This was our first trip to the island. Did we like Anguilla? We LOVED it! All I’ve been thinking about since we’ve been home is how and when we are going to go back. Well, I have to say, I was warned!
We had no trouble flying out of Philly. I was slightly motion sick on the small American Eagle from San Juan to Anguilla, maybe from looking out the window too much, trying to identify islands from the air. No problem coming back.
My first impression of Anguilla was that it really was very flat, but never thought about it for the rest of the trip. My other concern, that it may be slightly too cool in the winter was unfounded. We had perfect weather all week, high 81 degrees, low about 75. We picked up our car from Island Car Rental (who were wonderful) and had time to go to Shoal Bay and have a late lunch and rum punch at Tropical Sunsets (quiet and good food) before we arrived at K's Kove.
For the money this is a great place to stay. We paid $90 a night for the large bedroom and kitchen with a nice view over Scilly Cay. There is a lot of space, it was very, very clean, and the owner was lovely. We had nice towels and the bed comfortable. We had a great deal of privacy. High cathedral ceilings gave a feeling of even more space. The house is well maintained and in what felt like a safe neighborhood. We booked through the owner's son Raul Webster, a doctor who lives in the states. He quickly answered all our questions. We were met by the owner, Gratel, on arrival. She asked if we were familiar with the island and if she could help. I got the impression of a woman who has worked hard and accomplished much. K's Kove was a good base to explore the East End. There is quite a lot of construction with villas going up all over the island and we did hear and notice quite a few cement trucks going down the road.
Had dinner at nearby Cote Mer, and liked the atmosphere; very simple with a lot of space between tables. Particularly liked the walkway towards the entrance. The trees were under lit which gave a mysterious effect. Both our meals were wonderful. The owner came over and said hello, as we found to be the custom in Anguilla. Cote Mer is definitely on the GO BACK list.
The next morning drove out to Windward Point and didn't see another soul in sight. It was raw, wild and beautiful. We took the wrong road out and it was VERY rough going. We were lucky we didn't get a flat tire. Loved the cactus out this way. If you do this, be sure to take the road on the south side of the island and not the northern road past all the villa construction as we did.
Headed for Nat's Palm Grove on Junks Hole and Savannah Bay but it was too windy, and decided to spend the day on Shoal Bay. Beautiful, but more built up then I expected, with lounge chairs and umbrellas lining the beach in front of Ku all the way down to Elodias. The area around the point and heading for Gwen’s was lovely and postcard perfect. Had lunch at Gwen's on upper Shoal Bay. Great food, particularly the pasta salad and this was our favorite place for beach food. Because of the wind, we headed back around the point and I recognized AXA Beach Bum sitting in a group of about 8 people and we joined them for the day. They introduced us to Junior Fleming who runs his glass bottom boat tours out of Shoal Bay and to all their friends. Lot of fun, and they went out of their way to make us feel like we were part of the regular gang.
Had dinner at Zara’s and where delighted to find Shamash singing “Found my Thrill on Blueberry Hill” and this was easily our best dinner on the island. Great grilled lobster and the best key lime pie I've ever tasted! Could have eaten there every night. Zara’s tops the list for best meal on the island.
The next day went to Little Bay. We found Calvin at Crocus Bay and for $12 a person he took us over to one of the prettiest, pristine beaches on the island. The area is supposed to have good snorkeling and while we did see lots of fish, they were just not as colorful in general as we have seen on some of the other islands. We would see a blue tang but it just wouldn't be all that blue. We got there about 10:00 AM and had the place pretty much to ourselves for a couple of hours. We had asked Calvin to pick us up by noon and very glad too, because by noon there were SIX boats that pulled into this little inlet ready to be dropped off! We felt it was worth snorkeling but the real reason to go is the sheer beauty of the place, with the cliffs and privacy if you go early.
We tried to find Limestone Bay but got a little lost and scrapped that plan after a few of the locals told us it was too rough to swim. Headed back to Shoal Bay and found AXA Beach Bum again and had another fun day on the beach with them. They invited us back to a cocktail party at their house with the beach group. I am envious of their beach glass jewelry! They have a great view of Crocus Bay.
We had lunch at Elodias and again the food was great, second only to Gwens. They've really got this beach bar thing down pretty good in Anguilla.
That night we had dinner at Hibernia. Neither my husband or I liked ANYTHING we ordered, right down to the dinner mint! Now this restaurant gets rave reviews so maybe its just us, but it was just not our cup of tea. I think they were going for different, but only managed strange. The presentation was beautiful but the food tasted as if it had been tortured into the exotic presentations. I had read one or two reviews that said they didn't care for the food and unusual flavors but disregarded them, as most people seem to love this place. The Eastern European/Asian art made us feel as if we could have been anywhere, just not the Caribbean. We thought it was overrated, but hey, it was the only restaurant we visited all week that was totally full.
