Straw Hat: Twice is Nice

Anguilla is one of those vacation places where, if you pay attention, you notice that you keep seeing the same families and couples around the island.  That group you saw at Elodia's on Saturday has expanded when you see them again for lunch at The Place later in the week.  The family of three whom you remember from breakfast at Geraud's because they, too, have their noses buried in their books (in fact the same one: Gulp by Mary Roach), you later notice trying stand-up paddling on Shoal Bay East.  The young couple from Cap Juluca's Blue, presumably honeymooners, are also having dinner at Veya on your last night.

And so it goes.  Anguilla is a pretty small island and the kind of people who vacation there are fairly likely to venture out beyond the confines of their resort or luxury villa to see some of it. I'm perpetually approaching strangers when I see them taking various permutations of photos and offering to take their collective photo so that nobody has to be left out of it, and it's an easy way to strike up a casual conversation: are you honeymooning? first time to the island? how do you like Anguilla? etc. It's about the level of interaction that I'm comfortable with most of the time on vacation.  I'm on Anguilla to escape all demands, save that of savoring the moment with my husband, whose presence I unfortunately but necessarily end up taking for granted during the year, due to the demands of my job. Anguilla time is Us Time, with capital letters.

What is unusual is that this year we really connected with one of those couples whom we met, and then kept on meeting around the island: Adria & JP.  After breakfasting with them one morning at Las Esquinas, we met up again with and spent an afternoon at The Place, and on another evening we decided to meet up for sunset drinks and dinner. At Straw Hat. One night after DH and I had gone there already.  That's right -- it's a fun enough place to do two nights in a row.

DH at the vestibule in Straw Hat 

The bar area at Straw Hat

DH and I arrived there early so that we could purchase a gift certificate for Ronnie Bryan and his new bride as a wedding present.  We explained that we were meeting friends who wanted to enjoy drinks and watch the sunset, then perhaps stay for dinner, but the restaurant was pretty full. Oh, no--the one time we show up with no reservation!  But Shane set us up with a primo table for cocktails while we waited for JP and Adria to join us.

We ordered a first round while we waited and made some photos, but the sunset just didn't look like it was going to provide much spectacle.  Luckily, our conversation flowed spontaneously and widely, flitting from topic to topic.

DH and JP: they clearly have the same barber

JP & Adria

Adria & me

After our drinks, we inquired with Shawn if there was a table in the back we could move to for dinner and he worked a little bit of magic to keep us at that front table for our meal.  We would have been quite happy to move, not having had a reservation, but that's just the kind of folks they have at Straw Hat. Instead we ordered another round of drinks while debating our order for the night.

A subdued sunset

Straw Hat is one of the few upscale places that features goat on the menu, and DH usually orders it, but our lunch was late that day, so we ordered modestly. JP tried the crispy snapper, Adria selected the warm tomato tart from the appetizer, I had the grilled snapper, and DH ordered the spring rolls, also from the appetizer menu. All of them were excellent, but I think JP and Adria won.

Crispy snapper

Warm tomato tart

Spring rolls

Grilled snapper with coconut rice and creamed spinach

It's impossible for me not to order the caramelized bananas, and JP & Adria apparently are constitutionally incapable of passing up on a creme brûlée when they see one.  Just to mix things up a little bit, I requested the salted caramel ice cream instead of the usual vanilla and it was wonderful. They said that they enjoyed their creme brûlée, too, and we lingered a long time over desserts and coffee until the night was no longer young. Doris, the wonderful manager, came by and chatted with us for a little while and then it was time for us to depart.

We eventually bid our new friends goodnight.  It was their last night on the island and they had an early departure the next day and we made our way back to Caribella.  We reflected that it was one of the nicest nights we've had on the island.

Straw Hat chandelier

They have lots of colorful tees for sale

Another eponymous hat lamp

All Caribella, All the Time

Sunset seen from the balcony

I have had a few requests to post more information about Caribella on my blog, as there's a decided dearth of information about it online, and most of what is out there comes from one other person and me. I've posted photos on my blog before, including a photographic tour of Barnes Bay, where Caribella is located, but here's a no-holds-barred review.

View of our building from beach

DH and I went to Anguilla for the first time in 2009 but we didn't stay at Caribella until our second visit in 2010. This year marked our fourth stay there, and if they weren't closed in October when we also visit the island, we'd probably never stay anywhere else. (Well, future vacations from vacation notwithstanding.)

Caribella, as seen from West End Bay

Caribella ticks all of our boxes for vacation: it's spacious, comfortable, quiet, and beachfront, with full cooking facilities and optional a/c in the bedroom--and all of this while providing an excellent value. They offer discounts on stays of 7 nights or more and they also reward customer loyalty. On top of that, it's Anguillian owned, which makes a difference to travelers like us.

Pair of sea grapes next to Caribella

We also love Barnes Bay.  It's a beach with character, and the ever-shifting sands and erosion make it look like a different place every time.  Despite the fact that Viceroy is right there, it tends to be one of the quieter beaches on the island--except for Friday and Saturday nights, when Viceroy does blast the music pretty obnoxiously.  But back to the beach.  Viceroy on one end currently has a very rocky beach, but that may change with Viceroy's seriously misguided efforts to create some breakwaters.  On the far western end of Barnes there's a perfect little swimming cove--I love walking there each day and taking a dip there in the early mornings and late afternoons.

