Anguilla is known as the foodie island with luxury resorts luring families and couples. Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club is the perfect example of that as the sprawling property offers the most family-friendly activities as well as service and dining that suits every taste and need. Having been to the resort more than a decade ago when it was known as Cuisinart, I was excited to return and see what changes were made.
For starters, this was perhaps one of the best Caribbean resorts I have ever been to in all my years of travel. It is not only well-rounded with so many restaurants and pools, but it has managed to maintain a completely high-end positioning. This is not the most expensive resort on Anguilla, but you would hardly know it. The property, which belongs to the elite Preferred Hotels & Resorts group, caters to a discerning audience with high standards. And the staff know how to please every one of them.
With new nonstop flights on AnguillAir (operated by BermudAir) connecting the island to Baltimore, Boston and Newark, it has never been easier to get to the island. These are the top five reasons to visit Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club this Spring Break or on your next vacation.
The grounds
Filled with white-washed buildings that would not look out of place on a Greek island, the resort is stunning (sprawling 380 acres). It consists of two sides: the Rendezvous and Merrywing sections, each named for the bays they face.
Both sides serve families well although the water park on the Merrywing side is the ideal spot for parents and kids. There is a supervised kids club with daily activities here as well. The water park area has its own cushioned lounge chairs, but the private cabanas cost extra. They come with a host of extra perks, including a fridge stocked with drinks, beer, hard seltzer and snacks, plus a private hammock.
Fronting the main reception building of either section is a dramatic pool with whirlpool. These are both Instagram hot spots and feature loads of extras. They include pool attendants providing towels and chilled water, complimentary sunscreen of varying SPFs and after-sun gel.
Staying active is easy here thanks to an impressive fitness center with natural light, group classes for yoga and stretching, tennis and pickleball courts, climbing wall, watersports on the beach, basketball and even mini-golf among other things.
The superlatives
Aurora Anguilla resort is home to many superlatives that set it apart from other properties on the island. Its new water park opened in recent years and features a wide range of water slides, play areas, splash pads and a lazy river. This is the only water park of its kind on Anguilla. Both sides of the resort have a splash pad for kids, further cementing the resort’s focus on families.
When it comes time to eat, Aurora Anguilla is home to the only Japanese teppanyaki restaurant on the island. Tokyo Bay restaurant also serves sushi, all kinds of wok dishes and delicious salads. That’s on top of the popular hibachi entertainment. The short rib gyozas come highly recommended.
And then there’s D Richard’s steakhouse, a dining experience that truly impressed. It is the only high-end steakhouse restaurant on Anguilla and sits directly next to the resort’s 18-hole golf course, that you guessed it, is the only one here. It even has its own golf clinic with PGA-certified pros.
The steakhouse features prime cuts of beef and seafood served in an elegant indoor and outdoor dining room. Tableside preparation of the chef’s signature salads and Steak Diane liven up the space even more. The service here was akin to what you would find at a pricey steakhouse in Dallas or New York. A reservation here for either lunch or dinner is hard to get, especially since locals and guests from other resorts want to eat here.
The resort has its own outdoor amphitheater (another first), where they host events, movie nights and other activities. Group business for things like weddings, social functions and incentive groups is growing. The amphitheater complements the ballroom and garden spaces.
The gardens
You can’t walk far without seeing the garden team clipping, pruning and watering the wide variety of flowers and plants here. It’s a colorful array of blossoms that looks even more beautiful against the turquoise sea in the distance.
But, there is one garden here that is unique to Anguilla and most resorts in the world: the 10,000 sq ft hydroponic gardens. Within two large greenhouses, they grow dozens of types of lettuce, vegetables, herbs, fruit and other ingredients for the restaurant menus. The outdoor gardens around the greenhouses do the same. This helps supply all of the dining venues on property with the freshest ingredients, and every salad I had was out of this world.
Tours of the hydroponic gardens are complimentary, and guests can book classes with the onsite chefs to learn how to recreate many of the recipes here.
Even though there are shuttles, I found myself meandering the pathways to discover different areas of the property. The lawn games area is especially popular around sunset.
From the spa (complete with a dozen treatment rooms) you can look out over the gardens and sea in the distance. It has a relaxation area to use post-treatment. On the menu is a wide range of massage, beauty and salon services. The hydrotherapy section has hot and cold plunges that can also be booked as a wellness treatment.
The staff
While I think this has a lot to do with the Anguillan way of life, the staff at Aurora Anguilla were some of the kindest I have met anywhere. They remembered guest names, including the kids, and it was clear many remembered repeat families here. From the housekeepers to the restaurant servers, each person was above-the-norm friendly. And I watched these interactions over and over with guests.
This is clearly part of their training when they come here that part of high-end hospitality is a personal touch. They clearly deliver. I had started to make a list of all the lovely people I interacted with, but it would be too many to name (and I would risk leaving some out).
Housekeepers arrive morning and night to refresh rooms. There were so many little touches that add up to make a big difference. These include beach bags and flip flops for guests to take home, glass bottles of water replenished daily, wireless charging outlets by the bed, Frette linens and high-quality towels, and enormous walk-in closets.
Accommodations range between large suites in the main buildings on either side or oceanfront units with big balconies along the waterfront. Separate villas (more are under construction) have multiple bedrooms, living areas and kitchens.
While I felt that the Merringwing section looked more like an office building from the outside, inside it has the same high-quality décor and touches. And there is something to be said for being on the sixth floor and having a birdseye view of the turquoise bay.
There are also estate homes that can be booked in their entirety. As the resort grows in popularity with families (especially multigenerational groups), these are sure to book up quickly.
The dining
For a resort of this size, the number of dining options were impressive. In addition to the steakhouse and Japanese teppanyaki grill, there is also a Mediterranean venue with pizza oven. Chef’s Table is one of two breakfast venues with made-to-order egg dishes, a range of yogurts, fruit and pastries, and a Bloody Mary bar.
With two main sides of the resort connected via free shuttles, there are also two main reception buildings. In each, there is a full-service boutique with clothing, sundries and snacks. Nearby is a coffee shop serving ice cream, sandwiches, pastries, pizza and drinks for those on the go.
Many restaurants have live music depending on the evening or special events like Mexican night or beach barbecues. Both sides have dedicated beach areas with cushioned day beds beneath white fabric umbrellas. Of course, next to those are beach bars and grill restaurants. What impressed me most is that they both have entirely different menus. You could stay here two weeks and still not sample every dish.
