The Caribbean Island Celebrities Don’t Want You to Know About
The island is Anguilla: a flat, quiet British territory in the northeastern Caribbean, with no cruise port, long empty beaches and walled estates on the sand, where well-known guests come to be left alone rather than to be seen. It is no longer a secret. In August 2026 the Virtuoso travel network ranked Anguilla third in the world and first in the Caribbean for festive travel, from December 15 to January 7, behind only the United States and Mexico; West End, Anguilla, was No. 8 among individual destinations. See our Anguilla villa rentals.
Why the island stays private
Anguilla is about sixteen miles long and three wide, and its pleasures are its beaches and its tables. There is no cruise port, so the beaches never fill with day visitors, and the best houses are gated estates set directly on the sand, with their own staff. The island is reached by a short boat from St Martin or, this winter, by nonstop flights from the US Northeast, and private aircraft land in the middle of the island.
The numbers now say what returning guests already knew. The island welcomed 81,907 stayover visitors in the first half of 2026, 19.9% more than a year earlier, and 73.8% of them came from the United States, according to the Anguilla Statistics Department. Anguilla is one of our six signature Caribbean destinations for winter 2026–27, with Turks and Caicos, St Barts, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and St Martin.
Villa Nevaeh: an estate on Long Bay
Villa Nevaeh is a gated estate on nearly half a mile of Long Bay beachfront, designed around a central courtyard. The main house has five king suites, one with its own heated plunge pool and an outdoor bathroom; a guest house a short walk away has three bedrooms; and a ninth suite sits between the two. Outside there is a heated infinity pool, a tennis and basketball court, a gym, a hot tub, and kayaks, paddleboards and snorkeling gear on the sand; inside, a home theater and a golf simulator.
Villa Nevaeh
Long Bay · 9 bedrooms · sleeps 18
It can also be taken with five, six, seven or eight bedrooms, for a smaller group.
Staff and service: fully staffed, with a private chef, a butler and maid service, full breakfast and the ground transfers included.
Three more estates for a private stay
Villa Le Bleu
Little Harbour · 11 bedrooms · sleeps 20
Two houses on two and a half acres at the edge of Little Harbour, with lawns down to two private beaches, two pools, a floodlit tennis court and a cinema.
Staff and service: fully staffed, with a full-time chef, a butler and an estate manager.
ÀNI Anguilla
Above Little Bay · 10 bedrooms · sleeps 20
A private resort for a single group on the cliffs above Little Bay: two villas side by side, each fronted by its own pool, with a spa treatment room, a gym and a tennis court.
Staff and service: all-inclusive and fully staffed, with meals, drinks and up to six spa treatments a day part of the stay.
Cerulean
Barnes Bay · 9 bedrooms · sleeps 18
Two acres directly on Barnes Bay, the beach of sunsets on the west end.
Staff and service: fully staffed, with a staff of eighteen, three of them chefs.
Arriving quietly
American Airlines flies nonstop to Anguilla from Miami, in about three hours, and from mid-December 2026 BermudAir’s AnguillAir flies nonstop to Anguilla’s Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport from Boston and from Newark twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, and from Baltimore-Washington on Mondays, with one-stop flights via Providenciales from Newark, Baltimore-Washington, St Pete–Clearwater in Florida and, from December 19, Toronto. Most of our guests fly to St Martin and cross by private boat in about 25 minutes, met at the dock by the villa’s car. Private aircraft land at Clayton J. Lloyd International. Our guide to how to get to Anguilla has the routes.
More Anguilla guides
- Anguilla villa rentals
Our collection, beach by beach, with a shortlist in 24 hours. - Where to stay in Anguilla for the festive season
Little Bay, Long Bay or the east end. - The best beaches in Anguilla
And the villas on each of them. - Fully staffed villas
The houses where a chef and a house team come with the stay.
Anguilla in private: your questions answered
Why do famous people go to Anguilla?
For privacy. There is no cruise port, the beaches are long and quiet, and the best houses are gated estates on the sand with their own staff, reached by a short private boat from St Martin or by private aircraft.
Is Anguilla a luxury destination?
Yes. In August 2026 Virtuoso ranked Anguilla first in the Caribbean and third in the world for festive travel, and the island had a record first half of 2026, with 81,907 stayover visitors.
Which are the most private villas in Anguilla?
Gated estates such as Villa Nevaeh on Long Bay and Villa Le Bleu on Little Harbour, and ANI Anguilla, a private resort taken by a single group above Little Bay.
How do you get to Anguilla privately?
By private boat from St Martin, about 25 minutes, or by private aircraft to Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport. This winter AnguillAir also flies nonstop from Boston, Newark and Baltimore-Washington.
Updated October 2026. Villa details are taken from each villa’s listing; festive ranking from Virtuoso, reported by Caribbean Journal; visitor figures from the Anguilla Statistics Department, reported by TravelDailyNews; AnguillAir routes reported by TravelDailyNews.
Stay in Anguilla, privately
Tell us your dates and who is coming. An Anguilla specialist replies within 24 hours with three to five villas that fit, their current rates, and a private arrival.
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