I have fallen in love with #Anguilla

My love for the island of Anguilla growing with each passing day. I have a deep understanding while talking to different people why they keep coming back year after year.
The beaches truly are magnificent the food is incredible, from road side BBQ to 5 star dining the island has it all plus some of the friendliest people I have ever meet. Everyone greets you with a smile & a hello. Folks wave as you go by. They even stop while driving to let you out.
The whole island has a very laid back atmosphere which is what I love.
Our typical day starts with breakfast at our cottage or at a new favorite spot Geraud's Patisserie. Yesterday we tried Flavours for breakfast which has spectacular views of sandy ground.

The Best Fish Sandwich @Strawhataxa Anguilla

Our first full day in Anguilla we spent the morning getting to know the island a little bit before settling down for the day at Meads Bay. The beach there is just beautiful, white powder sand and clear ocean perfect place to spend afternoon.

 It even got a bit better when Anhel from the Straw Hat restaurant came over with a menu and flag letting us know anything we want he will be happy to get.

A straw Hat rum punch was perfect while enjoying the view.

Dining around St Martin/ St Maaten

Just a fun discovering all the beaches of St Martin/ St Maarten so is finding all the wonderful places to eat. The island has every kind of food you could possibly want to eat, from Creole to Gourmet French cuisine, elegant to casual. The possibilities are endless.

MA TI - best green beans I ever had

  We enjoyed a few lunches on the beach at Calie's Place Friar's Bay where they have good BBQ ribs, fresh fish, and grilled chicken.

A day trip to St Barths

While staying in St Martin it is very easy to take a day trip to the small island of Saint- Barthelemy or as most of call it St Barths. Its one of those places you always read about where the rich and famous like to hang out why not take a day and explore for ourselves.

Maho Beach St Maarten

No trip to St Maartin is complete without a visit to Maho beach to watch the planes land and depart. We arrived early, set up our chairs, took a nice stroll along the beach, and within an hour the beach was packed with people.

Snow or beach?

I love snow. Nothing is prettier than looking out and seeing everything all covered in white. I love going for a walk and the sort of quiet you get from the snow, it can be so peaceful. That being said I am reminded that my love for the snow is because I do not have to deal with it, driving, shoveling, snow blowing, I just watch. Maybe a lot of that is true but this week while my friends and family are freezing in the northeast with a foot or more of snow I am very happy to be missing it all.
  I am in flip flops, temperatures in the low 80's spending my time discovering all the different beaches here in St Martin/St Maaten.
  The last time we were here we stayed on Orient Bay which is one of the largest beaches on the island and the most famous. They refer to it as the Tropez of the Caribbean.

French bread, wine, cheese, & Foie Gras

French bread, wine, cheese, & Foie Gras this week I am certainly getting my fill of all of it. It's one of the things I love about St Martin. Going to the food store, picking out all sorts of different cheese, meats, foie gras, & wine to taste.

Beaches of St Martin

This past week I have continued my quest to see all 34 beaches here in Saint-Martin/St Maarten. We are staying on the Dutch side of the island on Simpson bay and outside of this beach most of the beaches we have visited so far have been on the French side. Each one offers something different.

  Baie Rouge was a nice fine. A lovely beach where we spent the good part of the afternoon. There are 2 restaurants on the beach there Gus's & Raymond's. Both cook up good BBQ food, drinks, & chairs to rent. Watching Gus direct the kids who get you the chairs was very entertaining. We had a good lunch at Gus's and so far his is the best rum punch on the island.

34 Beaches in Saint-Martin/ St Maarten

Simpson Bay - Saba in the background

This winters escape from the cold is to the islands of Saint-Martin/ St Maarten & Anguilla. After our last visit to Saint Martin we knew we would return since the island has so much to offer in way of beaches, snorkeling, hiking, activities,fabulous food, and plenty of shopping. I am not a huge shopper but for those that are there is plenty.

  What brings me here is the beaches, there are 34 and 12 snorkel sites. My goal is to hit all of them. We are staying on Simpson Bay, which is a long stretch of beach close to the airport. There are a few hotels & condo along the beach but you don't see many people which gives it a deserted feel. The views from the condo are wonderful, white sandy beach, waves crushing, sailboats, yachts, cruise ships going in & out of port, the island is Saba off to the distance, and beautiful sunsets. What more can you ask for?

New Year's Day Tradition of Pork & Sauerkraut

For as long as I can remember on New Year's Day we had  pork & sauerkraut for dinner. I was told it brings good luck to the coming year. Why this is I really had no idea or actually where this tradition came from. I was told it was a German tradition yet many friends regardless of nationally serve this same meal. Today while my pork and sauerkraut is slowly cooking and filling the house with the delicious aroma I googled to find out just where this came from.
What I found on this tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s day is both German and Pennsylvania Dutch.