Anguilla has many hidden delights, including this tiny cove in the middle of nowhere. . . . | |
November 15, 1998 - Site Map - Click to enlarge pictures |
Jibralta (email: [email protected] ) writes:THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for Dropsey Bay. We loved it so much we don't want to tell anyone about it and spoil it. Even the assistantt manager at our hotel didn't know where the hell it was! Dropsey was the highlight of our beach excursions. Dropsey had great snorkeling. Thank you again for sharing this paradise with us. |
For snorkelling in protected, quiet, shallow waters, try Dropsey Bay (or Jobsie Bay as it is sometimes pronounced).
Swim or wade over to the right side of the bay and enter a small cave with a "hot tub" and an opening where you can stand up and view the coast line. Re-enter the water and look for the underwater bridge.
This is snorkelling on an intimate scale. Go slow and wear reef shoes or old runners and you will have an unforgettable experience.
There are no houses nearby (and no shade or protection from the constant wind either, so this is not a major sunbathing destination) -- you will probably be the only people in the entire area. The bay is protected by a pair of reefs offshore, so the big waves are usually reduced to tiny ripples. The water is shallow and is clear on most days.
Cautions: although it is often calm here, strong currents sometimes run through the cave and the underwater bridge. Step carefully and slowly when entering the cave to avoid cutting yourself on the rocks, or even better, wear reef gloves so you can hold on tight. If you decide to swim under the bridge, make sure the sand hasn't filled it in! Then hug the bottom to avoid scraping yourself on the coral above.
Directions: Dropsey Bay is directly south across Long Pond from the Caribbean Beacon radio tower. Leaving the airport parking lot, take the only exit and turn left on Airport road. Go straight past Island Car Rental and National Bank of Anguilla, then turn right at Albert Lake's Super Market. Go several miles, then turn right 100 yards past "Tropical Flower" wholesale liquor outlet at the road down to Long Pond Bay (if you reach the roundabout you went a little too far). Continue on the track through the seagrapes across the isthmus of Long Pond. The road goes to the right along the southern edge of Long Pond, then turns left and runs directly south to the coast. FWD suggested, or jettison the passengers at rough spots to improve clearance.
More Mini Boat Races. The model boats were out again at Shoal Bay last weekend. It is amazing to see the owners drop the small model sailboats into the water far out on the reefs, and have many of them actually sail straight to shore!
Tourism Training. Twenty-one high school students have signed up for a new work-study program in the tourism industry in Anguilla.
Shoal Bay Scuba has two new PADI certified dive masters:
Tihonia "Tweedy" Brookes and Leander "Bull" Bryan. And they are
helping lay buoys for
the Fisheries Dept Marine Park (so boats don't drop anchor on
the coral reef), and
are busy building a new dive boat. Contest! If you would like to win
three 2-tank dives, come up with the winning name for the
new dive boat. Send your ideas to [email protected]
or phone 264-497-4371. Web site: shoalbayscuba.ai
Ice Plant. Anguilla has a new ice plant in Sandy Ground for the long-line fishing project. This is to keep the fish on ice until they can be brought in and sold.
The owner Sam Mason is an Anguillian who left the island to work in St. Thomas as a plumber and returned to transform his piece of the "family land" into a resort. We've watched with fascination and admiration as he slowly and carefully develops the Allamanda.
He started with an ideal location, right on upper Shoal Bay beach, where he
used to tend cattle as a child. He first
planted a grove of coconut palms along the beach, then
built 15 apartment suites with kitchens, then a swimming pool, then
lush tropic gardens, then satellite TV,
then email reservations,
then Zara's gourmet restaurant,
then a covered
pavillion for shade and guest barbecues, then phones in the rooms, then an exercise gym
and a gift shop, then a scuba and watersports shop
(where you can dive,
windsurf, snorkel or sail), and then a spa pool. What next?
... And now a
brand new web site: www.allamanda.ai
Sam is always busy on new projects. He is now working on air conditioning and a landscaped entry from the road, ... what will be next?
Once people discover Allamanda, usually by strolling up to the quiet upper end of Shoal Bay and then wandering in, they come back year after year. Prices are $95 to $182 per night in the high season. In the low season, the 18% tax and service charge is already included in the rates, which range from $77 to $147, and the 7th night is free.
