<http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/travel/27low.html?8td=&pagewanted=print&position=> The New York Times February 27, 2005 HIGH LOW Low: Anguilla on $250 a Day By BONNIE DeSIMONE KNEW the drill. An ever-punctual rooster outside my window would cut loose with a brain-curdling cry at about 4 in the morning. I put a pillow over my head, and, sinking back into sleep, I imagined this same rooster, its internal G.P.S. activated the second I set foot on Anguilla, ruthlessly tracking me down as it had on all my previous visits. I was an old Anguilla hand, but this time on a new and interesting mission: how to live well on $250 a day on a Caribbean island that promotes itself as an elite retreat. Related Feature High: Anguilla on $1000 a Day The key? Chickens have the run of the place, but so do people. Anguilla's staggeringly beautiful beaches are public land, open to all no matter what high-price resort looms nearby. I felt like a reverse infiltrator. That's apt, since the highlight of Anguilla's modern history was its largely nonviolent reverse revolution in the late 1960's, when islanders successfully staved off Britain's attempts to loosen economic and administrative ties. The island remains a British dependency. It's easier to do Anguilla on a budget than it was years ago, and not just because the wake-up calls are free. Luxury accommodations have multiplied, but so have reasonably priced establishments. And it's a challenge to spend money on night life: there's hardly any. On a Friday afternoon in mid-December, I flew from Philadelphia to the island of St. Martin and took a taxi to the port of Marigot, where ferries leave for Anguilla every 30 or 40 minutes. My suitcase was loaded alongside 52-pound bags of dog food and cases of juice, and off we went, grinding through the swells on a 25-minute ride that is not for the faint of stomach.
From the Blowing Point ferry terminal, I took a cab to Lloyd's Guest House, where I'd reserved a single room, including a hot, cooked-to-order breakfast, for $78 a night including tax. Perched atop breezy Crocus Hill, and managed by David Lloyd, whose parents opened the bed-and-breakfast 45 years ago, Lloyd's serves business travelers and savvy tourists. My fellow guests included an artist, two marine biologists and an itinerant financier.
During the revolution, partisans irked by the senior Mr. Lloyd's pro-independence leanings fired multiple rounds of ammunition into the hotel's exterior walls. No one was hurt, all was eventually forgiven, and the hotel is an island institution. I asked Mr. Lloyd if he considered selling the business after his parents died. He smiled. "They would come back alive," he said. My spacious, high-ceilinged room had a stone-tile floor, worn but functional furniture and a private bath with a shower and a cold-water sink. There was a television in the room but no phone. (Mr. Lloyd makes his office phone and Internet connection available to guests.) Air-conditioning can be turned on for another $10 a night, but a ceiling fan and an open window sufficed. Some of the 14 rooms are being renovated. My first night, I walked down the short, steep and very dark hill (bring a flashlight) to Roy's Place on Crocus Bay, the quintessential beachcomber's joint, for a terrific lobster salad and a couple of beers ($36), then repaired to the bar to join the island's best ongoing blarney session. On Saturday morning, breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes. My only quibble with Lloyd's was the mix-it-yourself instant coffee; I went British for the weekend and drank tea. A compact rental car awaited me outside the hotel. Mr. Lloyd booked it through Andy Connors's local agency, which delivered it. The daily rate was $35 plus a one-time $20 fee for a temporary driver's license. Driving on Anguilla is a cross-cultural lesson. Islanders drive on the left, use high beams after sundown and routinely pick up hitchhikers. When I was detoured onto a dusty, cratered secondary road because of repaving on the main drag, I stopped to ask two women for directions and was somewhat startled when they opened the door and climbed in. We all got to our destinations. Wanting affluent-looking feet, I had an hour-plus basic pedicure ($40) at the Taino Wellness Center in South Hill Village. Then I took my newly painted toenails for a picnic at Maunday's Bay, near the southern tip and the site of the very upscale Cap Juluca resort. I assembled lunch en route at Wee-Gee's bakery and MacDonna's, a take-out place, stashing a tuna sub, water, a banana and a soda ($10) in a soft cooler brought from home. I parked in Cap Juluca's public lot, spread my towel beneath a sea grape tree, ate, read, took a dip and gazed back at the resort's white