This was our first trip to Anguilla and stayed at the Allamanda Resort for two weeks (9/15-9/29/07) and have to say it was extremely quiet. Due to the off season, and we knew this prior to our arrival, there were many restaurants and other resorts closed so there were hardly any tourist on the island. After reading many reviews on TA about the Allamanda, we knew going in that it was not going to have all the frills of a luxury resort. Our room was a deluxe king top floor and I have to say that our first impression was that it could use minor fixes like a new kitchen faucet (very loose) and new drapery (to short to close all the way and with duct tape on the rod). The resort has just changed all the funiture in the rooms and the mattresses. Our room was done prior to our arrival and the others while we were there. The A/C worked very well and the room was cleaned daily by housekeeping. Plenty of hot water, clean towels, and linens. I have to honestly say that even though the place is a "little worn" it is extremely clean. We utilized the kitchen and cooked a lot of meals in due to the lack of restaurants being opened. We thought the prices at the grocery stores (JW Proctors and Lakes Market) were reasonable for the island. We were unable to sit on the patio as often as we would like in the early evening or at night due to the small bugs and mosquitos. A walk down the path to the beach is not far and the resort has beach chairs available for its guests. Gwens and Zara's was closed so we are not able to comment. I would advised a rental car to explore other parts of the island and all the beautiful beaches and also to get to other restaurants. Shoal Bay East was beautiful and has great snorkeling right off the beach. There are many beach bars along this beach, but many were closed for vacation while we were there. After spending two weeks at the Allamanda I think our eyes got used to the place and it was not looking as tired as when we first got there. You better like to relax and sit on the beautiful beaches, because that is what Anguilla is all about.

My wife and I just returned from a 10 day stay at Allamanda Beach Resort (Sept. 10th - 20th). This was our 3rd trip to Anguilla and 2nd time we stayed at Allamanda. We chose this hotel because of it's proximity to Upper Shoal Bay. Allamanda has nice size rooms, king size beds, efficiency kitchen and is about 100 yards off the beach - there is always a great breeze. Upper Shoal Bay is not just any beach - mind you, but one of the most pristine stretches of sand and water you will find anywhere in the world. Anguilla is very quiet even during it's busy season (Nov.-March) Traveling there in the summer months (Aug.-Oct.), one has to be realistic with expectations. Basically everything shuts down, i.e.; restaurants, clubs etc. As such, Allamanda is also very quiet, the adjacent restaurant, Zara's, is closed as well as the beach bar. For 1st time visitors it can be a bit daunting upon arrival as it's customary to expect a "resort" type atmosphere - but you won't find it at Allamanda. In fact, you feel as if you are at the end of the world. We cooked quite a bit in the fully accessorized kitchen and went to the few restaurants open on other nights (Ripples and English Rose). There are 3 supermarkets where you can purchase anything you need. Keep in mind this is an island and everything gets imported (mostly from U.S.) and the prices reflect this. Feel free to bring coffee and other staples you may require. Anguilla is 16 miles long and 3 miles wide and has 33 of the most amazing beaches anywhere. You will need a car which can be arranged by the hotel to get around. It takes about a day to traverse from one end of the island to the other and you soon realize that, it's all about the beaches. The accommodations are secondary.... you do not choose where to stay on Anguilla based on the hotel rather.....which beach you wish to swim in. We met a couple that was very disappointed that things were shut down and Allamanda should have conveyed this to them before arrival. The owner could attend to the complex a little more...a little love and care wouldn't hurt - the facility is dated and a few things don't work but once you adapt to "island time" none of this matters. I was asked to pay for my stay upon arrival which was tacky and I didn't appreciate being charged an additional 4% of my total bill for the credit card fee they are levied - you either accept credit cards or you don't but don't pass the fee on to the geusts, that's classless. Either way, it only takes a few days before you realize that the only thing that matters is the beautiful turquoise water of the beach. Water temp is a constant 78 degrees. you have the whole beach to yourself....it's about as close to paradise as my wife and I have ever experienced. Upper Shoal Bay is situated North East on the island over looking multimillion dollar villas - if you want to take a time machine back 30 years, experience what it feels like to be stranded on an island with no one around...complete peace and quiet then, stay at Allamanda in the off season. It's family run, the owner (Sam) owns all the land and has carefully planted all sorts of palms, flowers and created paths to the beach- he'll teach you how to cut open a coconut to drink the water!!. There's a lot of construction going on all over the island. Meads bay is very beautiful but large cranes in the distance takes away from the tranquility of the beach. The west end where all the bling bling resorts are situated (Cap Jaluca, Cuisinart, Cove Castles etc.) are surrounded by salt ponds which smell. Do as much research as you can before choosing this island. There are no casinos, few stores and the locals & government are constantly struggling against over development that many other islands are burdened with...which is why people consider Anguilla. If you are reading this then you are bargain hunting so buyer beware ;-) I'm a pro photographer who has shot the island the 1st two trips for their island guide and have had the opportunity to explore the whole island. I hope this helps those wishing to travel to Anguilla.