For example, this message was submitted
to the Anguilla
Home Page Forum
by Sheila S. on 9/16/98 at 10:41 PM
Highly recommend the Allamanda on beautiful Shoal Bay. We were
there for three weeks and it gets a lot of repeat
family business (that's gotta tell you something).
Secluded because it's at the end of the beach away from
the other resorts, yet walking distance to several restaurants
(one of the best is right at Allamanda). Water sports activities
for you and your fourteen year old... and a great beach for
romantic strolls. Kitchens, TV's, Bar-b-ques, Pool and
friendly staff with repeat clientele... and unbeatable prices.
Telephone: 1-264-497-5217. Fax: 1-264-497-5216. Email the resort: [email protected]
Brochure mailed from from USA: [email protected]
Weather Summary | Anguilla |
---|---|
Today: 82F 27C 77% Humidity, Sunny | November 15 |
Low temp since last news report | 75F 23C |
High temp since last news report | 86F 30C |
Low humidity since last news report | 63% |
Tropical storm web site | Link |
Five-day weather forecast | Link |
Live weather.ai station in Anguilla | Link |
There have been an above average number of days with rain over the past two weeks, although today happens to be sunny and nice.
The Second
International Art Festival
will be held in Anguilla during the summer of 1999, July 25 to August 1,
just before Carnival. Again there is a competition, with a first
prize of $10,000, plus 4 in-depth workshops by experts in
oil and acrylic, watercolour, pastel and stained glass.
And the organizers have put together 4 packages to match any pocketbook.
Watch for full details and entry form on their web page soon (artfestival.ai
) or, if you
can't wait, send your physical mailing address to Margie Morani at
[email protected]
and she will mail you a brochure and entry form.
Click the stamp or here to see all five stamps, including works by Melsadis Felming, Juan Garcia, Ricky Recaldo Edwards, and Valerie Alix.
New Computer Club Course. The recent hardware class was a big success, so club is giving a class on web pages, aimed at adults with small businesses and 6th form high school students.
"Create Your Own Web Page"
Cost $150 (Students $50) Dec 10-17. Instructor is Bob Green, creator of News.ai
Prerequisite: at least one year experience using Win95 and some experience surfing the net. An email address and at least 3 months experience using it.
Time 5-7pm, extra lab time from 7-8pm nightly
At the end of the course, each student will have a web page, live on the Internet. To reserve a seat, call 497-4079.
Thank You From a Reader.
Kim and Todd Schorr (
Kim & Todd Schorr
P.S. Attached is a nice picture of Pimms we took... feel free to use itg.
[email protected]
)
wrote on November 12, 1998:
Bob, just wanted to write and say we love the paper... and we loved the Island.
Stayed at Cap Juluca
after 3 days in St. Martin, and have come to two conclusions:
Your
https://news.ai/ was a great resource to us. Keep up the great work,
and we hope to meet up with you on our next go round. Cheers!
Update on Scilly Cay. Gorgeous Scilly Cay has roared back into operation before the tourist season is really even at a high pitch. On the weekend they now have a full crowd, with live music, crayfish, cool drinks, swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.
This year the owners Eudoxie and Sandra have have added a fish dish and salad to their simple, but elegant menu. Business is booming. They have live Caribbean music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Open 12-5pm.
From: Roger Fenn To: [email protected] Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 20:06:14 -0500
Here are the some of the best snorkeling spots I remember from last January. There's a slight chance weather may have changed this, but these are somewhat stable coral heads: From most best to next best in order:Sandy Hill Bay (indicated as SeaFeathers Bay on some maps):
From the Valley, take Long Path(Long Road) East from the Farrington toward East End. A few yards before the roundabout just beyond Caribbean Beacon take the dirt road which goes up a small hill by some houses and down, ending at Sandy Hill Bay Beach. Leave your car on the side of the road. Swim straight toward the opposite side of the Bay (East) You'll find little coral formations immediately in the sandy area, then at 25 to 40 yards out an interesting complex formation which we found teaming with all types of tropicals, some turtles, and more.In the same area we've tried Mimi Bay and Sile Bay, I think Sile Bay had some amazingly large "Moose" Coral formations. The shortcoming the day we were there was the open water turbulence.
