Ani Shoal Bay Opening January 2027

I still struggle to comprehend how the world’s richest country, home to so many of our wonderful American clients, sits just a few hours from such a beautiful region, yet has so few great luxury properties to choose from.  Outside of the Bahamas, not much is happening with new openings either. While the Indian Ocean continues to have an endless pipeline of ambitious new projects, much of the Caribbean has centred around reorganising the deck chairs on the Titanic.  Just stick a new logo on the hotel and double the price.  Foolproof strategy.

But here come Ani to brighten our day.

First-up, who are Ani?  They’re a collection of ultra-luxury, exclusive-use villas.  If you have a great memory, you will know Lucie and I stayed in 10-bedroom Ani Villas Thailand by ourselves many years ago.  Yep, clearly those exclusive-use properties left an impression, as it is now one of our specialities.

Like so many of these exclusive-use properties, it was a commercial business that was never meant to be.  The owner had a property, decided to commercialise it, and suddenly a business was born.  Ani came out strong with four properties across Anguilla, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka and Thailand, yet have done nothing since 2017.  This looks to be their masterpiece.

(Side note, but when Googling to find their opening dates, I found this: “Ani Villas plans to expand its collection to the Dominican Republic in 2012 and to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Zanzibar, Mauritius and Mozambique in 2013.” which goes to show how you should never pay much attention to any new hotel announcements.  Or any news.  Or really anything.  Ignorance truly is bliss. )

I was told about this opening at a private London event a few months ago, but now the cat is outta the bag, I can tell y’all about it too.  So, let’s get to the press release.  ANI Shoal Bay will open in January 2027 on Shoal Bay in Anguilla. The private estate will feature 15 ocean-view suites, direct beach access, a dedicated beach club, and all the usual, all-inclusive, private chef stuff you would expect. There’s a beach club, a 50 sqm ocean-view gym, an open-air spa with hydrotherapy pools and treatment rooms, floodlit tennis and pickleball courts, a basketball court, putting green, pitching tees, bocce court, and a dedicated kids’ club.  Plus a whole bunch of water sports.

Yep, that’s it.  Glad you read this 400-word article for that one sentence, aren’t ya? It’s just nice to finally be able to write something about the Caribbean that isn’t redacted.

It looks dope.  It’s an entire resort, just for you and your family/friends/ladies of the night.

Anyway, we’ll be keeping an eye on this one as it moves towards its Q4 2026 soft opening and official launch in early 2027. For large families, milestone celebrations, or groups who want the privacy of a villa with the facilities of a luxury hotel, this could quickly become one of the region’s most sought-after addresses.