REVIEW: Zemi Beach House, Anguilla

One of the good things about having everywhere and everything on my wanderlist is that I have pretty open mind about where to travel to. Honestly Anguilla was only on my radar because the value I could get from my Hilton free night award but I am already wondering when I’ll be able to plan a trip back to visit this lovely property!

Looking for general info on Anguilla? Then this travel guide is what you want. For more information on what I spent and how much I saved, check out this trip report. My trip guide is where you will find more detailed information on what I did and ate/drank in Anguilla.

HOTEL INFO

HOW I BOOKED 

Direct with Hotel via HOTEL LOYALTY PROGRAM: Hilton Honors (HH)

• LOYALTY PROGRAM HOTEL SPECS: Hilton uses dynamic award pricing with no published award chart with standard rooms starting at 110,000 HH points per night for this property
• COST/WHAT I SPENT:
  • Free Night Rewards: (2 nights) + $0.00 (Hilton does not charge resort fees nor taxes on Free Night Certificate award stays)
  • 110,000 HH points/night: (1 night) + $0.00 (Hilton does not charge resort fees nor taxes on points booking/award stays)
• SAVINGS: $4,728.62 or more than $1,500 per night (what the cash price was at the time I made my reservation)

_{Beautiful Tip: review cancellation policies carefully before booking. For luxury properties, the cancellation window is typically shorter than at regular hotels – for this hotel, the cancellation must be done two weeks prior to your check in date. MOST IMPORTANTLY, you do not forfeit the points if you cancel a reward reservation within that two week window or no show to the hotel, you will be charged the prevailing CASH RATE for EACH award night. For reference, the penalty would have been >$1,700/night or $5,100 for my entire trip that my credit card would have been charged if I no-showed or canceled the reservation}

HOW TO EARN THE POINTS (& FNRs) FOR REDEMPTION

HILTON TRANSFER PARTNERS:

• Bilt Rewards
• American Express Membership Rewards

CREDIT CARDS

• Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card – this Amex card comes with an annual free night reward including in the first year of holding the card!
• American Express will have limited time offers when FNR are part of the welcome bonus and that is currently happening now through April 29, 2025 – read more about this great deal here!

Hilton Honors offers the best Free Night Rewards in the hotel industry as they are easy to obtain, can be used at almost any Hilton if there is a standard room available to book on points and have resort fees and taxes waived – here’s more info on how to obtain them and also why I love them so much.

LOYALTY PROGRAM STATUS PERKS/EXPERIENCE 

LOYALTY PROGRAM/MY ELITE STATUS LEVEL: Hilton Honors / Diamond

PERKS: Upgraded room type + daily continental breakfast outside of US + 1,000 HH points/stay + welcome amenity

EXPERIENCE: At check-in, the front desk host as well as the manager at the desk mentioned my Diamond status and explained that’s why I was upgraded and thanked me for my loyalty. I was also informed that breakfast was complimentary due to status.

ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN

I had arranged for transportation to the hotel prior to my arrival and was greeted by a hotel representative upon exiting the airport. He inquired about my beverage preference (rum cocktail or juice) as he led me to the awaiting taxi. The taxi was private so I was able to leave immediately and we were off to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, a cool towel and my rum cocktail were waiting for me as soon as the taxi door opened. Check in was delightful as the hosts were engaging and friendly with lots of recommendations for food and activities. I was given a tour of the property as we made our way to my hotel room via a golf cart

ROOM

ROOM TYPE: Originally booked Garden View Two Queen / Upgraded to Oceanview Two Queen (if you’re curious why I was in a two queen room ~ this was the only room type available one of the nights and when you’re booking on points last minute, sometimes you get what you can get)

ROOM # : 311

ROOM SIZE/CONFIGURATION: The room was massive at 700 square feet (65 square meters).
Upon entering there was a credenza that housed the mini bar and the complimentary coffee set up with both an electric kettle and Nespresso maker stocked with illy coffee.

They were two queen beds comfortably placed in the bedroom, two night stands, a seating area and a small table/desk decorated in a modern with Caribbean/tropical accent style. The room didn’t feel the least bit crowded even with all of that furniture due to the large square footage and high ceilings and abundant light coming from windows/french doors opening to the private balcony.
There were two closets and on either side of the bathroom entrance (with a complimentary beach bag and flip flops).

For the description of the bathroom it’s termed “spa-style” and I find that quite fitting. I found wooden dual sinks to the right and a vanity/getting ready area to the left as I walked in. There’s a glass enclosed water closet in the back left with a luxuriously deep soaking tub (complete with bath salts and your own rubber ducky) in the middle. There’s a large walk-in shower area with Malin + Goetz bath products

The private balcony had a wicker dining table with four chairs as well as two cushioned wicker chairs and one ottoman. Mine overlooked the adult/tranquility pool and had an ocean view

The outlets were plentiful in the room and interestingly enough, they were North American along with USB near the desk. I appreciate that there were outlets on both sides of both beds.

