Of the handful of Caribbean hotels that have attained a kind of legendary status, the Malliouhana Hotel has been one almost since it opened in 1984.

Other hotels on Anguilla and elsewhere may have equally good accommodations. but few can approach the Malliouhana's level of service.

It truly is one of those "Your wish is my command" places most of us have fantasized about. Guests enjoy the pampering so much that 70 percent return year after year.

  
It takes a lot of hard work to earn that kind of loyalty. The Malliouhana (the name means " Anguilla " in Arawak) employs a staff of 224 to attend to its 55 rooms, gardens beach and restaurant. That comes out at a ratio of four per room and two per guest.

A good number of staff has been here almost since the hotel opened. Still, these impressive statistics don't begin to cover the level of service.

It starts the moment you step off the plane. If you're like many visitors who arrive by air, you'll probably be aboard the American Eagle flight that arrives at almost 10 p.m. at Anguilla's tiny Wallblake Airport.

After you clear customs, you're not only greeted by a hotel representative but asked what you'd like for dinner or to snack on before retiring. Your selection will be delivered, fresh, to your room once you arrive at the hotel, 15-20 minutes from the airport.

If you're suffering serious jet lag and can't sleep, well, the bar closes when the last customer leaves, which sometimes indeed is very, very late.

And if your connecting flight happens to be delayed and you end up stranded in Antigua, or you simply don't want to take the ferry over from neighboring St. Martin , just alert the hotel and it will arrange a charter flight for you. Nice touches, right? They're de rigueur at Malliouhana, done in a relaxed but sophisticated manner.

With the hotel's emphasis on service, you'd expect the restaurant to be equally outstanding. It is. The cuisine, French with a tropical touch, is recognized throughout the Caribbean as among the region's finest.

To Part 2, Malliouhana Hotel

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