Anguilla is a great place to on vacation if you like the beach. The island is about 16 miles long and 3 miles wide and has about 15,000 people..The beaches are extraordinary and there are a number of top of the line hotels to choose from, all located on a gorgeous beach.
Hotels include Cuisinart (they now have 2 hotels-Cuisinart and the Reef), the Four Seasons formerly the Viceroy, Malliouhana, Cap Juluca, and Zemi. The island has 2 main resort areas the West End and the Shoal Bay area. It can take about 25 minutes to go from one area to the other so we tend not to go to both areas when we visit the island.
Food is good but it is NY prices. There are some exceptions. Blanchard's Beach Shack is an informal shack on a great beach, Mead's Bay, and the prices are very reasonable and the food is great. Tacos, salads, some fish, good desserts, ice cream, it has an eclectic menu.
Picnic tables and beach at Blanchards's Beach Shack.
Blanchards is also an expensive restaurant for dinner and is next door to the Beach Shack. Other top restaurants are Veya, Malliouhana, Mango's, restaurants at the Cuisinart, Pimms at Cap Juluca. Many people we meet in Anguilla tend to collect going to all of the fancy restaurants on the island. We go for the beaches not the food. You can get good food but nothing extraordinary as very little is grown on the island and everything is imported.
The best way to get to Anguilla is to fly to St Maarten and take a short ferry ride to Anguilla. We like to take a 15 minute (with no traffic) cab ride from the airport to Marigot, the French capital in St Martin and take the public ferry to Anguilla. There are boats from the airport in St Maarten but they are 4 times the price and land at the same terminal in Anguilla. They are more convenient if you are not familiar with the islands.
If you have questions about the island, drop me a line.
Wines
Recently had a great 2012 Syrah from Denner, a Paso Robles winery in California. It is not cheap but I picked up 2 bottles for $35 each. The wine is full of flavor, lively and was great to drink. It is a big wine but drinks easily.
We tried a 2016 Sigilas (winery) Assyrtiko(grape) from the island of Santorini in Greece. It is a white wine which critics love. The wine is heavy, lots of flavor but did not set off any bells. It was OK and not sure if I would drink again although we are going to Santorini so.... The wine is made for aging and so I should probably try one with more age.
Enjoy the Fourth. Today is a beer and barbecue day.
