If you’re looking for a luxury hotel where you can walk out of your room onto the best beach in the Caribbean, Zemi Beach House is the resort for you. Located on the quieter side of Shoal Bay on the friendly island of Anguilla, it overlooks pristine pink-hued white sand and intense crystal-clear turquoise water. Named “The Best Beach Hotel in the World” by Huffington Post, it’s a part of LXR Hotels and Resorts by Hilton, a finely curated collection of only 13 independent properties across seven countries celebrating the timeless pursuit of excellence. The eight-year-old resort came under new ownership in December 2024 and new enhancements and experiences are eagerly anticipated.
Guests can choose a suite in one of the four-story elevated buildings, or “go to the beach” in the hotel’s two-story beachfront buildings, where ground-floor rooms open directly onto the sand. On the sloping hillside, rooms and penthouse suites offer stunning views of Shoal Bay East, all with terraces, and are adjacent to the magnificent tranquility pool. This area is complete with cabanas, day beds and lounge chaises, where oversized palm trees provide natural shade. Just above the shoreline, the iconic beachfront pool provides a focal point for the hotel, creating a lively community feeling, with several bars and restaurants, the Out of the Blue Boutique, the Zemi Beach Club and the kid’s centre.
Stone, the resort’s elegant fine dining restaurant, offers inside and outside seating. Of particular note is the Rhum Room, a darkly rich and comfortable “man cave,” featuring 80 different kinds of rum for your tasting pleasure. The Beach Club, complete with a beach bar. 20 Knots is a casual “toes-in-the-sand” restaurant, dine on the sand or indoors beneath the air conditioned soaring 32-foot ceiling. Serving a breakfast buffet daily.
For snorkelers, Shoal Bay Beach allows easy access to several coral reefs, featuring a variety of sea life, including colourful reef fish. Lucky swimmers may encounter an occasional stately eagle ray gliding by.
Located just below the resort’s tranquil welcome pavilion, the Thai House Spa comes with 306 years of history. The centuries-old building was disassembled in Thailand and re-assembled here, where it has become somewhat of a landmark, predating the construction of the resort. The Zemi Beach House team is noted for the tremendous job they have done in bringing the antique buildings into this century. The spa includes a hammam, or Turkish bath house, and a Taino bathing ceremony with an Atabevra body temperature pool to restore and relax the body, named for the indigenous goddess of water and well-being.
