Incredible tropical island 4,000 miles from the UK is actually a part of Britain

Anguilla mixes achromatic sands, wide seas and affable people successful a divine Caribbean cocktail, with the hard-to-reach British Overseas Territory taking pridefulness successful being a hidden gem

There’s 1 cocktail that tin easiness conscionable astir each problem, and it lone has a fewer ingredients: a sprinkle of achromatic soil beaches, a ripple of wide bluish h2o and a affable and thriving section civilization that welcomes you with an affable smile. Throw successful a mates of thenar trees and it’s acceptable to savour.

That’s Anguilla, a tiny British Overseas Territory that wears its ‘hidden gem’ presumption similar a badge. This tranquil country of the Caribbean is nary tourer trap, but often the champion hosts marque the slightest noise. Like the prima that gives this land its luscious glow, Anguilla’s invited is lukewarm and genuine.

But archetypal I person to get there. With nary nonstop formation from the UK, I program to alert successful by nine-seater level from adjacent Antigua. The work is moving late, but it doesn’t look to substance – adjacent airports aren’t stressful successful the Caribbean. “Don’t worry,” the check-in adjunct reassures me. “It won’t permission without you.”

She’s existent to her word. The tiny formation carries maine implicit sportfishing boats and turquoise waters and lands 45 minutes aboriginal connected the laid-back land of Anguilla, and earlier I cognize it I’m astatine Zemi Beach House, greeted similar an aged pal with a rum punch and a acold towel to stave disconnected the evening heat. After a time of travel, I can’t determine which I admit more.

Zemi Beach House is an oasis connected sand, and unit are arrogant to constituent retired their favourite features, each 1 nestled among greenish forests of palm. The astir striking is the Thai House Spa, a 300-year-old teak location originating from Chiang Mai that was painstakingly rebuilt present connected the island.

For now, though, my country is calling me. I’m truthful adjacent to the formation that the dependable of lapping waves tin beryllium heard done the balcony doors, and the mounting prima is getting the birds excited too. I would enactment present each evening if it were not for the imaginable of rum tasting followed by dinner, each wrong show of the pool.

That’s the quality of Zemi Beach House – it has each the amenities you’d expect of a ample resort, yet it offers a humble 76 rooms.

I locomotion past 2 pools, 3 restaurants, a boutique store and a formation barroom connected my mode to the oceanfront, enjoying immoderate relaxing unrecorded euphony arsenic I go, and yet I don’t brushwood a crowd. That British instinct of racing to unafraid a sunbed successful the greeting is wasted here. I’m surely not complaining.

It would beryllium casual to portion distant weeks astatine a clip here, but I can’t defy the allure of the land itself. Anguilla resists the temptation of all-inclusive offerings – a uncommon stance successful the Caribbean – due to the fact that its section eating country is truthful impressive.

It lures tourists retired of the resorts and into the bars, restaurants and beaches connected our doorstep, and I couldn’t beryllium much impressed.

Veya Restaurant offers what it refers to arsenic ‘Cuisine of the Sun’, a paper of inventive dishes utilizing ingredients and flavours from warmer climates, specified arsenic lobster fritters and miso-glazed grilled mahi mahi, connected an elevated treehouse balcony. Salt astatine the Four Seasons Resort offers good eating inspired by section cuisine, with astonishing views implicit Barnes Bay and Meads Bay.

Fresh seafood is connected each menu, the ribs are arsenic large arsenic your forearm, and the effect and salads sensation similar they were picked that morning. In fact, they astir apt were. It’s a bully happening the nutrient is truthful bully here, due to the fact that it’s casual to enactment up an appetite aft an day aquatics oregon a splash of watersports.

Anguilla’s limestone geology differs from its much volcanic neighbours and gives it its diagnostic achromatic pulverization beaches and shallow bays. The effect is simply a level land surrounded by beauteous waters – the cleanable spot for some relaxing and adventuring.

Wanting to instrumentality vantage of its earthy beauty, I caput to Crocus Bay and leap successful a kayak to spot the land from a caller perspective.

The affable guides nonstop maine to a cove known arsenic Little Bay, hidden from presumption from the mainland.

A funny oversea turtle pops its caput retired of the h2o to spot what’s going on, arsenic I instrumentality a dip equipped with snorkel and flippers, and I spot a mates of sting rays among the colourful food darting betwixt the rocks.

If the presumption nether the h2o was good, the presumption from the hillside supra is capable to stroke my flip-flops off.

As I cheque into CeBlue Villas & Beach Resort perched connected the highest constituent successful Anguilla, for the last 2 days of my trip, I’m struck by a panoramic vista of the forests of palms that framework the Atlantic Ocean, each from the comfortableness of a sun-baked platform with a backstage swimming pool.

Its 5 rooms are each similar edifice suites of their own, and you tin bid a mouthwatering dispersed of barbecued meat, food and crockery prepared by the property’s backstage chefs. Naturally, the archetypal happening I bash is drawback a brew and instrumentality a dip successful the excavation conscionable successful clip to spot the sunset springiness the scenery a dreamy pinkish glow. On the skyline I announcement a tiny cay, seemingly nary much than a spit of soil successful a turquoise reef, which turns retired to beryllium my adjacent destination.

Sandy Island styles itself arsenic the Caribbean’s ‘best formation barroom successful the mediate of the ocean’, ever changing arsenic tides and storms instrumentality their course. But erstwhile I get the adjacent day, I don’t consciousness overmuch change. As I sip a cocktail – The High Tide and JoJo’s Rum Punch are favourites present – with soil betwixt my toes, a vessel travel distant from imperishable civilisation, each I consciousness is tranquillity. That’s an apt connection to picture this island, but it isn’t the lone one.

I recovered relaxation whenever I looked for it, but to prevarication backmost successful a hammock and disregard the satellite would beryllium doing this destination a disservice. Had I done that I’d person missed the show of neighbours gathering for a kerbside barbecue wherever everyone’s invited. The glimpse of tiny flying food circling maine during a greeting swim. The dependable of being welcomed to a late-night barroom by implicit strangers, and the pridefulness of circuit guides pointing retired the colony wherever they grew up.

Anguilla is simply a premix of each those ingredients, and the effect is simply a joyous cocktail you’ll privation to sip again and again.

Book the holiday

• British Airways flies from Gatwick to Antigua starting astatine £498 return. ba.com/antigua
• TransAnguilla Airways flies from Antigua to Anguilla starting astatine astir £297 return. transanguilla.com
• Anguilla Air Services flies from Antigua to Anguilla starting astatine astir £399 return. anguillaairservices.com
• Rooms astatine Zemi Beach House successful Shoal Bay East, Anguilla, commencement astatine astir £538 a night. zemibeach.com
• Villas astatine CeBlue Villas successful Crocus Bay, Anguilla, commencement astatine astir £5,348 for a week room-only (accommodation sleeps six). ceblueanguilla.com
• More info astatine ivisitanguilla.com