Seventh Visit to Heaven

My wife and I took our seventh trip to Anguilla from October 13 thru 19th 2002 having been on the Island last May of 2001. We went US Airways to SXM then Winair to Anguilla and the sad part was we were the only tourists to arrive on the flight. Where are all the tourists? Just because some of the key hotels and restaurants are closed doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself on the Island of Anguilla in the off-season.

Rates are down at the Hotels and Villas, reservations are not required at the restaurants that are open even though we did call a head and most of all the weather was hot, humid and sunny during the day with an occasional rain storm in the evening. The beaches were not crowded even with Day Visitors on the Island.

We noticed some changes to the Island; just to name a few - new golf course in the development/planning stages, Cocoloba has re-opened under new management, the Cinnamon Reef Hotel in Little Harbor (we will miss one of our favorite places to eat - Palm Court Restaurant) is now the Enclave at Cinnamon Reef and the biggest and best attraction open is the Dolphin Fantaseas. So, we begin our journey for the week.

This year we stayed at Janine and Ian Edward's Splash Villa. Taking a taxi from the airport we were met at the Villa by Janine, who greeted us with Ice Cold and refreshing washcloths, which after our air flights felt wonderful. Janine gave us a quick tour of the three BR Villa with pool, CD Player, VCR and color TV with cable. The Villa was fantastic, we had the ability to have all the comforts of home, Full Size refrigerator with freezer, microwave, coffee maker - Full Kitchen but best of all to enjoy our vacation even more total privacy. The villa was stocked with cold beverages, breakfast items plus we shopped in the new market downtown for misc. items. The maids Mavis and Maureen were friendly and let us have our privacy. They did great work around the Villa. Breakfast was cooked each morning by me at the Villa, we could have gone out but why bother, when you can eat a relaxed breakfast poolside!. The food and service was of course great with Mavis or Maureen cleaning up all the dishes and pans.

Of course, we hit our favorite beach - Shoal Bay East plus even stayed poolside to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Villa. We enjoyed Lunches at LeBeach and rented their beach chairs. The food was good and reasonable.

The best experience of the vacation was swimming with the dolphins and feeding the Stingrays at Dolphin Fantaseas. The Stingrays vacuum the food right off the palm of your hand. The training staff was wonderful - Karen, Rich and Stephanie & Chris the dolphins Al, Indy & Ayla are a lot of fun and very playful. As a Scuba Diver, I have touched and fed Moray Eels, Turtles, Sharks and other marine creatures but nothing can compare to feeding and touching the Dolphins. This is a necessary event when you are on the Island or if you can take the day trip excursion from St. Martin. Special thanks to Annmarie Letang and to Rocklyn Maynard for getting great pictures of our time with the Dolphins. If you swim with the Dolphins make sure when they get a great picture or two of you or your family member to purchase it. It will be the best souvenir to share with your friends and family when you return from your trip. Just think after the Golf Course is open you can play 18 holes of golf then kiss a Bottlenose at the 19th hole!

The next best experience was a relaxing and enjoyable body treatment and massage by Jill Walker Owner of Taino Wellness. I had treatments during our May trip and had to go back during this trip. The treatments were some of the best I have had, I wish I could bring Jill back to the states or had time to visit Anguilla more often, so I could be spoiled and relaxed. No visit or vacation to Anguilla is complete until you relaxed at the hands of Jill.

Limited restaurants were open but we had great meals and service throughout
our trip. Best meals and most reasonable priced restaurants - For dinner or lunch I would highly recommend English Rose and Totally Grilled & Hot Plate . Oliver Bailey of Totally Grilled has great Chicken wings with Jerk and Honey BBQ sauces. These were some of the best that I have had including Buffalo, NY home to the wing. The Jerk sauce tasted great on the fried rice included with the meal. My wife had Jerk Shrimp that was also delicious. Both restaurants are located in the Valley

Located near the Dolphin Center with the best lunches is Cocoloba Beach Resort. Cocoloba is under new and improved management. They are renovating the rooms. The staff is friendly and the service was excellent. The staff and management made us feel very welcome to the Island and their property. Their grounds are beautiful. If you are looking for a hotel stay vs. villa, consider the new Cocoloba Beach Resort over the usual big hitters on the Island.

Altamer Restaurant was a dining experience, however it is a little pricey for what you get. The food and service was good. My Snapper was tasty but at around $35. with dessert at $16.00, we ate at the Gee Wee's Bakery for lunch and paid around $ 8.00 each for a better tasting dish of snapper.

Ripples for Dinner, our old favorite. Jackie is a hoot and great host. We enjoy each visit to Ripples and make sure we go at least once during our trips to the Island. Prices are reasonable and the food was great.

For a day trip I would contact Jack Tramonte and Mere Leighton, owners of Zippity Do Da, a 42-foot boat powered by 700 horsepower diesel engines. We never got the chance for a day trip with them but Jack and Mere offered us a fantastic package and experience, which we plan to take advantage of during our next visit to Anguilla.

Submitted by
Andy Arden
Owner
Marand Associates Travel
Oneida, New York USA.

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