by Ashleigh VanHouten
You might deserve this life every day of the year, but you have to make sure you get it on that Special Day. Best Wishes.
More and more, in wedding planning and in life, we want it all: beauty, quality service, superior products, and easy, stress-free planning. And why can’t we have it all? Every year, more couples are choosing destination weddings as they are often more cost-effective, easier to plan, and virtually guaranteed to be a beautiful and expertly planned event. After all, who doesn’t dream about getting married on their own stretch of perfect, sunny beach? The perfect solution? Anguilla’s five-star CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa has everything you need, and then some. This is one wedding location you won’t need to convince guests to attend; there’s so much to do and enjoy for the bridal party, family, and friends. CuisinArt certainly takes “happily ever after” to a whole new level.
CuisinArt has the ability to create a wedding package suitable for anyone’s budget and taste. Choose from several all-inclusive wedding and honeymoon packages that take every detail of your wedding—from custom boutonnieres to photography packages to speciality cakes and more—into account. Ceremonies may be performed at one of the three beautiful locations: the Gazebo, the Pergola, or on the beach. After that, the sky’s the limit: whether it’s a small, basic wedding or an involved, multi-day affair CusinArt will make your wedding uniquely yours in one of the most gorgeous settings on earth.
About Anguilla: The island of Anguilla is situated in the Eastern Caribbean, with about 13,500 inhabitants. Anguilla consists of the main island along with six much smaller islands and cayes located nearby: Scrub Island, Sombrero, Dog Island, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear and Anguilliate. Named for its eel-like shape, Anguilla is a small, flat, low-lying island of coral and limestone surrounded by the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea boasting 33 pristine white-sand beaches.
About CuisinArt: A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, CuisinArt offers the best in Caribbean luxury including a Greg Norman designed 18-hole golf course. CuisinArt is also home to the world’s first hydroponic farm, an on-site herb garden, organic garden, and fruit orchard, for a total of over 37,000 plants and 150 species of exotic trees, flowers, and shrubs.
CuisinArt is perched against the sparkling turquoise Caribbean Sea along an exclusive stretch of Rendezvous Bay on the southern coast of Anguilla. The island can be accessed via a 30-minute ferry ride from neighboring island of St. Maarten. or Anguilla’s Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, just 15 minutes away. CuisinArt’s guest rooms and suites are composed of nine luxury rooms, 60 junior suites, 10 luxury junior suites, and 10 one-bedroom suites that can be combined into two-bedroom accommodations. The resort also features six private three- and five-bedroom beachfront and garden view villas.
Venus Spa & Fitness Center now boasts 16 new treatment rooms, a men’s club room, VIP suite, expanded fitness facility, two couples suites, an exclusively designed indoor aqua therapy pool, and full-service salon. Venus Spa offers a number of signature Healing Waters treatments. Enjoy the spa on your own or with a number of custom couple’s treatments. And for the groom-to-be and his party, the Men’s Club Room variety of treatments catering to men are offered here, including hot stone massage, gentleman’s facials, pedicures, and the traditional hot towel shave. For the fairer sex, the full-service Venus Salon offers a range of beauty treatments such as manicures, pedicures, hair styling services, makeup application and more.
The Restaurants
Le Bistro at Santorini: Having received Anguilla’s first AAA Four Diamond Award in 2008, Le Bistro is recognized as one of the island’s finest gourmet restaurants, infusing modern cuisine with Caribbean flavors and spice.
Tokyo Bay: Anguilla’s first authentic Japanese restaurant.
Italia: Under the direction of Chef Massimo Telessi of Parma, Italy, Italia offers an inspired menu of classic Italian cuisine.
Café Mediterraneo: Enjoy a casual poolside dining experience at Café Mediterraneo.
Beach Grill: For a relaxed beachfront dining experience where “snacking skewers,” are front and center.
For a truly exclusive experience, try the chef’s table, held in Le Bistro at Santorini’s private dining room, which features a sophisticated six-course menu.
And if all the delicious fare and sea breeze is making you thirsty, the Lobby Bar is popular for its nightly live music and relaxed ambiance, CuisinArt’s lobby bar offers “30 wines from 30 vines” and a special menu of cocktails made with ingredients from the hydroponic farm. The assorted bar menu also features Asian and Italian plates, champagne selections and an extensive rum collection. The Beach Bar is an informal affair with specialty island drinks, frozen fresh-fruit smoothies and homemade lemonade. There’s also a 3,600-bottle wine cellar stocked with vintages from around the world.
What to do?
Boating: Anguilla boating charters are a great way to see many of the island’s offshore cayes and secluded beaches, including Scrub Island, Prickly Pear and Dog Island.
Dolphin Lagoon: Located at Mead’s Bay, Dolphin Lagoon offers visitors the opportunity to swim with and feed these fascinating creatures in the company of a trained instructor.
Horseback riding: Numerous stables on the island provide beginners and experienced riders the opportunity for lessons and tours along white-sand beaches.
Explore shipwrecks: Anguilla has six marine parks and six dive wrecks, plus a huge array of coral formations, wall ridges, canyons and tunnels for the enjoyment of both novice and experienced divers. In addition, the creation of Stoney Bay Marine Park has ensured that artifacts dating back to the 18th Century will continue to wbe preserved.
Sea turtle sightings: May-July marks the peak season for Leatherback sea turtles’ nesting. The peak season for Green & Hawksbill sea turtles follows in August-September.
Harvesting and hydroponic farm tour: The resort offers tours of the hydroponic farm three times per week.
Cooking classes: Guests can experience a unique, culinary learning experience. Under the guidance of the resort’s chefs, participants pick their own produce from the onsite hydroponic farm to prepare delicious and healthy meals.