The next day was Sunday. As we were packing to head off to Rendezvous Bay and our beachfront villa for the last half of the trip, we were treated to beautiful singing coming out of the Baptist church, right across the street from K's Kove. Delightful to hear, unexpected and lovely. How beautiful and unlike anything we’ve ever heard before.
We stopped at the Art Gallery at the Arawak Cafe, which was beautifully done, and small, (much to my husband’s delight), He has about a ten-minute attention span when it comes to art. Next, Johnnos to meet other forum members, BeachBum, Di, Paul and BD. Hope we see you all again next year!
Arriving at Rendezvous Bay, it appeared they were not expecting us. I showed them my confirmation letter on their stationary trying hard not to cry and the manager, Bart, went to go check it out. It seems our reservation somehow fell through the cracks. Well, they offered to put us in a more expensive room with a kitchen and a discount. Unfortunately it would have been on the snorkel side of the resort, which doesn't have a very good beach. Bart took one look at me and knew that was not going to make me happy. He said he would keep on looking. Meanwhile, a very pretty and sympathetic bartender was making us up some wicked complimentary rum punches and I have to admit that after only two I got quite smashed. Yes, a lightweight, I know……don’t laugh, they were strong!
At some point soon after, I remember telling my husband that we should sell the real estate and stocks, abandon the kids (unless we could sell them too), and try to buy one of the new condos they are building! Rum Punch talking, but it sounded like a good idea at the time! And now three weeks later, there is a little part of me that still thinks so.
While my husband was ferrying free rum punches back and forth from the bar, there was a man in one of the other units sitting on the porch, that jokingly made a comment as to how many drinks my husband had carried by. They struck up a conversation and it turned out that we had gone to his wedding! His wife, an old boss of mine, and I had been pretty good friends about 25 years ago. We lost touch through the years but she was one of the most fun people I have ever worked with and it was great to see them again. An unexpected rendezvous at Rendezvous Bay!
Anyway, all was well and Bart somehow came up with a beachfront villa and it was perfect. Yes, we too like Bart! I hadn't expected too much from the room. The plan is to knock down this resort to build high-end villas, but this room was really very nice. Unbelievable view with the ocean so close, it was almost a little too loud listening to the waves at night. I’ve read this before about Rendezvous Bay and thought…Give Me a Break! Waves too loud? It’s hard to imagine unless you experience it. Anyway we got use to it pretty quickly. WE LOVED THIS PLACE! I would have returned to this resort in a heartbeat, year after year if it were still going to be there. Very sad to see it go the way of so much of the mid range accommodations on Anguilla. I can understand why the regulars who stay here are so upset.
We had dinner that night at the Cedar Grove BBQ, and the ambiance was perfect, food was good, not great. We were able to sit right by the water with the torches and I was trying hard to sober up.
The next morning we decided to walk the beach at Cap Juluca. One of the beach attendants asked if she could set us up with towels and lounge chairs and we were sorely tempted but decided to be good and decline. Down to the end of the beach there is a stunning view of St. Martin in the distance. Even though Anguilla is flat, you have a sense of mountains when you are on the south shore of the island, as St. Martin looms large in the distance. We then headed over to Mead’s Bay and walked through the Malliouhauna Resort and thought it looked great from the outside. Passed Carimar and headed for Bananas by the Sea. We sat outside on the lounge chairs in front of a smaller condo unit called Nathan's Cove and waited for Bananas to open. Sitting on Mead's Bay Beach was heavenly. The color of the water was an intense blue green and I thought that this would be the beach I would like to come back to. A sailboat floats by and the simplicity of it blew me away. LOVED Mead’s Bay!
Had a quiet lunch at Banana’s, not too many people there. We left to spend the afternoon on Rendezvous Bay and relax. At the end of the day, our old friends came over and we decided to have dinner together that night at Deon's Overlook. We opened up the apology bottle of champagne RBH had put in our room and had a fun time sitting on our balcony watching the sun set. Deon’s was good, my husband’s tuna excellent, better than my entree, the jerk pork which was just a little too highly spiced.
The next day we had a 3:45 flight out of Anguilla. We went to Trattoria Tramonte for lunch on Shoal Bay West. GREAT food, (Grandmas Beef and Pork Penne), pretty setting, quickly looked around at Blue Water's Resort, which is possibly being torn down for high-end villas. Also went back to Mead’s Bay to take a closer look at Carimar and La Sirena. La Sirena looked nice but wasn't sure we wanted to walk to the beach. The pool and bar area looked fairly new.
Some where I left this out, but I did get to see a villa that I was interested in for next year, Le Petite Maison d'Amour. VERY CHARMING! ! The reality is even nicer than the pictures on the web site. It has a sandy cove right nearby that looked like you could snorkel. It’s on Elsie Bay with a fantastic view of St. Martin!
Thanks to everyone who helped me plan this trip. It would not have been so wonderful without all your advice! I will be glued to the forum until next year as the Anguilla addiction has deeply taken hold.
All new travelers------Be forewarned!
