Meads Bay
Best for. Travellers who want a soft, swimmable west coast beach with calm clear water by day, a glowing sunset by evening, and the best concentration of restaurants on an island famous for its food.
Best spot. A late afternoon swim in the calm clear water, then a barefoot plate at Blanchards Beach Shack or a longer table at Straw Hat or Jacala as the sun drops into the sea.
Know this. It is a leeward beach lined with low resorts, so it is soft and lovely but a touch more developed than the wild bays, and it can catch a little seaweed when the season turns.
Meads Bay is where Anguilla shows its softer, more polished side, a mile of pale sand on the calm west coast that is as much about the table as the towel. The water is sheltered and generally clear, easy for an afternoon swim, and the sand is soft and gently shelving, but the real signature here is the food. This single bay holds the densest run of fine kitchens on an island that prides itself on being a culinary capital of the Caribbean, from the barefoot Blanchards Beach Shack to the white tablecloth rooms behind it, which makes a day here as much a long lunch as a beach session.
The honest read is that Meads Bay is lovely but it is the developed end of the Anguilla spectrum, not the wild one. Low rise resorts line the back of the sand and the beach has a gentle, resort holiday rhythm rather than the raw emptiness of the eastern coves. It is still uncrowded by almost any other island's standard, and the leeward water stays calm, but as a west facing Atlantic beach it can collect a little sargassum seaweed when the season turns, usually cleared from the busier resort frontage. Come for comfort, sunsets and dining rather than for solitude.
Use it for the evening. Spend the late afternoon swimming in the calm clear water and watching the light soften, then let the bay do what it does best as the sun drops, a barefoot plate and a cold drink at the Beach Shack, or a longer celebration at Straw Hat or Jacala with the sky on fire over the water. Book the sunset tables ahead in the December to April peak, because they are the most wanted seats on the island. If you want wilder, quieter sand by day, Maundays Bay around the west tip or the eastern coves deliver it, and Meads sends you there happily.
Clubs near this beach
Meads Bay is less about cabanas than about kitchens, with a barefoot beach shack and a run of celebrated restaurants along the sand rather than a daybed and DJ scene.
Photo: Blanchards Restaurant and Beach Shack via GoogleBlanchards Beach Shack
The casual, barefoot sibling of the long running Blanchards Restaurant, set right on the Meads Bay sand. It serves easy plates, tacos, salads, fish, rum punches and famous frozen drinks, the perfect feet in the sand lunch between swims. Relaxed and walk up rather than a club, with the polished Blanchards Restaurant next door for a special dinner. A reliable, well loved anchor for a Meads Bay day.
Straw Hat, Jacala and the Meads Bay tables
The back of the bay holds some of the most celebrated tables in Anguilla, the beachfront Straw Hat with its standout frozen drinks and the elegant Jacala among them, the kind of places to book for a sunset dinner over the water. These are restaurants rather than beach clubs, so there is no minimum spend cabana scene, just exceptional food and a glowing west facing view. Reserve ahead in the peak and we will gladly help arrange the table.
The west coast, by car
Meads Bay sits on the west coast of Anguilla, roughly fifteen minutes by car from the airport and the Blowing Point ferry, on the way toward the western tip. A hire car or taxi brings you to the access points by the resorts and the beachfront restaurants, where most visitors park and walk onto the sand. The bay is easy to find and easy to combine with the nearby beaches of the west coast for a full day of sand and dining.
You can come light here, since the restaurants and resorts mean food, drink and some shade are close at hand, though water and sun cover are still wise. The smart plan is to swim and relax through the afternoon and stay for the sunset and an early dinner, having booked a table ahead in the busy dry season. Watch children as there are no lifeguards, treat the calm water as typical rather than guaranteed, and take your litter with you so the soft sand stays as it should.
Photo: Candace Lambert via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a beach lunch or a sunset table at Blanchards, Straw Hat, Jacala or elsewhere in Anguilla. We reply by email.
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Common questions about Meads Bay
Why is Meads Bay famous for restaurants?
Meads Bay holds the densest run of fine kitchens on an island known as a culinary capital of the Caribbean. Along this single west coast beach you will find the barefoot Blanchards Beach Shack, the long running Blanchards Restaurant, the beachfront Straw Hat and the elegant Jacala, among others. The mix of soft sand, calm water and a glowing west facing sunset makes it the natural place to combine a swim with one of the island's celebrated meals.
Is Meads Bay good for swimming?
Yes, on a typical day. Meads Bay is a leeward west coast beach, so the water is generally calm and clear and the sand shelves gently, which makes for easy swimming and a relaxed family afternoon. There are no lifeguards, so watch children and read the water, and treat the calm conditions as typical rather than guaranteed. If a west swell or seaweed turns up, the south coast beaches such as Rendezvous Bay are the dependable alternative.
Does Meads Bay get seaweed?
Sometimes, when the season turns. As a west facing Atlantic beach, Meads Bay can collect some sargassum seaweed in the warmer months, though it is usually cleared from the busier resort and restaurant frontage. The dry season from December to April is the most reliable stretch for clear water. If you find weed on the day, the sheltered south coast beaches and the western tip around Maundays Bay tend to stay clearer.
Where is the best sunset in Anguilla?
Meads Bay is the classic answer. Facing west into the open sea, it catches the island's best sunsets, which is exactly why the evening restaurant tables here are the most sought after on the island. Arrive in the late afternoon, swim while the light softens, and stay for an early dinner as the sun drops into the water. Book the sunset tables ahead in the December to April peak, since they fill first.
Meads Bay or Maundays Bay?
They sit close together on the west coast but feel different. Meads Bay is the soft, sociable dining beach, lined with low resorts and the island's best restaurants and famous for its sunsets. Maundays Bay, around the western tip, is the quieter, more exclusive crescent below Cap Juluca, calmer and emptier with fewer places to eat. Choose Meads for dining and sunsets, and Maundays for a still, picture perfect swim, or pair them in a single west coast day.
