Why this is the top island for beaches

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, CJ Travel Editor

There are Caribbean destinations that boast of having the most beaches; the best beaches; the longest beaches; beaches perfect for water sports, sunset strolls or even for skinny-dipping.

But when it comes to the combination of beach quality AND quantity, nowhere compares to Anguilla.

Just 35 square-miles, this posh but unpretentious piece of Paradise is a must for sand seekers, with 33 beaches to suit every bum. (And that’s not counting the winsome white-sand strands on its idyllic offshore isles Scilly Cay, Sandy Island and Prickly Pear.)

And while many are fronted by swanky resorts and plush villas, all beaches are public here, so these sandy slices are free for everyone to enjoy.

It’s an embarrassment of riches that presents visitors to Anguilla with an enviable conundrum: Which beach will you visit today?

Above: Scilly Cay

Will you soak up the scene on Meads Bay, where Frangipani Beach Resort’s thatched palapas are the perfect perch?

Hang with the cool kids from the Viceroy resort, showing off your Vilbrequin trunks on a stroll down Barnes Bay?

Decamp to Scilly Cay for rest, relaxation and a rum punch (or three)?

Enjoy the attentions of Cap Juluca’s solicitous beach butlers on the pillowy sands of Maundays Bay?

Swim solo on Little Bay, a sandy scallop accessible only by boat or by rope ladder?

Above: Little Bay

Head to Rendezvous Bay to sample the sands and stellar service of Cuisinart resort?

Or escape to Sandy Island for a waterfront sojourn with a side of fresh Anguillian crayfish?

They’re all such worthy choices that it’s hard to make a decision. The good news? You simply can’t make a bad choice.

Because when it comes to beaches, Anguilla’s a shore bet.