What a Difference a Day (with Sunshine) Makes!

I've got the leaving-Anguilla-blues in a pretty bad way.  We left the island via small plane yesterday at noon and were home in our beds around 2:45 am this morning.  It's a good thing that Anguilla is worth the 12+ hours of travel to get there!

Driveway at Las Esquinas

To combat my blues, I'm allowing myself this one day to download & organize my photos and write & schedule some blog posts.  Which means, it's time to revisit Las Esquinas.  As I mentioned before, we were very lucky to stay one night there, but the weather wasn't so hot and so my photos were a little dull. Robin, the owner, and JR and Clemencia, the staff, all were gracious enough to invite us back again if the weather cleared up.  Thus it was one sunny morning that we drove back to Little Harbour to make more photos. Clemencia welcomed us back with some of that yummy tomato toast, and then Adria and I went for a snorkel since the water was too rough to do that before.

 The entryway 

The east facade

I think that DH and I must be some kind of bad weather magnets, though, because no sooner had I taken a handful of photos, another storm rolled in from St. Martin, and this one was a doozy.  It made for some pretty dramatic shots, though, as the water in front of Las Esquinas was still bright with sunlight. After one storm passed, Adria and I geared up for a snorkel, only to be caught in another passing squall.  Couldn't see much snorkeling, and the waves were choppy enough to make it a little uncomfortable, too.

Looking toward St. Martin 

And again, a few minutes later

So here's a little photographic tour of the exterior of Las Esquinas:

The salt water pool somehow always manages to reflect the colors of the sea.

A little sun between two storms

The little footbath for washing off sand from the beach

This little lizard was kind enough to pose on the kayak for me

The sweet but shy Pyrat, keeping watch over the beach

Landscaping along the waterline

One of the best things about this place is the ratio of bedrooms to hammocks, which is 4:3.  Those are some limin' odds that I can definitely get behind!  I sampled two of them  They all have wonderful views and great breezes--DH started off giving me a gentle rock in each one and the wind kept the momentum going for a good while.

Hammock #1, the breeziest

Hammock #2, the most comfortable

Hammock #3, closest to the water

Of course, one of the best things about Las Esquinas is that blurred line between indoor and outdoor living. Even when sitting down at the breakfast table, or in the living room, there is so much open air surrounding you.  The house is well-built, and there were various sliding glass and wooden panels that could be adjusted to keep the rain out while still maintaining the view. We saw these in action several times, as JR and Clemencia rushed to shut the rain out with each squall that passed through.  The hard tile floors become quite slippery when wet, so this is both a safety precaution and a means to slow down the harm done to furniture and finishings by wind-driven rain and salt.

DH in the lounge area

The breakfast table, which is open on two sides to the outdoors

The breezeway connects two of the bedrooms, overlooking the courtyard. The other three walls say Grace, Humility, and Reverence, qualities we could all do well to find a larger place for in our lives

Here's more of an interior tour of the B&B, including photos from multiple bedrooms because JP & Adria let us take pictures of their room, plus JR took me to one other unoccupied room.  I also tried to highlight all of the individual decorative touches around the house.

The living room

Living room from another angle, showing open doors to the #2 hammock

My DH in his natural habitat

One of the greatest things about Las Esquinas is how green it is.  They have a triple-filtering system to provide potable water to their guests in one of the kitchen sinks.  They also recycle all of the water from the sinks & showers to use for watering the garden, which is why they provide the all-organic liquid soaps, shampoos, and body washes for the guests.  It was just wonderful being in Anguilla and not having to worry about the accumulation of plastic bottles from having to drink bottled water--the lack of potable water combined with the lack of recycling facilities on the island is very sobering and in my mind one of the few very real drawbacks to vacationing there.

The light and airy kitchen

Our bedroom was the Balinese room, and it was quite spacious and gorgeous, with a king bed, a large outside deck with two chaises longues, and even a full soaking tub in the bathroom.  I have no idea who would need a hot bath when vacationing in Anguilla, but it's there if you ever need it.  As ever, it's the little details that make this place special, whether it's the Balinese shadow puppet for decoration, or whether it's the pitcher of potable water with drinking glasses and reading lights on each side of the bed that indicate how much thought has gone into guests' comfort.

Our balcony had great views to the south and east.

Looking down at the pool from our balcony

When Johnny Cash was asked what the key was to a happy marriage, he allegedly replied, "two sinks."  He and June would have been happy here. 

The open shower

Close-up of the cloth hanging above our bed

Adria and JP stayed in the Mexican room, and I loved the bright colors in there.  They had the breeziest of the rooms I visited.  One of their walls faces due east, where the prevailing winds come from, and Adria demonstrated just how breezy it was when the windows on that wall were opened.  If I wanted a guaranteed room where breezes were constant and a/c absolutely unnecessary, I'd pick the Mexican room.  They also have an outdoor shower.

The Mexican room

Balcony on the Mexican room

Just a sweet arrangement of shells and coral on the Mexican balcony

JR showed me the Mediterranean room, which was also lovely.  It would be perfect for families with one child to share, as the daybed at the foot of the main bed is a twin mattress. 

