We stayed at the Carimar Beach Resort in Anguilla a few weeks ago. It's not as fancy as many of the hotels on the island, but it suited our budget and needs. The suites include a small kitchen, dining area, living room, bedroom/bath. You can book a 2 bedroom/2 bath as well. All suites have patios or balconies. They are very clean but need updating. They recently put AC in the bedrooms which was nice. There are no TVs. By far, the best thing about the Carimar is the beach. Absolutely beautiful white sand. Swimming was nice. The resort is right on Meads Bay. There were never more than 20 or 30 people on the entire 1 mile strecth of beach. No getting up at the crack of dawn to get chairs and umbrellas.
Beware...this is by far the most expensive island we have been to (and we've been to about 20 different islands in the Carribean and South Pacific). The food is great but outrageously expensive. Expect to spend $120 - $180 for dinner (without wine!). My husband I would have a drink each. Also, the food markets don't carry much. We thought we would save some money by cooking in a few times, but it was difficult to do.
We visited a few other resorts. The Cuisinart Resort was beautiful and on a great beach. Cap Jaluca and the Mallihouna (sp?) were nice as well, but expect to pay over $500 - $800/nt there. So that made the Carimar a great place for us since the beach is most important to us. Our favorite restaurants: Mango's and Blanchards.

Just returned last night after a fabulous 8 days at Carimar. This place is definately a find!

Accomodations: All are two bedroom condos, but you can book as a 1 bedroom and they just lockoff the second bedroom and bath. Full kitchen, well equiped. Large living room and dining area, decent sized bedroom, nice bath with walkin shower. Very clean, nicely decorated, housekeeping was excellent. There is a good size balcony, all have a view of the water. and it is nicely furnished.

Staff was amazing - every request was responded to promptly.
The girls at the front desk make dinner reservations for you, are happy to give directions wherever you want to go, and can answer just about any question you can think of. Email them prior to your arrival, and they will prestock your kitchen for you.
There is a small grocery store just up the street.

Beach: Meads Bay is just stunning. Beautiful, clear water, that gorgeous blue color is mesmerizing. I had stayed on Rendezvous Bay on previous visits, and loved it, so was anxious to compare the 2 beaches. Meads Bay is not as calm, and you can get days with strong undertow and large waves. We had one day with someone rough waves where you really had to be careful going in and out of the water to avoid getting knocked over by a wave, and one day where the waves were huge, and there was not way any sane person would try to go in. I just packed up my stuff and went to Shoal Bay East for the day. Because of this, not the best beach for small children. Older children loved bodysurfing there!

There is not pool, which doesn't bother me at all, but I know it's a factor for some. Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas - no need to rush out early to reserve a chair.

The biggest drawback for me was the lack of a restaurant/bar onsite. It meant either buying groceries to make sandwiches or something for lunch, or you had to go out. Malliouhana's pool bar is right next door, so you could walk over there, and Banana's is just a short walk away. Other than that, you had to get in the car and drive somewhere for lunch.

This is a very popular resort with a lot of repeat clientele, so booking early is a must. There is very little availability for the winter months, but off-season you'll have better luck.

Highly recommended!

Ah, Anguilla! We came across Carimar Beach Club accidentally while looking for a Caribbean holiday. The price was INCREDIBLE, so we booked it quickly, then noticed it's not air conditioned...this is probably the only reason Carimar is still affordable!! We rented portable air conditioners for $8/day for each bedroom and stayed incredibly cool...even in August!!!! The apartments are comfy, with everything you could possibly need. The two-bedroom is perfect size for a family vacation, with both a front and back deck/balcony. Our "beach view" apartment was the farthest from the beach, but it was still literally only a few steps away! We loved sitting on the patio for breakfast and it was perfect for after dark, too! I actually didn't even get a mosquito bite, amazing in the islands! We were lucky enough to be in Anguilla during Carnival, which made this special island even better! And with boat races and a beach party on Mead's Bay for August Thursday, Carimar was the perfect place to be!
Everything about Carimar was always immaculate and the beach is one of the best I've ever seen! We visited both The Malliouhana next door and Cap Juluca...I can 100% truthfully say if they were all the same price, I'd stay at Carimar!

We just returned from a wonderful two weeks at Carimar. The setting was lovely, and our villa was spotless and well cared for. Having daily housekeeping service made our vacation even better. The staff at the Carimar are terrific--friendly and helpful. The beach and water were great, and there were always plenty of chairs and umbrellas. We have already booked for next year.

The restaurants that we highly recommend are Oliver's, Tasty's, Picante's and Madeariman. While there, be sure to try the wonderful chicken and ribs from B&D's. We were disappointed in Banana's and Le Bistro. We recommend that you pass on the Frangipani's beachside restaurant. Not only was the food expensive and not very good, the staff was very rude. This was the only place on the island, except for Smokey's, where we found the staff rude. Smokey's saving grace is that the food is good and reasonably priced for Anguilla.