By: Paul Morrone
We made the mistake of telling our kids about our family vacation three months in advance. Time is a bit of a nebulous concept for a 4- and 6-year-old, which means that for three months we had to remind them that it was only February (or March, or April) and that we weren’t leaving until May. After a grueling 90 days, it was finally time to leave. We took a leap of faith when we booked a trip to Anguilla (not to be confused with Antigua) as we hadn’t talked to anyone who had been there and we knew very little about the island prior to going. Fortunately, any reservations we may have had were quickly dismissed and what followed was a trip that all four of us will never forget.
Anguilla is a bit of a hidden gem in the Caribbean and is one of the smaller islands with no major airport, no deepwater port for cruise ships and is relatively undeveloped when compared to places like Aruba, Grand Cayman or Turks and Caicos. None of the major hotel brands have a presence on the island, and there is only one (very inconveniently timed) direct flight from Miami in the US. Most travelers, like ourselves, fly into St. Martin and then take a boat from the airport to the port in Anguilla where we then shuttled to our hotel. Fun fact – this required you to clear customs twice in St. Martin (entering from the US and leaving to Anguilla), which is a French (St. Martin)/Dutch (Sint Maarten) territory and then again in Anguilla (a UK territory) when you arrived. Lots of passport stamps for the boys!
You would think that being off the beaten path would have left us with limited options to fill the time, however, the opposite was true. Aside from the countless hours enjoying the pools and beaches at our immediate disposal, we also made a trip to the local water park for the boys, rented a Moke (which is like a golf cart, but on steroids), took a glass bottom boat to a coral reef, did some snorkeling and went to many of the local restaurants that make the island so special. As a self-proclaimed food snob, I will attest to the fact that the local food was truly delicious, fresh and memorable, especially for those who like seafood.
Part of the charm of Anguilla was getting off the resort property (as dreamy as it was to be there) to explore the area and get a feel for the culture of the island. That, alone, was an adventure because, as a UK territory, you drive on the left side of the road (but most cars still have the steering wheel on the left as we do here in the US). It is a very strange feeling, especially entering one of the many rotaries on the island during which time you are constantly second guessing your decision to be behind the wheel. We survived, but there was more than one moment when things were touch-and-go.
The real magic, however, happened when you least expected it. It wasn’t the shock-and-awe moments of arriving at a beautiful resort, seeing a sea turtle or watching the sunset over the ocean (all of which were great). It was the more subtle moments and the time we spent enjoying each other’s company just lounging in the pool, laughing around the dinner table or walking the beach that stick out in my head as the memories I’ll cherish most. Seeing the kids so happy, Jill and I being so relaxed, and just taking a step back from breakneck pace of day-to-day life was a welcome change of pace that we all didn’t know we needed. The rum punch didn’t hurt, either!
Anguilla quickly found a special place in all of our hearts, and it definitely will not be my last trip to that special island.
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