The Mediterranean room, with day bed

JR on the balcony of the Mediterranean room

In no particular order, here are a few of the folk art pieces from around the world that Robin has collected.

Balinese shadow puppet

Mask on a kitchen wall

I suspect this is a wind chime, but it hangs on a large linen-press or cabinet

A Polynesian oar, propped in the corner of the living room

Another mask on the wall

Nice cock. 

Just a touch of color in the corner

These tassels are made with sea shells

One of many pieces of original art (no reproductions) hanging in the house

This lends a little extra visual interest in the vestibule

The main light in the vestibule

Last, but far from least, one of the greatest pleasures of being at Las Esquinas was meeting the people there, both staff and guests. 

Clemencia and Lucy 

The remarkable and many-talented JR, with DH 

Adria and JP

Thus it was with slightly-heavy hearts that we left Las Esquinas, but it left me scheming how to get back there again next year, if only for a short respite.  Because everybody needs a vacation from their vacation, during their vacation. Right?

The upper levels of Las Esquinas, looking from one bedroom to another, with the courtyard down below

The small beach at the bottom of the property

DH, taking his leisure

A Day at the Beach: Shoal Bay East, Anguilla

Shoal Bay East

Up until this year, Shoal Bay East was my clear favorite for beaches on the island.  Not just gorgeous, but full of character and long enough to wear yourself out walking, and with soft sand.  Plus those myriad shades of blue, an endless horizon, and a sampling of beach bars to keep one well-libated. Now, it seems, Rendezvous Bay is running neck-and-neck with Shoal Bay for me, so clearly the best policy will be to visit each one as many times as possible to make a decision.

A tree grows in Brooklyn a concrete bunker

The drive out to the east end takes a while from Caribella.  Maybe 25 minutes if it's raining or if I'm stuck behind a slow driver.  We pass a couple of interesting things on the turnoff to Shoal Bay, like a random tree growing out of a concrete bunker, or the Nuncy Tamarind Tree, which is undoubtedly lovely, and it has its own sign, but it's unclear to me what its special significance might be.

The Nuncy Tamarind Tree

But really, back to the beach photos.  When's the last time you saw gorgeous water like that?

DH and I always park our butts at Elodia's because we enjoy the company of Carol and because we appreciate the extra shade of the tent/pavilion thing.  We can sit underneath it all day and not have to worry about moving our chairs to chase the shade.

Plenty o' shade

Food is not Elodia's strong point, but it's better on the weekends when they grill chicken & ribs and have a special pasta menu like they did on Saturday.

This is the first time we'd seen a special menu board like this.

We ordered the chicken & ribs combo platter to share, and it was just about the right amount of food for us. The fries aren't great, so we left most of them on our plate and went for a walk around the point towards Gwen's and Upper Shoal Bay.

We made reservations for dinner at Straw Hat because we were in the mood for something convivial, and I figured that they would be relatively busy.  We'd been putting off having dinner there until at least Friday because Peter was going to be off-island and we wanted to make sure we visited with him.  Good thing we waited until Saturday night because he got delayed by LIAT (natch). Also, they're a drop-off point for Island Books, so we dropped off one small bag of picture books, with plans to drop off another bag for teens/adults before the end of the trip. (I just need to finish reading a couple first!)

They weren't seating at the outermost line of tables due to weather, which was a little disappointing on our part, but well-informed on their part as there were light sprinkles throughout the evening. Armel was one of our servers, and she's just terrific. They've got a good team at Straw Hat.  It's one of our three favorite fine dining places to eat, and it always seems to be lively and fun and good natured.

I ordered my usual Ti Punch, which is one of the best rum punches anywhere, in my opinion.  Very tart, redolent of bitters, and just the thing. We avoided our usual dishes, though, for variety's sake.  DH ordered the grilled shrimp with creamed spinach and coconut rice while I opted for the red curried shrimp with mushrooms and coconut rice.  Both were very good.

Grilled shrimp

Red curry shrimp

For dessert, we split one of my two favorite desserts on the island: the caramelized bananas with vanilla ice cream, pineapple, and a rich caramel sauce (the other one is the dense coconut cake at Veya). Seriously, give me a fruity dessert any day over a chocolate one and I'm one happy camper.

All in all, it was a day that was practically perfect in every way, to quote Mary Poppins.  We had a glass of the Ron Zacapa and a decaf coffee to round things out before heading back to Caribella. Peter, being the sweetheart that he is, surprised us by comping the dessert course. I hope it's not because I gave him a hard time about not finishing one of my favorite books!

Right as we were walking out into the parking lot, I heard somebody calling my name, but tentatively.  Turns out to be the husband & wife team of RefereeJoe from the TripAdvisor forum.  We had a nice time chatting there in the vestibule of Straw Hat while a fairly wild storm raged outside. 

