Photo Credit: Jay Colbath

Despite Anguilla’s reputation as an income tax free haven, the island’s shopping selections are surprisingly limited compared to its duty free neighbor, St Martin, and its endless supply of French gourmet food shops and luxury boutiques. ZaZAA, a boutique in Shoal Bay East’s Ku resort, is the best place to purchase an authentic Anguillan wardrobe complete with caftans, kurtas, and costume jewelry. Another Anguilla boutique worth taking a closer look is South Hill’s Irie Life, whose sandals, bathing suits, and pool wear are kept inside one of Anguilla’s most colorful beach huts.

Anguilla’s more unique shopping items, however, are found within the 15 art galleries across the small island, the largest of which is The Valley’s Arts and Crafts Center. Another in The Valley, the Stone Cellar Art Gallery, is housed within a former cotton gin. Visitors can enjoy breakfast or lunch while admiring Art Café’s exhibits in Island Harbour, but the intricate wood carvings made and sold at Cheddie’s Carving Studio may be the most unusual works visitors can bring home. Watercolor paintings, cloth dolls, and embroidery are among Anguilla’s other distinctive crafts.

Spas

Another thing Anguilla has in abundance is spas. Although visitors don’t need to leave their own hotel to find a luxurious retreat, the island also has a fair number of day spas for specialized treatments. Upper Shoal Bay East’s Malakh Day Spa is one of Anguilla’s highest rated, where visitors can receive facials, body wraps, manicures, massages, reflexology treatments, or all of the above in private treatment rooms or right on the beach. The Spa at Viceroy offers cooking, meditation, and healthy lifestyle lessons in addition to its outdoor swimming pool and wide variety of treatment rooms.

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