Allamanda Beach Resort

“This was our second visit to Anguilla...a quieter more laid-back island with lots of beauty, wonderful beaches, and amazing people. A very interesting stay - booked for 5 days on VRBO...not sure just how they handle their bookings, but it (our reservation request) was there one day and marked cancelled the next. Owner said it was because they list multiple units via one ad, so it must stay open for anyone else that wants to book, and he assured us we had a place to stay. Also, no charge to my card either before, during, or after my trip (so far that is). When asked he said the billing was done through the "travel agent"...not sure who that is but will keep an eye on things. Everyone was extremely nice in correspondence and when on-site. Our arrival was on the weekend after business hours, but they had someone onsite to greet us and show us around a bit. The facility has been around and is somewhat old school, but they're making lots of efforts to re-vitalize and re-new. Here's a quick shot at the facilities - pool was half full of dirty water. We were told when we asked that it had "just failed the week before”...yet there are several reviews over the last few years indicating that they do have problems with the pool...but hey, it's an older facility. We did complain about the pool and even sent an email to the owner...he didn't respond, and the office staff defended with the "just broke last week" statement...I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. To their credit, they did fill the pool back up the next day, but it took two days for the water to clear...ready to use the morning we were checking out. Our room was pretty much as advertised...studio or maybe "old school motel" layout...clean, fully functional with a full size refrigerator and stove, and overall pretty good for the price we paid. I will say that the bed was very uncomfortable...hard...might be ok for some but hard on my back. Maybe a memory foam topper would help but either way I wasn't a fan. There were some WiFi issues, but they sent folks over after hours to get us fixed up. WiFi worked great the rest of our stay. TV was good...even a few English-speaking channels which we did not have on St Martin for the balance of our trip. The one thing that made us feel just a bit edgy was that we were the only guest in the entire facility...I know it's off-season, but it was just a bit eerie, especially when we were coming back at night. No security, etc. but we really didn't feel at risk and this area of the island is great, so not a big deal. The overall facility must have been awesome in its day before age and a few hurricanes battered them down. The area around the pool was good except what I'm assuming was a water feature/fountain/fish pool of some sort that was empty and had been for quite some time. The outside bar hadn't been used in a long time and the restaurant area was boarded up and looked like it hadn't been used in over a year...but hard to tell. If they were hit by Irma in 2017 I can understand the impact and it does take both time and a brisk business to enable a full recovery. Some of the rooms that were in another part of the property were not in usable condition...another indication of possible storm impact. ||||Area features...Shoal Bay Beach is absolutely stunning. When we visited in 2016 the surf was pretty strong and frankly it just wasn't that impressive...but this trip changed my mind completely. Beautiful sand, clear blue waters...just awesome. The property really isn't in a spot where walking to Shoal Bay would be easy for most but it's not a mile away either...more like around the corner. The North Shoal Bay Beach is fairly close and easily accessible although they really should clear the path of some overgrowth. The beach itself is in pretty sad condition...very little actual beach for most of the length, lots of rocks under the water in some areas, beach was actually blocked in a few spots by washed up debris (parts of trees and such...not trash). I think the beach was certainly usable with caution...but with Shoal Bay so close...not a hard choice for me. One note...if you go to Shoal Bay Beach, I'd recommend going down the beach to Gwen's Reggae Bar and Restaurant...free parking and complementary beach chairs and umbrellas...and awesome food. If you happen to be there Sunday afternoons there’s great entertainment too. If Pina Colodas hit your fancy...highly recommended! If you want to stay on the eastern end you can park at Shoal Bay Villages...$5 to park and $10 each for a chaise lounge and umbrella...not a bad price and there are several restaurants and beach bars on that end of the beach as well...we did both and preferred Gwen's free parking and free beach chairs and umbrellas 10 to 1, but that's us. ||||So, my overall impression - Allamanda Beach Club is not a bad choice for the budget conscious traveler...you get what you pay for mostly...but it's clean, in the process of being renovated, and you won't find a friendlier staff anywhere. Just make sure you understand you're not going to a $250 a night villa...be realistic. Would I stay there again...maybe...I'd ask a few more questions about the status of some of the amenities for sure. But even without the pool we had a great time and this place served as a great base to explore a wonderful island with charming people. I really like Anguilla...easy to get to from St Martin Marigot ferry, rental cars at Andy's were awesome (wonderful folks!!!!) and no where near the rat race, traffic jammed, people everywhere hustle of St Martin. It's a bit like St Thomas and St John...go to one for the fancy restaurant and shopping (if you still believe there's deals in such places) and the other for peace and quiet, awesome beaches, and a laid-back soak in the sun and get to know each other all over again sort of place. We will definitely be back!”

