Anguilla with kids: Beaches part 2

**For our first Anguilla with kids post including getting there, where we stayed, and our summary of Meads Bay, Savannah Bay, Sandy Hill Bay, and Shoal Bay West, click here**

There are three bigger, slightly busier beaches we enjoyed during our trip and felt were great for families specifically - Rendezvous Bay, Shoal Bay East, and Sandy Ground.

One caveat:  Many of the "bars" on Anguilla are open air and beachfront.  We saw children at almost every one, and they are usually welcomed.  You will see adults drinking and smoking, if this bothers you or your children.  Truthfully, I don't even think our daughter noticed and we were careful to keep her clear of smoke, but we didn't see it as an issue.  We were sure to leave as the day wore on to allow the adults to enjoy their kid-free fun.

Without further ado...

Rendezvous Bay

Rendezvous is my current favorite beach on the island (although this is constantly changing!)  The color of the water, the wide white sand, the view of St Martin - I could go on and on.  Pictures are worth a thousand words though...

This is pretty early in the day, but how often do you have a beach of this caliber to yourself?

The view of St Martin is unparalleled on a clear day.

There are a few stray dogs on Anguilla, but usually they are quite nice.  This one hung out with us for about an hour and never bothered us.

Accomodation: We can't speak personally to the hotels on Rendezvous, but the most famous is The CuisinArt and reviews are very positive.   This is a larger resort, if that is what you are looking for, but still has access to everything Anguilla has to offer.  Even if you don't stay there, look into their cooking classes!  You might also consider the Anguilla Great House or the Rendezvous Bay Hotel for more economical options. 

Swimming/beach play:  This is a pretty good beach for swimming as long as your kids are comfortable in the water.  Waves are a little larger here than some of the other beaches and in most places, it gets deeper a little faster.  There are very few rocks and some nice shallower sandbars you can find.  Sand is very soft and it's a great place to build castles.

Restaurants: There are a few different places to eat on Rendezvous Bay, but as far as we are concerned there is only one - The Sunshine Shack.  The SSS is aptly named - it's a shack in the sunshine - but it's a wonderful place to hang out, with or without your children.  There are chairs and umbrellas available (free if you are customers) and the cold cocktails flow freely (fruit punch available for the underage).  Owner Garvey fires up the BBQ and cooks delicious ribs and fresh seafood, and he and his staff will make you feel like beloved family members.  When my daughter lost her first tooth on our vacation, the first person she wanted to tell was Mr. Garvey  :)  The atmosphere here is authentic Anguilla and impossible to duplicate.  We visited the SSS three times in a week!

The kitchen

They encourage personal graffiti on the shack itself - this is a picture my daughter drew of herself and Garvey

The proper way to drink a rum punch

Other places on Rendezvous - Coconuts at the Anguilla Great House, The Place, and the Cuisinart Beach Bar - all seemed like good places to spend the day, but we couldn't tear ourselves away from the Sunshine Shack...

My husband and daughter also wandered down the beach one day to the Dune Preserve.  I normally wouldn't recommend the Dune Preserve for children, sine it is definitely more of a place for adults to experience the music and nightlife of Anguilla.  However, my daughter had a blast exploring the nooks and crannies of the Dune, and she thought it was a great big treehouse.  We've also heard that the environment at the Dune for music on Sunday afternoon is family friendly, but we prefer Gwen's (see below) for our Sunday Funday.

Kid friendly rating: Very!  Great swimming and sand, very welcoming to families.

Shoal Bay East

Shoal Bay East is often voted one of the best beaches in the world and for very good reason.  It is absolutely breathtaking.

Accommodation: There are quite a few hotels/villas available here.  Shoal Bay Villas is a mid-priced hotel right on the beach that gets great reviews.  For more upscale accommodations, Zemi Beach recently opened on the far west end of Shoal Bay.

Swimming/beach play: One of the best for this.  Nice shallow water, very few rocks, waves generally smaller here than other beaches.  Our favorite place to camp on Shoal Bay is at the very northern tip, which you can reach by parking at Elodia's and turning right when you hit sand.  If you go around the corner just a few hundred yards up, you can spend a few very peaceful hours with only a handful of people passing by.  It can be a little windy, but it's a great place for littles.  There is also apparently good snorkeling off this beach if you are so inclined, although I will say that in general Anguilla is not known for incredible snorkeling.

