Cap Juluca Spa by Guerlain
Why go here?
The hotel's new Guerlain Spa was unveiled in June 2024. Drawing inspiration from the Arawak tribe native to Anguilla, treatments at the expansive new wellness center focus on three essentials: water, salt, and botanicals. And with seven serene treatment rooms, a wellness suite, an infinity pool, multi-temperature plunge pools, and a sauna, the spa truly offers something for everyone.
Photo: Courtesy of Cap Juluca
What's the vibe?
One travels to Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel, via boat, sailing from the isle of Sint Maarten to Anguilla through turquoise waters and vistas of lush hills and valleys. The journey across the Anguillan Channel is smooth, scenic, and just 25 minutes long, and then, after a short drive, you arrive at the crescent-shaped Maundays Bay, with white Greco-Moorish villas nestled between picture-postcard Caribbean palm trees.
In the open-air expanse of the main house, I was greeted with a signature mocktail, the Star of Juluca: freshly squeezed starfruit juice, sparkling water, and a dash of Ting soda. The laid-back vibe, in other words, is carefully crafted, and what I quickly learn about Cap Juluca and its staff is that they really want you to be well.
Photo: Courtesy of Cap Juluca
The history?
Cap Juluca was built in 1988 and renovated in 2018, when the Belmond group—a hospitality company with a sterling reputation—took it over. (Its Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express offerings are particularly appealing.) As part of the Belmond chain, Cap Jululca comes by its myriad influences honestly. One of the four restaurants on-site, Viva Venice, pays homage to Belmond's Hotel Cipriani in—you guessed it—Venice.
Photo: Courtesy of Cap Juluca
What should you try?
The southern Spanish–style courtyard of the spa is the heart of the complex, decorated with elegant arches, mosaic tiles, and lush greenery. My first treatment, Ocean Vibes, began with a refreshing hibiscus, aloe vera, and native cherry tea, accompanied by a cold towel infused with Guerlain's Bergamote Calabria—a warm blend of cardamom, pink peppercorn, and ginger. This signature treatment uses a soothing ocean drum and alternating heated and chilled globes that are pressed into areas like the calves and upper shoulders. The next morning, with the temperature already nearing 90 degrees by 9 a.m., I returned for round two. I was led in a sound-bowl meditation in the open-air yoga studio, where birdsong and ocean waves contributed to the serene atmosphere. Then it was time for the plunge pools, oscillating between the hot and cold.
Photo: Courtesy of Cap Juluca
What else do we need to know?
What makes Cap Juluca unique is the fact that it doesn't feel like a five-star resort hermetically sealed off from its surroundings; once the staff sees that your curiosity around the local culture has been piqued, they'll do everything in their power to showcase it. While having lunch at the hotel's Peruvian restaurant Uchu (don't miss the Ceviche Carretillero, which blends the freshest catch of the day with tangy tiger milk, crispy squid, and Andean corn), I struck up a spirited conversation with servers Yasmine and Manuela about which roadside spot serves the best barbecue chicken.
Photo: Courtesy of Cap Juluca
Who can go?
If a more active kind of leisure is the pace you're looking for, the resort has tennis, basketball, and pickleball courts, as well as a fitness center with all the equipment you'd expect.
Adapted from reporting by Maya Layne.
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