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A few weeks before our trip, we
were tracking the weather
for Anguilla on Yahoo. We were a little stressed, because
every day showed partly cloudy with showers. We were relieved
to learn what that means - it can be POURING rain on one side
of the street, and bright and sunny on the other. And even
when it did rain, it passed within a few minutes. So if you're
planning a trip, and the forecast has you stressed, don't
worry (and check out this Anguilla
webcam for reassurance).
Anguilla had been on our "must visit" list for
a while. The problem is, it isn't the easiest place to get
to so I was happy to learn we could fly from Chicago to San
Juan, and then get an American Eagle flight directly into
Anguilla. Leave Chicago at 3pm and be in Anguilla by 11pm.
We should have known that it sounded too good to be true.
Our flight to San Juan was a few minutes late, and by the
time we made it to the American Eagle gate the plane was already
too heavy. It was somewhat of a pain (another stamp in our
quickly filling passports, overnight in St. Maarten, ferry
to Anguilla in the am), but we were on the beach by noon the
next day and have flight vouchers for future travel. Always
a plus.
We stayed at the Rendezvous
Bay Hotel, which we found on the internet and read great
reviews about on the Anguilla
online forum. There is something about this place that
is...addicting. The beach is one of the most beautiful we've
ever seen: soft powdered sugar white sand, crystal clear warm
waveless turquoise water, more shells than a beachcomber can
carry, and not a strand of seaweed in sight. There were always
enough beach chairs and umbrellas, and the oversized hammocks
were a favorite of ours in the evenings.
The hotel has something for everyone. We stayed in one of
the standard rooms - they're in the older bungalows, about
a minute walk from the beach, and about half the price of
the beachfront rooms. We saw the beachfront rooms and they
look like they're worth the price. NOTE: bring bug repellent
and mosquito coils!!!
The best part of Rendezvous Bay Hotel (aside from the beach)
is the staff. Bart, the manager, will do whatever it takes
to make your vacation the best it can be. I think we were
the only ones at the hotel who hadn't been there before, because
everyone seemed to know each other. It was even one families
Christmas tradition to string lights on a cactus in front
of their bungalow. Everyone even went caroling on Christmas
night!
But of course, we did not join in - although we're still
singing "There are no reindeer, in my country, he'll
have to borrow, my neighbors donkey, ho ho ho, ho ho ho, How
will Santa get here?"
We rented a car through the hotel and explored the island,
which you can adequately do in one day. You can read the details
in the journal
archive, but to make a long story short: After seeing
the entire island, we still prefer Rendezvous Bay.
The only downside of Anguilla is that the restaurants
are pretty pricey. On the bright side though - Anguilla has
some fabulous restaurants. We ate at Tasty's,
L'Indigo,
Cedar
Grove, and our favorite Blanchard's.
We'd go back in a second!
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