Anguilla trip report, February 2011

[mbw1024]

$171.50 for Veuve????????? Excuse me while I pass out! I can never go there!

[PA Girl]

$171.50 for Veuve????????? Excuse me while I pass out! I can never go there!

And this is how it was served it on Valentine's Day, that is oj from a carton -

[GraysonDave]

Eggs: $13.40!

I have a rather offbeat uncle who has done many things during his life, one of which was to start an egg farm on Anguilla. Putting his Georgia farm experience to good use. As he tells it, after a couple of years he had the entire fresh egg market on Anguilla sewn up. I remember him saying that the locals didn't like that very much at all and he was ready to move along anyway, so he sold out to a local farmer. I may have to get him to teach me what he knows and become an egg farmer in the Caribbean.

*edit - after writing I can't remember for sure whether it was Anguilla or Antigua. I'll have to ask. Either way it seems like a good business to get into.

[sailorgirl]

I nEarly fell off the couch .Reminds me of what my mother used to say "$100 and I bought no meat!"

[sailorgirl]

I think I figured it out, but please tell me someone didn't spend $31 on potato chips!!!!

[JJShaw]

I loved the report..the beaches are beautiful..but HOLY CRAP on the grocery bill..I had looked at possibly going there...but dang...not so sure now..

[PA Girl]

I wasn't along on the shopping trip. I am almost tempted to call down and ask "are these prices EC or US?"

The total less US cash makes me think it is all US$. Some of the items also make sense, like the card, the pringles, the wine and beer and fruit.

But then there are the $31 chips and the milk that make me wonder.

If the prices are EC$, the chips would have been about $12, which is still outrageous.

And no, there is absolutely no way I would have purchased $12 or $31 chips but there are reasons I choose not to participate in food shopping or cooking on vacation so I, quite literally, pay the price!

[liamsaunt]

I bet they were $31 USD. If you look closely you can see that the $31 chips were twice the weight of the $13 chips. Must have been a jumbo bag.

I once paid $12 for a regular sized bag of terra chips at Starfish. Obviously I did not see the price before I threw them in the cart. I don't even really like terra chips so it was especially annoying.

[PA Girl]

Yes, the bags were big and I remember it being a "gourmet" brand that I see at Wegman's.

[linne]

Thank you for the report and the pics. The beaches on Aquilla look lovely, but what a pitty that you had such rough water during your stay - hope that you will be able to snorkle with your son next time.

Linne

[Teresa_Rae]

I simply cannot believe those grocery store prices! Just wow! But at least you saved $39.64!

[PA Girl]

OK - so I showed Mr. PA the receipt this weekend and he said those prices are definately EC$ because he knows that he didn't have that much US$ cash on him at the time. Our friends also remember the prices as being in EC$.

The exchange rate was $2.68 EC to the US$, still making chips insanely expensive!

[liamsaunt]

I thought of you yetserday at Whole Foods. They had a huge display of the 14 ounce bags of Kettle Chips--2 for $7.

[beach1]

We stayed at the Cuisinart last fall. Very nice. The staff couldn't do more to make our stay the best!!! Very friendly people in Anguilla.

[DonnaM]

Funny, we were Anguilla people until we cheated on it with STJ!! Love the people, beaches and restaurants but wish they had a town to walk around. Our first trip, we stayed at Villa Zebra which is right above Maillouhana. We could walk to the beach at the hotel but it was a rough walk back up the hill!