I know I’m not the first person to fall desperately in love with the Caribbean after a visit to one of its gorgeous islands, but I think I’m a little, uhm…obsessed. Ever since I returned from my first trip to this beautiful part of the world three months ago, the only thing I can think about is how to get back there.  If I could find a way to live down there I think I might just explode with happiness (Wouldn’t that be pretty?).

A few months ago,  I took a 6-day, 5-night trip to the island of Anguilla in the British West Indies.  I stumbled upon the name of this island a few months earlier by searching the web for solo-vacation ideas.  I had been at a point in my life where I felt like I needed to get away to relax and recharge on my own, so I was looking for a good spot where I could do that.  I had always loved the clear blue water that the Caribbean is known for, so that helped to narrow down my choices,  but I also wanted to go to a place that was quiet, uncrowded and where I wouldn’t run into any crazy spring-breaker-types (No offense, dudes.).  Eventually, I came across an article in which a travel writer suggested the tiny and relatively-unknown island of Anguilla.

So, not knowing a thing about this island, I did a web search to determine its offerings.  I found a few “Anguilla is nice” articles scattered here and there and came across some traveler forums that I didn’t really read at first.  Instead, the thing that *really* got me hooked was this photo on the website of Anguilla’s CuisinArt Resort & Spa (Yes, it’s owned by the same company that makes toasters and blenders.):

(See the full-size image at the CuisinArt Resort & Spa’s website. Trust me you WANT to see the full size version!)

I must have sat and stared at this photo (and the many others on CuisinArt’s site), for hours on end, and with each moment I became more and more certain that I was going to have to get HERE [jabbing my finger into the photo above on my computer screen] one way or another.  It didn’t take me long to begin furiously scour the web to inhale any and all information I could find on Anguilla.  The resort had great reviews!  Yay!  There are people who have been visiting this island every year for 30+ years!  Awesome!  The restaurants on the island got exceptionally high marks!   Ohhhh Yeah!!  So it was set.  I was going to Anguilla.  Period. There was not a sliver of doubt about it in my mind AT all!  Nothing was gonna stand in my way!   err… well… except for the fact that I’m a… big fat chicken.

No, I wasn’t quite brave enough to go by myself.  But I wanted to go so desperately!  I HAD to go!  What to do?  Why, pass the CuisinArt website (and the above photo) on to a girlfriend of mine, of course!  Needless to say, she also fell in love pretty quickly, but because of our schedules, we couldn’t set up a trip until April 2009, a good three months or so away.  But at least we were going!  In fact, my friend is a big fan of spas, so we ended up booking CuisinArt’s Indulgence package that includes 3 spa treatments for each of 2 people.  Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?  It was a bit of a splurge and incredibly indulgent with respect to my every-day life, but what better time to just go for it than on vacation?

So when April finally came around, we set off on our trip to Anguilla.  We were aware that the island is known for its stunning beaches and gorgeous water, so we were looking forward to savoring every moment we spent in/on/near them.  We were on our way to an amazing spot for a quiet and relaxing vacation!  I went to Anguilla knowing full well that the scenery would steal my heart (cuz I’m sentimental like that) and I was more than willing to allow it to happen.

Let me just tell you that what you see up there in that photo is really what you get at the CuisinArt Resort.  The grounds are really that beautiful and the water is really that blue. It’s even more drool-inducing in person, to tell you the truth.  The beaches are incredible and we rarely saw more than a handful of people on our hotel’s beach (Rendezvous Bay) at any given time.  Combine that, with our luxurious spa treatments, the friendly and attentive staff of the CuisinArt, and the fantastic food (the array of breakfast pastries were my personal favorite), we could not have asked for anything more.  If that were all there was to our vacation, I would have been perfectly satisfied and would have left with a smile on my face… but it would not have been enough to take me to the point of obsession.

It turns out, there is SO much more to Anguilla than its luxury resorts and beautiful scenery.  If you are fortunate enough to meet and really interact with the Anguillan people, (It’s practically impossible to avoid, really.), you will just be so blown away by their kindness, graciousness, and their giving hearts.  The lovely people that we were lucky enough to befriend would go so far out of their way to do things for us just to make our lives easier or simply just to bring a smile to our faces… all without asking for or expecting anything in return from us.

They were so giving of their time, energy and just about anything they thought would make us happy.  And the thing is, it is really something that they do genuinely out of the goodness of their hearts.  I can’t remember a single instance in which I suspected that any locals that we met were being dishonest or disrespectful towards us, and I have to admit, I’m a very suspicious person when it comes to these kinds of things.  My cynical attitude comes from growing up in a society where it often seems like everyone is only looking out for themselves.  I feel like I was so completely blessed to have found Anguilla, though, because the people that live there seem to have the complete opposite attitude and seem to always be looking out for each other and for their friendly visitors.  Being surrounded by this kind of energy is good for the soul and shows you that this is how life should be. As one of our taxi drivers told us, “If you’re not a good person when you come to Anguilla, Anguilla will make you a good person”.

I only spent 5 nights in Anguilla last time and, looking back, I see that it flew by in a complete whirlwind of activity.  We were always on the go, visiting different hot spots and having fun with our new friends.  While I enjoyed every second of my time there, I realize that I never took a minute to stop what I was doing and truly appreciate the experience while I was actually living it.  I came away feeling like my soul had been lovingly fed and nourished but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.  And without knowing why, I wondered if I would ever be able to recreate that sense of bliss that I felt on that little island.

After our vacation, I returned home to a place where strangers rarely acknowledge your presence and where materialism is the norm. People have simply forgotten how to relate face-to-face to each other and worse, they feel that they don’t need to do it because technology makes it so easy to tap-tap-tap out a message to someone without any real interaction at all. If an in-person interaction cannot be avoided, it is usually approached with a certain coldness such that the true personalities and characters of the participants can not be determined. Truth has become a weakness in our society.

It saddened me to see the superficiality and general sense of indifference that surrounded me.  I had recognized it before, but it was even more depressing now because I knew that Anguilla, a place where the people seemed so warm and true, existed.  But I wondered whether or not that bliss that I felt on vacation was just a fluke.  Did we just happen to meet the perfect combination of people on our short visit to make it so much fun?  Or would that kind of experience be repeated over and over again if we were to keep going back? Is Anguilla the kind of place where I could live and be happy, at least more often than not?

Now, I’m realistic enough to know that no matter where you live, life is not going to always be sunshine and rainbows.  Everyone everywhere has some sort of struggles to go through in their lives, so they’re not going to be bright, cheery, and friendly all the time.  I know that just because the levels of superficiality and coldness in my world have not yet fully taken over a place like Anguilla, it doesn’t mean that they doesn’t exist there or that they never will.

But every day, the island seems to be calling to me and pulling me back.  I can’t really explain it except to say that I just feel like there is something more for me there.  I don’t know what it is.  I only know that I need to go back to find out more.  So now, a mere three months after I returned from my first trip, I am returning to Anguilla to try and understand what it is about this island that speaks to me.  I want to figure out why I felt so happy there.

Some of my friends just don’t understand my obsession with Anguilla and they pretty much just think I’m nuts (which is not entirely inaccurate).  Others have been encouraging me to explore the possibilities in Anguilla because, well, you just never know, right?  I see this trip, not as an option, but as a necessity. I hope I find some answers, and if I fall in love with the place all over again, I can only hope that I can find a way to stay.  Wish me luck.