Lets start with the nitty gritty , this hotel / inn has no plush amenities ,fittings ,or fixtures .
It is a simple Inn next to the water ,with a fantastic view every morning , there are not many rooms there 14 right now due to hurricaine damage from " Omar "
Island harbour is a working harbour , with a tiny picturesque island Scilly Cay in the middle ,full of reefs ,multiple turquoise layers of sea and YES turtles poping up , frigate birds flying above you ,goats and chickens and doves strolling around.There is trash in the harbour ( swept in ! by the current and we spent a cloudy morning helping to clean up - but theres trash to be seen in many places on the island - still cleaner than the streets of Marigot on St Martin - hold your nose if you go there ,and be prepared for gridlocked streets all across the island )
The Jewel of the Arawak is its manager Maria , and its position on the island .
Maria is a conceirge / tour operator / inn manager and great friend all rolled into one
What the arawak lacks in fittings and fixtures , a simple room - daily service ..moping /cleaning is all there ,but if you cant handle chipped paint , and a loose tile , this is not the place for you .
Maria's service ( with the suroundings accepted ) Is far greater than you will recieve in a ritz carlton ( yes I have stayed in many ) the personal touch and insights into all aspects of the island , where to eat , when to order in intimate ,remote loactions , the best roads to take ,I was so impressed travelling accross the island , in the finest and rustiest of resturants , when I said I was staying with Maria and she said to say Hi , the service was ASTOUNDING she is so respected on Anguilla .
The meals in the restaurant are carribean based , except when owner Maurice arrived , when he put his own touch , humor and entertainment to the menu , how we laughed , and ate like kings ,in a location few can dream of , and in my heart I selfishly hope it stays that way , the comradery of the returning visitors , facinating locals " nature - boy " and Joe " Badger " ( both visit the hotel when a local guitarist and his friend visit to play ) offer trips to local islands , made eating at the Inn a pleasure any time of day
( miss my coffee mornings with Maria , and all the laughs )
But again it comes back to Maria , if they haven't got it , and if they can do it , you will get it .
Maudes faire from the kitchen was fantastic
Feel safe ? You bet ! security is there with guards around at night , Lance from St Vincent was a pleasure to chat to the evenings he was there .
From the moment I arrived ( flight was late ) and the taxi driver gave me his cell phone , because Maria wanted to know if she could fix us a pizza or sandwich , what would we like and how much - ready when we arrived
To the car rental , an extra day , Maria suggested keeping the car and having it dropped of at the airport , which gave us a huge extra amount of flexability , she took care of all the details for us , smooth as silk .
As I said before if you need the finest fittings , this is not for you
If you can stay simply , and get far far better service in my opinion , this is your place , less than 5 mins from the EXCEPTIONAL Shoal bay , if that doesn't take your breath away ,nothing ever will , I could write for pages .
In case your wondering I live in Orange county CA USA with 3 , five diamond resorts less than 3 miles from my house , where will I be going on my next vacation ? Back to Maria and Maurice In Anguilla , if you make it there and you dont smile and " dig it " ..............
Thank you all at the Arawak , I miss my fresh air , breezing in through the windows , and your happy faces , thank you for a great vacation , we will be back , wishing you all a safe and happy year , see you soon .
Martin & Scott ( laguna beach , California )

We visited the Arawak on a "package" - including all breakfasts, 4 dinners, 3 day car rental, trip to St. Maarten, trip to Scrub Island, and airport transfers. We have never had such a relaxing, carefree vacation. Maria, Maude and Katy joined forces to make our stay as easy and fun as possible - including arranging for free umbrellas and chairs at Shoal Bay, transportation (free) at least one day to the beach, even setting our cranky alarm clock for us! We loved the laid-back atmosphere and mingling with the other guests. We could have found a posher place, but no one could have taken better care of us.

When first researching Anguilla for our honeymoon, Arawak Inn looked like a cute and decently priced place. But, after reading several reviews, I realized that we would probably be better off switching hotels. Hence, I found an even lower price, for our 10-day stay, at Carimar Beach Club. And, THANK GOD that we did. Carimar was FANTASTIC.

But, we decided to go visit Arawak, and have lunch there, to see what we missed. We met some truly nice people there, but the place was dirty, dirty, dirty, and with garbage strewn around the yard. And, the pool was full of flies.

But, there was one surprisingly marvellous "happening". We met and briefly spoke to what turned out to be the owner of the hotel, Maurice. He was so very pleasant. And, when we were traveling back to the U.S., it turned out he was traveling on the same first-leg plane from Anguilla to Puerto Rico. And, he was so kind that he invited as to stay as his guests at the Presidents Club at the Puerto Rican airport while waiting. How oustandingly kind and accomodating of him, considering that we didn't even know him. He simply recognized us.

As a conclusion, the owner clearly is a truly caring man. But, he simply seems overworked, as he's also running several other hotels at some other Caribbean islands. Hence, I don't think Arawak Inn is neglected on purpose, but simply out of lack of time. This is a pity, as the place has potential.

The only reason we stayed even one night is because we got in so late and were traveling with an infant. We stayed in an an oceanfront "deluxe" room. There was garbage strewn around the grounds, torn window screens, rusty lighting fixtures, missing cabinet doors, peeling paint, leaking toilet and the final straw for me was running out of hot water in the shower after approximately 2 minutes. The next day we drove around the island and found a much nicer resort for less money. I will say the staff is very friendly, but that wasn't enough for us.