Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla

“Beautiful property, location, rooms, and atmosphere but TERRIBLE service -- Resort manager showed up at our beach chairs asking us to check out within 30 minutes, while we were soaking wet and feeding my toddler lunch all due to staff miscommunication.....||Let me start off with the pros:|Of all the luxury hotels in Anguilla, Cap Juluca consistently ranks #1. When you visit it after seeing other luxury resorts in Anguilla, you'll understand why. The property is gorgeous, clean, beautiful European decor rather than modern luxe (like the Four Seasons). Breakfast was 10/10, especially if complementary with your stay. The bicycles and golf carts to get around the property are a nice touch but also necessary if your villa is far from the restaurants. The personal concierge in theory seemed nice, but ended up being useless (I'll explain later).||Cons: |At this tier of luxury resort, you walk in expecting the best of the best. At the very least expecting all the frills, quality, service, attention to detail, and willingness to go the extra mile to accommodate your requests. For the most part, Cap Juluca holds up but my main issues with this resort is 1) it is not as family friendly as they market themselves, and 2) they are seriously lacking in their quality of service. ||NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY - BAD COMMUNICATION|Most people at this resort don't bring their kids so a lot of them give you looks when you have a kid running around. their kids club is supposed to open at 10am. We waited and waited, they kept telling us the staff member is on the way should be here soon. After about 20 minutes of waiting in the hot son with my toddler, we left and went back to our villa. We then found out the staff member was in traffic and not even on property!!! Why couldn't they tell us this while we were waiting so long outside for the person to show up??? Just be honest and stop covering for colleagues.||TERRIBLY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE |Usually I book hotels of this type with Amex FHR but this time I used a travel agent (thinking if they have an existing relationship with the hotel, it sometimes is better than Amex FHR). At check in, I asked if we could have late check out. Roxana (check in staff) asked when we'd like to check out, I said between 3-4pm and she said okay. At no point from check in until 1:05pm the following day (check out day), did any staff member notify us that check out between 3-4pm would not be okay (despite having a personal concierge that has been texting with me throughout the whole stay). Sheila (I think a resort manager) found us at the beach and said we did not have late check out and asked us to be out the room in 30 minutes. We has just gotten out the water, dripping wet, and I was feeding my toddler lunch. I was completely blown away that 1st - her request was completely unreasonable as anyone with a kid knows it's impossible to stop feeding, shower, pack up and get out the room in 30 mins, and 2 - I could understand for the life of my why no staff had communicated this to me BEFORE check out nor did Sheila have an answer. ||WHO FINDS YOU ON THE BEACH AT A LUXURY RESORT ASKING YOU TO CHECK OUT?!?!? THE WAY WE WERE TREATED BLEW OUR MINDS!!!! ||Of course I complained while checking out (1 hour later), they acknowledged there was a miscommunication amongst the staff. They comped our dinner from the night before and gave us drinks as we waited for our kid in the kids club. Nice gesture but did not compensate for making us feel unwelcomed and like we were the crazy ones for expecting clear communication about simple things (even lower tier hotels like Hilton can do this right)... unacceptable!”

“The first place we have ever chosen to return to , and certainly not the last. As a surgeon, my everyday life is dictated by schedules, responsibilities, and a level of stress that naturally comes with the profession. Perhaps that is why, when we travel, we look for places where we can truly disconnect , and why we almost never return to the same destination. The world is simply too big, and there is always somewhere new to discover. Cap Juluca changed that. This was our second stay here, something we had never done before. And I must admit that we returned with a little apprehension. Our first experience had left us with such extraordinary memories that we wondered whether coming back could possibly live up to them. We all know the feeling that sometimes the second time is never quite as magical as the first. Cap Juluca proved to be the exception. There is something about this place that makes time slow down. Your day can begin with a lobster omelette at breakfast, followed by hours disappearing almost unnoticed on one of the most beautiful beaches imaginable, surrounded by impossibly clear Caribbean water. And then there is the food. An evening at Uchu, with its Peruvian and Nikkei influences, brings genuinely distinctive flavors and what was, for us, one of the best ceviches we have ever tasted. At Cip’s by Cipriani, for a moment you could easily believe you were dining somewhere in Italy. And Pimms, overlooking the sea, is an exceptional way to complete the experience. But beautiful beaches and excellent restaurants alone do not make you return to a hotel. People do. Throughout our stay, the service was warm, personal and effortless. Always a smile, always the feeling that someone genuinely wanted to make things easier for you. “No” is a word you rarely hear here. Somehow, everything seems possible without ever feeling forced or rehearsed. Much of that spirit is beautifully orchestrated by Eleonore, whose presence and attention can be felt throughout the property. She and her team have the rare ability to make a world-class hotel feel, at the same time, remarkably like home. And perhaps that is ultimately the best compliment we can give Cap Juluca: we came back because we remembered how it made us feel, and we leave the second time already knowing there will be a third. Because there are countless beautiful places in the world to discover , but there are a very few that feel like home. And you always come back home. Our journey now continues with Belmond, this time to Peru, a country we will be discovering for the first time. After Cap Juluca, the expectations are certainly high. We look forward to discovering whether this extraordinary way of hospitality is part of the Belmond spirit wherever you travel… or whether there is simply a little bit of Cap Juluca magic that exists nowhere else.”

“It’s hard to put into words how special Cap Juluca is. Pictures don’t do the property justice - it is truly stunning. I have never seen a beach like this and the way that every room is situated along the bay, steps from the beach, is surreal.||||But beyond the beautiful hotel, pristine beaches and picture perfect setting… is the service.||||My husband and I just spent 5 days at Cap Juluca to celebrate my birthday and the staff went above and beyond to make sure it was the perfect week. Every little detail was thought of and the little extra moments were so thoughtful.||||Our host, DeAndre, was wonderful. Attentive would be an understatement. He entertained all of our silly asks and made any ask come true. On the beach, Jessica and Damien greeted us every day with bright smiles and made sure we were always taken care of.||||The breakfast was fantastic every morning! A special shout out to Priscilla who was the sweetest and even sang me a special birthday song. And Jackie who made our mornings lovely!||||Getting around the property was always a breeze, thanks to Gene! And the pool at Uchu was always immaculate and picturesque - we loved spending time there with Delano!||||The spa was incredible, maybe the best we have ever been to. I missed their names but a huge thank you to all of the women working there who helped me find my perfect fragrance!||||I’d run back to Cap Juluca in a heartbeat. A true gem.”

“There is absolutely no other place we would stay in Anguilla! ||If you are wanting complete relaxation with heavenly views of the water, this is your place. As far as the island goes, there is not another beach like this property. There is always wind. so you never get hot. It is more like your very own private beach, only steps from your beachfront room. Service on the beach is 5 star. New set ups every morning for your lounge or more if you wish. Whatever you desire, they can accommodate all with a smile. The dining here is very good. I did not use the spa this time, however, I had before and so very nice. ||One of our most favorite places to go regarding beach and Caribbean. Just gorgeous.||”