USVI-On-Line

Sunday morning, woke up and thought it was at least 9 am - quick check of the clock shows its not even 7 yet! It's totally light outside by 5:30, so you really feel like you're sleeping in here. Enjoy cheese toast and coffee on the balcony, then head to the beach. We're the first ones there, and pull up a couple of chairs and an umbrella. Later find out that the chair/umbrella combos are $10 from Gwen's, which is ok. For the rest of the week, we just use the free Allamanda chairs, and pull them into the shade.

After a couple hours of zoning out here, we decide to walk up the beach and past the point. As we round the corner, we see the other hotels and bars along the way...Shoal Bay Villas, Ku, Elodia's, Uncle Ernie's, etc. We hang out here and swim for a while, have drinks at the bars, and just lime the day away. Matt has determined that Uncle Ernie's "world famous" rum punch isn't all it's cracked up to be. At the end of the trip, it's at the bottom of the list. But the beers are cold, cheeseburgers were excellent, and the view is awesome. This part of Shoal Bay is great...lots of little bars/restaurants, and other people to hang out with.

We decide to head back to "our" end of the beach, and find Gwen's is packed and live reggae music is being played. It was great! Oh, and we had the first of several meals at Gwen's. Fish Sandwich with the famous pasta salad cannot be beat! We enjoy several beverages here, then head back to the room for some balcony time, then early to bed.

Our car was dropped off Monday morning, so we spent the day exploring the island a little. Matt had been looking forward to checking out the Dune Preserve (musician Bankie Banx' bar), so that was first on the agenda. After some missed turns and bumpy roads, we finally find it. It looks closed, but we walk up anyway. And there he is - Bankie himself, kicked back and relaxing. He told us the restaurant was closed on Mondays, but the bar was open, and would we like a drink? Of course - we couldn't miss out on the opportunity to hang out with such a famous guy. We spent an hour or two here, talking with Bankie and checking out the place. Quite a set up he has there - really reminded me of "Swiss Family Robinson".

Did some driving around, then headed back to Shoal Bay. Had dinner tonight at Serenity - we were the only diners there! Can't remember what we had, but it was good. Nice ambience and view, too.

ps - I'll try and post some pictures tonight...

I'm appreciating your reports. Anguilla has always interested me.

Thanks, Lex. I wasn't sure if I was going to post here or not, then figured there would be somebody interested.
So far, St. John had been the only place that we'd repeatedly visited - now I now that Anguilla will also be on that list.

Please tell the story as you wish, but I hope you'll touch on snorkeling right off the beaches (my impression is that there's not much there) and general costs compared to STJ (my impression is that prices are higher although better food is available). I'm also curious if you get more of a feel of being immersed in West Indian culture than on STJ, which has become so Americanized.

I've listened to some Bankie Banx over the years and it's pretty cool to think about just walking into his place and being able to talk with him.

I've had my eye on Anguilla as well. The beaches look amazing. Would love to see pictures. Did you get to see Cap Juluca at all? Curious as to what that looked like. Keep up the reports, good job.

Thanks for the comments, guys. In regards to your questions...yes, the snorkeling does not compare to St. John. We really didn't snorkel a lot (twice from the beach at Shoal Bay, and again on a day trip to Prickly Pear), but when we did weren't that impressed. Everything seemed really bleached out.

Cost wise, once you get there, I honestly think it's about the same. When we wanted to eat cheaply, we'd hit Uncle Ernies ($6 cheeseburger w/ fries) or Gwen's ($9 fish sandwich w/ sides). And there are some other options for lower budgets. Our nice dinners out were: Zara's, about $80 for 2 entrees and bottle of wine. Straw Hat $135 for 1 app, 2 entrees, 3 beers and a glass of wine. And you could easily spend over $200 for dinner at other places. There are so many great food options in Anguilla - I don't think I had a bad meal there. My extra "vacation weight" proves it!

The beaches are great. they don't have as much shade as St. John w/ the Sea Grapes, but at a lot of beaches you can rent chairs/umbrellas. And there are usually bars or restaurants on the beaches, which is wonderful. But the color of the water is indescribable, with so many different shades of blue and green.

Lex - you hit the nail on the head about the culture. You really do feel more immersed...and most of the locals were very friendly, if not a bit shy. Everyone is for sure on "island time", and it's nothing to chat for 10 minutes with the guy who pumps your gas.

We didn't make it to Cap Jaluca, but met a few couples that were staying there. They said it was great, but pricey.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. I know when we are planning a trip I like to have as much info as possible, so we can choose the right hotel, restaurants, etc.

I'm interested in your trip report as well. My best friend's sister just built a house there and they just love the island. I was there a long time ago when Uncle Ernie's was just a little shack on the beach (still the same???) and that was all there was on the beach. At that time, I remember thinking this is the most beautiful beach in the world. Looking forward to your next installment. Pictures? Ali~

Last year I thought we were gonna take the plunge and book ourselves to anguilla...I really liked the sound of KU. However, we didn't think it would work for the 11 year old who is completely spoiled by STJ. Plus we are all fair skinned and the no shade is a scary thought. Food sounds great and the thought is still tempting.

I have been researching a trip to this island and your trip report helps tremendously! Thank your for doing it.

JO Ann