Anguilla News: September 1996

News reports from on the island, as they were posted to the Net:

[frolic at Scilly Cay]

Gorgeous Scilly Cay is Back!

One of the most famous tourist places in Anguilla was Sandra and Eudoxie Wallace's restaurant and tropical playground on tiny Scilly Cay. We live less than a mile away and always meant to go out for lunch, but Hurricane Luis swept the little islet clean, except for one cabana with a concrete base. Eudoxie flew to Guyana, bought super-strong greenheart for rebuilding, and chartered a boat to bring it to Scilly Cay. They reopened in January 1996 for a special wedding party and have been back in business since.

You drive to Island Harbour and wave from the dock out to a tiny island just 150 yards away. The launch speeds over to carry you quickly to Scilly Cay. We went for lunch and snorkelling this summer and had a great time. The tropical fish are definitely back. We were so carried away that we swam all the way around the island, but I don't recommend it. The best reefs are right behind the restaurant- the long swim the rest of the way around to the sand is a lot of work and adds little to the viewing.

The menu at Scilly Cay is simple: lobster, chicken, lobster and chicken, or lobster and crayfish. The portions are large, the spices are delicious, and the presentation is tropically elegant. Don't ask for a Pina Colada -- they don't have a blender because there is no electricity (and no motor noise either!). Service is incredible: the staff and owners great you personally as you alight, ask your first names, and remember them. And Dumka entertained us (quietly) on the steel drums.

Prices are high, but worth it for a special treat -- we spent $104 for two for lunch. Popular for weddings and special outiings--people arrive by helicopter. I was pleasantly surprised. Only open from 11 AM to 5PM. Closed Mondays. Telephone 264-497-5123.

News Items

Britain has announced an aid package of 25 million pounds for the volcano striken island of Montserrat. The package is designed to quickly build a development on the north side of the island where most people have been evacuated. Planned projects include hospital facilities, added classrooms, power generation, water distribution, new roads, new port, and establishment of a permanent Observatory to watch the volcano.

Scotiabank Anguilla gave a EC$45,000 scholarship to Amanda Adams of Anguilla. She will be studying at the Unversity of the West Indies in Barbados.

Sixteen-yearold athlete Desiree Cox of Long Ground is competing in the Sixth World Junior Championship in Athletics in Australia. Desiree attends Albena Lake-Hodge school and in 1993 was the youth champion of the Leeward Islands, holding the record for the 200 metre sprint.

Many of our hotels and restaurants are closed for September, but there are still a few tourists on the island.

Tyden Air runs charter flights from St. Martin to Anguilla, with a toll-free number in the USA that rings in Wallblake Airport: 800-842-0261. The daytime fare is $70 roundtrip per person, $45 one-way from St.Martin to Anguilla, and $25 one-way from Anguilla to St. Martin. This is a great service. Unfortunately, having them meet a night time arrival into St. Martin is still a charter fare.

Molly Goodnow has a web page for her vacation villa on the Sea Rocks (between Island Harbour and Shoal Bay).

Want to own your own holiday duplex on the hillside overlooking Sandy Ground? Check out this web page.

Check out unsolicited visitor comments on the Carimar resort on Meads Bay.

Shawn's New Charter Boat: Hoo Haa

[Hoohaw]

Captain Shawn Webster has launched his new power boat, the Hoo Haa into the charter business. Trips around Anguilla and to offshore cays, day trips to St. Martin, Nevis, St. Barths and Saba. Specializing in snorkelling. Shawn operates out of Island Harbour and Sandy Ground and offers food too. Former visitors to Anguilla who were lucky enough to stay at Cap Juluca may remember Shawn as the captain of their party boat. Call 264-497-4040 for information and bookings.

Room 205, Malliouhana Hotel

The August issue of Conde Nast Traveler has an article entitled "The Best Rooms at 11 Once-in-a-Lifetime Hotels," including Room 205 at the Malliouhana on Anguilla:
"This room is the ultimate in privacy. Its large terrace looks out to sea and you can't be seen by anyone, except for maybe a sailor with very powerful binoculars. There are other rooms that are more spacious, not to mention more expensive, but they aren't as private as 205, which costs only $270 in low season." Sue Brown Travel Consultants, 407-483-4220.

Round Rock Reopens

Round Rock Cafe has reopened on Shoal Bay in a new building right on the beach. Your friendly host Campbell serves food and drink, with live music on the weekend. The first Sunday he had Sleepy and the All-Stars playing old-time Anguillian music at 6PM, followed by Dumpa at 9 PM. Could be a good place to learn to dance Caribbean style early on a Sunday evening.

Library Computer Club Grows

The Library Computer Club continues to grow, with 50 to 80 enthusiasts of all ages gathering at our new library Mondays at 4:30 PM. Here is a group of young people listening to Vince Cate explain about memory hierarchy.

