“5 Stars! Incredible property and amazing views!” Beaches Edge is a wonderful place to stay. I definitely give it 5 stars. We couldn't have been more pleased with the villas, the staff and Anguilla. I am on the board of a commercial real estate group in Chicago and we chose Beaches Edge as the location for our annual planning retreat this past February. We had 10 people so we booked both the East and West villas so everyone had his own bedroom suite and private bathroom. It was a working vacation for all of us, so the fact that the villas had Internet access was key. It worked out perfectly. With two villas we had plenty of space to spread out and then we met back up for meals and meetings. The owner and staff helped us plan our trip down to the last detail and everything was in pristine shape on the property. We flew into St. Martin. Some of my colleagues came in a day early and spent a night in St. Martin. We all made the quick trip by boat (I was actually surprised how close the boat launch was to the airport) to Anguilla and then took a taxi to Beaches Edge. The view is truly astounding. The villas are 5-star and secluded. We had a driver we could call anytime we wanted to go anywhere, and everything is just a few minutes away. There's a path next to the villas that takes you down to the beach. We walked down several times and took lots of great pictures. I was particularly struck by the beauty of the shadow of the mountains on St. Martin against the light blue of the sky and the deeper blue of the ocean. We spent hours out on the terrace, in the hot tub and pool just enjoying the view. We didn't cook anything except make coffee, but the kitchen had everything and there was a grill too. The food on Anguilla is delicious, really fresh and well-prepared. The villas' owner arranged for Dale Carty, the head chef and owner of Tasty's to come over and cook for us one night. It was one of the best meals we've ever had and included fresh grilled fish and some amazing Brussel sprouts. The restaurant Picante was also one of my favorites. We were just there for four days, so we didn't have long enough to explore the whole island, but we did a little beach hopping, snorkeling and swimming, took a boat cruise to one of the cays, listened to reggae legend Bankie Banks perform at his bar, Dune Preserve, and jumped off the rock at Little Bay. Some of my colleagues also went fishing. My wife was jealous that I got to go and she didn't, and we are already planning a family trip back with our kids. I highly recommend Beaches Edge.

“An Exceptional Property, Exceptional Island, Exceptional Hosts!!!”” Not sure where to begin...to start with why don’t I say “wow”...what a wonderful week and great experience. We are thankful to our hosts Neil and Wendy for sharing their island home with us. This is our second experience at Villa Alegria and every bit as good as the first. Let’s start with the island...Anguilla is a wonderful island that is away short flight or boat trip away from the crowds over on St. Maarten. The island itself boasts countless white sand beaches, 33 to be exact, with crystal clear turquoise waters and great restaurants. Our favorite beaches, all close driving distance from the villa were Shoal Bay East - home to a number of casual beach bars, white sand and turquoise waters and Rendezvous Bay – also home to white sand and turquoise waters, but also the Bankie Banx Dune Preserve if you are into some afternoon music. Both beaches have ample opportunity for activity and fun or if you wanted...just peace, quiet and relaxation. This is of course not to mention a beautiful sandy beach that is all but a short 100 yard walk down a path from the villa to the ocean In terms of restaurants, for a small island Anguilla boasts a range of fine-dining, mid-range and casual dining options. It is truly unlike any other island we have been to and cater to those who appreciate a great dining experience. Our favorite restaurants were Blanchard’s and Barrel Stay. We liked Blanchard’s for their lively atmosphere and great food. Barrel Stay was an unknown to us but turned out to be a great experience. When we first got there we did not have high expectations as the outward appearance was more of a casual beach bar. However, we were literally blown away with the meal...from the service, to the appetizers, main course and dessert it was fine dining at its best. Graham is clearly a top notch chef with a passion for excellence in cuisine. In terms of the villa...it is situated on the highly desirable west side of the island in a quiet residential neighbourhood and is central to all amenities. Close to the ferry terminal and a short drive from the small island airport. So the trip to the villa, if anything, was an easy and short drive down an unassuming road to the edge of the ocean. The villa itself is stunning, beyond comparison and well over 7,500 square feet. It boasts stunning ocean views of the turquoise waters from each of the four bedrooms, great room and kitchen and 30 foot ceilings, if not higher, in the grand entrance and great room. The kitchen is without doubt a chef’s kitchen and has top end appliances, granite counter tops, a wine fridge and has ample room for preparing meals while enjoying the views of the ocean. The great room has floor to ceiling doors and windows which fully open to enjoy the trade winds with a walkout to an outdoor lounge area and with additional seating for lunches and dinner. All of this overlooking a large waters-edge infinity pool with an attached whirlpool. In addition there are ample lounge chairs and umbrellas situated around the pool to enjoy the perfect south exposure and great views of St Maarten in the distance. In a a separate building was a fully equipped fitness studio for those who wanted to balance relaxation with fitness. The villa also had a separate media room/office, which I personally found quite useful when balancing vacation with work priorities and checking the occasional email and making a phone call. The four bedrooms were exquisite and well located in the four corners of the house allowing our group of eight (four couples in our mid-fifties) with more than ample privacy. The bedrooms were so private that at night we felt like we had the villa all to ourselves without knowing the other was there. Each bedroom had stunning ocean views, a luxurious and well equipped bathroom, and comfortable beds with soft linens that provided for a restful sleep. Two of the bathrooms had both indoor and outdoor showers and the master bathroom had a soaking tub. Should the evening breezes not be enough to cool us each bedroom also had a separate air conditioning unit. The bottom line for us...this is wonderful villa and we highly recommend it. Exceptional accommodation, exquisite infinity pool overlooking the turquoise ocean waters, perfect southern exposure, beautiful beaches, no crowds, great restaurants and most importantly wonderful hosts, an attentive house manager and a diligent housekeeper. We appreciate Villa Alegria and look forward to our return.

