crescent-shaped white-sand beach and impossibly-sparkling aqua water. With four restaurants, a full-service spa, an infinity pool, and private yacht charters at guests’ disposal, the resort is a destination in itself, and caters to honeymooners, babymooners, and anyone looking for a secluded, private, perfect and pristine beach getaway.

My favorite part of this resort was just how breathtakingly beautiful it is at every turn. The beach, the pools, the rooms, everything was picture-perfect. The architecture of the hotel is opulent and stunning, and you kind of feel like you have your own world here. It never felt crowded in the LEAST, anywhere, even though the resort was nearly full, but it’s just spread out so much it feels like a private oasis. And you have dedicated beach chairs (and a Yeti filled with ice cold waters) right in front of your room, so you never have to worry about getting the best spot on the beach. The service here is the best on Anguilla -and you’ll have a ‘host’ butler who will take care of your every need. This is opulent, spoiled-rotten vacation luxury and it’s amazing.

Ask anyone who’s been to both Cap Juluca and Malliouhana and they’ll also say that the biggest perk of Cap Juluca is being able to step right onto the (dreamy) beach straight from your room. We loved this especially when traveling with kids as it makes it easy to get to the beach, and even soak up some sun during their nap times.

Best for: Honeymooners, Babymooners, Families with babies and toddlers

IN SUMMARY:

PROS: Best beach on the island, butler service, walk out to the beach from your room, one of the BEST breakfast buffets in the world with an unbeatable view

CONS: Windier side of the island! Smaller pool. Not as kid-friendly (but definitely baby or small children friendly).

Check rates for your dates here

How do I get Jetset perks when booking the Belmond Cap Juluca?

For free daily breakfast for two, a $100 resort credit, and a room upgrade (when available), fill out this contact form and be sure to use the referral code “JETSETCHRISTINA” if you use my referral, my agency partner (who doesn’t charge my followers anything to book!) will reach out with the best rates available and can help book you with all kinds of fun perks (at no extra cost to you!)

Malliouhana has a storied, glamorous past as being the first luxury resort on Anguilla. It oozes old school glamour. Every corner of this dreamy hotel is chic, colorful, and stunning. It’s SO unique, and easily one of the most beautiful hotels in the Caribbean if not the world.

Between the beach club, Leon’s, which felt like a total Caribbean paradise and somewhere we could have spent a week, and the pools, which were some of the most stunning pools (and cabanas) I’ve ever seen, this hotel felt like a home away from home. It felt more casual and laid-back than the Cap Juluca, but that’s not to say it was less high end, just a little less opulent and glam, more effortlessly cool and Caribbean-chic.

Best for: Families with kids older than toddler age, couples

We loved the Turtle Cove villa, perfect for a family looking for a 2-bedroom villa in Anguilla. I mean, these views cannot be beat!

IN SUMMARY:

PROS: Unique character, elegant, eclectic design, beautiful sunset views, awesome beach club, kid and family friendly. Beautiful pools that never feel too crowded (one for kids, one for adults). Walkable to a ton of beach bars and restaurants, so more happening. Less windy on this side of the island.

CONS: More compact of a hotel than Belmond, service was less exceptional here, and there were actually quite a few service hiccups we experienced. Also the breakfast, which ended up around $90 a person each morning and wasn’t that exciting (especially when comparing to the big buffet that was included in your room rate at the Belmond)

How do I get Jetset perks when booking the Malliouhana?

MY HONEST THOUGHTS: BELMOND CAP JULUCA vs. MALLIOUHANA

After multiple trips to Anguilla, and researching a TON about all of the resorts, as well as talking to many, many people who have stayed at all of the resorts on this list, we chose to go to both Belmond and Malliouhana for our babymoon in Anguilla, and return to both again when we returned as a family of four!!!!! After our first trip to Anguilla, Kenny and I laugh that Cap Juluca felt like Jetset Christina (my brand) and Malliouhana felt like Kenny Flowers (his brand). So needless to say – we loved them both!!!!! And while they were both upscale, dreamy and beautiful, they were completely different!!! Cap Juluca was over-the-top, picture-perfect, luxe and opulent, whereas Malliouhana was effortlessly cool, had a ton of character and charm, and felt like somewhere you could kick back with a few beers and relax at your classy seaside retreat. I would go back to either and hopefully will on our next trip!! They both have something really special going for them – and I love how different they felt.

