We went to Cap Juluca for our honeymoon the summer of 05, and we picked the perfect place for us. It was romantic, beautiful and peaceful.
Our room was a junior suite with a rooftop balcony. We were more than pleased with it's quality. It was simple, but elegant. There were 3 huge floor to ceiling doors that opened up to the balcony and ocean view. The balcony had table and chairs. It also had a couch for lounging. The upstairs balcony was very private. There were also lounge chairs up there. It had a gorgous view of the entire curve of the resort's beach. The bathroom was very nice. It had a huge jacuzzi tub for 2 and a big walk in shower.
Every morning the staff brought breakfast to our suite and placed it on the table out on our balcony. They were always friendly and helpful. The staff we met elsewhere on the resort was friendly and eager for us to enjoy our stay.
The beach was nice and quiet. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas. We had lunch on the beach twice. There was a sorbet and cool towel service in the afternoon.
We booked a few day trips through the resort on their boat. They were fun and well organized.
We enjoyed all of our meals on Anguilla. The restaurants on our resort were some of the best. George's was a casual sports bar on the beach at night, and a great lunch spot during the day. Kemia was a pretty tapas restaurant situated on the water. One night there was a beach bar-b-q at George's that we really enjoyed. There was live music and lots of seafood. But our favorite spot of the whole trip was Pimm's. We ate there twice we enjoyed it so much.
One thing to note: there are no TVs in the rooms. It was just fine with us-we relished the feeling of being "away". But there is internet access and a large TV in the main house for those who can't stand to be disconnected to life off the island.
The resort closes for September (very common in Anguilla). Just before we left they were at about half capacity and we asked to see some other rooms. We saw other villas split into 6 like ours that were one level higher than us. They were nice, but then we saw a private villa. Wow! You entered through a walkway that went over your own private pool into a gorgeous, spacious living room. The views were incredible out of huge windows. This villa had a TV- but I don't think I would even turn it on! Maybe one day we will go back....

First, to give you an idea of my credentials, I am seasoned traveler used to staying at the finest properties in the world: Ritz, Paris, San Pietro, Positano, Aman's, Asia, Oriental, Bangkok...you get the idea. I usually come to Anguilla every year during February, although I haven't been here in a couple of years. After usually staying at Malliouhana and CuisinArt (with the child), we decided to try Cap Juluca this year. What a mistake! The beach is beautiful, the rooms are adequate (some even better), but the service is a complete atrocity. I am stunned by the attitude many of these people have. Hands out looking for tips, complaining about their pay and treatment by management, and complete disinterest in their jobs are just the beginnings of the problems. Breakfast is a joke. Unless you "pay off" the staff, expect long waits to place your order, let along receive your food. Hope you only want one cup of coffee or glass of juice, because you'll stand on your head trying to get someone to ask if you want a refill. Forget the selection and quality of the food -- I imagine it rivals a Marriott (sorry Marriott). Next you hit the beach. Be prepared to fix your own chairs, find your own towels, and open your own umbrellas. I am not kidding. Forget about drinks or food because there is barely anyone servicing the beach and the ones that are just don't care. All this for the bargain price of....$1000 plus per day. I could go on and on. My suggestion -- CuisinArt and Malliouhana are not as nice, but you'll be treated a whole lot better. Tried to speak with management, but I feel I was dismissed as a cranky American. If someone doesn't do something quickly here this place will be all but dead in the next few years with all of the new building going on here.

These purveyors of gloom are either competitors trying to malign this wonderful resort-or just idiots. We spent a week-1/21-1/28/06- at Cap Juluca and had an awesome experience. The staff could not do enough for us-EVERYONE says hello, good day, etc. Breakfast every day was on time-Ok, so a couple times I had to go to the Villa kitchen to get extra milk. Pimms and Kemia were excellent-yes they are expensive, but what do you expect at a place where you are paying $1,000+ per night?!! And as far as the hot water, our villa was great. We never ran out. The seclusion and privacy was unsurpassed. The executive arrival package was worth it; we zoomed through customs. The ONE criticism: The boat ride over (we took the sea shuttle) was a nightmare. I thought we were going to capsize-very rough. If we go back, I will probably fly in.

I used to stay at Cap Juluca twice a year back in the mid-nineties until 2000. At the point when I stopped going, we had a baby. Cap Juluca is a weird place...they are always "full" unless you know who to ask for a room in their reservations department...they are not kid friendly during high season, so it's no wonder that the people who never got their plumbing fixed were not treated as they should have been. Even tough we used to be steady customers, and started going htere when it was a super frineldy, laid-back place where the staff were so amazingly wonderful and friendly, things like up-grades were practically unheard of. We were upgraded when we went for our honeymoon, by that time we were on a friendly basis with the mgr, Gish. After we had our son we went back once in the low season and took two rooms (junior suites). by the the service had changed alot. The old-timers started asking for tips and complaining about the low pay from management. They also gave unprovoked speeches on how the service charges were never passed on to the emplyees. Several employees een asked us to bring them back certain gifts from the USA the next time we came down. Last, the rooms were already getting shabby...the wood work especially was creaky, air conditioning dripped, breakfast selection had lost its charm and the disgusting huge roaches/waterbugs that used to creep in under the door cracks at night were very unsettling.

However, the location is incomparable. We decided to give the place another try. All the past reviewers are right on target. This hotel does appeal to older, die-hard faithful repeat customers who book the same room year in and year out and have aged along with CJ. We know these people personally. The service is now worse than ever, and nothing even resembling what it was ten years ago. The people have changed so much since Anguilla was a small, exotic destination that few people visited. The Anguillians were not as rude or blase as some of the staff at CJ have become over time.

The accomodations are sad and worn, the beach and the beauty of the setting is all that is left of its former beauty. The hotel should reinvent itself and it should start treating the regular people as well as it treats its "celebrity" clientele...after all, the regular guests were the ones that discovered it first and remained loyal until the treatment and shabbiness became a turn-off.

Oh well, I guess anguilla is turning into St. Barts and if you are not gorgeous, a movie star or a special VIP, you will be treated with indifference.

I am still trying to come up with the perfect spot. CJ used to be the perfect spot. Where can you find a beach, setting, service and rooms that all go together without the corporate, rigid feel of a four seasons?