[Computer Club]

We usually have between 5 and 8 computers to work on, not nearly enough for the size of the group, but everyone takes turns. People have donated old computers through the Anguilla Computes! program, which offers a US tax receipt and handles shipping to Anguilla. The Club has fixed up these donated systems and installed software on them. Three of the older systems, including two Laptops, are permanently available to children in the library. The machines have a DOS menu that lets them run math, word, and skill games--if they turn the power off and on, they are back in the same menu. So we even make good use of obsolete 8086/CGA laptops! Thanks to all who have donated.

If you are visiting Anguilla and would like to help or just observe, feel free to drop by the library any Monday between 9:30 AM and 6:00 PM.

Rendevous Bay Hotel

The October issue of Caribbean Travel and Life has a 2-page article on the Rendevous Bay Hotel, which Jeremiah Gumbs founded in 1962 as Anguilla's our first beach resort (not the first hotel, as stated in the article--that was Lloyds).
The funky Main House boasts a pool table, a TV, and a framed vintage photograph of Jeremiah with his Irish mother. Its long, open-sided terrace serves as the dining room, where meals are served family style and guests gather in search of companionship, a drink, or an audience with family patriarch Jeremiah himself, who holds court at "his" end of the veranda near Greenacres, the multilingual parrot.

Guests tend to be laid-back, independent types, though there are occasional sightings of star-spangled celebrities, who don't want to be recognized. They aren't. Jeremiah's more concerned with the possibility that a guest will make a decent fourth for the bridge game that's been ongoing on the porch since the oldest son Alan arrived in 1981. Bridge is taken seriously here; Alan plays in international tournaments.

Alan was instrumental in building the newer mellow-yellow duplex beachfront villas that joined the original, single-story studio rooms along on the best beaches on an island of "best beaches".

Loblolly Tree

The Loblolly tree is common on Anguilla.

[loblolly] WIDTH=307 HEIGHT=269 BORDER=0

To me the loblolly looks like a "gnome" tree out of a fairy tale. The trunk is thick and gnarled, while the limbs are shaped like arms. You can almost imagine them coming to live and calling out to you as you pass. After Luis I found out how they get to look this way: many ofl the smaller branches were broken off, but the trunk remained and the trees survived to grown new branches.

The loblolly loses many of its leaves in the dry winter season. Locally the tree is considered too soft for making charcoal, but the ground under a loblolly is prized for gardens because of the many leaves that fall and enrich the otherwise poor soil.

Sharon Stone on Anguilla?

From a recent email receipt:
Last night when I went to the grocery store for bread my eye caught the cover of the "National Enquirer," a tabloid, with a picture of Sharon Stone, the money actress frolicking at the beach. My interest was piqued, so I found the story (they don't have any index, thus forcing one to page through the issue to find what your want) and they had a photo layout of her recent trip to Anguilla with her latest, flabby, out of shape lover. The story said that they were vacationing on Anguilla, but unfortunately didn't mention the resort.

Chinaberry Villa and Bayberry Villa

There are many private villas for rent in Anguilla for self-catered holidays. Gayle Enzel has two in Cul de Sac about 100 yards from the beach. According to her brochure, Chinaberry Villa has one bedroom plus a garden-living/dining area which is enclosed on 3 sides for privacy and sheltered from the sun by a bamboo roof. There is also a fully-equipped kitchen, two private sun decks and a full bathroom with a discrete outdoor shower (complete with palm tree). Bayberry Villa has two king-size bedrooms, enclosed courtyard, French kitchen, wraparound balcony with sunset views of Rendevous Bay, and a living room with french doors on 3 sides. 264-497-5713.

Caribbean News Links

Leroy Hill, teacher at our high school and founding member of the Library Computer Club, has added a page on Dominica and a page of Caribbean News links to his web site. (Site moved to webdesigns.ai

Also, check out his page for Pat's Trucking, (dead link) a reputable firm for getting things through customs and delivered. Their web page even has a form you can fill out to have them clear your goods!

Mary Ann's Beach Shack Page Updated

My wife Mary Ann has updated her web page with a new composite image showing how our house might look on the site when viewed from the water. Plus revised house plans and plans for a one-bedroom guest villa.

Updates!

Tyden Air does have a great service to meet your flight into St Maarten, but the bargain fares only apply during the day. Having them meet a night time arrival into St. Martin is still a charter fare. Call their toll free number for details 800-842-0261.

We went to San Juan to look for building supplies a week after Hurricane Hortense and found them fully recovered, although still traumatized by the 20+ people who died in flooding.

Gotcha! Another new charter boat service, Garfield's Sea Tours has a sytlish 30 foot boat. Garfield can arrange private charters, fishing trips, island hops, exploration of our offshore cays, and airport transfers. Telephone 264-497-2956.

To get to Little Bay you either climb down a cliff on a rope or you take a boat. Just drive to Crocus Bay, park, then ask any one on the beach who could take you to Little Bay and how much ($5 to $10 pp). If you feel better with a reservation, call Calvin at 264-497-3939 and reserve his Little Bay boat service. He does have a nice boat.

Turks Cap Cactus Common in Anguilla

The Turks Cap (melocactus intortus) is short and squat, with a beautiful red cap and bearing an edible pip. They grow wild, but many people also place them as decorations in their garden. Also know as the "pope's head".

