I love to collect postcards. When I travel on business, I stop into local antique stores and take a look around, especially for postcards from the Caribbean. Many of these cards date back to a time when zip codes weren’t used. You just wrote the city, or city and state, and your card found its way to the right place. The images draw me in, but I love to read the messages. Some are very short and sweet. Some cram as much as they can in that tiny little space. Some reflect the time they were written more than others. The places have changed over the years, and our…
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When people describe Anguilla, they often rave about the beaches and the food, but not to be overlooked is the music. Live music is widely available on the island, and the most famous Anguillan musician has to be Bankie Banx. Bankie plays regular at his now famous Dune Preserve, but once a year, he hosts “Moonsplash,” an event bringing in even more great music to the island. Moonsplash began as a moving music festival with the first concerts on Sandy Island off St. Martin and in St. Barths. In 1995, Moonsplash landed in its permanent home at The Dune Preserve on Anguilla. Over the years, Moonsplash has featured many of…
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When we look toward traveling to a new island, one of the first choices we make is the hotel, and picking the perfect hotel for your family is no easy task. Picking the perfect resort, villa, or hotel requires research and consideration of what you need, and more importantly, what you don’t need, to make your vacation a happy one. 1. Room or Suite? Anyone traveling with their family knows how difficult, and how expensive it can be, to find the perfect accommodations. Our family of four started traveling out of the country when the kids were 6 and 8 years of age. When the kids are that young, you…
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You will probably see a lot of posts about the “best travel tripod” if you were like me and you were struggling to make a decision as to which to choose. Some articles were more informative than others. What I gleaned from what I read was that what was the “best travel tripod” for one photographer, was not the “best” for another. Here is my choice for the best travel tripod, the Gitzo GT0532 Mountaineer Tripod . It met my needs for support and stability, while at the same time remaining light enough to pack for all our adventures. 1. Carbon Fiber I knew I wanted a carbon fiber…
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It was our first night on the island, and we were headed to Picante to catch some margaritas and Mexican food. The only problem? Picante is closed on Tuesdays. A new plan is needed. We start driving east, trying to think where to go. Driving along, just as we were passing Dungeon Gym, over on the south side of the road I spotted the red lanterns of Cha Cha San. I recognized it immediately from Anguilla Beaches, and said “Quick, turn around!” We were early to dinner, and glad that there wasn’t trouble getting a table, because after a long day of travel, we would need to retire early. I…
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Coming back to The CuisinArt was like coming home again. We stayed here on our very first trip to Anguilla in 2007. I still remember the doorman calling to us as we ventured out for our first bit of driving on the island, “Left is right, right is wrong!” It’s a family-friendly resort that’s not too stuffy and not at all chaotic. It just fits. The resort is just as beautiful and the staff just as welcoming as I remembered. The grounds are well-maintained, filled with lush plantings. The lobby looks out to the beautiful series of tiered pools that lead you out to the beach. And the beach is…
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Looking for beautiful, unique gifts for the people back home? Be sure to stop into Limin’ Boutique, located on the northside of the main road, just east of the turnoff to Smokey’s on Anguilla’s west end. Looking for beautiful, unique gifts for the people back home? Be sure to stop into Limin’ Boutique, located on the northside of the main road, just east of the turnoff to Smokey’s on Anguilla’s west end. Looking for beautiful, unique gifts for the people back home? Be sure to stop into Limin’ Boutique, located on the northside of the main road, just east of the turnoff to Smokey’s on Anguilla’s west end. The shop,…
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Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to visit da’Vida, located on Crocus Bay in Anguilla. The restaurant always had a great reputation, but we never found our way there on previous visits. After this visit, I look forward to visiting again. We weren’t alone. Sunday afternoon seemed to be the time, and da’Vida seemed to be the place. The parking lot was packed, and we knew we were in the right place when we spotted this van. Omari Banks plays at da’Vida on Sunday afternoons. So not only do you get a nice meal, you get great music too! The setting is beautiful, especially on a gorgeous afternoon like…
