Anguilla, or There and Back Again: Part V

Blooming ixora on Turtles Nest grounds

Wednesday arrives and I’m inevitably sad. It’s my last full day on the island, and thanks in part to Delta’s scheduling gaffe, there are still too many of my favorite Anguilla things that I haven’t done and I’m actually a little bit stressed at the thought of fitting them all in. Good thing I spent my time last night making a list.

The first thing I do after making a few pictures of Turtles Nest flora (looking vibrant after the light rain in the night) is hightail it to Village Bake House, which has been closed for the last two mornings and which I’ve been eagerly waiting to try. Located in the new-old Geraud’s location in South Hill, it has ample parking and outdoor seating for those patrons who wish to partake of the delectable pastries on site.

I selected a blueberry pastry and an apple tart, along with an iced latte. That’s when I learned that the Village Bakehouse has a fairly high credit card minimum (US $25, I think?). I didn’t want to dip into my cash because I was a little concerned about having enough for boat fare, departure tax, and a tip for housekeeping the next day, and ATMs are sometimes a little finicky on the island. So I proposed to the woman since I planned to come the next day for breakfast that I go ahead and pay for tomorrow, too, and then we’d be square.  Anguilla being Anguilla, she happily agreed to my proposal but the whole time I was struggling to place her face.

In the meantime, I took my pastries and coffee outside to the shaded patio to enjoy while trying to remember where I knew her. The deliciously flaky and buttery pastry crust must have jogged my memory just enough, because BINGO! It was Susanne from the former Bonjour Cafe in Sandy Ground.

At one point she came out to see if I needed anything else, and as she turned to go, she asked if she knew me in almost the same breath as I asked her if her name was Susanne. It seems that she’d been going through her own mental Rolodex to place me, too. We both laughed and then she lingered for a few minutes while we checked in to see how the ensuing years had treated us since we last crossed paths.

After breakfast, I headed back to Turtles Nest to enjoy the beach for a little while. Mostly I was simply biding my time until the morning was sufficiently advanced to head up to Ocean Echo to spend a few hours in the company of Andrea. No trip to Anguilla would be complete with a nice, leisurely visit with Andrea!

I squealed a little bit when I walked up and saw her behind the bar. Luckily I was the first guest at Ocean Echo that day, so we could have a proper catch up. She asked me where I wanted to sit, and when I replied, “In the breeziest spot,” she sat me at the corner of the bar.

I know that lots of folks love The Rumzie, Ocean Echo’s signature drink, but it’s a little sweet for my personal preference, so Andrea created this beverage for me.  Passionfruit, raspberry vodka, lots of fresh lime juice, and a touch of sparkling water.  Delicious!

A good hour passed while sipping my drink, chatting with Andrea, and reading my book while she was tending to various tasks. My adult beverage went down with tolerable ease, but I needed to pace myself. In the interest of avoiding plastic bottles, I opted for a Ting instead of a bottled water. Eventually, though, I grew hungry enough to place my lunch order for a fish burger.

The fish burger was deliciously seasoned and despite missing the French fries, I was glad I made the sensible choice and requested the green salad as my side. Meanwhile, a lovely American couple who own a home in Anguilla had arrived and she recognized me from this blog and from the TripAdvisor forum, so we had lots of things to chat about.

Looking west toward Four Seasons

Originally I had packed a beach bag with the intention of setting up shop on Ocean Echo’s comfy beach chairs, but that part of Meads was feeling a tad warm, so after making a few photographs on the beach, I was happy to head back to the bar for the rest of my visit. Andrea made me a margarita to help slake my thirst while finishing up my book. 

Looking east toward Straw Hat

Turtles Nest seen from Ocean Echo

Alas, I still have miles to go before I sleep, so sometime in the late afternoon I regretfully bid adieu to  Andrea so that I can keep my other commitments for the day. First up: a bit of shopping at Devonish gallery. I almost always come home from my Anguilla trips with one of his carvings/sculptures because they’re the ultimate affordable piece of art and this time I needed a little somethin-somethin’ for my colleague who was doing some of my work for me whilst on vacation. 