“The Allamanda Beach Club is a nice little hotel, conveniently located near Shoal Bay East on the North East end of Anguilla. We stayed at the Allamanda for three nights recently. The group included my wife and two teenagers.||||The hotel is very quiet, it has 12 rooms in the main building and there may be a few more in the property as well. We stayed in Room #9 on the second floor. This room as two double beds.||||Staff: The hotel is lightly staffed, Ernie (female) in the office with a couple of other ladies doing cleaning. All of the staff are very friendly and helpful. Ernie in particular is a lovely lady with a beautiful smile and an engaging personality. The cleaning ladies were a little quieter, possibly a little shy. The office was open Monday to Friday so Saturday and Sunday are self serve. ||||Rooms: We arrived on a Saturday, Ernie had left the key and welcome letter for us in the box on the stairs. It was easy to find and the instructions simple to follow. We let ourselves into our room, the room was extremely clean in all respects, the towels were of good quality and plentiful, the sheets and bedspreads were all of good quality. The kitchen was fairly well equipped, certainly for our purposes as we did not plan to do any cooking. The appliances are getting a little dated, but everything worked, similarly the kitchen was also dated but quite functional. The bathroom was clean and everything worked well.||||The view from our room was of the pool, partially obstructed. Rooms on the third floor are afforded an ocean view, also partially obstructed by palm trees and the mangroves but still a very nice view of the azure blue waters of Shoal Bay. ||||Location: The hotel is located on Upper Shoal Bay-East. The hotel used to have a very nice beach of it's own but in recent years erosion and rising water has for the most part eliminated this attribute. It is only a short drive to Lower Shoal Bay East, one of the best beaches on the island. The hotel is also very close to Island Harbour and Savannah Bay where you will find some wonderful restaurants and another lovely quiet beach.||||Food: The east end of Anguilla is quieter than the west end and "The Valley" but offers so much! Hibernia (fine dining), Le Bon Pain (excellent coffee and pastries) Artisan Pizza (wonderful wood oven, Nepalese style pies and On Da Rocks for fresh seafood, right off the boats. Finally at Savannah Bay and Junk's Hole is Nat's Palm Grove an incredible (but not inexpensive) find for some of the best lobster, crayfish and johnny cakes on the island.||||Value: Ernie has posted rates but depending on time of year and vacancy was happy to discuss pricing and so we were able to establish an acceptable rate for our stay. In my opinion Allamanda represents wonderful value, as the location, cleanliness, quiet environment and functional nature of the property was really good.||||Pool: This was the only disappointment. The pool did not seem to be fully functional. The water levels had been dropped so we were unsure and avoided using it. The Hot Tub was also not in service. These were not big issues for us as we went to the beach each day but it would have been nice to have them operating.||||If you are looking for good basic accommodation with kitchen facilities in a great location Allamanda should not be overlooked.”

“My husband and I stayed at the Allamanda Beach Club for 8 days recently (Feb./Mar. 2016). It was the perfect place for us as it was affordable, quiet, clean, and it had a friendly staff. Our room was on the ground floor overlooking the pool area. The grounds were well kept and the pool was always clean and large enough for doing my laps. We had the room with a king-sized bed, a fully-equiped kitchen with all of the appliances in good working order, a good-sized bathroom area, and a lovely private patio in front of our door. Anything that we required (hair dryer, can opener) was promptly arranged. Our manager, Ernie, was a delightful woman, who made our trip to Anguilla extra special. ||||The location of the hotel is near the Shoal Beach East area. There is a short walk down a cleared path to the beach closest to the hotel. This little beach has been affected by erosion and hurricane damage in recent years, but there are still areas where one can go snorkelling. There are over 33 beautiful beaches on Anguilla so there are lots of other beaches to explore while on this island. ||||Unless you are staying at one of the very expensive, mega resorts (over $1000 U.S./night), you need a car to get around Anguilla if you want to visit more than one beach or have lunch/dinner at several of the excellent restaurants found on the island.||We would often have a late lunch at a restaurant after a day on the beach and then we would have a quiet, casual dinner in our room. We prefer staying at hotels where we have our own kitchen so that we are not obligated to always eat at the same resort restaurants.||||Anguilla is a very special island with the some of the most beautiful, pristine beaches and warm, calm seas. There are no casinos, crowded beaches, or duty-free shopping. There are beach places and resorts where there is entertainment, especially on the weekends, but to me, Anguilla is all about total relaxation, away from the hustle and bustle of resort living. ||||My husband and I would recommend Allamanda Beach Club to anyone who is looking for this kind of holiday.”

“Just want to let you guys know of my Caribbean vacation. It was one of the best vacation ever!!!! It was on the small Caribbean island of Anguilla and we stayed at the allamanda beach club in shoal bay. Shoal bay was voted the best beach in the Caribbean because it is great for snorkeling. and even though i have never snorkeled on any other Caribbean beach, i really can say this was perfect. The hotel was small and cozy. It was not a luxury hotel but for the price you pay it is absolutely worth it. we stayed two weeks and paid 2880.00 for one of their standard rooms. INCLUDING TAX AND SERVICE CHARGE. If you guys are looking for a cheap hotel in the Caribbean i can say this is definitely worth it. Check out their fb page The Allamanda Beach Club or go to their website. Allamanda.ai||||The staff was great and very helpful. The Maintenance guy gave up jellies every morning. Beverly our cleaner was so nice and easy to talk to. The place was well kept. If you are thinking of going for a family vacation, a couples vacation or if you would like to escape from the noise and the hustle and bustle for a while, Allamanda is the place for you to be. ||||||||||Definitely going back”