# Caribbean Vacations Forums > Anguilla Vacation Forum >  >  I have been accused of verbosity - certainly in jest - from time to time.; )Ergo, let me give a somewhat abbreviated Anguilla Trip Report:The Bomb. fin

## Island Visitor

I have been accused of verbosity - certainly in jest - from time to time.

; )

Ergo, let me give a somewhat abbreviated Anguilla Trip Report:

The Bomb.

_fin_

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## Peter NJ

Give it up!! You likey?

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## Island Visitor

> Give it up!! You likey?



Muy bueno!  Full report - with photos - to follow.  

VERY different from St Barth.  All the talk about The Next St Barth can be laid to rest.  Anguilla is about as different from St Barth as it can possibly be - but quite grand in its own right.

The Next St Barth?  Not at all.

But it is The Current Anguilla.  And that is plenty enough to boast about.

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## Island Visitor

As a quicky teaser, here were our restos:

Michael Rostang (Malliouhana), Blanchards, Bananas By The Sea, Smokey's, Straw Hat, Koal Keel and Mangos.

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## Peter NJ

IV when people say the next SBH,its just a slogan,its the next hot spot where the Celebs are going..The 2 couldnt be more different,and in many ways thats good...Love Straw Hat,I had a very special meal there when the former PM of Anguilla Emile Gumbs invited me to dine with him and his family..It was a celebration meal,as he just found out he was going to become Sir Emile Gumbs..It was like dining with a rock star,and was very honored he took me out for his big Dinner..A very good person to have taken me under his wing,and he showed me all the ins and outs of the island..I cant wait to read your report..I was nervous you were gonna hate it..

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## Island Visitor

Peter:  I agree that the saying "The Next St Barth" means the next celebrity hot spot.  But Anguilla also says "St Barts is where celebrities go to be seen - they come to Anguilla because the paparrazi dont".  That is going to QUICKLY change as the island is going ever-more upscale.  

From Cap Juluca to Cuisinart to the newest, glammest and glitziest Temenos, Anguilla is trading Shade-Tree Boat-Builders' Bars for Crystal And Chrome Palaces that St Barth has never even dreamed of.

Since Miker does not patronize the Anguilla forums, I shall sound the tocsin for him.  Anguilla is in RAPID change mode.  My personal view is that in a couple of decades it will be way-cool fab in every way but VERY different from what it is now.  Even quiet little Mead's Bay was a beehive of construction as my pix will attest.

BTW, when it is all said and done, Malliouhana will STILL be the grande dame of the island.  As the Glam Wars heat up and run to dizzying new heights, the oasis of Malliouhana will become even more prized than it is now.

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## rivertrash

We have often considered Anguilla, but just never made up our minds to go there.  Glad you enjoyed it.  Eagerly await your full report.

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## Island Visitor

Rivertrash:

Here is how I would handicap it.  Let me use St Croix, St Barth and Anguilla to make my point.

When you are in St Croix, you are in America.  The language is english, the customs are american, the restaurants cater to American tastes and even the prices are in line with what you pay in the states.  St Croix FEELS American.

When you are in St Barth, you are in France (apologies to Miker who maintains you are not).  The language is French, the cooking is nouvelle francais, the customs are SOMEWHAT french and the feel of the boulangeries and the men playing petanque at the head of Gustavia all are French.

When you are in Anguilla, you are in the Caribbean.  Even though St Croix has the same percentage of former slaves as Anguilla has (the vast majority of the population) the folks of St Croix have grown up American.  The Anguillans have not.  Nor do they seem British.  I heard nary a "Pip pip cheerio" the entire time, saw not one Bermuda short nor heard mention of cricket or bangers and mash.  

On the other hand, the culture felt very similar in some ways to what we have/had in the Low Country of South Carolina.  This caribbean culture is a blend of european and african cultures and shows up in music, attitude and most particularly in food.

Food on St Croix is very American.  Better restaurants will feature good seafood superbly done.  But you can alway get a gutbuster steak and baked potatoes.  

Food on St Barth is wonderfully nouvelle francais and embraces lightly done seafoods, asian themes and fusion.  In each case, subtlety seems to be the order of the day.

Food on Anguilla jumps in your mouth and throws a party.  Even the hummus at Blanchards was a taste explosion.  The food on Anguilla is much spicier - IN GENERAL - that many meals you will get on St Barth.  Not everyone prefers this.  And I dont "prefer" it as opposed to St Barth.  I love both.  Yum.  Bring me more.

The islands are very, very different.  Never once have I felt like I was in "the caribbean" (meaning African culture and what I knew in the Low Country of South Carolina growing up as the influences were the same) on St Barth or even St Croix (okay, well maybe a little bit on St Croix).  In Anguilla, I FELT the caribbean culture.

Loved it.  

Hate the tan lines, bien sur.  But loved AXA nonetheless.

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## Peter NJ

Dont be fooled,they LOVE Cricket on AXA...Boat racing would be second..Went to The Red Stripe Cricket Worlds on AXA about 10 years ago,talk about passion..and a party..You can get Bangers and Mash at Roys..You are correct going to SBH is like going to France,but with warm tropical breezes..When you land on AXA,it is West Indies all the way me son...The Glam resorts will always take a back seat to CJ and Mali...Is there a nicer spot for early Cocktails than the lounge at Mali? Dont think so

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## Island Visitor

Peter:  I am always a sucker for chrome, glitz and glam.  If you pimp out your flossy palace with bling, I'm in.