The Place is THE PLACE

Gorgeous and nearly-empty Rendezvous Bay

I'm a sucker for a beach bar that has lots of shade, nice breezes, comfortable chairs, good food and great service.  Well, really, who wouldn't be? Up until this trip to Anguilla, I always had to sacrifice at least one, usually two, items on my list.  Elodia's, my favorite place on Shoal Bay East, has uncomfortable chairs and food that I'm not exactly going to write home about. Same thing for Gwen's. Smokey's lacks sufficient shade, as do most other beach bars on the island But with The Place, I have found my beach bar Nirvana.

There is a covered pavilion with chairs and daybeds, and the dining area is fully shaded, too.  The fact that Dave and Mo from Smokey's also work at The Place? Well, that's just pure gravy as far as I'm concerned.  They're both sweethearts.

DH and Mo

We spent two consecutive days there last week, and we plan to spend our last day on the island there, too, for a total of four days spent there during our vacation.  (As of this writing, The Place is only open Thur-Sun).  One day we had The Place practically to ourselves and the second afternoon we were lucky enough to run into our new friends, Adria & JP, there.  They're the couple from Texas who were in residence at Las Esquinas during our brief stay there, and we really hit it off with them. 

The food is solid, the water there is perfect for swimming, and that end of Rendezvous Bay is constantly blessed with breezes. One day DH and I shared the local version of a surf & turf platter: grilled ribs & shrimp, served with fries, slaw, and salad. The second day I had the fish sandwich with rice & peas and DH opted for the hamburger with fries. Both came with slaw, and all three dishes were fresh and tasty.

Ribs & chicken

DH's hamburger

My fish sandwich with fresh-mango daiquiri

Mo and Dave also won me over because of their willingness to mix drinks with fresh fruit instead of with the Island Oasis mixes that are ubiquitous on the island. Mo made sure I always had a cold beverage in front of me, bringing extra ice as needed and even the occasional drink sample to see if I liked it.  On the second day, Dave brought mangos to work from his home because he'd run out of fruit the day before and I told him that I'd be there.

It's a pity the man cannot relax!

Sampling a Singapore Sling from Mo

We stayed until late in the afternoon.  They settled up the tabs around 4:00 each day, but they were fine with our staying there as long as we wanted. Late in the afternoon is when I prefer to swim, as the sun is slightly less intense then and I'm less likely to develop that raccoon-like look that I get when wearing my sunglasses all the time. 

Corner Bar

Because we'd been so long at the beach and feeling like we'd rather eat in, we stopped at The Corner Bar in North Hill to grab a pizza to go.  We met some interesting folks there while we waited for our hand-tossed pizza, and the large was ample enough to feed us for two dinners, plus have a couple of slices left over. We ordered the Supreme, which has your usual blend of meat & veggies, but the flavor was really terrific.  We set the pizza aside at home while we went for a walk and swim at Barnes Bay, but by the time we sat down to eat it, the crust had become soggy.  Still, I don't know what herbs and spices Corner Bar puts into their seasoning, but it tasted great. 

So basically, The Place + The Corner Bar = 2 Great Days! I can't wait to go back there on Thursday for my last day on the island. 

Last Month in Review: June 2013

Though my stats aren't bad at all this month (12 books in total), I'm really surprised that it's not higher, considering that part of the month I was on vacation and usually read a LOT more than that.  This year I blogged more and socialized on-island more than usual, so perhaps that's the reason. In chronological order:

1. Manuscript Found in Accra by Paoulo Coelho.  This was an audio book read by Jeremy Irons, so it was great listening.  The story itself, though? Not so much.  Have you read Kahlil Gibran's book, The Prophet? If so, then you've read this book already.  If you're innocent and optimistic of the world like I was in high school, you'd probably like it.  If you're more jaded now, then you probably wouldn't.

2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  I read this for the new YA-for-Adults bookclub my bookstore just started.  It was really good.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling.  I re-read this book (not sure how many times I've read/listened to it in total) for the BEST READALONG IN THE WORLD. I'm still in mourning that it's over.

4. A Marker To Measure Drift by Alexsander Maksik.  This was a helluva fine read and a complicated one: a survivor of the civil war in Liberia makes her way to Santorini. Homeless there, she focuses on two things: day to day survival and maintaining her sanity after what she witnessed. As the book unfolds, the reader gets an intimate portrait of both Jacqueline and the island, the beauty of one acting as a counterpart to the horrors in her mind.  The book is also beautifully written and it's probably one of the best books I've read so far this year.  Keep an eye out for this one, folks.  It's going places.

5. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.  Very fun romp through vampire lit.  Review here.

6. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo. Serious book, very good. Review here.

7. This Is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila.  An excellent short story collection. Review here.

8. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  The most fun I've had with a book in a LONG time.  Review to come.

9. Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman.  A good story collection, particularly if you like animals, as they play secondary characters in all of the stories.

10. The Rathbones by Janice Clark. Pretty good novel, but ultimately not the best book for me.

11. Headhunters on my Doorstep by J. Maarten Troost.  Let's just say that this wasn't my favorite of his works. Review to come.

12. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.  Another fantastic and strong novel from one of my favorite authors.  I used to say that I preferred her short story collections, but this novel was so strong that now I'm not so sure. Review to come.