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| Sunset on Sandy Ground, as seen from our rooftop |
Michael and I are
not the sort to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, much less go out, but
we played against type for our first Old Year’s Night in Anguilla. About a
month before our trip, we sat down to determine which restaurants we wanted to
prioritize for dinners while on the island, but particularly for December 31
when reservations would be harder to come by. We toyed with the idea of heading
to Rendezvous, lured by the thought of ringing in the new year with Bankie and
whatever musical celebs might be partying with him at The Dune. Ultimately we
decided that given our budget, but more importantly, given our practical
nature, that it was the sort of night that would be more fun in the retelling
than in the actual experience. Spending $180 pp cover just to be able to say
that we spent NYE in the company of Madonna (or so I heard) and then driving a long
way home in the dark amidst drivers who have overindulged just isn’t us (not to
mention that we were trying to keep some costs down on this trip).
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| Beachfront table at Dolce Vita |
Instead, we chose
Dolce Vita, one of our favorite spots, and now even better – just a short walk
up the beach from Roy’s! It falls to my lot to be the designated driver on the island because I’m comfortable driving on the left and am generally pretty
familiar with the main roads, so it was a real treat to indulge in adult
beverages without worry for a change.
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| Grilled crayfish: Anguilla's signature dish |
Typically I
order from the same rotation at Dolce Vita – gorgonzola gnocchi, spinach
& pear salad, eggplant rollatini, poached pears in red wine with white chocolate mousse – but this night I opted
for the grilled crayfish special, and why not? I was hungry and had been
dreaming of the island’s signature dish for the last year.
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| So silky smooth in texture |
Since our
strategy was to stay awake until midnight, we parted ways with Dolce Vita after
our complimentary limoncello but before the joint really got to jumpin’. Abbi
came by with a hug, a smile, and warm wishes to send us on our way. From there
we walked to the end of the beach to have our second round of drinks at Elvis’s,
rum punch for Michael, planters punch for me (it’s less sweet).
We chatted with Elvis
and the other patrons and decided to have another round of the same – hey, not
driving! – before walking back up the beach around 10:00 pm. Our best laid
plans of stopping in at Criss Conch Shack for a snack and then Lit Lounge for
another drink never came to pass. We were still too full from dinner and
despite my lack of driving responsibilities, I just didn’t have it in me to
have another drink.
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| Roy's lights - just follow them home! |
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| Traditional holiday Black Cake |
Instead, we bellied up to the bar at Roy’s so that I could sample another traditional Caribbean holiday food I’d never had before and hear the last bit of Sprocka’s set. The Black Cake was an intriguing mashup of something like a rum cake, but with the flavors of a mincemeat pie and the density of a fruitcake. I’m so glad I could finally try it!
Sprocka
joined us at the bar after his set and we talked until about 11:30, at which
point we went upstairs to watch the fireworks in the comfort of our jammies
from the rooftop. I love that the entire Sandy Ground community of restaurants
and bars pool their resources to provide fireworks for the entire village’s
viewing pleasure. It’s true that various resorts do the same thing for their
guests, but it felt special to be a part of a community celebration. The show
only lasted a few minutes, but they were memorable – and at one point somebody
up on the hill along Back Street was shooting off fireworks, too, so we were surrounded.
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| The opening fireworks, seen from our rooftop |
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| Self portrait in jammies |
“Oh, what a night!”
as Frankie Valley might say.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
I love your writing Emily, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading, Ellen!
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