Wherever you're staying on Anguilla, it's worth making the journey out to
Shoal Bay East on the island's northeastern coast, where you'll find one of the finest beaches in the Eastern Caribbean, backed by coconut palms and sea grape. The pristine white sand shelves gently down to the turquoise waters and, though it's often busy, you can always find your own patch of beach and water. Snorkelling gear, lounge chairs and towels can be rented from outlets around the
Shoal Bay Villas resort where you'll also find a series of laid-back bars and cafés.
At the west end of Shoal Bay, a dirt track leads to The Fountain - a cave that is the island's most important archeological site, where many Amerindian petroglyphs were found in 1979. The petroglyphs include rare depictions of deities - including a 2000-year-old carving of Jocahu, their supreme God - and the site may well have been a religious or ceremonial centre and even a place for pilgrimage from other islands. Sadly, although the government has long had plans to develop the area as a national park, the Fountain remains closed in order to preserve the petroglyphs.
Further east, Island Harbour is home to much of Anguilla's fishing fleet, along with a touch of tourist development. While it's not especially pretty, it's one of the most engaging parts of the island with its brightly painted boats and fishermen laying out their catch for sale. It's also worth making the trip to the harbour to catch a boat out to tiny Scilly Cay , where you can have an excellent lunch at the restaurant and swim and snorkel in the clear waters.
At the extreme east end of the island, the appealingly named Scrub Island is also only accessible by boat (don't try to swim it as the currents will drag you off to St Martin). Home to a colony of goats, a garden of frangipani trees and an abandoned hotel and airstrip, it offers a couple of good snorkelling patches but no food or drink so bring your own. Boats make the trip when needed for around US$60 round-trip; ask at one of the bars in Island Harbour for details.
