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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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July 15 1999 - If you were at Shoal Bay in June 1999, you might have wondered about the large group of college students there. . . . Archaeological Dig at Shoal Bay This was the second archaeological field trip from the University of Vermont to Anguilla. The student group receives academic credit for their work in Anguilla. They stayed at Spin Drift on Sile Bay. Budding archaeologist John Crock, who lived in Anguilla for two years, was here again this year (John is still working on his PhD dissertation, based on his field work in Anguilla). Last year John and a group of students and supervising professors did an a excavation in Sandy Ground which was very successful. This year the field trip class was completely signed up in less than 6 hours, so the group from last year must have spread the word about their excellent visit to Anguilla. The excavation site was next to Elodias Bar and Restaurant on Shoal Bay. The students dug a trench about a hundred feet long and up to five feet deep. Every cubic foot of sand that was removed from the trench had to be sifted for artifacts (shell fragments, tools, pieces of pottery, etc.). Then whatever is discovered in that chunk of sand is bagged and documented as to location and condition. Later it will take hours of analysis to figure out what the findings and their distribution can say about the people who lived on the site and their society. In fact, for every man-hour of the week-long dig, there will be four or five hours of lab and analysis work! Jamel Lake had this to say: I learned that there was a post hole located in that area which is an indication that there was habitation There are also pottery, shells discarded after eating, and actual charcoal from cook fires. The archaeologists are going to test the sand when they get back home. That's why it's important when they are scraping the trench walls that they cut of the roots that are there now (they use a scissors). I really enjoyed the experience of visiting the site; it made me respect TIME. The best guess of the archaeologists is that a community of about 500 people once occupied the flat sandy area from Uncle Ernie's to Serenity Restaurant at Upper Shoal Bay. As the students dig down into the sand, they find layers of white sand. These were laid down by major hurricanes of the past, including Hurricane Luis in 1995 which laid a new layer of white sand at the top! Lloyds Celebrating 40th Anniversary Anguilla's first hotel is celebrating forty years in business. Lloyds is a family business, headed by Vida Lloyd and supported by daughter Christine (pictured right) and son David (off in St. Croix on an air piloting contract for a while). When Lloyds Hotel opened on Crocus Hill in 1959, it was the first hotel in Anguilla, and it is still going strong today as a friendly, well-run place to stay for locals and tourists alike. Any friends and former guests who would like to offer congratulations to Vida and the Lloyd family, can call them at 1-264-497-2351 Events in Anguilla Anguilla Questions? Email the Tourist Board at atbtour@anguillanet.com or the Hotel Association at ahta@anguillanet.com Students at SUNY. A group of 19 Anguillian students was recently in New York for a two week training program at the state university. Arawak Cafe Grand Opening. Arawak Resort in Island Harbour has reopened under new management, including a new Arawak Cafe. Smokey's Opening. A new beach bistro has opened at Cove Bay in the West End. They will feature live music and dancing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. 1-264-497-6582 West End Bay? Anguilla has so many beaches that it is a challenge to identify them all. This small beach is located near the far western end of Anguilla. There are no hotels or services on the beach, in spite of it being a perfect small crescent. Directions: From the airport parking lot, take the only exit and turn left, then turn left again and drive west past the airport entrance, through the roundabout and follow the road to the west end. You will go straight through the Sandy Ground roundabout also. When you finally pass Cap Juluca and Leduc's restaurant, you will reach the end of the paved road. Turn right on a dirt road and take it straight to the shore. Want to learn more about Anguilla's beaches and see hundreds of more pictures? Visit beaches.ai Gone Fishin' 99 Summer is the slow season in Anguilla and many firms take the opportunity to give their staff a vacation in the summer. Here is a list of hotel and restaurant closings for summer 99 from the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association: