The Torture Continues – Tuesday in Anguilla

Waking up to this kind of view on Tuesday morning was something else. Honestly? I could get used to this type of view each morning.

It started out as a pretty strenuous morning anyway. I was awake by 8:00 AM and made the executive decision to stay in bed and read for a while. What a treat! When I’m home, I have too many projects to enjoy some good old-fashioned reading time. It’s very rare to allow myself some down time.

Just twenty steps from my hotel room at the Frangipani Resort in Anguilla, I stumbled upon a beach. This can’t be real, right? I have bruises from trying to pinch myself so much.

I am staying on the west side of Anguilla, facing a beautiful coastal nook called Meads Bay. To the left of me down the beach to the southwest, is a gorgeous resort and more sandy beach.

To the right of me is a five-star resort called the Viceroy and more sandy beach. I know people who are staying here, and I haven’t heard any complaints thus far.

Before me lies the beautiful Caribbean. Swoon.

I really might never leave. Those of you at home can divvy up my personals. I’ve got a swimming suit with me. If only I had Hubby here to enjoy this tropical paradise…

You might not know this about me, but one of my favorite things to do in this entire world is to lay near the ocean, under a cabana, sipping on a cold drink (water, in this case), feeling the sand between my toes while a fresh, cool breeze comes in from the refreshing blue water. I dream big, after all. And during this rough work week, all of those big dreams are coming true.

We timed this trip perfectly. It’s the “off season” right now, so the beaches are mostly empty and seem very secluded. Anguilla is known for being unknown…and it’s a secret little gem that doesn’t receive the massive commercial tourism that other nearby islands experience.

I’m glad for the privacy. It really feels like I have this entire eleven mile-long island to myself. And perhaps a few other guests sharing my nineteen-room resort. But other than that, it’s just me.

I even had a great book to read on my iPod Touch Kindle app. I just started re-reading the Harry Potter series so I can finally read the final book while still remembering what had happened in the previous six books. I finished The Sorcerer’s Stone yesterday and am 20% through The Chamber of Secrets. No spoiler alerts, please. I still don’t know how this series ends…

What? I’ve never been accused of being smart or quick to jump on bandwagons! I’ve been a little slow with finishing this one.

Reading without feeling guilty that I should be doing something else? Truly priceless.

This is one of the two swimming pools on the property. It is located next to the check-in desk and hotel gift shop. There isn’t a single ounce of sugar available for purchase in this hotel gift shop. I checked. It that even legal? No candy to buy?!

So I guess I just found the single thing that could make this trip better, huh?

This is the first view seen when approaching the hotel from the entry dirt road. It really is secluded. I gasped when I first saw this in person during the daytime hours. Isn’t it gorgeous?! Don’t you just want to take off your shoes and jump into that ocean?!

This is the second pool. An infinity pool that peers into the deepest corners of my soul. I haven’t used it but have admired it from the beach cabana where I spent most of my day on Tuesday.

But enough about the hotel…let’s go eat lunch! The Straw Hat is the resort’s resident restaurant, and I was willing to give it a try. My grumbling stomach agreed that this was a good idea. Sitting in a lounge chair by the ocean can be very exhausting! I built up quite an appetite while doing nothing all day.

It is a gorgeous place to eat a late lunch. I was the only one eating at 4:00 PM. See what I mean when I feel like the place is all mine? There was some fun Reggae music playing while the sound of the ocean just feet away lulled me into ordering a delicious meal. It has been the best I’ve had on this trip so far. By far.

It was a tough decision from the menu, but I finally settled on the Jamaican-jerk pulled-pork sandwich. With a mango chutney. I like pork and fruit together on a toasted baguette. How was this not going to be perfect? It was heavenly. Wipe your mouth, please.

It came with some of the coolest fries that I’ve ever had. They were so thin and crunchy yet juicy and soft. Having some Idaho in me from both sides of the family meant that I was probably going to like these, but the taste buds certainly approved.

I had to wash everything down with something. Why not a virgin strawberry daiquiri? I don’t drink alcohol, but it’s always hard to explain that personal stance to a server in a restaurant. I thought I’d go all-out and get a sweet, fruity drink to enjoy. Does the fruit make it healthy? Luckily, it wasn’t very good. Which will thankfully prevent me from ordering one every thirty minutes this week.

The sandwich and fries were very good.

After lunch, it was time to burn off some calories.  *snort*  Just kidding. Calories don’t count on white-sand beaches, thank goodness. But I decided to take a barefoot walk up the beach towards the southern tip of Anguilla. Look at that pretty sun reflecting on the ocean. A person could get used to all of this, if not careful.

Well, shoot. This is not helping me overcome the desire to move here permanently.

My goodness. Would you look at that. No, really. Look loooong and haaaard at this paradise. Why would anyone ever go snow skiing for vacation?!

This has always been one of my favorite sensations. Water trickling in under my toes, and the sand leaving with the water. I love that slow sinking-into-the-sand feeling. Warm water and lots of sand. This is something I always try to imagine when I can’t sleep. I love it.

The distant resort was beautiful and certainly worth the walk.

And just in front of the hotel was a gorgeous reef. It was relaxing to watch the water come into these nooks and crannies and leave behind all sorts of interesting stuff. Like seaweed. And foam. Man, I need to get out more if those things are “interesting” to me…

Doesn’t this look fun? Every time I got too hot sitting underneath my private cabana on my lounge chair by the ocean, I would walk a few feet to the ocean and take a dip. It may have contributed to my minor sunburn, but it was certainly worth the sacrifice.

I love that only a few people are “oot and aboot” in the water. This place is a secluded paradise indeed.

This is my hotel. It’s the pink one. Don’t judge.

A long walk back to my lounge chair. I made my second executive decision of the day (the first being to read in bed instead of being productive) to watch the sunset beyond the sea. Really, I need to be pinched.

So I got comfortable in my trusty lounge chair and waited for the good to begin. It didn’t take long. And I kept running out of words to describe the beauty.

I will just share a bunch of photos all together. You can probably find more words than I could. It’s just amazing what creations exist in this beautiful world, huh?

I guess you could say my second day in Anguilla was a pretty tough one. But I managed to muster through. I hope I can handle the rest of the week here. We’ll just have to see if I can hack it.