SERVICE EXPERIENCE 

From the moment I left the airport, I experienced incredible customer service. The type that feels effortless but I know personally how much works goes into that. Employees that went beyond friendly but who I was able to genuinely engage with ~ and with it being a small property, many employees remembered me which is always nice to have. I love that even though it was a luxe property, the service never veered into stuffy or overly stiff (or the worst when it feels suppliant which is very uncomfortable for me) but was relaxed, welcoming (which I felt on Anguilla in general) and personalized.

HOTEL AMENITIES

Fitness Center

The fitness center was well appointed especially for a hotel of this size as it is spread over three rooms. It’s open 24/7 and is reserved exclusively for hotel guests.

Pools

MAIN POOL

Located off the beach, the main infinity pool is family friendly that offers one shallow and one deeper end. You have a choice of loungers, large beds and cabanas

ADULTS ONLY Tranquility Pool:

If you are looking for a more relaxing (and quieter) vibe, head to the middle of the property and relax at the adult only pool. (For a higher vantage shot, look at the room section for my balcony view overlooking this pool) Again with an assortment of loungers, large beds and cabanas but with one additional choice of in pool loungers as seen below

LAP POOL

Located directly below the tranquility pool, you can opt for a swim workout

Thai House Spa

Located within a 300-year-old Thai teak house, the spa provides various treatments, including Anguilla’s only hammam, offering a unique and rejuvenating experience

Kids Club

Complimentary for children aged 4-12, the Zemi Beach House Kids Club offers engaging activities such as coconut bowling and cooking lessons, ensuring younger guests have an enjoyable stay.

BAR/RESTAURANTS

Stone

Offers sea-to-table fare in an elegant setting. Notes: the restaurant does offer air conditioning, requires reservations and was only open Friday- Monday when I was there.

20 Knots

Provides casual, toes-in-the-sand dining with a menu that blends Caribbean and Latin American flavors. Breakfast is served from: 7:00 AM – 10:30 AM and Lunch & Dinner is served from: 12:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Note that for Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members, one of the benefits is gratis breakfast buffet here!

Bohio Bar & Sushi Lounge

Serves handcrafted cocktails in a relaxed atmosphere and is also equipped with a sushi bar. Open daily from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Rhum Room

Features an extensive collection of over 140 small-batch rums, perfect for connoisseurs and novices alike.

THE COMPLIMENTARY EXTRAS

I was very surprised and delighted by everything that was included in the stay

• A canvas tote/beach bag (it’s a really nice bag) and flip flops are yours to take home (they’re conveniently placed in the closet of your room)
• Nightly turndown service included bottles of water and a sweet treat (white chocolate macadamia and chocolate chip cookies were what was given during my stay)
• Speaking of water: there were water stations around the pool areas with both bottled water and a few water dispensers filled with iced – both were regularly replenished. The pool attendants would also be proactive about handing bottles out
• There are sunblock and aftercare sun care containers – these were very popular and frequently used by myself and other guests
• And you can (and should) also use the mosquito sprays that are available (a bottle can be sent to your room but they had a bottle that was available to use at the restaurants for dinner)
• Free activities: sunrise yoga at the spa on Tuesday and Thursday
• Water sports equipment: kayak, paddle boards and snorkeling gear were available for use (along with help and tips on where to go around the island for snorkeling)
• There’s a tennis court that you can also book time at for free.
• Cabanas around the pool are also gratis!

HELPFUL HINTS

When you stay at nicer properties, you often will receive an email from the concierge or VIP team (based on status) at booking to welcome you to the property, to ask if you have any requests or needs that they can help you with as they will introduce themselves as a resource for your stay. This is a great time to reiterate any room requests that are important (ie for me, feather free pillows and quiet room preference) and to let them know if you are celebrating anything.
I booked less than two weeks from my check in date so I actually proactively reached out to the hotel to inquire about transportation arrangements. I was originally planning on staying a few days in St Martin (to use my Marriott free night certificate but that was turning into a hassle and expensive side trip so no go) and was able to arrange transportation to the hotel. Note that they would have been able to arrange for the ferry if I had flown into SXM.

If you are like 99.8% of the population and like to plan ahead for your holidays, I would suggest staying over the weekend as Stone will be open during your stay. In addition, on Saturdays at Bohio, you can enjoy the lovely combination of Sushi and Jazz from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

It’s the little things that can make (or break) a stay for me and Zemi Beach House does a phenomenal job in that aspect from the wonderful service (employees went from offering me a ride on the golf cart to joking about how many steps I was getting in ie noticing and tailoring experiences to the individual) to all of the little extras that add up in a big way. It was one of those places that you’re planning how you can come back to the moment you leave the property!

Have you stayed at this property – what are your thoughts on it? Or is this now on your list of places to stay?