Hotels Property Closed Reopening Carimar Beach Club Sept 1-30 October 1 Cinnamon Reef Resort Sept 1-30 October 1 Covecastles Villa Resort Aug 31-Oct 15 October 16 Frangipani Beach Club Sept 1-Oct 31 November 1 Malliouhana Hotel Sept 1-Oct 31 November 1 Shoal Bay Villas Aug 29- Oct 23 October 24 Restaurants Restaurant Closed Barrel Stay September 1 - November 14 Blanchard's August 1 - September 30 Covecastles Restaurant August 31 - October 15 Ferryboat Inn Restaurant September 1 - September 30 Gorgeous Scilly Cay August 30 - November 1 Hibernia July 26 - October 8 Koal Keel Restaurant June 6 - October 31 Leducs Reopening November 1999 Luciano's September 1 - October 31 Mango's August 1 - mid October 1999 Old House September 1 - September 30 Overlook Mid- April - November 1999 Palm Court at Cinnamon Reef September 1 - October 31 Pump House August 1 - September 30 (tentative) Restaurant Frangipani September 1 - October 31 The Restaurant at Malliouhana August 31 - October 31 Serenity September 1 - September 30 Straw Hat July 17 - October 31 Tratoria Tramonto August 1 - October 31 Cheers Charter Boats Cheers is a sleek, fast charter boat that is able to slip under the bridge into Simpson Lagoon and do pickups at St. Maarten's Juliana Airport. Operated by Mitchell and Lyle Connor, Cheers is a 33ft, 3 manned dual engine 450 HP Motor Vessel. They also have Cheers II for charters of up to 52 passengers. Charters to or from Juliana Airport US$285.00, Night US$350.00 Charters to and from St. Barths, US$750.00 To arrange airport pickup, send number of pages, flight number and time of flight arrival. Telephone: 497-8079 / 6297. Cellular: 1-264- 235-6205 / 7010. Pager: 7240-440. Web site with lots of pictures, coming soon! Lyle Connor Updates and Feedback Feedback to News.ai: Email updates and feedback on news stories to submit@news.ai Translations: Anguilla Local News is also available in Italian and German. Click here to see what issues have been translated. Tete-a-Tete Forum: Read and post feedback on Julian Niles' Anguilla Home Page Special Wedding Thank You. John and Susan ( jsias@curciowebb.com ) write: We like to thank everyone on the island of Anguilla who made our wedding special. We'd like to especially thank Carol Webster and Alan Piazzi. Carol, the concierge at the Sonesta hotel , did the most incredible job putting together our wedding plans. We highly recommend anyone considering getting married on Anguilla to look up Carol, you will not be disappointed. Her high standards of quality are directly reflected in her work - Thank you Carol for making our wedding our most memorable experience. The person who is directly responsible for our wedding reception is Alan Piazzi. Alan and his staff ( Trattoria Tramonto ) put together a wedding reception that can only be described as "phenomenal." The tasting menu that was developed was second to none, and the level of service was fantastic. Alan "Thanks - We'll see you soon, tell your staff to keep dancing." We'd also like to thank Dumpa and his band for keeping everyone dancing all night long, as well as Capt. Rollins on Chocolat for that sunset sail. Can't wait to come back! John & Susan Sias American Eagle Announces More Flights. Beginning November 19, they will add more flights to Anguilla, timed to connect with new flights from the USA to San Juan. Much higher bookings for the winter season this year. Pool Tables? Robert Girard writes Hi Bob: My family and I will be spending some time in Anguilla later on this year. Since my sons and I are enjoy playing pool, we would like to play while there. Do you have any idea where we might be able to play? Thanks for any info you care to forward. There are lots of places to play pool in Anguilla. About half of the local bars have pool tables. A fun restaurant with a pool table is the Little Mermaid in the Farrington (turn right off the main roof at their sign and go about 1/2 mile). They also have a nice place to sit in the shade of a huge tree and play dominos. Very Caribbean. Who else has a favorite place to play pool in Anguilla? Visitor Feedback: Love Anguilla. Pete and Eileen ( eso@earthlink.net ) write: Dear Bob: We love Anguilla and thank you for all the advance information you made available to us on the Internet. Just returned from what seemed like a very short week vacation. Our trip was a success, even if our luggage did not arrive on the same flight! Paradise Cove was "paradise" in every way. Sherille and her staff are remarkable and assisted us in making our vacation wonderful. There is so much beauty in Anguilla the beaches are perfect, people delightful and temperature wonderful. It rained but did not stop us from seeing the island and enjoying