Even so, I doubt there will ever be anywhere on Anguilla that I will prefer to Malliouhana.  What an oasis.

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## Peter NJ

OMG im glad you guys found Koal Keel..What a setting..What a cool old place..No Hibernia? Talk about a party in your mouth..Have you ever met a friendlier bunch of locals? Its just too bad the youngins are trying so hard to be gangsters..Very Sad!

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## Dennis

IV&lt;

While awaiting your trip report...did you fly to SXM and ferry over to AXA or did Winscair take you there?

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## Island Visitor

Dennis:  That is a VERY long story (that will get its own chapter in the Trip Report).  Suffice it to say, there are other ways to get there than Scair.

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## Island Visitor

> OMG im glad you guys found Koal Keel..What a setting..What a cool old place..No Hibernia? Talk about a party in your mouth..Have you ever met a friendlier bunch of locals? Its just too bad the youngins are trying so hard to be gangsters..Very Sad!



Loved Koal Keel.  Did not go to Hibernia because it was just too far - particularly with Mangos, Blanchards and Bananas in the hood.

As to the youth trying to be Gangsta, we saw a fair amount of "Milling About" some evenings.  I did not look as though anything particularly mischievous was going on.  But it didn't hurt my feelings that the vehicle reliably drove us back to Malliouhana either.

As to the friendliness of the people of Anguilla, I am told that the ladies of The Playboy Mansion are friendly.  Dont know, never been there.  But after them, the people of Anguilla have to be some of the friendliest people on earth.  Great folks.

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## Dennis

Word.

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## Island Visitor

Koal Keel is in The Valley, the capital of Anguilla and the only thing you would even call a "city" on the island.  Great food and entertainment. 

A little sax in the city never hurt a meal

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## Dennis

I see Crown Royal, Bombay Sapphire and a few other nice libations...yep, I could stay there...

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## Island Visitor

> I see Crown Royal, Bombay Sapphire and a few other nice libations...yep, I could stay there...



Dennis:

They can hook you up at Koal Keel

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## Island Visitor

Peter:

This one is for you.  Sunset over Barnes Bay at Mangos.

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## JEK

You are such a tease. Go to work where you have the proper time to devote to a trip report and, well, report!

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## LindaP

Welome back to reality IV......did you make it to Bankie's, Gwen's or Eulodie's???? Tell me the new places to go eat, so I'll be ready at Xmas. Also I hope you made it to Oliver's.....one of my favorites, what a great guy.....and you are right on about the people being the friendliest ever. Yeah mon, its definately a different island than SBs!!!!! I'm worried about all the construction though.....LindaP

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## Island Visitor

Linda:

Did not make it to any of those places.  But the new Hot Table is Bananas on Mead's Bay.

Full report forthcoming.

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## griegle1

I think your observations are right on.  We have been over there a number of times during extended trips to SBH.  It seems to appeal to a number of our friends that favor or frequent full service hotels.  Frankly, AXA delivers or will deliver that product better than SBH - which is fine by me. 

The construction is staggering.  For better or worse they will have one of the largest concentrations of ultra luxury hotels in the Caribbean.  I found the beaches to be spectacular but the interior fairly uninspiring.  I miss the lack of a town as well.  Little retailing absent what is in the resorts.  Its funny, alot of hotels there book day trips to SBH for shopping etc... Glad you had fun.

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## andynap

QUOTE:" Its funny, alot of hotels there book day trips to SBH for shopping "

Not SXM??

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## Island Visitor

Andy:  It is already so easy to get to Marigot that anyone can do it on their own.  The ferry is twenty minutes and twelve bucks and a LOT of locals use it.

Many of the people going to AXA these days are either Playahs or Wanna Be Playahs.  As such, the idea of popping over to St Barts is appealing.  And the local airlines on AXA make it affordable.

LOTSA glam and glitz rooms being built on AXA.  God help us if Miker finds out.

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## andynap

No doubt- I think I posted that 3 years ago when we did our annual SXM-Scilly Cay jaunt. Alas Scilly Cay was closed that day and we opted for Shoal Bay East. As to shopping I have found the upscale stores in Marigot are just as good and cheaper than SBH and certainly easier to get to. Talk about reinventing the wheel.

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## Petri

> When you are in St Croix, you are in America.  The language is english, the customs are american, the restaurants cater to American tastes and even the prices are in line with what you pay in the states.  St Croix FEELS American.
> 
> When you are in St Barth, you are in France (apologies to Miker who maintains you are not).  The language is French, the cooking is nouvelle francais, the customs are SOMEWHAT french and the feel of the boulangeries and the men playing petanque at the head of Gustavia all are French.
> 
> When you are in Anguilla, you are in the Caribbean.  Even though St Croix has the same percentage of former slaves as Anguilla has (the vast majority of the population) the folks of St Croix have grown up American.  The Anguillans have not.  Nor do they seem British.  I heard nary a "Pip pip cheerio" the entire time, saw not one Bermuda short nor heard mention of cricket or bangers and mash.



From European perspective, unfortunately Anguilla does feel American.  Every year they buy even bigger SUV's and pickup's instead of using the money to fix or paint their houses or even clean the front yard.

It's something very similar what you seen in eastern Europe.  When you get unexpected money, you're more likely to buy a new supercar than move out from the parent's house.

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