Anguilla: The Final Day

I think I’ve been procrastinating on writing this blog post because it marks the last day I can sit here and reminisce about the gloriousness that was our vacation in Anguilla. Clearly it’s not the last (we’re saying ‘I Do’ there next year), but as I sit in my chilly San Francisco apartment looking out onto grey skies, I can’t help but be a little vacation-sick for the warm water and hot, white sand.

Pretty as a picture.

When we woke up on Saturday, it seemed like Anguilla was sad to see us go, too. The sky wasn’t it’s normal clear, blue self and it was a bit windier than it had been during our stay. Still, I was a girl on a mission. I wanted to hunt for seashells. Now, I should note that this is one of those things that slowly becomes less and less appealing as you grow older. Instead of building sandcastles and finding conch shells, you idly sit under a palapa sipping on a Mai Tai reading 50 Shades of Grey. I’m here to remind you: hunting for shells is way more fun. There’s a reason that kids love doing it! We were pooling shells together to start a collection for our wedding next year (who needs to buy decorative elements when they’re right on your doorstep?), so there was a somewhat legitimate reason for our mission.

We started on Saturday morning by heading to Katouche Bay. I hadn’t been before, but upon conducting a quickie Google search, I discovered that Katouche is home to Anguilla’s ‘rainforest’. Naturally (and rightfully), I was a bit skeptical as Anguilla isn’t really the most rainforest-y island, and Boat Shoes was quick to confirm my skepticism. Sure, there’s a little cove of lushness near the beach, but for anyone that’s visiting expecting a zip lining adventure a la Costa Rica, don’t get your hopes up too much. :)

Sadly, the waters were exceptionally rough at Katouche, so we headed down to Limestone Bay to continue our adventure. Limestone was amazing! We found loads of shells (not just the baby ones — big conch shells, too!), and there was a pretty active sea life not too far from the beach. We were fin-less, so I decided not to venture too far, but Boat Shoe Boy & his dad found a treasure trove of marine life to check out in the distance.

Last lunch at Smokey's. :(

After our morning adventure, we met up with the rest of the group to have our last lunch at Smokey’s. As per usual, it was a leisurely dining experience. We arrived around 1P and didn’t eat until close to 3P. No matter; a steady flow of pina coladas, pain killers, and Caribs kept everyone afloat until we noshed on fish sandwiches.

Afternoon at Smokey's.

I wish I could say I did something exceptionally active after lunch, but that would be a total lie. I spent the afternoon perched on a lounge chair, hovering between awake and asleep for a few hours until we made our way home.

Picante. :)

The rest of the group (family and friends) headed to Straw Hat for their last dinner on the island. Boat Shoe Boy and I decided to enjoy our first solo date night for our last dining experience. We examined a few menus to figure out where our final dinner would be. Oliver’s, Veya and Mango’s were closed for the season (sad), Hibernia was too far, I wasn’t Tasty’s biggest fan, we’d eaten at Straw Hat 5+ times, and Blanchard’s dinner prices made me cringe every so slightly. The natural choice: Picante. It seemed natural to start and end our trip with Boat Shoes’ favorite restaurant of life (and the location of our rehearsal dinner next year). As per usual, their food was exceptional, if not a bit generous on portion size.

Goodbye, Anguilla.

After dinner, we headed home to get ready for our morning ferry to St. Maarten and our trip back to the US. The day to follow would bring a 16-hour adventure by air, land and sea. We arrived at SFO around midnight on Sunday/Monday to hear of the 54 degree blustery weather that we were about to call home once again…

So hard to leave…

Take me back to Anguilla! Is it 2013 yet?

xoxo from SF,