the hospitality. Our favorite beach was Shoal Bay East, Ripples our favorite restaurant, (oh that garlic coated grouper - yum) and rum punch at Ernies almost compared to pina colada's at Sonesta Beach Resort. A day on Chocalat is a must. We had a wonderful vacation and look forward to returning to Paradise Cove and Anguilla in the near future. Your web site is a great help and we appreciate all you do to promote the island, it helped to make our trip a success. Thank you! Pete & Eileen Visitor Feedaback: A Beautiful Island. JoAnne and Jack ( BarkQueen@aol.com ) write: Dear Bob, I always check out the local news on Anguilla and see how my home away from home is doing. My husband and I truly love the island. We have been coming to the island for a number of years. We got married on the island in 1996 (it was us pictured on the front of the 1998 tourism guide). If anyone is thinking of starting their lives together and want to have the best memory of their lives...Anguilla is the place to do it. I can not tell you how perfect the day was. I was on the island in February 1996 for 4 days and planned the entire event. I did have help from my dear friend Verlyn Rogers. We returned in June with our family and friends and found everything to be better than perfect. The people on the island of Anguilla are the best people I have met in my lifetime. Our day was sensational and the island is more beautiful than paradise. We return year after year and spend more and more time. It is my hope and dream to someday build a home of our own on your beautiful island. Each year it becomes more and more difficult to leave... I just keep telling myself... you will be back before you know it. Anyone looking for the perfect spot and the ultimate vacation...visit Anguilla and the wonderful people... Sincerely, JoAnne and Jack Horigan Web Sites About Anguilla Internet Yellow Pages: all known Anguilla web sites are indexed in this "yellow pages" directory . Swinghigh.ai is the new Internet domain name for the Swinghigh Apartments , which are available for short-term rental at $90 per day or long-term rental at competitive rates. Lourance Steven's has updated her personal home page at web.ai/vanilla Patsys Seaside Villas has updated their web site with information on their new villas, new air conditioning, and new email address: patsysseaside@hotmail.com Funtime Charter. Chris Cutler's Funtime charter boat has a web site at funtime.ai
Trip July 23 - 30, 1999 My family of four had the pleasure of staying at the Atlantis in Paradise Island Bahamas. Our flight on Allegro airline (an Apple charter) was smooth. We arrived to long lines in the arrivals area at the airport, but the wait was a pleasant one due to the presence of a live Caribbean band that played upbeat tunes. We had selected the Royal towers section of the Atlantis to stay in and when we reached the check in counter we were told that because we had also opted for the Club rooms we had a private check in. We were directed to a cozy room where a hostess took all our pertinent information and then personally escorted us upstairs to the "Club". Then she took us to our room. The "Club" rooms run from the 17th to the 24th floor and feature private elevators . The rooms are like others in the Royal towers but have the extra attraction of the amenities on the 19th floor. Here we were greeted each morning and given a special purple wristband (All guests are given a band, allowing them to use the facility. The Imperial club guests get a purple one to identify them as "Club" members.) Each morning a continental breakfast was laid out on a buffet table. The breakfast generally included cheeses, pastries, bagels, muffins, yogurt, cereals, fruits and beverages. You helped yourself to whatever you wanted. At lunch time again there was a food display that included rolls, meat, vegies, cookies, fruits and cheese etc. Throughout the day alcohol was also offered at no charge. In the evening, lovely desserts and drinks were offered till 10pm. The hotel offers several meal plans. But because we knew that the club rooms offered some food we decided not to get one. The hotel has number of restaurants and we felt the food at all of them was very pricey. We ate at a number of them and do feel this is one area the hotel could improve on. For the price I felt the food should be exquisite and in general though it was good it was not great. Murrays offers sandwiches starting at around $11.00 . We also dined at the Five Twins which is supposed to be the best but were not to happy with the special lobster at its $69.00 price (The regular Bahamian lobster was not available). We were also disappointed in some of the children's selections. Fathoms for example had only