Old and tacky

If you choose this place you should be warned about what you are getting yourself into.
Although it's minutes walk from what is considered to be the best beach on the island, this place is not only very isolated but also in urgent need of renovation.
We were first checked into a room on the top floor, I must say I didn't expect luxury but at least some cleanliness, the sink in the kitchen was full of dirty water and it didn't seem to work, dust everywhere, definitely not ready. Although I pointed out this fact nobody seemed interested. Then we were put in a room with double beds but the kitchen's doors were so rusty we opened one and it just fell off, the small kitchen table was wobbly, all the appliances were old and smelly. There was a sign saying if you damage somethin you have to pay, but what about what doesn't work in the first place?In our room there was a locked door, presumably leading to some sort of utility room. The cleaning lady knocked on our door saying she needed acess to it, it was rather weird. Besides being a very tacky room (It didn't look as bad on the internet) we also felt we had no privacy or security. The place needs a complete makeover. We checked out a couple hours afrer checking in, I had never done that in my life. For 50 dollars more per night we checked in to another hotel in Meads bay and it was like two worlds apart!!
I would warn anybody off this place, it is not cheap for what they are offering and you can do so much better in Meads bay. Although the people are friendly the property has been neglected .

My husband and I visited Allamanda with two other couples. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and would recommend these apartments to anyone looking for secluded relaxation.

We were pleased with our room, but I must say that we were aware that they would be simple and very down-to-earth. If you are looking for a luxurious vacation with the finest things, you need to look elsewhere. This is not the place. The apartments are extremely simple, but very accomodating. We had everything we needed to cook, bathe and sleep. These were the only things we were looking for in our hotel. Karyn, at the front desk, was great. She was more than willing to help us out if asked. She even went to buy pizza for us!!! Don's taxi was our transportation as we did not rent a car and we were happy with his service.

Food.......very expensive on Anguilla. I have been to several other Caribbean islands and I must say that the food here was more expensive. We were apparently there in low season, so there were even fewer choices of restuarants. We cooked in the room/on the grill three nights. We did enjoy Serenity restuarant. It was very good and they were pleasant.

Beach......by FAR the best part of this vacation. Gorgeous sand and water and wonderful snorkeling right off the beach. We spent countless hours swimming around and enjoying the fish. The website for Allamanda is correct. Shoal Bay is the ULTIMATE amenity!!!!!

The Prickly Pear snorkeling trip with Shoal Bay Scuba was well worth the money. Excelllent, excellent, excellent. Lunch was provided and to be honest, it was one of the best meals we had the entire time on the island. The crew was awesome and we enjoyed the trip so much. We would do it again in a heartbeat!!

All this said, if you want a nice, budget-minded vacation, Allamanda is for you. We hope to go back to Anguilla!!