Moorish-style villas and perfect palm trees. Sharing space with resort guests is an interesting exercise in etiquette. I wouldn't have been comfortable flopping between the chaise longues where Cap Julucans reclined, and it's not kosher for nonguests to use the chairs during prime beach time. But on previous visits, I've waited until late afternoon when the beach empties, then used the chairs with a wink and no interference from staff members. Next on my agenda was a hike to Shoal Bay West, one beach over. Anguilla's southwestern end features a string of beaches separated by fossilized coral outcroppings. The passages range from easy to dicey and call for long pants and closed-toe shoes with good traction. I walked over on a nonscenic inland path along a pond, emerging on another gorgeous strip of sand occupied by the chic Altamer and Covecastles resorts, the Blue Waters Beach Apartments and a pink mansion once owned by the actor Chuck Norris. After rambling the length of the beach and back, I took a break at the dreamy little open-air Trattoria Tramonto, whose sensory pleasures include colorful tile-and-wood dicor, opera wafting from the speakers and freshly grated nutmeg on the exotic drinks. I ordered a cooling lime daiquiri ($8 with tip) and discussed celebrity sightings with the bartender, who reported that Robert De Niro had stopped in recently. I slowly worked my way back across the point to Maunday's Bay without encountering another person. Footing on the dead coral can be treacherous, and the "trails" are more like random openings in the thick scrub vegetation, but I was rewarded with views of the ocean and St. Martin and the beginnings of a double rainbow. I'd never seen Anguilla on horseback, so I arranged for a private ride ($25 plus $2 tip) at El Rancho del Blues stable near Blowing Point. The facilities are a tad ramshackle and my Dominican guide spoke little English, but my chestnut rent-a-mare, Natasha, appeared healthy and the tack was in good shape. Our eclectic hourlong route wound through a residential area, sunlit fields of high grass and the crowded ferry terminal parking lot before it reached the beach. It wasn't a high-level equestrian experience, but I was content to take it easy. I cleaned up in a gas station bathroom and made my way to the Devonish Art Gallery at West End to attend a reception for an exhibit of antique maps. Over complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres, I chatted with the gallery's owners, Courtney and Carrolle Devonish, and bought one of Mr. Devonish's woodcarvings, a "touch form" ($20) meant to be cupped in the palm for stress reduction. Dinner had to be inexpensive after my profligacy, so I headed for the English Rose, a tavern in Anguilla's central business district, The Valley. A trencherman's portion of snapper with sweet-tart creole sauce, rice and native peas, canned mixed veggies and salad, a beer and tip came to $16.25. A nightcap at Roy's ($4), and I was ready for bed. On Sunday morning, I chose cereal for breakfast to spare my arteries and drove 20 minutes to Shoal Bay East. It's a one-stop-shopping beach with lots of commercial activity, but still never seems crowded. At Elodia's, a complex that includes villas and a bar-restaurant, I rented a chaise longue and umbrella ($5) and snorkeling gear ($10) and treated myself to a $3 coffee. When a glass-bottomed boat pulled up near the beach, I waded into the water and hailed Junior Fleming, who has worked Shoal Bay East for years. He proposed an hourlong one-on-one snorkeling outing for $40 (less per person depending on the size of the group), then motored to an outlying reef. The current was strong, so Junior literally took my hand and towed me around, pointing out huge schools of blue tang, the odd, long-nosed trumpet fish, stands of elkhorn and fan coral. I hauled myself back aboard wobbly, parched and exhilarated. I rehydrated with a large bottle of mineral water ($4) and strolled to Uncle Ernie's timeless beach-food shack for a cheeseburger, coleslaw, fries and a soda ($8). I read, walked and swam until late afternoon, when the reggae band at Elodia's segued into Bob Marley's classic "Stir It Up," triggering a Pavlovian craving for rum. I nursed a frozen piqa colada ($7), dusted with cinnamon and topped with a maraschino cherry, while watching the sunset. Wanting to dine somewhere with tablecloths without busting my budget, I headed to Tasty's in South Hill. I ordered lobster-and-corn bisque and seafood salad, and washed it down with a half-bottle of French rosi ($46 with tip). I still had money to burn, so I made my now-ritual stop at Roy's before retiring. On Monday morning, I squeezed in visits to several art galleries before going to the CuisinArt resort's Cafi Mediterraneo