one children's item; bowtie pasta in cream sauce. If your child did not want that, it was an adult portion from the menu as no children's portions were available. Hence $34.00 swordfish for each of my girls. Steak at the Cafe of the Great Hall of Waters ran around $42.00. There were also some all you can eat buffets. The Marketplace restaurant buffet was in the high thirties. It was nicely done. The Seagrapes buffet was around $27.00. We actually liked the food at Seagrapes better but found the pace more hectic and cafeteria-like despite the beautiful decor. It was hard to find a place to just get something simple. We noticed that several people ordered pizza from town and had it delivered to the hotel. Room service for kids was one of the best values we found! Wine selections were mainly white and overpriced. A 15% gratuity is automatically added to the bill. Because we were in the Club rooms we did not need the meal plan but had we not been in those rooms we would have gotten one. The Club rooms are an additional charge over the regular rooms and we also tipped several of the more helpful staff at the end of our visit. We ate off property once, at the Poop Deck. The driver charged us $4.00 per person for the very short drive. So we paid $16.00 for a drive of about 2 miles. The food was good, service not that great though done with a smile, but the brightness of the sun and heat put a damper on the meal. I would return but wait till the coolness of the evening approached. Lobster ran about $38.00 and included vegies. Our room at the hotel was slightly larger than the average hotel room and boasted a safe and two queen size beds. It was nicely decorated with a blonde armoire with TV and table. The majority of the regular rooms in the Royal Towers have French balconies. (You can walk out but not sit down.) Each room has a sensitive minibar too (Pick up an item and you are charged even if you put it back down). Our cleaning person was Mark who went out of his way to provide excellent service! The view from our room was spectacular!!! Pools and lagoons and miles of beach! The entire Atlantis facility is absolutely gorgeous! And so well done! The way the marine life has been incorporated into the theme of the hotel is amazing. Though the hotel boasts lots of glitz and glamour, its not gawdy. Its just incredible!!! The hotel features some wonderful attractions. The slide rides from a Mayan temple were a kids fantasy. The underground tunnel walk through the shark tank was amazing. And oh "The Dig". It's truly a journey into a wonderous world!! The pools and lagoon are fabulous too! Throughout the day different pool side fun was provided ie limbo contests etc. I was very impressed with the entire facility, with one exception. Though the beach was lovely we were approached countless times to have our hair braided, buy a dress etc. It did get annoying. You also pay for shade, an umbrella runs $20.00 for the day. Though we did not use the spa we toured it, and it is a very nice facility. A small beauty salon was tucked away in the hotel also. We took a quick trip by shuttle to the Ocean Club a sister facility of Atlantis. Though this facility lacks the opulent facade of the Atlantis, it is a very elegant, old money type of place. It offers quiet and peace for the harried or famous who want some privacy. Apparently Oprah and Cindy Crawford spent time at the Ocean Club. But the Atlantis attracts the celebs too. While we were there Evander Hollyfield was staying in the Imperial Suite and I brushed right by him in the lobby. There were a few other well known folks there too. Mugsy B. (the basketball player) was signing autographs and holding a silent auction. MTV was also there filming and I had to stifle the urge to have my 9 year old with the gorgeous voice run over and sing for them! Not only does Atlantis offer great daytime pleasure, but it rocks at night too. The Casino is the main attraction, offering slot machines, cards etc. A band plays there in the evenings. I saw a variety of dress at the pool, casino and in the restaurants. Though my husband wore a jacket to the Five Twins there many who did not (about half). Unless we planned to eat at the Ocean Club or an off property restaurant like Graycliffs he would not take one again. Dress for the other restaurants was more casual. In the evening the casino dress ranged from shorts and tee shirts to subtle evening gowns. At the pool, there was the gamut from tiny bikinis to skirted swimwear. And to my surprise several gals who chose to bounce around topless. Toplessness was not the norm though and was often greeted with smirks, stares and giggles. A brochure stated that it was allowed but a drink server told me it wasn't Regardless