[Cactus]

Tourist Villas

There are many private villas for rent in Anguilla for the tourist season. Sizes, locations and prices vary dramatically. These usually rent by the day or week, but the same villa can sometimes be rented long-term for a much lower price. Some villas now even have web pages:

Prices in Anguilla?

Several emails have come in asking about moving to Anguilla, such as "What do things cost in Anguilla?" Remember: there is duty of 10 to 25% on everything, but no sales tax, VAT or income tax. There is a social security tax for employees (matched by employers, as in the USA), but the maximum amount per month is less than $100 US (all prices will be in US).

Telephone: cheap local service ($10 per month, plus 5 cents per local call) and expensive long-distance ($2.00/minute to USA, including "free" 800 numbers). Internet access is about $2.80 per hour.

Salaries: Maid, 48 hr/week, makes about $3.50 per hour. Part-time $4 or more. Pay is generally lower than in the USA.

Power: Electricity is $0.24 per KWH (about twice California rates?). Stoves are usually propane powered, with tanks that are replaced when empty by the propane company.

Cars: Shipping a car to Anguilla costs something like $1200 and there is duty on both the car price and the shipping cost (17% or more), so cars are more expensive than in the USA. We have dealers for Japanese cars--these are small-scale, informal operations. Don't expect fancy showrooms or repair bays. We brought a new Jeep Cherokee with us, but it really has too many computers in it for Anguilla. We also purchased a simple Hyundai locally for about $11,000. It has been no trouble at all. Other people we know have bought used cars for $2500 and up without major problems. Car insurance is available locally, and is required to register your car. Price varies based on value of car and who insures it, but liability coverage is limited to $200,000 because local courts have never awarded anything higher.

Groceries? They are shipped in by boat and refrigerated items are extra costly:

Rent: varies from $250/mo to $3000/month, often furnished. This assumes a long-term rental, like a year, but most landlords do not require a signed lease. The price is determined by what the landlord thinks you will pay, not by the niceness of the place or location. Most houses are not air-conditioned, so it is important to study the breeze and shade. You can buy a split air conditioner yourself, as we and Vince have done because of our computers. Installation requires a small hole drilled in the wall and suitable power. International aid agencies, the British government and multi-nationals will pay $800 to $1200/month, so many houses are priced at that rate. To find a rental you must travel around Anguilla asking every person you see, knocking on doors in likely neighborhoods, etc. We found ours by sitting at Smitty's in Island Harbour while he contacted people who might have places to show us. We eventually stumbled on Valerie who was managing Harbour Villas and she found four additional possibilities, including the one we selected. Examples of currently occupied rentals that we know of:

Archaeologists Map Anguilla Wrecks

Dr. Brad Rodgers and Tim Runyan of East Carolina University are in Anguilla studying and mapping ancients sea wrecks. There work begins at Stoney Bay on two Spanish merchant ships. The ships departed Spain in May 1992 as part of a fleet and ran aground July 9, 1772. Their planned route was from Spain to Mexico, then on to the Phillipines. The site was discovered by Leander Webster ("Bull") eight years ago and has been declared a marine park.

Computer Club Has a Web Page

The Anguilla Library Computer Club has a web site! Check out the pictures of our members at work. Here are club facilitator Leroy Hill (left) and student assistant Danny Laud (right) helping young enthusiasts:

[Computer Club]

Blanchards, Mangos and Arlos Open October 1st

Our hotels and restaurants have had their September vacation and are starting to reopen. Blanchards Restaurant on Meads Bay, Mangos on Barnes Bay, and Arlos on South Hill are reopening Tuesday October 1st. Others should follow shortly (Sonesta Hotel opens on October 11th).

Rotary and American Eagle Help Local Child

Young Mensah Richardson and his mother Joan flew to the USA Sunday for medical evaluation and treatment for orthopedic problems. The trip was arranged by the Rotary Club of Anguilla and the airplane tickets were donated by American Airlines/American Eagle.

Hosting a Conference at Frangipani

Saturday, Mary Ann and I moved into the Frangipani Resort on Meads Bay for four days. Together with Robelle's local employee Griffin Webster and Marie Reimer and Trevi Spronk from Robelle's head office, we were hosting a business meeting [photo] with three of Robelle's software distributors from Europe (Ole Nord of Old Nord AB Sweden, Marius Schild of Samco Holland, and Kurt Sager of SWS Switzerland). The Frangipani is directly on the beach, the apartments are elegantly appointed, spacious and with a full kitchen, the Mediterranean-style building is cleverly designed so that each suite views the ocean and can be rented with 1 to 3 bedrooms. They are in the process of building an upscale restaurant to replace the cafe that was wrecked by Luis, so we had our breakfast and lunch catered [see our buffet breakfast] by Emma Cutler (264-497-8048). Weekly rates for the 1997 high season: $2925 (1 bedroom), $5130 (2 bedrooms), $6915 (3 bedrooms) and $7125 (penthouse). We found them very negotiable for a group rate in September/October (the deep off-season). 264-497-6442. Toll-free: 800-892-4564.

[Meads Bay]

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