Anguilla - Days 1 and 2

Ok, so the next couple of blog posts are very detailed and quite long. This is totally for my memory! So feel free to skim the information!

Before we flew out of Atlanta on Saturday, we met up with our friends at Noche Brookhaven on Friday night! It was so good to see everyone, but it is never long enough with them!

The newly engaged couple!

Day 1

Davis and I arrived in St. Maarten around 12:30ish. We were shocked that there was no line at the custom's desk, so we breezed right through! The last time we flew to St. Maarten, we stood in the custom's line for quite awhile. Once exiting the airport, we were met by the GB Express representative and shuttled to the ferry dock. As soon as we stepped outside, we noticed that the weather here is much more pleasant than the weather at home. The islands actually have cool breezes - something we have not seen in a long time in south Georgia! While we waited on our boat to arrive (which was earlier than expected), Davis and I enjoyed some piña colatas and were visited by a little dog walking on the bar! He knew the right people to go to get attention! 

Little dog that joined us at the bar

Leaving St. Maarten

On the boat to Anguilla

Bye St. Maarten!

The boat ride over was pretty smooth except for a few big waves, but even if one gets seasick, there wasn't enough time between St. Maarten and Anguilla to experience it! Once we got to Anguilla, I was expecting a long line at the Blowing Point Ferry dock, but we were, again, the only boat arriving at that time, so we went right through with no wait time! 

Our little car

Bryan's Car Rental left our jeep at the dock so we didn't have to catch a taxi. Crime is almost non-existent in Anguilla, so Ronnie just left our keys in the glove box. I assumed there would be a map in the glove box with those keys, but there wasn't! Davis and I took off in the rental with no idea where to go! By the way, you must drive on the left side of the road! So on top of driving on the opposite side of the road, we ended up on the opposite side of the island from where we were supposed to be! Thank goodness, a very nice gas station clerk sent us off in the right direction with a map! After finally arriving at the Frangipani, we were greeted with yummy rum punch and escorted to our room. The room was very nice with a spacious bathroom and full body shower. 

Bathroom

Bedroom area. There was seating area to the left, but I didn't get a pic of that.

Shower and toilet area

View from our balcony

Davis and I quickly changed into our bathing suits, and hit the pool! Since the Frangipani is such a small resort, we had no trouble getting two chairs. We practically had the pool to ourselves! We did talk to several couples, and one suggested we go to Blanchard's for dinner. They commented that it was just a short walk up the beach, and since we had already been lost, we decided it might be a good idea not to drive anywhere! 

After reading, relaxing, and taking a dip in the pool and ocean, we took showers and walked to Blanchard's. It was a little farther than we expected, and by the time we got there, we couldn't tell we had just had showers! The atmosphere of the restaurant was wonderful with all windows opening toward a courtyard with a fountain and the beach. Davis and I hadn't really eaten since breakfast, so of course, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We ordered the shrimp and lobster cakes for our appetizer, the sampler for dinner (sesame crusted mahi mahi, jerk chicken, and crayfish), and I had the cracked coconut and Davis had the key lime pie in a glass for dessert. We dreaded the walk back to the resort, but it was a beautiful night with a full moon shining. As soon as we got back to the room, it was time to hit the hay and dream of the rest of our week on this beautiful island!

Sorry this picture is so dark! Be this is looking out to the courtyard and beach.

Day 2

Frangipani from the water

After dinner Saturday night, Davis and I crashed! I haven't had a night of sleep this good since we started letting Riley sleep in the bed! We slept late, and ate breakfast at the Straw Hat - I had a bagel and Davis had pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, we lounged on the beach, and then Bernard, one of the beach boys at the Frangipani, set us up a Hobie sailboat, and Davis and I sailed back and forth in front of the resort for several hours. The beach boys at the resort are wonderful, and the activities are all included in our room rate! Once we got back for sailing, Davis and I ate lunch at the Straw Hat. Guess it was a Straw Hat kind of day! I had tasty Greek salad and spring rolls, and Davis had spring rolls and tempura fried fish and chips! Everything was excellent! After our late lunch, we drove to the store to pick up stew necessities, like beer, candy bars, and snacks! The prices were in Eastern Caribbean, which is $2.68 to the US $1, so at first we thought we were paying $9.95 for a box of Cheez-Its!

Sailing in front of the Viceroy

Sailing in front of the Malliouhana

When we got back to the resort, we jumped aboard the Relentless, the boat for the Frangipani. Davis and I took the boat along with a couple from Pennsylvania, a couple from Illinois, the managers, their son, and Rashan (one of the beach boys) to watch the Carnival boat race that was postponed from last weekend. The Frangipani sponsored one of the boats, so we were out there to cheer on Da Tree. Sadly, they didn't win, but it was an absolute blast!  I hate to say that I am glad Anguilla had bad weather last weekend, so we could enjoy the boat race this weekend! 

Boat Race

It may be hard to see, but there are almost 20 people in these boats!

After the race was over, we took the boat over to Little Bay. This small beach was featured on the Bachelor a few seasons back and is really only accessible by boat. We jumped off the boat and did a little snorkeling, and some guests jumped off the rock there. The water was perfect, and we even saw several colorful fish. Once we were done there, we took the boat back to the resort and watched the sun set over the ocean with a glass of champagne. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the afternoon!

Flip Flop, the managers' dog enjoying the boat ride!

Sunset on the way back to the hotel.

After we returned to the hotel, Davis and I joined the couples from the boat, Vernan and Misty and Will and Jenny for dinner at a quaint little place called Lucy's. When we arrived, we were the only people in the whole restaurant! I had the crab fritter salad and pumpkin soup and Davis had the fish soup for appetizers, and for dinner, he had the mahi mahi special, and I had the coconut shrimp. Everyone was too a full and hot to stay for dessert!  Overall, Lucy's was a great dinner, but be prepared to stay awhile! It was late when we returned from dinner, so we went straight to bed. All this sun and food made us tired!