coverups and shoes are requested in the hotel. Shopping at the hotel is not the greatest. The sundry shops are very small and crowded. A candy bar runs close to $2.00. Only one shop in the facility offered stamps. There are a number of upscale shops including, Gucci, Coles, Lalique, Ferragamo, John & Bull etc. We did take a short walk to the shops right off property to find our souvenirs. The Bahamian Craft Center had sweet little straw baskets to bargain for and my daughters fell in love with the shell selection there. Prices at the surrounding shops were naturally less than at the main hotel for the same thing. We found so much to do at the hotel that with the exception of our foray to the Poop deck restaurant and to the little shops we did not leave the property. During our previous vacations we had experienced the excitement of swimming with stingrays (Cayman Islands) and swimming with dolphins (Cancun, Mexico). I was glad we had done this as another couple expressed disappointment when they found out that these excursions must be booked weeks in advance. The service at the Atlantis was excellent! Everyone was truly gracious and friendly, more so than on any other Island we have visited. Our visit was wonderful. We returned home refreshed and relaxed with plans to definitely return to the Atlantis in the future!
Trip 7/99 On July 27, my husband and I went to Sandals Royal Bahamain in the Bahamas. This was a free trip (except for airfare) given to us by Sandals because of several mishaps on our previous trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos. We were allowed to select any Sandals property for this free trip but chose the Bahamas because this is suppose to be their most elegant and impressive resort and was close enough for our 5 day trip. We left for the Bahamas from Newark on a quick 2 1/2 hour flight. Upon arrival, we were immediately wisked to a van and driven to the resort. Upon checkup, we were escorted to the V.I.P. Concierge lounge, given champagne and a cool towel and were told that we, along with another couple, were upgraded seven times to the highest room, Beachfront Royal Windsor Suite. As Sandals return guests 4 times over we knew that they upgraded when possible but this was wonderful!! Room: Our room was amazing! Located directly on the beach, we had a wet bar and fridge stocked with a variety of liquor, wines, beer, juices, soft drinks and bottled water along with a coffee pot and a variety of bar glasses. A dining area and living room was impressive with access to the balcony, amour with TV, chairs and couches. French doors lead to the bedroom with four poster bed, another amour with TV and door leading out to the balcony also. The bathroom was huge: double sink, beautiful fixtures, separate sunken tub and toilet area. Ample his/her closet, ironing board and a safe for wallets, jewelry and such. Along with the suites comes the Concierge Service, who made all our dinner reservations, appointments for the spa and day trips and caters to your every whim!! Room service was prompt, and the maids did a wonderful job - never short on towels and always replenished the mini bar - which is included. Beach: We were on the beach within minutes after marveling at our room (which we did not want to leave!). Beach is small but beautiful. Clear blue water, soft white sand, ample chairs, umbrellas, tables and fresh towels. Areas for a couple to sit by themselves in small coves as well as areas to sit on the piers. Pretty isolated area - no taller resorts towering over you. Pools: Two very large pools both with swim up pool bars, columns with fountains, Italian structures. waterfalls and plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas - very impressive the amount of detail. There are also several smaller pools in the gardens (great for night swimming if you have a garden room or for some privacy), a misting pool to lounge in and a small pool on the off shore island. Also a scuba pool for beginners to learn, which is also included. Land/Water sports: Everything, again, is included. Scuba, snorkeling, Hobie Cats, Windsurking, sailboats, water trikes, water-skiing, canoes, paddle boats all available at the water sports shed on the beach. A bulletin board lists the days activities, in which Playmakers promote people to participate (areobics, water polo, volleyball, drink mixology, pool games, etc...) The idea is to earn points for partaking in activities and earn your sandals (leather sandals on a leather rope). They do not push for participating though and appeared more slack then other Sandals resorts. Restaurants: 8 dining choices and ample selection for everyone and fast, prompt service. Spices - wonderful breakfast buffet, large