From Devonish, I headed east so that I could get in a visit with Pamela from Sea Spray. Here I picked up a t-shirt for my beau and made friends with her new feline companion, who is a real sweetheart. Sea Spray always has a nice array of casual jewelry and island-themed Christmas ornaments suitable for people even in my tax bracket.

Typically I would have ordered Pamela’s famous rum punch, but since my plans for the evening also included a sundowner in Sandy Ground, I opted for a smoothie instead.

I always enjoy catching up with Pam and hearing her news.  She was still getting readied for the upcoming season when I stopped in, and of course we spent some time talking about our cats, dogs, and AARF. Before long, though, I had to hie myself down the hill to Sandy Ground so that I could catch the sunset from a new vantage point. 

I arrived at Sand Bar just in time to settle in at my table and order a drink. There was one other couple seated there when I arrived, and they were of a friendly bent, so they invited me over to chat. They’d been to Anguilla a few times before and were also active on one of the travel forums. We discussed our favorite restaurants and they asked me the pros & cons of renting a villa vs staying in one of the resorts. 

Ahhh, so refreshing

Soon enough, though, it was time for me to think about heading home to clean up for my last dinner on the island.  Last dinner on the island generally can mean only one thing for me: Straw Hat.

My 7:00pm reservation put me the first to arrive in their dining room that night.  I think it was the very first dinner there where I wasn’t seated in Armel’s section, and I was very sorry in retrospect not to have requested that.  Still, the young man taking care of me was capable and friendly.

As difficult as it is to believe, I hadn’t had crayfish yet on this visit, so I made amends.  Skipping the appetizer because I’d just had one of Pam’s excellent smoothies just three hours ago seemed like a wise decision, and even so, I left half of a crayfish behind on my platter.

In the meantime, Doris, Peter, and Armel all took a moment to come over and chat, which made me very happy, indeed.  I ordered a second glass of wine while contemplating the rain and my choices for dessert.  I’d had my heart set on the warm coconut tart with rum raisin ice cream but it wasn’t on offer that night, so I had to consider my other options very carefully. In the end, I opted for the layer cake served with (if my memory is accurate) a homemade ginger ice cream and a rich caramel sauce.

While perhaps not strictly as satisfying as the coconut tart would have been, it was delicious and a very fitting end to my last evening meal. I was, in fact, sad when leaving and if there were tears in my eyes, then so be it.

Next up: a farewell tour of the west end and trip report wrap-up.

Anguilla, or There and Back Again Part III

Another beautiful Meads morning

Waking up on Monday morning was essentially a repeat of the day before.  Up with the sun, early morning coffee and reading in bed with the windows and sliding doors wide open on the balcony.  Listening to the light rain, followed by a walk on the beach while the shadows were still long. It’s a pretty terrible way to start the day, let me tell you.

My second book of vacation: Super Host by Kate Russo.  This debut novel will be published in June 2020. It’s the story of a London artist past his heyday who rents his home on a website similar to AirBnB to make ends meet. Lots of wonderful bits of London color, art, and human insight to boot.  She’s the daughter of famed author Richard Russo, and I’m happy to say that literary talent definitely runs in the family!

Public access path to Rendezvous

I had originally planned to spend Monday on Shoal Bay East but couldn’t find confirmation online anywhere that Elodia’s (my favorite place to park myself for the day on SBE) was open, so I switched gears and decided that Rendezvous would be my destination for the day.  I called The Place to see if they were open, but the reply was “only for breakfast.” Undeterred, I packed a beach bag and headed for Rendezvous anyway and decided to spend a nice chunk of my day at Anguilla Great House instead.

