It has been a difficult two years for all. January and February 2020, I was on eight planes in two months...........all vacation. And then everything stopped dead in its tracks. Hello Coronavirus.
Three weeks later, I was infected, and in retrospect, I am now quite content to have had it when I did.
Well, enough of that.
We just returned from an amazing trip to Anguilla. We flew in a very special way because we had our 2 grand babies, and we had to be very cautious as they are too young to be innoculated. Upon arrival in Anguilla. there was a team awaiting our flight to do the covid testing in a private room. The entire procedure took about 6 minutes. The driver we normally use in Anguilla was on standby at the airport. We were a big party of seven. We were driven to the Four Seasons Hotel (originally the Viceroy) and he took us directly to our villa. There was no paperwork to be done.
The villa was a giant box of concrete on the outside. The plantings softened the look. The interior was all marble and glass. It was wonderful (except for the acoustics). Everytime a baby cried or screamed, it bounced off the glass and it was not absorbed by the marble..........so it just kept bouncing. All four bedrooms were masters with fabulous bathooms and a few had outside showers. We had a wonderful pool and jacuzzi, outside dining area, and patios and decks. Each room had marvelous private exterior space as well. This is just the home setting.
What was amazing was the weather. 80 degress and sunny every day........and 67% humidity.
The beach seemed very different from the way it had looked in the past..........the ocean (and maybe the hotel) had made enormous changes to the beach in a very positive way. The sand was soft and the sea was gentle.........that was until the tsunami from Tonga made its way to the Caribbean. The surf became extremely rough and the waves were huge. That lasted for a few days. It was powerful. The beach staff had our chairs on the ready each morning as we strolled (or golf carted) to the beach after an outstanding breakfast. The beach staff and and the breakfast staff could not have been more accommodating. The hotel changed the location of the breakfast from an OK restaurant in the resort's interior to their premier restaurant with an spectacular view of the sea. Our fresh juices and iced coffees were brought to the table as soon as we entered the restaurant. From day one, we were only addressed by name by the most courteous staff I have ever encountered..........and there were so many people who worked at the hotel.
We were able to leave the property as soon as we received the results of the covid test taken upon arrival, but the first night we had dinner at the hotel's leading restaurant. SALT. The food was disappointingly just ok. But The Sunset Lounge at the adults only pool makes great drinks and serves a very sushi/Asian menu, and it is quite good. My husband and I snuck away and enjoyed two days in this area when we had had enough of the bouncing screams. The lunch restaurant (Bamboo) at the hotel, on our beach, (the hotel has two beaches) was enjoyed quite frequently by all.
The hotel offers tennis, spin classes twice a week, and yoga every morning at eight. I missed yoga every day. The babies spent a few hours a day at the kid's club (which kept them out of the sun), and there was a beautiful gently sloping pool which allowed the tots to walk into the water themselves. The only thing that I felt was missing was an outdoor jungle gym for the children. There is a spa. I cannot comment on the treatments as I have only used one massage therapist in all the years we have been coming here. My children used him also. His name is Wayne, and he has magic hands.
The restaurants on the island are varied. There is the old Malliouhana Hotel (now owned by Auberge), which was always known for wonderful views, great food and an exquisite wine list. Now the name of the restaurant is Celeste. When we first started going to the island, Malliouhana was where we stayed. That was April, 1990. I only remember because I had a 19 month old and a 3 month old and everyone said I was crazy taking an infant to the Caribbean. They both survived. On this trip we dined there twice as it was excellent.
We also went to (what was) Cuisinart (and now is Aurora) for lunch and both the food and the service were abysmal.
Belmond bought Cap Juluca a few years ago. Cap has been around forever. Great rooms. Great beach. My husband and I stayed there shortly after they were reopened by Belmond. There were three restaurants and each was worse than the next. This time, two out of three were great. There is UCHU, a Peruvian, which was beautiful, and the food and the service deserved two visits. They also opened Pimms. I missed that night (belly needed a rest) but I heard rave reviews from my family. And there is Cip which is supposed to be a take off on Cipriani. That one went no where. Food and service 1/10.
Blanchard's, a long time restaurant with a history, was just plain disgusting. My husband and I left literally after the first bite. My children stayed and had the worst meal ever. And Blanchard's beach restaurant was great. Food for the locals.
We tried the Hotel Quintesence as we heard the restaurant Q was supposed to be very good. Appetizers were good. Drinks were good. Setting and service lovely. Entrees barely fair. One and done.
There is a French restaurant Jacala. It has been around for quite a while. The food is good. Nothing to rave about.
Sharkeys is fairly new. The chef is from one of the hotels. Food was very good. Great menu. Service was accommodating.......and the place was packed.
Lunch at Ocean Echo on the beach, walking distance from Four Seasons.....soup very good. Tuna good going down. Think that is what came up the next day.
There were a couple of others not worth writing home about.
All in all I thought it was the best vacation ever.........not the most exotic, but maybe because we had been in lockdown for so long, everyone was thrilled to get away, and appreciated it. C an't wait to return.
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