assortment, made to order eggs, waffles, pancakes, etc..., incredible fruit and pastries. Also serves lunch and dinner which we did not eat here, except for the dinner buffet for international night, which my husband loved! Great selection!! Can eat inside or out. The Crystal Room - did not eat here but the menu looked great, elegant dining and heard good things about. Baccarat - Loved it! French Gourment food, very elegant and wonderful view of the pool. They were taking reservations at the time we were there but ended that the day we left because so many people complained that they could not get in for it only has 12 tables. Get there late (9:00 or so) for we were leaving and looked to be plenty of tables. Apparently their best dining. Also serves a la carte breakfast. Royal Cafe Grill - beachside and casual Caribbean and American food - very good for lunch. Also self serve for snacks throughout the day. Cafe Goombay - off shore island. Two dinner seatings to catch the boat for the island. Great for those that love seafood - service was lacking but great open air feeling. Also serves lunch. Cricketers - English pub with traditional pub food - cute place! Ristorante Casanova - Our favorite. Impressive buffet for breakfast with everything you could imagine. Wonderful Italian menu at night, great service - food was awesome. Can eat inside or out and also has buffet for lunch. Kimonos - Did not eat here but have eaten at Kimonos at other Sandals. You sit at a large table with other couple while a very entertaining chef prepares a variety of foods to eat or taste. Great way to meet others and a lot of fun - good food. *A word of caution for men - bring dress pants. A lot of the restaurants require men to wear pants and collar shirts. The Spa: Royal Bahamian is suppose to be known for its great spa. I was not impressed with it and actually liked the one at Beaches Turks and Caicos better. Messages and other treatments are a bit pricey but can use other facilities (sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools) without getting a treatment. Fitness Room: Best view of the place. Located on top of the Manor Block, you can run on the treadmill facing the blue water. Two outside balconies provide the best views of the place. A good assortment of equipment. The exercise classes met every morning at the spa and there is not a set schedule - the class decides what they want to do - you also receive points for working out! One class took a three mile walk into town which was a great way to see the area. Tours: There are ample things to do off property and the tour desk can arrange anything you want to do - visit the out islands, swim with the dolphins, visit Atlantis, are a few of the things. Tours can get pricey but is cheaper then getting a cab yourself for touring. Off Shore Island: We found that the best beaches were here. While Sandals does share the island with a cruise line, it is basically empty. I think we were one of 12 couples there all day. Beautiful, bigger beach, pool with pool bar and floats and Cafe Goombay for lunch. Boat leaves from the mainland every hour and it takes only 5- 10 minutes to get there. Grounds: The gardens are wonderful and the grounds the most impressive of the Sandals we have been to - a lot of attention to detail. Liter does not hit the ground before it is picked up and the beach is combed every evening. Nightlife: Always something going on. Local entertainers, shows, Caribbean bands, couple games and the disco is open until the last people leave. Ample bars, billiards room and piano bar. We found it very difficult to find any fault here. The place is pricey but beautiful and we consider it the best out of the 5 Sandals we have seen. It is very quite as compared to Montego Bay or Negril, but then again we went during the off season. There were also a lot of honeymooners but older couples as well. Very high return rate. We would return in a heart beat. And although the concierge service was a wonderful treat, we found out that our room for that 5 day stay would have been $5,500. Next trip, we would consider staying in a garden room for even though they are away from the beach, they looked very nice and much less expensive. The rooms in the original building (Manor Block) looked older but still nice. A note about Sandals: We meet a lot of people that booked directly through Sandals and paid a lot then my sister, who meet us there. There are a lot of Sandals so-called specialists on the internet or in the yellow pages the offer much cheaper packages. Also, we were told that return guests get an automatic upgrade, except at Beaches. Sandals is truly an all-inclusive. No hidden costs!!
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