Anguilla XV: Another Tuesday in Paradise

The little weather station by our apartment

Having turned in early the night before, we both woke early on Tuesday, eager to greet the day. This was the morning that an echoing boom could be heard across the entire Sandy Ground village, and as better writers than I have stated (thank you, RMG), it was the explosion of a catamaran’s lithium battery. Yikes!

We heated up our omelet and johnnycake leftovers from our earlier (and enormous) breakfast from Roy’s in the efficiency kitchen in the studio and dined al fresco for breakfast before taking a walk up the beach.

Sparkling Sandy Ground

The listing catamaran. 

Before this visit, I had never given much thought of Sandy Ground as a great beach destination, but it’s only in Anguilla that the “afterthought” beach is nicer than what you find on most other islands! I loved feeling like I was staying in the middle of things, like being a part of the local community. Obviously that communal fellow-feeling isn’t found on the big resorts that are intentionally providing an oasis for their guests, but until I experienced it in Sandy Ground, I hadn’t realized that it was something missing from my previous villa stays on the island, too.

We packed up our beach bags and drove all the way out to Shoal Bay East to spend the day at Elodia’s. That location is my favorite spot to park myself on SBE, just a short walk from the point, with steady breezes to keep you comfortable and a constant changing in shades of blue, thanks to the wind, the water, and its myriad interplays of light.

We began our usual cycle of swimming (which honestly is just treading water, not actually any kind of forward locomotion, other than drifting in the current), reading, and gazing at the horizon before I walked up and requested one of my favorite drinks: a passionfruit daiquiri. The one at Elodia’s is excellent and they provide a generous pour, and their prices are still lower than most other spots on the island.

 

After another dip in the water, we wandered back up to the restaurant for lunch. Michael ordered a mahi mahi sandwich and I had the bbq chicken plate. Both offered solid value and we made quick work of them before heading up the beach for a walk.

The last time we’d been to the island you couldn’t navigate around the point to Upper Shoal Bay, at least not on foot without wading through the waves, but on this visit we could walk all the way up. I have always loved that moment rounding the point, where the wind is suddenly aggressive in your face, whipping your hair around and the waves kick up and all the vegetation is bent to its will.

We walked back and swam again, then read some more, and eventually packed up our bags and settled up, for today was our visit with Pam at Sea Spray. Pam hadn’t been on island on our visit in 2022, I hadn’t seen her since 2019, and Michael hadn’t seen her since his first visit in 2016, so we all had some catching up to do! We sat and chatted while sipping our smoothies and watching the world drive by until eventually we bid her goodbye and hied ourselves down the hill to Sandy Ground.

Sunset from Roy's

Veya's signature urchin candle holders

Crudo of the day

Tonight was special, for tonight was dinner at Veya, which has long been one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. We started by sharing the crudo of the day (forgive me, I don’t recall what fish it was), served with plantain chips that was just delicious, followed by the five-spiced duck breast (Michael) and the grilled mahi mahi with miso-sesame glaze and coconut rice (me). 

The absolutely incredible mahi mahi

The totally delectable duck

There were quite a few new-to-me items on the menu this time, and I was deeply pleased to see that Veya now has a very nice selection of vegetarian and vegan-friendly items compared to my previous visits. (It must be said, that even though most restaurants in Anguilla can accommodate a vegetarian or vegan diet, not all of them list full options on the menu, which is a shame. When traveling with my vegetarian friend in 2022, all of our meal decisions were based on the online menu that restaurants provided.)

As tempted as we were by dessert, we decided to skip it in favor of following Peter’s advice and stopping by Waves on our way back down the hill to have a night cap, but not before popping into Meze for a moment to listen to Sprocka, who waved and greeted us as we gathered ‘round.

While Waves is technically walkable from Roy’s, I am so glad that we drove because walking that dark road through the abandoned Mariners resort to get there would have been creepy AF. It was creepy enough driving! But eventually the road gave way to a brightly lit spot on the water and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

We happened upon them at a quiet moment – they told us that 7-9 is pretty quiet until the after dinner crowd hits them – so it was fun feeling like we had stumbled across something secretive. We had two rounds of drinks while chatting to the two women working and the occasional person who dropped in for takeout before heading back to Roy’s and turning in for the night.

Christmas Bat!

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.