Hibernia Restaurant Art Gallery has been open on the island for 30 years. But its co-owner, Mary Pat O’Hanlon, says many of the people who come to dine on the French-Asian fusion cuisine aren’t first-timers to the island. That might be because the restaurant, which is situated in O’Hanlon’s home with her husband Raoul Rodriguez and also boasts an Asian art gallery and eclectic sculpture garden, is tucked away in a mostly residential area. The cuisine is inspired by the three months a year the couple spends in Southeast Asia, and it includes dishes like smoked duck with endive salad and their famous Tom Yam Pla, fresh Caribbean fish in a hot and sour broth.
It’s practically criminal to come to Anguilla and not eat directly on the beach at open-air cafes and bars that are the social pulse of the island. Located on the less busy east end of the island, Madeariman is technically a beach shack, but that undersells its excellent food that goes way beyond bland beach cuisine. Madeariman serves a dish that is worth the trip to Anguilla alone: yellow curry with fresh grouper. Come to eat, but stay for the music—live reggae bands play on the weekends.
Jacala is a dinner reservation worth fighting for. (Hint: you have to phone at a certain time of day on Friday.) Owned by chef Alain Laurent and the affable Jacques Borderon, who personally takes everyone’s order, the feeling at the restaurant is that the diners have come home to old friends—but also to excellent food. As the names of the owners suggest, this is French cooking, so anything à la meunière is excellent, as are their desserts.
What to Do
An ocean view of AnguillaPhoto: Alamy
No one knows the island’s terrain better than the Anguilla National Trust, the local non-profit environmental organization which, for $50 a person, will take you on a walking tour almost anywhere you want to go—a service that should not be taken for granted in a place where 90% of the land is private, there are endless back roads, and very little is marked. With a local, you’ll find the best limestone beaches, rock formations, and rugged parts of the island like remote Windward Point, where it feels like no soul has ever set foot.
As wonderful as the hikes are, you need to get out on the water to see the island, since many of the mega-properties are hidden, and the most scenic beaches and cliffs are inaccessible by land. Those in the jet-set crowd call Garfield, of Gotcha Garfield’s Sea Tours, to charter his luxurious boats and hire his knowledgeable crew. The company will customize tours, but a two-and-a-half-hour tour around the island with stops at tucked-away swimming and snorkeling spots like Little Bay might just be the perfect way to spend an afternoon.