Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla

Let’s get this out of the way up front: this property is simply stunning. If the architecture is familiar, the execution in this north shore island getaway is flawless. From palm trees to sight lines, room design to walkways, every detail has been attended to. There are no bad rooms and no bad views at FS Anguilla. The good rooms are great, and the great rooms are spectacular. As is our wont, we rolled into the Caribbean in mid-August, once again trying to beat hurricane season by a couple of weeks, taking advantage of low season discounts. This dice roll is not for everyone. A couple of days of rainy weather can sour a vacation, but on balance, your odds of enjoying five-star accommodations at four-star pricing models are pretty strong. We packed in three-plus strong days of sun-drenched beach-pool-tennis-basketball before Hurricane Erin metaphorically rained on our parade. Here's an entire paragraph devoted to NB’s. First, hurricane season seems to be marching forward every year, so now storm systems pop up in August when they used to wait until early September. Second, FS Anguilla staff are well equipped to deal calmly with the conditions, revising menus, providing updates, and sandbagging as necessary. They have their own generators and water supply, and the buildings are built to withstand hurricane force winds. Third, the trick is in the transportation. Direct flights to Anguilla are in relatively short supply unless you live in Miami or San Juan. From the New York metro area, the greater flexibility is onto St. Maarten, a 20-30 minute ferry ride to the south side of this Leeward Island. But if the seas get too choppy, ferry service apparently shuts down before the airports. If you’re not vigilant, your flight will take off without you. Beaches: pure white sand, clear sea water, a little more chop owing to the northern island exposure. You can book an array of catamarans to take you to any dive spot or out island. Call Uziel at the concierge desk. We didn’t rent a Moke, but they look cool if you’re inclined. You don’t need bikes to get around the property, because the layout permits walking on the land side of the resort to connect you to the beach side, which fans out from a central axis. Pools are spread along the beach side, and we found plenty of chaise options without the need to book a cabana. Edily kept us replenished at the Meads Bay family pool, even when the storm flags suggested it was time to remove the umbrellas from poolside. Food is eclectic. Sunset Lounge features a Japanese menu; Half Shell Beach Bar serves fresh Mexican, and Salt (undergoing renovation; might not be ready to reopen before November) has the most seafood. For now, get their world class breakfast buffet at Aleta. Ask for Petra or Delano and tell them I sent you. In our neck of the woods (Meads Bay), it was the Bamboo Bar and Grill for fresh salads adult beverages. You can even order takeout from the front station, and if your room is nearby, Nadia will actually deliver the food without your using the Uber Eats app. I also made Café Nai a morning habit. This small coffee shop off the main lobby features lattes and cappuccinos with croissants and other baked goods popular with the gluttons for gluten. The door is alongside the boutique, which offers upscale lounge wear and items you forgot to pack, primarily bearing the Wheat label (IYKYK). I mentioned tennis and basketball. I hit with the PTR pro Calye (I think I spelled that right), and he supervises three Dynaturf-type courts that are wind protected and well-lit for night play. They were loaded with racquets to borrow if you forgot yours. Up a short flight of stairs from the tennis courts was a full-sized basketball court with adjustable pro-style baskets. Bring a measuring tape and turn a crank if you’re concerned that your rim stand exactly 10’ from the court. Again, the playing surface is cushioned and not nearly as hard on your legs as some of the concrete options we run into at other resorts. The full-sized gym features separate stretching and lifting rooms, with outdoor classes and free weigh stations set apart from each other. You can turn one way and hear grunting; turn the other and listen to communal chants of “Om.” The Spa (perhaps named after a quaint town in Belgium; or an acronym for salas per aquam) was well equipped, including its own serenity pool and a pervasive quiet. Everything up to this point reads somewhat like a promo insert in the travel section of a Sunday paper. If you’ve read this far, I wanted to share some important details. The arrival experience is tricky: fill out your St. Maarten entry form online and submit before you leave home. It’s time consuming and can slow your airport departure if you scramble to fill it out after deplaning. Four Seasons reps meet you outside the customs exit and get you to a van to take you a very short distance to a dock. Your bags are uploaded to a Fun Charters ferry to Blowing Point on the south side of Anguilla. That ride can get choppy in a hurry. Bring your bags inside and go through another informal customs check (chalk it up to island living), and your driver will meet you outside. Be sure to arrange all of this with FS concierge before your get on your first plane leg. Our driver Julian drove the 3.5 miles to the gates of FS in complete comfort. That transfer from SXM to the resort is not cheap. Driver-ferry-driver can easily run $800 with tip. The arrival experience featured the vaunted FS full court press of people welcoming you and each family member by name. I urge the travel-exhausted to add the dark rum to your welcome fruit punch in the lobby. I’ve read some comments suggesting inflexibility by management. My experience could not have been more different. Apparently, I botched the reservation, failing to note I sought two rooms, not one. (If there comes a point when your teenager reaches 6’7” and 210 pounds, and you realize a sofa bed is not the answer, you’ll know how this goes.) My thanks to Jordan and especially Patrick Bails, but permit me a shout-out to the remarkable young lady who handled my concerns. As she calmly explained, “This is the Four Seasons, and we will make it happen.” No stern looks; no blameworthy comments; just an upgrade to a two-bedroom residence that my son likened to an episode of MTV’s Cribs. “I have never in my life stayed in a room this nice,” was his only comment, but coming from a 17-year-old, you might think his frame of reference was limited. It’s not. He’s been everywhere from Kenya to Maui to Edinburgh to Cabo and all stops in between. I have no doubt he’s already posted Anguilla videos on his Insta account. I also read several comments from other reviewers about “tired” furniture and costly food. I find myself beating this drum repeatedly: it’s an island, and a modest-sized one at that. They aren’t growing fresh fruit and cattle on the back 40. Food is flown in daily at considerable expense. There are no vineyards on Anguilla to the best of my knowledge, so expect to pay for the privilege of dining on fresh beef and chilled wine hundreds of miles from where they began their journey. As for the furniture or the hardscapes, bear in mind these islands are in equatorial waters with little to no break from a constantly beating sun. My unequivocal recommendation is to seek this resort out, to come here, and to unwind. You’ll be the better person for the effort to pursue an effortless vacation. I swear it can be habit forming.