On an island known for its quiet charm, this luxury resort in Anguilla proves that scale and serenity can coexist.
It’s admittedly a bit of a journey to get to Anguilla from Canada, but that’s part of the appeal. Most visitors arrive via neighbouring St. Martin, whose international airport serves as the main gateway, followed by a short ferry ride, rum punch in hand, across impossibly blue water. Pulling up to Anguilla’s modest port feels like arriving on a private island. There’s no mega cruise ship looming offshore, no all-inclusive wristband in sight. Anguilla has long embraced a simple-pleasures sensibility. After all, the island only received electricity in the mid-1970s.
While the vibe remains laid-back, the hospitality scene has evolved. Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club is one of the island’s crown jewels, and certainly one of its most expansive. With 178 suites, villas and guestrooms spread across 300 acres, the resort is home to Anguilla’s only golf course, water park and open-air amphitheatre. Its scale is evident from the moment we arrive beneath the palm-lined circular driveway and step toward the whitewashed façade. Inside, a live jazz band plays near the lobby bar as linen-clad guests drift past en route to dinner.
Our table is at Tokyo Bay, a lively Japanese restaurant that would feel equally at home in Manhattan or Las Vegas (and often draws the same A-list patrons). Executive Chef Joe Richardson sends out a steady parade of dishes: short rib gyoza, bluefin tuna ceviche, grilled king salmon, chicken yakitori, pork belly and soft-shell crab rolls.
The following morning, we tour Aurora’s hydroponic farm, where rows of lettuce and herbs—some of which appeared on our plates the night before—are harvested daily for use across the resort’s kitchens and cocktail bars. From the upscale D. Richards steakhouse to the more casual Sole di Mare, the culinary program feels considered rather than excessive. There’s a welcome absence of sprawling all-day buffets. Instead, dining here leans toward quality over quantity, with polished plates served just steps from the sand.
The resort is divided into two distinct areas. Merrywing Bay, anchored by a contemporary tower next to the pickleball courts, water park and golf course, tends to attract families and more active travellers. Where I’m staying, along Rendezvous Bay, lower whitewashed buildings house spacious seafront suites in a quieter, more beach-centric setting. Though the property is sizable, it rarely feels crowded. I often have the shoreline nearly to myself, and there’s never a shortage of daybeds by the pool. A polite ask is all it takes to set sail on the resort’s catamaran for an hour-long loop of the bay, with the option to stop for snorkelling.
That sense of exclusivity extends beyond the resort. As Kohn Richardson of the Anguilla Tourist Board puts it, “There’s an understanding among us that we want to preserve the peace. We want to keep the romance of Anguilla being a small island. If there are more than 30 people on the beach, it’s too much.”
At Aurora, that philosophy translates into a blissful balance: the amenities of a large-scale resort paired with the small island feeling that defines the entire destination.