Returning as a family brought a whole new perspective, and we loved them both again, but for different reasons! At Malliouhana, we loved the family pool – which my toddler LOVED, and it was bigger and better than Cap Juluca’s pool. We preferred the service, and the breakfast and dining experience at Belmond Cap Juluca vs Malliouhana, and we preferred the prices and value at Malliouhana vs Belmond (Malliouhana was about half the price on our dates!). The rooms were STUNNING at both, and we loved both. Also, while Malliouhana was very kid-friendly, it is located on a cliff’s edge making it a little bit of a trek to get to the beautiful beach – whereas at the Belmond you walk right out onto the perfect white sand (super baby and toddler friendly). At Malliouhana, you have more going on (lots of restaurants to walk to right on the beach, or golf cart to), whereas at Belmond Cap Juluca, you really don’t have to leave the resort, you’re in your own world. It’s as close to the Maldives experience as you’ll get in North America.

You really can’t go wrong with either option – and they are soooo different that if you don’t mind switching hotels and you have the time, I do recommend going to both!!!

At Cap Juluca, I felt like it was home after a few days spent doing a whole lot of nothing but sunning, dipping in the pool, getting lobster rolls at the Cap Shack, going to Uchu for cocktails and then heading out to dinner. The beach here was on par with the best I’ve seen in the world – and I soaked up every second of it. We loved the ability to walk right out from our room to the beach, and loved having our designated beach chairs and umbrella waiting for us. I loved that the hotel was the only hotel on this stunning beach – it felt like your own world, and the service was amazing – with a dedicated butler able to help you via text message with dinner reservations, cabs, activities, or ordering room service. I really value good service so this made a big difference to me!

At Malliouhana, we LOVED our room’s HUGE balcony and view, and loved that there were multiple beaches to choose from, one with more of an established beach club and restaurant and one more tucked away and remote, and then there were the gorgeous pools, as well. My husband also put it best when he said this hotel felt like ‘the ultimate Caribbean vacation’ whereas Belmond felt like ‘the ultimate luxury vacation’.

Four Seasons Anguilla

Four Seasons Anguilla is another great option for where to stay in Anguilla. It’s extremely family friendly (especially if you rent one of their villas! also Children under five dine free!! This is HUGE in Anguilla as at the other resorts, food (even for kids) is VERY expensive – I’m talking nearly $50 for chicken fingers and milk at the Cap Shack at Cap Juluca) The Four Seasons makes for a good home base and has a modern, sleek feeling throughout the resort. There are three pools here—including one for kids, and an infinity hideaway for adults only at sunset. Set on a bluff between two beaches, this large and busy resort is popular with groups, families and couples, complete with the FS level of service we all love.

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It’s worth noting this is the largest property on Anguilla, with 181 accommodations including 120 hotel rooms and suites. We found it to be sleek, buzzy and happening, with a ton of families and groups (we did go around Spring Break!). This property used to be a Viceroy and feels a little more Viceroy in design than FS to me. It also doesn’t have much of a ‘sense of place’ of feeling like you’re in the Caribbean – it feels like it could be anywhere, but it’s nice!!!! And you can often get a better rate here than the other 2.

Best for: Families, Groups, those looking for a less expensive than Malliouhana and Cap Juluca, but still luxurious, base for their Anguilla vacation

IN SUMMARY:

PROS: Family-friendly, buzzing, hip, happening, and sleek. Less expensive than the Malliouhana and the Cap Juluca. Big infinity pools. Amazing sunset view

CONS: BUSY, crowded. Less of an exciting beachfront than the other two, nice-yet-standard design, not as much unique character

In the end you’re going to love Anguilla, wherever you choose to stay, and all of these places are FABULOUS – it’s just about choosing the right one for you.

How do I get Jetset free perks when booking any of these hotels?

WHICHEVER of these resorts you choose, I can get you awesome perks like a complimentary upgrade on arrival, daily breakfast credit, an early check in and late check out, a resort credit! All you have to do is fill out this contact form and be sure to use the referral code “JETSETCHRISTINA” if you use my referral, my travel agency partner will reach out with more information and can help book you with all kinds of fun perks (at no extra cost to you, they offer the same best rates as the hotel and they don’t charge a fee to book for you)