Chairs for rent, or complimentary with lunch

The palm trees that didn’t survive Hurricane Irma were a great loss for this beach

I’ve had many well-loved beaches over the years, and for my last several trips to Anguilla, Rendezvous has reigned as my favorite. Shoal Bay East used to be my top pick, but it’s starting to get a little built up now for my taste.  Rendezvous pleases me with its stunning length, views to St Maarten, casual beach bars and above all, the low density of hotels and resorts.

Click for full view

I set myself up on the far westerly chaise longue for privacy and immediately went for a swim.  Despite this beach having more small rocks & pebbles closer to shore, I appreciated that there was less undertow here than what I’d been experiencing on Meads, where merely getting out of the water without being sucked back in required both sure footing and good timing. After my swim I took a short walk towards The Place in order to dry off a bit, but since the sun was higher in the sky, I was careful about  my exposure.  After all, the one thing that I wasn’t able to do sufficiently on my own for this trip was to apply sunscreen on my back!

Heading east, toward The Place

I’d started a new book earlier that morning and was eager to get back to the narrative, so for the next two hours I stayed under my umbrella until I started getting hungry.  While I’d dined at Anguilla Great House before I’d never before eaten at Coconuts, the restaurant that sits on the beach. I picked out a table in the shade, ordered the BBQ chicken and a Ting, and got lost counting the many shades of blue in front of me.

 It was altogether pleasant, especially with the constant breeze. I completely inhaled my chicken, which was delicious and even managed to eat some of the cole slaw and the Sysco-esque French fries.

I still wanted that little something, so I ordered a frozen rum drink with banana, strawberry, and mango.  It wasn’t, strictly speaking, my favorite adult beverage ever, but it was cold and refreshing and managed to finish it all.  I was pleased with myself that I’d remembered to bring my own reusable straws when dining out!

Moving my chair so that it could stay in the shade of my umbrella, I settled in for a nice long read after lunch. The breeze was perfect - strong enough to keep me feeling quite comfortable but not vigorous enough to be kicking up the sand. Basically it was the Goldilocks of breezes in that it was jusssssst right. Eventually I was feeling too sedentary and so put on my beach coverup and went for another walk - this time in the direction of Cuisinart.

After a decent amble, I walked back, went for another swim, and then settled my tab.  I’m not sure how much the chairs and umbrella are to rent if you’re not buying lunch at Coconuts, but they were complimentary with my meal.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I decided to go for a swim in the pool at Turtles Nest.  The water was actually cold!  Like, teen-chattering cold, at least for the first minute.  It was an utterly new sensation for me. Feeling far too chilled to sit outside in a wet bathing suit after that dip, I hiked back up to my room and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon reading and catching up on work a little bit back home.

The sunset, while pleasant, wasn’t spectacular enough to tempt me down from my balcony. Afterward I spent a little time actually blow drying my hair and and a minimal amount of gussying for my dinner at Veya, which is arguably my favorite restaurant on the island.

It’d been three years almost to the day since my last meal there and I was excited to see a few new things on the menu, and I had a difficult time deciding whether to try something new or go for an old favorite, so I did both. Favorite cocktail (Sandy Hill) for an aperitif, new appetizer (green salad), favorite entrée (jerk spiced tuna), and new dessert (pineapple upside down cake). Their delicious johnny cakes & pumpkin bread, an amuse-bouche of pumpkin soup, and a glass of wine rounded out the meal.

Veya’s signature votives

It was a beautiful evening and before long, Omari’s voice drifted up from the courtyard below to serenade us all. The salad was perfectly fine but nothing out of the ordinary, but the rest of the meal was culinary perfection.  That tuna dish, with its many layers and flavors and textures, is unlike anything I’ve ever eaten anywhere else. 

Despite not finishing the salad or the tuna, I still felt like I needed to roll myself down the stairs to my car after dinner.  I’m definitely not used to eating that much for my evening meal!  The staff were kind enough to wrap up my uneaten banana bread and even tossed in a couple of extra johnny cakes and pieces of pumpkin bread for me to take home for my breakfast the next morning. All in all, it was a pretty damned perfect day.