“Spectacular Vacation” Just returned yesterday from a week's stay at the Three Dolphins. We had a truly wonderful time. Before I talk about the villa I want to say that the very best part of it are the two wonderful housekeepers, Kathleen and Joycelyn. The house is impeccable, they are extremely helpful as well as very discreet. The villa's location is beautiful and though everything is a drive away you can find much of what you want just a few minutes away. The views from the villa are beyond spectacular and the breezes lull you to sleep or at least to deep relaxation. The villa is lovely and everything works perfectly. Inside, the house is very comfortable and filled with games and books that you can choose from. Anguilla has some of the most beautiful beaches you will find anywhere and we had fun exploring different ones. In the end, we settled on The Cove as our favorite with Smokey’s right there to give you a great lunch. The sea was rough on the North side of the island and we were not able to explore those beaches. Nothing was more pleasant than returning to that beautiful and peaceful house to relax before going out to dinner. We had breakfast and at least half of our lunches at the house but went to different, wonderful restaurants every night. In summary, our entire family loved our time in Anguilla and at the Three Dolphins and hope to quickly find our way back again soon.

“This Studio Condo is super for a vacation stay on Orient Beach.” We want to highly recommend renting studio condo #3211 from Armaury and Thibault. It has a super view of the rocky bluffs and beautiful shoreline that sit below the Mt. Vernon complex. We loved that they now have a key to the condo in a digital lockbox by the front door of the condo and they gave us the password to the lockbox via email without us having to meet in person at whatever time we arrived there. They wanted to come over the next day to handle the paperwork but we told them we would come by their restaurant the next day to take care of it when we were shopping and they agreed. It was super convenient. The condo itself was perfect for us and exactly as advertised. We didn't cook on this trip but instead used the microwave to heat leftovers from meals we ate in town. The condo was quiet, romantic, and ideal for the two of us.

“Villa in Anguilla” We stayed in this Villa for almost three weeks.The villa was very comfortable for three couples.We found the villa to be well furnished and well stocked. Sharon and Violet returned to the villa on a daily basis to make sure the villa was neat and tidy before they left.They absolutely met every one of our needs.A short walk to the beach made this location desirable.Only suggestion I would make is to smooth out the dirt driveway a bit.I would return to this villa and certainly would recommend it.

“A lovely hideaway for two” In January of 2014, me, my husband, and my two small chihuahuas stayed at Marion's Seaside Suite for approximately 12 days. It was perfectly lovely. Marion, her husband, father, and daughter were very kind. We saw them intermittently throughout our stay, but only for very brief hellos and goodbyes. Marion and her family appeared to be very careful to make sure their guests had privacy. They were there if you needed them, but, for the most part, you felt as if you were alone at your private retreat. The suite is located in a very nice neighborhood. Marion met us at a location and we followed her to her rental unit. The decor of the suite is very charming. Marion has an excellent eye for design/decor, so the suite is earthy, breezy, and comfortable. It looks exactly the same as the photos in her listing. The glass walls on two sides of the kitchen push back into the walls, so you can experience true indoor/outdoor living. If you stay at Marion's suite you should recognize that this is a private home and you should politely request extra towels, blankets, etc. You should also ask how the hot water works in the shower. It's modern and really cool, but we weren't smart enough to figure it out for a couple of days. Although we didn't ask for any extras or guidance, I am quite certain that Marion would have assisted us with any reasonable needs that we would have had. She is a gem. At night, because the suite is on the ground floor and there is no security fence, we locked the unit up completely, which meant rolling back the impressive glass walls and locking up the attractive wood shutters. That said, because this suite is in a very nice neighborhood, you probably wouldn't need to go to this extent, but it is an option. You are able to see the ocean from the kitchen and deck of this unit. It is off a little in the distance, but just being able to see the ocean from the unit really made this suite special. If you are looking for a lovely little retreat at a reasonable rate, I highly recommend Marion's Seaside Suite. My husband and I have stayed in St. Martin for over ten years and we like to change where we stay each time we go. For the price, we think this suite is the nicest that we have stayed in. The only thing we missed here was the big ocean view that we get at some rentals that overlook Orient Beach, but for the price it's a steal and you still get a small ocean view. That said, let's face it, you're going to drive five minutes to the beach each day anyway, so you'll get plenty of the big ocean view there. For those of you who aren't comfortable staying at a suite that is attached to a private residence, Marion has at least three other rental units available at Orient Beach. I found Cozi, La Plage, and Topazi. I believe she my have one other, but I couldn't find it on FlipKey. I haven't stayed at her other rentals, but after our nice experience at her Seaside Suite, I wouldn't hesitate to rent one of her other rooms. p.s. If you rent a car, we have used Sixt three times and have been more than happy with them. We've had bad experiences with other car rental places, so Sixt is our go-to car rental place on the island. They are located just a few blocks from the airport, so they are also convenient.