I’m not even going to try to bury the lede here – I absolutely adored Malliouhana. Having stayed at Hermitage Bay just a few months prior (where my room was double the price and included a private plunge pool), I though I was going to enjoy Malliouhana but that it was in no way going to compare to Hermitage Bay — but boy was I wrong.
While I loved both hotels, it’s Malliouhana that I’m itching to go back to the most.
The basics
Malliouhana was Anguilla’s first luxury resort and is located on a cliff in the beautiful the beautiful Meads Bay. On the other side of Meads Bay, you’ll see the famous the more famous Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla — and while the Four Seasons its beautiful, it couldn’t be a more different experience than Malliouhana, as Malliouhana has 63 rooms compared to the Four Seasons with 181 rooms.
Malliouhana opened in 1984 and became an Auberge in 2014 before becoming an SLH hotel in 2025. Despite being part of Auberge and then SLH, the hotel has managed to feel more like a completely independent property, holding onto its unique and special charm throughout the property.
How I booked Malliouhana
I booked Malliouhana using Hilton Honors points — their standard room is the Garden View Deluxe King (more on that below) at 150,000 points per night. I booked five nights so got the fifth night free, meaning the booking cost 600,000 points. While that’s certainly not a small amount, the cash rate on the booking would have been $11,018.85, making it a 1.8 cents per point redemption, which isn’t bad for Hilton.
Room basics
While I was hoping to be upgraded from the Garden View Deluxe King based on my Hilton Diamond status, the hotel was full but I was also fully content with the Garden View Deluxe King room. Even though it says “garden view” in its name, don’t let that fool you — the room still gives you an ocean view, just set back a bit.
The room itself was massive — I think about 850 square feet, which included a large terrace with garden and ocean views. The bathroom included a shower, deep bath, and two separate sinks. The furniture, art work, and decor was curated perfectly for the relaxing island vibes we experiences.
Meads Bay
Malliouhana is located on Meads Bay, though since the hotel is on a cliffside you do have to walk maybe 5 minutes to get onto the beach itself (you can either take stairs or walk behind the hotel). I am a beach aficionado and to back that up, I spent two years living on a tropical island, have been to almost every Caribbean island, try to go to either French Polynesia, Hawaii, or both every year, etc. With that, Meads Bay is now one of my favorite beaches in the world.
The water is crystal clear blue, perfectly warm, and relaxing but not dead with lots of restaurants and bars all along the beach. My favorite restaurant was Straw Hat, whose Big Eye Tuna Flatbread is known among island insiders as one of the best dishes on Anguilla.
As a Malliouhana guest, you have access to beach chairs provided by the resort and I never had an issue getting one. The staff was attentive, setting up our chairs and giving free bottled water and always checking to make sure we had enough. If I had one suggestion, it would be for the hotel to stop using plastic water bottles and instead give guests a refillable bottle they could use throughout the stay to reduce waste.
The pool area
The hotel has two main pools, which are both infinity pools — one is for all guests and the other is adults only. For the adults-only pool, the seats were in shaded cabanas and while the cabanas were great, given that there were only a few (I think four), space was a premium. While I was always able to get a cabana, it was only because I’d go immediately after breakfast to reserve it.
The view from the pool was picturesque, looking west and the perfect place to watch the sunset from. It’s also right next to the bar and a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner. While I’m not a big drinker, I loved the mixed drinks and they even had some great non-alcoholic options.
The Spa at Malliouhana
I booked a few treatments at the Spa at Malliouhana. The spa facilities themselves could be used by all guests and included a steam room, sauna, and pool. I will say there were some spa-related hiccups, like steam room simply not working on two out of three of the times I tried to use it and also I booked a hot stone massage but the machine to warm the stones didn’t work.
I was actually really pleased with how the spa responded — they gave me a traditional Swedish massage instead of the hot stone massage and said I could come back the next day for a free hot stone massage, which made me very happy.
I actually liked the pool at the spa more than the main pool since it was quieter and had some free delicious snacks available and cucumber water, which is always a treat.
The food
I’m not a foodie so I don’t really cover the food much at resorts I stay at, but will say the food here was good, but it’s not something you’re likely to write home about. I’ve had friends stay at the Four Seasons and Cap Juluca who had similar sentiments, so I think it’s just kind of how things are on the island. In general, I think if you’re going for a foodie a trip, Anguilla might not be the place for you. But overall, I didn’t have single bad meal on the island and really enjoyed the breakfast at the resort.
Also, for breakfast, the hotel did something that I loved: when you checked in, they printed out both a U.S. and British newspaper and you could grab one or either. Since I was traveling with my British friend, I’d grab the U.S. paper and he’d grab the British one and after we each read our own, we’d switch and read the other. It was a little, nice touch that went a long way.
Bottom line
Malliouhana is a special resort that should be on your list if you’re looking for a relaxing Caribbean getaway.