on Rendezvous Bay for a parting lunch: an entrie-size salad of greens and vegetables from the resort's hydroponic garden and a big bottle of bubbly water ($33.35). As I savored the meal and my lush surroundings, three plump hens stutter-stepped across the patio. A rooster called from afar. Two women sitting next to me started, and one giggled nervously. "At least they keep the floor clean," she said. We budget travelers don't hog the poultry. The chickens, like all the best sights on Anguilla, are for everyone. TWO-DAY TOTAL: $498.25 Visitor Information Getting There Several United States airlines run flights to Anguilla, but most operate in connection with other carriers. Most flights go through San Juan, and the cheapest fares (from about $646 round trip for late March) can require an additional connection in St. Martin. If you fly into St. Martin (from about $561 round trip), you can take a 20-minute ferry to Anguilla ($24 round trip plus $2.75 departure tax from St. Martin and $3 from Anguilla). Ferries run every half hour from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Where to Stay Cap Juluca, (888) 858-5822, www.capjuluca.com, is tucked away on the secluded beach at Maunday's Bay, making it a favorite hideaway for celebrities. Doubles start at $780 a night in the high season, from $445 in April, and $345 from May 1 through mid-November. (Add 20 percent in taxes to all rates.) Malliouhana Hotel and Spa, (264) 497-6111, www.malliouhana.com, is the perfect place to see an Anguillan sunset: it sits atop a cliff facing west over the crystal blue waters of Mead's Bay. Doubles start at $400 from April 1 to 30, and $290 from May 1 to Nov. 19; ocean-view one-bedroom suites are $825 and $660. CuisinArt Resort and Spa, (264) 498-2000, www.cuisinartresort.com, is perched on Rendezvous Bay. Rooms start at $550 a night from January through March, $395 in April, and $350 from May 1 to mid-December. Lloyd's Guest House, (264) 497-2351, www.lloyds.ai, has 14 rooms on Crocus Hill, in walking distance of Crocus Bay. The spacious rooms, some recently renovated, go for $65 to $85, with breakfast. Where to Eat Blanchard's, (264) 497-6100, www.blanchardsrestaurant.com, has a romantic setting overlooking Mead's Bay, and serves food with a Caribbean flair.
From mid-October through May, it opens for dinner at 6:30 p.m. and is closed Sunday. June through August, it is closed Sunday and Monday. Closed Sept. 1 to Oct. 20. Entrees from $34.
Gorgeous Scilly Cay, (264) 497-5123, is an open-air restaurant on its own island, with free ferry service from Island Harbor. It is open on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since there is no electricity, all food (chicken or seafood) is grilled. Live music on Wednesday and Sunday. Entrees start at $25. Roy's Place, (264) 497-2470, www.roysplaceanguilla.com, is a charming beachcomber's joint overlooking Crocus Bay, with a lively beach bar and an Internet connection for guests (including wireless). There is a Friday happy hour with dinner specials for $12. The Sunday specials are prime rib ($20) and lobster ($38). Lunch and dinner served daily, except dinner only on Saturday. English Rose, (264) 497-5353, a tavern in the central business district of The Valley, serves generous portions of comfort food at reasonable prices: burgers from $4, salads from $6. Closed Sunday. Tasty's Restaurant, (264) 497-2737, offers chic-casual Caribbean dining in South Hill: dishes like stewed creole-style lobster for $30, and coconut-crusted filet of parrot fish in banana rum sauce for $20. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, except Thursday. Trattoria Tramonto, (264) 497-8819, has open-air dining and a beach bar on one of the island's prettiest beaches, Shoal Bay West. The Italian menu emphasizes game and seafood, including wild boar filet mignon ($35) and spaghetti with crayfish, clams and shrimp ($30). Lunch and dinner except Monday. Uncle Ernie's, (264) 497-3907, is a quintessential beach shack on Shoal Bay East; open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. What to Do Taino Wellness Center, off Spanish Town Road, South Hill, (264) 497-6066, www.magma.ca/~phwalker/, offers massages (from $40 for 30 minutes), manicures and pedicures (from $15), facials (from $50), and body treatments. Devonish Art Gallery, the Cove, West End, (264) 497-2949, shows works of local artists, including those by Courtney Devonish, a woodcarver and ceramicist. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday or by appointment Sunday. Horseback riding with El Rancho del Blues in Blowing Point, (264) 497-6164 or 497-6334, starts at $25 an hour. BONNIE DeSIMONE writes about travel and sports. Copyright 2005 -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'