We arrived in St. Maarten on Sunday afternoon (direct from CLT, where we ate wedding cake for breakfast!) and took the Juluca Pride over to Cap Juluca. We were greeted with our first of many rum punches, seemingly a favorite Anguillan beverage. Our fabulous captain Elvis carried us over to the Anguilla customs check-in in fine fashion.
After snorkeling, we headed over to Scilly Cay (pronounced "silly key") and were entertained from the moment we stepped off the boat.
on the Juluca Pride
We were starving and still kind of shell-shocked from the wedding and traveling, so we ate a low-key dinner at Spice at Cap Juluca and headed back to enjoy our room, which had been decorated with rose petals and candlelight.
our building- Building No. 7
Richard thought it would be fun to sleep on the dyed rose petals, which led to some real pretty sheets the next morning. And dried, crushed rose petals everywhere. It was definitely amusing, and a good lesson learned!
On Monday, we took advantage of the gorgeous beach and some Caribbean dance lessons. We were definitely the only guests there, but still had a great time learning some island steps...and teaching our new friends the Carolina shag!
We enjoyed a cocktail reception for all the guests, then had a delicious seafood dinner on the beach.
gorgeous chandelier in main room of Cap Juluca
On Tuesday we took a mile along the water over to Smokey's BBQ beach cafe. The service on Anguilla is definitely slow, as everyone operates on island time. But when we finally got our food, it was incredible!
I had friends from Columbia who had gone to Cap Juluca just a few weeks before we did, and they recommended the snorkeling trip above anything else. Richard and I picked Anguilla and Cap Juluca because we wanted quiet time alone, but by Wednesday, I think we were both ready for some social interaction. Luckily our snorkeling boat was a PARTY boat! We were paired with two other honeymooning couples, Shelby and Wick from Nashville, and June and Jason from Dallas, and a couple celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary, Scott and Becca from St. Louis. We had the best time hanging out with them and learning just how interconnected we all were! Shelby grew up just down the road in Greenville, and we had several mutual friends. Wick and Becca had mutual friends in Louisville, and Richard and I shared a wedding date with June and Jason.
before boarding the snorkeling boat
We left Cap Juluca and headed over to a cove to do some snorkeling. There was a huge rock there, and several of the guys (and more adventurous girls!) decided to jump off it into the water below after seeing some locals do it. He was so brave...and very scratched up from the rocks.
After snorkeling, we headed over to Scilly Cay (pronounced "silly key") and were entertained from the moment we stepped off the boat.
A man named Eudoxie owns the island, and he greeted us along with his wife (who you would think was caribbean until you hear her south Georgia accent!) and sons. We were served fresh grilled lobster and crayfish straight out of the ocean, pasta salad and warm, buttered garlic bread. And of course rum punch! Pure bliss.
our new friends and Eudoxie and family
After lunch we headed to another snorkeling spot, but the girls were content to just enjoy the clear water and another rum punch.
with a starfish Richard found
My sweet husband was having a really good time by the ride back...and many a Cap Juluca guest commented that they could hear us coming in from afar. Like I said, it was a party boat!
During our snorkeling excursion, we decided that to all meet up that evening to go see Bankie Banx, a well-known Anguilan reggae performer, at the Dunes Preserve, his hideout. We'd read that it was very hit-or-miss as to whether Bankie would perform, but our snorkeling captain said that he'd heard Bankie was around and would in fact be performing.
getting ready to head out to the Dunes Preserve
We arrived at the Dunes Preserve, which is like a Swiss Family Robinson tree house made out of boat parts. We actually saw Bankie when we walked in but had no idea it was him who greeted us! We were told we had a choice of chicken or ribs for dinner and were brought a round of Caribs, the island beer. After much anticipation and waiting, we were brought our food which was incredible, and were treated to a Bankie Banx (and family) performance. Jimmy Buffet recorded an album in Anguilla at the Dunes Preserve, with Bankie Banx featured on it, so we loved being able to have a Dunes Preserve experience.
waiting for our chicken and ribs
the Webbs with Bankie Banx
The next morning, Richard and I embarked on a cave tour of Anguilla. The interior landscape of Anguilla is nothing to write home about (it's very scrubby and full of limestone), but the caves were interesting. And full of bats...which I could have done without!
In picking Anguilla as our honeymoon destination, we had a hard time deciding between Cap Juluca and the CuisinArt, also on the island. We were really glad we chose Cap Juluca in the end but decided to check out CuisinArt for lunch. It's beautiful, but visiting just confirmed how happy we were with Cap Juluca!
CusinArt
We had a wonderful dinner Thursday night at Veya, then headed over to a few local watering holes with our new friends. Our first stop was Elvis' Beach Bar and then to The Pumphouse, which were told was the place where Anguilla natives go to hang out. Because it was the week before Carnival, the Pumphouse was rocking.
the girls at the Pumphouse
Each morning, we had the option of breakfast being delivered to our balcony overlooking the beach. A sweet lady would set-up fresh coffee, a fruit tray, and bread basket full of yummy treats, including chocolate croissants that I looked forward to every morning!
please note RCW's anti-nausea patch under his ear- those things were lifesavers!
On Friday, we explored the island and then had a sunset cruise, and had planned to do dinner at Mangos with Becca and Scott, two of our new friends, after drinks at the Viceroy. Richard and Scott had other plans though...after a drink at the Viceroy bar, the guys arranged for us to take a tour of the newly built Viceroy hotel. Orlando Bloom had just honeymooned there, and the four-bedroom suite we saw truly was gorgeous. At the tune of several thousand dollars a night, it should be! Our tour caused us to miss our reservations at the highly touted Mangos, so Becca begged the only Mexican restaurant to let us in (even though their kitchen was closed!). Thankfully they did, and we enjoyed some Caribbean quesadillas!
Friday morning on the beach
lunch at Tasty's
Anguilla church
sunset cruise
just hanging out at the Viceroy
We woke up Saturday a little sad knowing it was our last day in paradise and realized we had not gotten a picture of Richard in his fancy airbrushed t-shirt on the beach! After taking care of that, we had lunch at the Straw Hat and found a few souvenirs to take home with us.
Straw Hat
one of fifteen different rum punch recipes Richard tried- he deemed our first at Cap Juluca the best!
We got dressed up for a final dinner out at Blanchard's, one of the best known restaurants on the island.
We met back up for a final time with our new friends. Shelby and Wick had already left, but we added Jamie and Dan to the mix. It was sad to have to say good-bye! Taking a prom pose pic made it a bit easier...
On Sunday morning we took one last tour of the resort, and headed towards the airport.
We had some time to kill before boarding our plane back to the Carolinas, so we went to St. Maarten's Sunset Bar and Grill for lunch, where you can watch the planes fly right overhead into the airport.
Too soon, it was time to get on our own plane and leave paradise- described as tranquility wrapped in blue by an island historian. I ask Richard frequently when we can go back to this special, special place to recreate a week I will never forgot.
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