Curator’s statement
I stayed at Zemi Beach House in Anguilla and have been meaning to share my notes! It's one of the five main resorts on Anguilla, but the only one set on Shoal Bay, which is the opposite side of the island from the other big ones (Four Seasons, Malliouhana, Aurora and Cap Juluca). It's about a 20-30 min taxi ride to get to those other spots and the bars/restaurants on that part of the island.
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The resort is the smallest (or 2nd smallest) of the major resorts, which was appealing to us. It's about 70 rooms and all centered around the main pool/dining/bar area which is right on the beach. There is also a cool elevated adult pool and lounge area.
The rooms were totally nice, though maybe not the most elegant or stylish. Pics below. Our queen ocean facing room was spacious, had a huge bathroom and nice balcony. SUPER comfy beds.
The service was warm and authentic. The GM has a huge personality and is always milling around chatting with guests. We had to follow-up on a few things, beach service was a little absent, but overall everyone there was lovely. They went out of their way to find us a tennis pro and had to quickly scramble on our departure transfers when we had some very last minute changes.
Food is awesome. Weds nights they have a beach BBQ with a massive Caribbean food buffet and live music. Everything was authentic and super tasty. Mix of guests and locals. They also have a sushi restaurant which was amazing. And their main restaurants is Italian-ish. The breakfast spread is impressive and delicious. Super cool rum bar with over the top cocktails and an extensive selection of rums. Anguilla is known to be a foodie island and they definitely do their part to keep up with that reputation.
The spa is really special. The building is a 300 year old Thai house, dark carved wood, super pretty and serene. The massage was bliss.
The beach and sand is perfect white powder. But the water gets deep fast and it was pretty choppy during our stay, not sure if it's always like that. Not great for swimming for kids. And too rough for SUP or kayaking (though they have the equipment available). We attempted snorkeling, didn't see a single living thing except the sea urchin that embedded it's spines into my friend's thumb.
They are walking distance from a few really fun beach bars and restaurants.
Overall I'd say it's a little more adult-y, but there were kids there. They have a kids club and the main pool is super fun with a clear infinity edge where they can play mermaid.
2 queen ocean facing room
view from the balcony
that is a COCKTAIL!
breakfast setting
spa
main restaurant
I was there for a girls trip. Great spot for that! Fun energy, but lots of lounging. Also fun for couples and groups of couples. It's typically the same price point as Four Seasons and Aurora, which are a big notch down from Cap Juluca and Malliouhana. Holler with any specific questions!
Need to know
This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to the Caribbean. In need of further inspiration? Check out Lisa Babic’s guide OR trip report, Foodies Guide to Anguilla: Best Places to Eat on the Island.
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Claudia Riegelhaupt
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