sleazy Smitty and the croissant that changed my life

Today we took a trip to the other side of the island, a bit more off-beat and perfect for exploring.  Although we love strolling through the 5 star resorts and taking in their invisible edge pools and thatched cabana huts, getting off the beaten path is much more our style, and always proves for more interesting stories.  We began our drive north, with little plans and big expectations for unconvering the flavor of Anguilla. With Reggae music blaring (“Your love has changed me…every day’s a better day with you, mon”), we saw abandoned boat yards and kitchy  knick knack shops, local-run restaurants and beach bars serving up local fisherman’s fare lining the roads. We had heard of a bakery in this area that had to be experienced to be appreciated, a delicious blending of french and Caribbean flavors. It was recommended to us to get there before 8am, before all the goodness is bought up.

i.love.this.place.

Please, someone pinch me.

Actually, dont. I’m a bit sunburned. But I have arrived in my private Caribbean heaven. This must have been what Jimmy Buffet was singing about all these years!

I knew it was going to be good when we arrived at the ferry station and the water was a brilliant crystal blue/green. My hair was a bit ratty from the wind whipping through it on the way over, and my bag a little soggy from the splashing waves. I was ready to jump in, right there, with my clothes and all and start doing water angels with my face down. Justin looked at me. “Settle down, Roseann…” Alright. Fine.

We got in our taxi and drove.  The streets were nothing special… a tad beat up. Gulp. I was wondering if this was going to be the island paradise I had been dreaming of until I started to get glimpses of the coral spotted waters, sparking and bright, from between the tree line. Shoal Bay was ranked by Travel Channel as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world… I was practically drooling . Here we come.

We pulled up to our place. Hello, love. We were able to rent a penthouse overlooking the water, due to a very gracious discount from the woman who owes it (I heart you Mary Ann). Otherwise, we’d be sleeping on the streets or in a school somewhere. It’s high season here, and you can’t find much on a “relief worker” budget.

We walked in… oh glory of glories!

I made a beeline for our bed (can you say Swedish temperpedic?!) to test it out. It faces the ocean, allowing for the crisp breeze and the lull of the waves rock you to sleep, which we did last night, thank you very much.  The white linen curtains in the windows add for a lovely beach house touch, flowing quietly into and out of the room with the wind. Sigh. Can I die here?

I began skipping down the beach, dragging Justin with me, kicking flecks of white powdery sand in the air. We stumbled across a darling little beach bar, purple and green with bar stools and soft  island music beckoning us near. I was humming and swaying to “If You Like Pina Coladas” in my head as I waited for the bartender to mix up my foofy drink. Justin looked at me from his chair, smiling and shaking his head before

returning back to his book. We settled in our floral padded lounge chairs, two drinks between  us, and stared at the stripes of turquoise and sea green ocean from above our  toes. Glorious.

We then hit Gwen’s Reggae Bar that has live music on Sundays… reggae music accompanies the island life so well…chill, smooth, relaxed. Have you ever heard Sweet Caroline in Reggae? Perfect.  I moved to the beat back and forth in my seat and watched the palm trees around us sway to the music, the hammocks slowly swinging back and forth, back and forth. Yes. This is what vacations are made of.

For dinner we visited Smokey’s at the Cove upon someone’s recommendation that we met on the beach. The cove is a spectacular  inlet of beach with calm waters, the purest of white sand and tiki torches all around. An ideal place for a restaurant. We took off or flip flops and strolled to our table, and ordered ribs and onion rings and traditional rice and peas.

Did i mention that everyone is kind here? How can you be mad in a place filled with sugary umbrella drinks, Jimmy Buffet love and cool ocean breezes? People are quite willing to share their favorite spots on the island, some people we met had had been coming here for over 10 years in a row. I am thinking this is just the start of our visits to this little treasure in the Caribbean Sea… more later.

yes we like pina coladoes..and getting caught in the rain