Junks Hole Bay:
Continue East from Sandy Hill toward Island Harbor, till you climb a small hill, then keep your eyes right for signs to the Palm Grove Restaurant (which is on the Beach at Junks Hole). Take a right off the main road and keep following signs to Palm Grove, which will ultimately be on your right again. Not far from the small parking area, head to your right down the beach a bit. Swim straight toward open water and you'll start crossing a generous formation of coral ridges and heads teaming with tropicals. You could spend hours dubbing around here. Make sure to enjoy the Palm Grove and say hi to Nat from me.Island Harbor Beach:
There's parking at the small open beach on the harbor: To find coral, trace a swimming path along the water's edge to the right. There's a big broad formation across the harbor from the Beach in front of Harbor Lights apartments. Lots of interesting Fish, but this is a fairly shallow swim and can be testy if the water is roughShoal Bay Beach:
Easy to find, everyone goes there, even busloads sometimes. One of the best beaches on the island. To your left of "where the action is", there are some nice coral heads straight out and 8 to 12 ft. down.. Some are close to the Beach. If the water is calm, these can be really enjoyable to look down to.Crocus Bay:
Take the road out of the Valley over the hill to Crocus Bay. Park at the Beach (plan to Eat at Roy's there when your done, they have a great Friday night Fish and Chips Special). The most interesting way to see underwater life here is by tracing on the right, cliffside of the bay. The further you go, the better it gets. Little Bay is right around the corner. There's a boatman who will take you there from the Crocus Bay Beach. Though I've never been there, I'm told it's really nice.There are dozens more we've poked around and enjoyed, but these are our best for snorkeling.
New Anguilla "Domain Names":
A domain name is a home on the Internet, such as cnn.com
,
and any domain name that ends in .ai
is an
Anguilla domain name. Of course you can have a web page without
a domain name of your own, such as www.servernet.com/speedycars
,
but it is easier for people to remember a short name that is related to
you. Here are three new AI domains:
sunshine.ai
for Sunshine Villas.
arawak.ai
for Arawak Beach Resort.
computerclub.ai
for the Anguilla Computer Club.
Email addresses:
Willies Inn: [email protected]
Do You Need an Email Tune Up? There are some people in Anguilla who have signed up for email service, but been unable to get it working for them, for various reasons that seem obvious and simple to a computer nerd but mystifying and complex to the laymen. Anyone in Anguilla who would like an "email tuneup" for the high season can get one for $100 US from Mr. Leroy Hill (home page: webdesigns.ai), president of the Computer Club, high school teacher, and part-time computer helper. He will fix up your email service, teach your staff how to send, receive and reply to emails, and teach you the etiquette of the net (it isn't considered polite to send out bulk mail messages to everyone in the world, and can make people very angry at you!). You could email Leroy at [email protected], but your email is probably not working, so telephone him at 497-4437.
Virtual Mall. Roy Peacock has announced a business to make it easier for Anguillians to shop. He will order goods for you in the States, then arrange for them to be shipped to Anguilla. Phone: 1-264-497-5012. Web page.
The cute wooden structure was built by John Lloyd in an old-fashioned West Indian style, but is actually brand new. The interior features comfortable antique furniture and local art on the walls. The current exhibit is by Diana Berry and Michelle Owen-Vasilis. All displayed works are for sale and sales will help to promote the local artists community.
Directions: From the airport parking lot, take the only exit,
turn left and then left again, going back past the airport and
through the roundabout and on toward the west.
At the second roundabout, turn right and go down the hill
into Sandy Ground. At the bottom of the hill, turn right at the sign for "Road Well
Cafe", near
the soccer/cricket field, taking the back road that goes
past the hydroponics plant and into Sandy Ground village
the back way.
Stories from the previous and earlier issues. | |
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Hotels.ai Guide | Lloyds Guest House |
Learn to Fix a PC | Fishing with Junior |
Just Got Back | Palms.ai Garden Tour |
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Our villa on Shoal Bay: Bellamare. And ten minutes away, our villa in St Barths. © 1998 |