What to See and Do in Sandy Ground, Anguilla

Sandy Ground Village and Beach, located on bustling Road Bay on the beautiful island of Anguilla, offers visitors a myriad of opportunities to dine, drink, enjoy live music and enjoy the beautiful beach.

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Although Road Bay is Anguilla’s main port for ships, don’t let that scare you off. Sandy Ground Village and Beach, fringed by Road Bay, contains a long expanse of sugar soft sand and turquoise water and some of the best nightlife on the island.

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The last time we spent the day in Sandy Ground, we started at one end and walked to the other, enjoying many of the sights and sounds along the way. I’m sure there are a lot of other places to discover in this pretty area, but this should give you an idea of a few things you might want to explore.

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We began our day at Elvis’ Beach Bar at the north end of Sandy Ground Beach.

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We’d sampled some of Elvis’ stellar rum punch in a previous visit and looked forward to ordering more, but unfortunately they were not open yet, so instead we took the opportunity to lounge on the chairs in front of the bar, checking out the boats and the incredibly blue water. Read more about our visit to Elvis’ here.

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From there, we wandered south down the beach and took a quick jog to the left, across the road to check out The Pumphouse. The Pumphouse gets pumping after dark and is a great place for live music, food  and fun nightlife.

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We headed back to the beach and ended up at Johnno’s. Johnno’s is known for it’s great live jazz and in a previous visit, we spent a great afternoon with our toes in the sand, drinking rum and coke and listening to jazz. Perfect afternoon..

copyright Rum Therapy Moving on down the beach we pass the Visitor’s Pier. There are some large ships that anchor in the the deep water at the edge of the bay, boat visitors in and drop them off at the pier. This area hasn’t been all that busy when we were there, but I’m sure it can be.

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Shortly past the Visitors Pier sits the Sandbar. The Sandbar has a beautiful setting right on the beach and after 5:00p.m serves up excellent appetizers and drinks.

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Onward to Roy’s Bayside Grill. The last stop before the commercial pier, we decided to order a beverage and enjoy the sugar soft sand of the beautiful beach.

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We had gotten pretty warm walking in the beautiful sunshine and thought we’d order a Bushwacker.  It was delicious and we enjoyed it while sitting under a thatched umbrella on the beach in front of Roy’s.

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We fought the temptation to order another, knowing we had a lot more beach to explore and continued south from Roy’s. Now, it looks as if the beach ends at the commercial pier, but, at the time of this writing, we were able to go under the pier and continue on to a very quiet and beautiful stretch of beach past the pier.

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Just past the pier is a large boat that has been beached. The color contrast of the boat against the water was stunning…

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A little further and we came across some adorable Anguillan children playing in their “backyard”. Lucky kids…

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From there it was beach time.

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The end of the beach was marked by a large ship that found itself on the rocks during a hurricane in 1995.

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Thirsty, we headed back for a refreshing cocktail and some live music.

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Are you ready to spend a day in Sandy Ground, Anguilla?

For up to date information on all things Anguilla, be sure to check out our friend Nori’s website who lives on island. Can’t say we’re not just a little jealous….

To see more posts on Anguilla and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC
All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit. 

Shoal Bay, Anguilla

If you were to describe a perfect beach, Shoal Bay, Anguilla just might be it. The sugar soft, powder white sand contrasted by an almost electric turquoise blue colored ocean is so beautiful that it’s hard to look away. In addition to its incredible beauty, Shoal Bay offers good swimming, several good bars and restaurants and the ability to rent beach chairs and umbrellas if desired.

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Beautiful Shoal Bay

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Anguilla Map
(www.fiftybest.com)

Located on the north side of Anguilla, Shoal Bay is probably the most talked about beach on Anguilla. You’ll find the middle of Shoal Bay to be the busiest because that’s where the majority of accommodations, restaurants and bars are located. If you want to find a quiet piece of sand on which to relax , hike east or west from the main part of the beach.

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Finding a quiet spot

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Upper Shoal Bay

Access: There are several access points to Shoal Bay including the road going to Tropical Sunset Beach Bar, the main access road to Uncle Ernie’s BBQ and the road to the former Gwen’s Reggae Bar & Grill (Upper Shoal Bay – but Gwen’s has since moved). In each case parking fairly close to the beach.

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The former site of Gwen’s Reggae Grill, Upper Shoal Bay

Beach: Two miles of white, sugar soft sand. Good beach for walking. Ocean bottom is sandy and usually good for swimming. Gentle access into ocean. Some snorkeling in seagrass areas.

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Upper Shoal Bay

Amenities: Restaurants, bars, beach chairs and umbrellas to rent, no public restrooms but restrooms for patrons in some of the beach bars and restaurants.

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Lower Shoal Bay

Recommended for: stunning scenery, good swimming, good walking beach, relaxing, sunning, playing in the sand, quiet – but not totally secluded.

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Cappuccino at Serenity Beach Cottages on Upper Shoal Bay


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One of several hammocks at the former site of Gwen’s Reggae Grill, Upper Shoal Bay

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Shoal Bay, Anguilla


Find Shoal Bay on our Anguilla Map

To see more posts on Anguilla and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC