SANDY ISLAND, ANGUILLA
BBQ, BEACHES & SNORKELING
Story and photos by Barb & Ron Kroll
World WeatherWorld Maps
It's your quintessential Caribbean island in the sun. Anchored to the seamless blue sky, by tall palms, Sandy Island is a little-known haven for lovers of sun, sand and snorkeling.
A free ferry departs every half hour from the dock beside Johnnos Bar on Anguilla which, in turn, is accessible by a 10-minute flight from St. Maarten.
As we approach, we can't help but think of those cartoons of the two bearded men, stranded on an island, making wry observations about the state of the world, a fallen coconut at their feet.
 |
 |
 |
| Couple relax on Sandy Island beach. Anguilla. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Calypso music greets us as our ferry reaches the alabaster beach. (There's live music on Sunday afternoons.) We follow it to an open-sided wooden pavilion sheltering a bar and picnic tables.
BBQ
The waiter at Sandy Island BBQ serves rum punch and piña coladas, along with plates of barbecued chicken, ribs, fish, crayfish and lobster.
The sea is more seductive than the food and drink, so we quickly don masks, snorkels and fins, and swim through the bathtub-warm water towards the reef.
An armada of yellow and black-striped sergeant majors hovers at our fingertips, while iridescent blue tangs weave between fingers of coral. Schools of fish, the color of burnished pewter, scatter before us, then regroup to investigate the strangers in their midst.
Reef snorkeling
So enthralled are we with the spiky black sea urchins, the tiny neon fish and other creatures, that we overstay our visit and emerge, wrinkled as prunes.
To dry off, we hike around the island. At a leisurely pace, it takes less than 10 minutes. We then spread our towels on the talcum powder-sand, where the long fronds of the coconut palms are shadow-boxing.
Within minutes we're asleep. But not for long. Our dreams of being stranded on a pristine atoll vanish, like a mirage, when the shuttle arrives to bring us back to Anguilla.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Sandy Island BBQ: http://olivers.ai/sandyisland.html
More information on Anguilla:
Anguilla Hotels and Villas
Anguilla Spa Treatments and Wellness Centres
By accessing any part of this website you acknowledge and accept our Terms of Use.
Sponsored by: Creations Unlimited (our low cost, reliable web host provider)