Restaurants: There are a number of places to eat and drink on Shoal Bay, but we have only visited two.  We shy away from the center of Shoal Bay since it seems quite busy by Anguilla standards.  Elodia's was a stop mainly because we wanted the less populated part of the beach.  There is a limited menu here but food is available and they do have chairs for rent as well.

But the place you absolutely NEED to visit?  Gwen's Reggae Grill.  We were excited to see the "new" Gwen's - this restaurant relocated in late 2014 when the erosion on the beach they had originally built on became too extreme.  My husband and daughter explored the old location when we visited Shoal Bay...

The restaurant used to be located between the painted trees on the beach.

Nothing could really replace Gwen's old geographical location, but the fact that they actually moved the original building down the beach makes the vibe very similar.  The new place is very open and welcoming with beautiful beach to explore just out front.  The parking lot is a bit difficult - but I promise it's worth it!  With kids in tow, it may be best to park further back on their dirt road drive for ease of leaving if the bar is busy.

Gwen's is another place you will quickly feel like family.  Live music is advertised three days a week, but you should really try to visit on a Sunday to see The Scratch Band, led by Gwen's husband Tap (check out videos of them at this link).  They are iconic on the island, love a party atmosphere with lots of dancing, and are family friendly. They found out that our daughter was celebrating her birthday in a few days and sang a wonderful rendition of Happy Birthday for her!

Playing the bass with Dew

You will see lots of kids most days at Gwen's.  They don't have a specific kids menu, but there is quite a bit kids will enjoy, including arguably the best fries on the island.

Kid friendly rating: Extremely!  Shoal Bay East is one of the best for the kiddos.

Sandy Ground

While The Valley is technically the "city" on Anguilla, I think of Sandy Ground as a fun little village. It is the center of nightlife on the island, especially on Thursdays when The Pumphouse is the place to be for locals and tourists alike.  We honestly didn't see ourselves spending a lot of time here with our daughter in tow, but ended up here much more than expected!

There is a great Sandy Ground overlook on Back Street off the main road.

The bay at Sandy Ground is Road Bay, one of the main harbors on the island.  It exported cotton, sugar, and salt in the 18th century.  Now it is the port for many supplies coming into the island.

Accommodation: I wouldn't recommend staying in Sandy Ground, although there are a few small places available.  It's just busy and I don't think you'd get the relaxing Anguilla vibe.

Swimming/beach play: Surprisingly good!  It is a busier beach, but we saw tons of kids during the time we were in Sandy Ground.  Try the area in front of Roy's Bayside Grill - great sand for castles, shallow water, and very few waves.  If you wander enough in the water, you may see some starfish!

Several shipwrecks are visible on Sandy Ground from recent hurricanes

Restaurants: We visited a few on Sandy Ground.  From our last visit, Dolce Vita or Sandbar are great for an adult meal, but not as good for younger kids.  We really liked Roy's Bayside Grill and Johnno's for a child friendly dinner.  We also ate lunch at Roy's and spent several hours relaxing on the beach in front (beach chairs are free to customers).

View from the Johnno's deck

The beach at Roy's Bayside Grill

Sandy Ground is an excellent place to watch sunsets.  We enjoyed our favorite one of the trip on the last night at Roy's.

One place you might not think to take your kids is Elvis' Beach Bar.  I will say that for the most part Elvis' iconic boat-on-the-beach is an adult environment, but if you go early in the evening, there are often several kids enjoying the hammocks, cornhole games, and dance "floor" (read: sand with lights).  Elvis has an enormous beachside television that was showing the NCAA basketball tournament during our visits, and he was more than happy to pose for pictures with anyone who asked.  They do have food as well, but we haven't eaten there.

Kid friendly rating: Very!  Great place for kids to play on the beach with something interesting always going on!

In our next post, I'll highlight our "road trip day", including our stops at Crocus and Little Bays.