Barnes Bay, looking west

Barnes in front of Caribella, looking slightly toward Viceroy

Rocks down by Viceroy

My personal swimming cove

DH standing on the other side of the swimming cove

This year we stayed in unit #2 for the first time, which is the upper level of the building closest to Mango's.  Up until now we'd always stayed in unit #6, the upper level of the building closest to Viceroy.  We like different things about each units.  While we like the actual layout of #6 better with the beautiful view from the master bedroom, unit #2 was breezier by far, both outside and in.

DH on #2 balcony on a rainy morning

Our favorite thing about both units is the oversized, covered balcony.  We bookend our days there, spending our early mornings and late afternoon hours with a book in one hand a beverage in the other. They're also perfect for watching the summer thunderstorms pass overhead and out to sea and deep enough that we can sit outside in all but the most driving rain and not get wet. Both balconies have a table with four chairs, plus two chaises longues.  The furniture is simple and chosen for its outdoor durability moreso than its comfort.  Fair enough.  The view is slightly better from #6 because the sea grapes do not block any of it like they do with a portion of #2 (as you can see in the photo, the view is still good, though), but it was definitely breezier on balcony #2.

Balcony of #6

The living room in #2 is a bit larger because it runs the length of the unit. The room is furnished with a loveseat, sofa, and chaise longue, all done in wicker with tropical print cushions. It's definitely a dated decor, but the furniture is in good repair. While the living room layout is different in the units, the furniture itself is identical.

Living room in unit #2

Living room in #2

Living room in #6

There's a bar that is incorporated into the kitchen in each unit, and here my clear favorite was in unit #6.  It was there that I sat and did most of my computering. In unit #2, however, the bar is so high that the barstools provided aren't tall enough to sit in and eat from the bar comfortably.  This is a little strange to me. You can see the relative heights in the photos by seeing how far the backs of the chairs come up vis a vis the counter.

The bar in unit #6

The uncomfortably high bar area in #2

The kitchens themselves are comparable in terms of amenities. Our kitchen this year was slightly bigger and easier to work in, but the dark mahogany cabinets made it feel like a darker space to work in, even with the overhead light on. Both have a microwave, a toaster, and a blender, plus the usual pots & pans, dishes & flatware.  Again, nothing fancy but very functional. If we wanted bread toasted to look golden brown, we'd have to run it through the toaster a couple of times.  And using the oven is a hassle in both places because of the pilot light.  (Gas ranges in both units, FYI). For this reason, I really wish that toaster ovens were provided for those times when we want to heat something without using the big oven.  On this trip we at in the unit more often for dinner and the occasional breakfast, whereas in the past it was for breakfast and the occasional dinner. Apparently this year the siren call of Geraud's pastries or sandwiches for breakfast was just too strong!

DH in action in #2

Another shot of #2

Kitchen in #6

The bedrooms are pretty comparable in size and number of windows, but our bedroom this year was noticeably cooler by 2-3 degrees than the rest of the unit and thus was more comfortable.  The king bed is on the plain side, and the ensuite bathroom was smaller this year. I think the a/c works better in unit #2, which is ironic because we only used it for a few nights during our 15 night stay--it was really quite comfortable without it. Quite different from unit #6, where our one night with non-working a/c was miserable, even with the floor fan directed on me through the night. On the other hand, I missed having a great view of the sea from our bed like we had in unit #6, where there was a large sliding door leading to the balcony.

Louvered window view of the sea from our room in unit #2

Master bedroom in #2 

Second bedroom in #2 (with optional a/c)

Master bedroom in unit #6

Second bedroom in #6, with no a/c

Both units are a little spartan, but they are definitely clean and comfortable. This is clearly not a place where decor or ambience takes center stage, but at the price we pay, we don't expect that at all.  The water pressure in the bathrooms is adequate, if not especially strong; it's about what we have at home with well water, so I'm used to it.  Other guests who have a strong water pressure at home may be disappointed. The hot water supply has always seemed plentiful, though. There are occasional cracks in the plaster and the walls are fairly bare.

Flowering oleander on the property

Sea grapes on the beach

Another nice touch at Caribella is that they provide beach chairs and umbrellas (one each per guest) and  a small cooler.  Barnes Bay doesn't have a ton of shade at any time time but it becomes negligible after about 3:00 or so.  We like to sit under the sea grapes in the morning on Barnes and keep the umbrella for later in the day.  The chairs sit low to the sand and have three different recline settings, plus there's a small pouch on one arm to hold a beverage, or in my case, a camera.

The sea grapes by Caribella

Above all, as I said above, we love that balcony.  Every afternoon we return from the beach and shower, then sit outside to continue reading until sunset.  It's breezy and beautiful, it allows my hair to dry naturally without a hairdryer (they do provide one, though), and we sit in companionable silence until it's time to watch the sunset.  Even the subdued ones are beautiful in their own way.

If you're looking for a a stylish place where form takes precedence over function, or a place with full service and fancy amities, Caribella is probably not for you.  If you want to be where the action is, or if you want to be surrounded by luxury, Caribella is probably not for you.  However, if you place a high value on, well, value, and if you want a comfortable and casual beachfront villa, with minimal service beyond housekeeping, then Caribella is definitely for you.  Especially if you want to support locally-owned establishments when you travel. The ladies who take care of you, Rose-El in the front office and Vandra & Gloria in housekeeping, are all lovely people and every year we look forward to seeing them again.

L-R: Gloria, Rose-El, Vandra