*Update 3/14/2013: I have been told that arrests have been made in all of the most recent robberies on Anguilla. I’m relieved to hear it and now feel a bit better for the safety of all who live on and visit the island. I’ve had several different versions of this post sitting in my drafts …
Dear friends, Some of you may have noticed that IslandObsessions.com has been down for the past few days. Over the New Year’s holiday, the site was hacked and was essentially wiped-out. As a result, I had to rebuild much of the blog from what backups I had and the rest had to be done from …
One afternoon on a recent trip to Anguilla, I was hanging out on a quiet beach with a group of friends enjoying one of my favorite island pastimes: just lounging around enjoying happy conversation, tasty food and some nice cold drinks. At some point one of our buddies disappeared and we couldn’t figure out where …
One of my favorite questions to ask locals when I’m in Anguilla is “Where’s your favorite place to eat?”. It’s easy to find out about all of the bigger, well-known restaurants on the island since you’ll find reviews and people talking about them all over the web, but sometimes in order to find the smaller, …
Continue reading ‘Eat Like a Local in Anguilla at Cocono’s Restaurant’ »
I was on Anguilla when Tropical Storm Isaac passed about 140 miles south of the island on the night of August 22-August 23, 2012. I did worry about it a bit when I first heard the storm was on its way, but after asking around and getting advice from local friends like “All you need …
Continue reading ‘High Winds & Rough Seas after Tropical Storm Isaac’ »
One night on my last trip to Anguilla, it was almost midnight when I was ready to head home after an evening of bouncing from one fun spot to another with a group of friends. I was well beyond tired, so when one member of the group said “My friend is having a party right …
One of the things I love most about my trips to Anguilla is how often wildly crazy and fun situations just seem to materialize out of thin air. I used to believe that I was just that lucky to be in the right places at the right times (a lot), but now I think it …
Continue reading ‘Sprocka: Impromptu Concert at The Sunshine Shack Anguilla’ »
I recently returned from my 7th visit to Anguilla and, I have to say, it wasn’t the best trip I’ve been on to my favorite little island. Don’t get me wrong, it was filled with some fantastic experiences that I plan to share in upcoming posts, but it was also marred by a sad incident …
I think that just about every culture must have some form of fried dough that is considered to be a popular treat. Americans have doughnuts and funnel cakes, Spaniards have churros, the French have Beignets, and in Jaimaica, festival is the fried dough of choice. Apparently, variations of fried dough are so popular that there …
Continue reading ‘Let’s Make Anguilla-Style Johnny Cakes!’ »
I often tell people that I want to keep Anguilla a secret from the rest of the world so I can have it aaaallllll to myself. Then some of them, who know about this site look at me and say, “But you write on a blog about it! A lot!”. I laugh and somewhat shamefully …
Continue reading ‘Need Bliss? Find It At The Sunshine Shack Anguilla’ »
Picture it: Me. A true lover of Anguilla arriving on the island for my 6th visit there. On my first night back, I had a great dinner with friends at the SandBar at Sandy Ground full of lots of laughs and just the right number of pineapple-infused vodka shots (Or was it rum? Hm. For …
Continue reading ‘January 2012: Welcome Back To Anguilla!’ »
It’s inevitable. Once the winter months start coming around, bringing the chilly air and long dark nights, I often find myself clicking around on travel websites desperately searching for a way to escape the cold and dreary days. Anyone who has taken even the most casual of glances at this blog knows that my escape …
I’m back… *sigh* I recently returned home from my absolutely fabulous 5th trip to Anguilla during which I had a fantastic time visiting friends and exploring more of the island. I only wish I could have stayed longer and, I know this makes me sound like a spoiled you-know-what, but this trip of 6 nights …
I spent the morning of my last full day in Anguilla half-heartedly throwing things into my suitcase and cleaning up around the house. My intent was to take care of all of the depressing tasks so that I could spend every last second I had left on island enjoying myself. When I finished, I decided …
I woke up on my 8th morning in Anguilla to a phone call from a good friend. Two days before, he and I had made plans to go to Scrub Island on this day, but because I hadn’t heard from him since then I wasn’t even sure the trip was still happening. But, bright and …
Day 6 I let myself sleep in a bit on the 6th morning of my Anguilla trip, and I woke with the same twinge of sadness that I always get when I realize that I’ve passed the midpoint of my visit. From that point on in any given trip, I often find myself wishing for …
On my fourth morning in Anguilla, I was feeling downright slothful - juuuuust the sort of feeling I aim for when I come to this island. I really had zero inclination to do anything or go anywhere which, as it turns out, was just as well because somewhere around mid-morning, it started pouring down rain …
After a good night of sleep, I woke up bright and early again, but this time I made no rush to get going as I had done the day before. When I’m home, I rarely get a chance to sit around and do absolutely nothing. Instead, I’m constantly on the go, zipping around and trying …
Despite having been awake for around 14 hours the day before, I somehow managed to wake up before 6am on my second day in Anguilla. The bright sun was what woke me up at first, but then the excitement of being back on-island had me practically leaping out of bed. Yes, I was definitely looking …
Arriving in St. Maarten Whenever I land at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten (SXM), it’s usually after a night of maybe 3 hours of sleep followed by ~7 hours of traveling. Despite being completely exhausted and likely a little frustrated at not being able to sleep on the plane, I am always completely …
Ahhhhh! My next trip back to Anguilla is booked and I am sooooo happy about it! Nothing helps cut through the depression of a cold and dreary winter more than planning a trip to my favorite island. This will be my fifth trip to Anguilla, and in my opinion, it’s long past overdue. I mean, …
Continue reading ‘Back to Anguilla and Back to Blogging Basics’ »
Not that I really needed another reason to keep returning to Anguilla over and over again, but… today I found out that I’m going to be a godmother of a soon-to-be-born Anguillian baby boy! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (Yes, that was my squeal of joy.) Actually, my good friends let me know that they were expecting a child …
Continue reading ‘My Newest Reason To Be An Anguilla Regular’ »
Well, I made it back to Anguilla! I had a pretty smooth travel day yesterday and was so excited to arrive back on my favorite island once again. Ahhh, island bliss… You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been neglecting this blog a bit in the past few months. That’s been mostly because …
Continue reading ‘Back to Anguilla: Return. Rejoice! Relax. Re-center.’ »
Whenever we travel away from home, it’s likely that we’re going to encounter people who live, think and act differently than we do. This applies not only to when we visit foreign countries, but could also be the case when we travel a just a few towns away. Recognizing that fact, it seems to automatically …
Continue reading ‘Rule of Travel #1: Respect Locals and the Way They Live’ »
I’m aware that the name of this blog is “Island Obsessions”. I am also aware of the fact that the only island I’ve written anything of substance about, so far, is Anguilla. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely love Anguilla, but I’ve always intended to visit other islands to experience them as well. So, …
It isn’t difficult to fall in love with island accents, especially if you’ve naturally begun to associate them with that mesmerizing bliss that takes over when you’re in a Caribbean paradise. (A word of advice though: Don’t get so obsessed that you borderline stalk a guy in the grocery store because you hear him talking …
When it rains in Anguilla, most of the time the showers last less than ten minutes and then the clouds roll away quickly to make way for the sun to shine again. As you might imagine, that kind of weather pattern provides prime conditions for the formation of rainbows. During my last trip to Anguilla, …
Continue reading ‘Why Anguilla is Nicknamed “Rainbow City”’ »
I’ve been back from my trip to Anguilla for just about a week now, and even though there’s 18 inches of snow outside my door, I’m still reveling in that sweet island bliss that AXA never fails to instill within me. I live in the DC metro area, and there’s no doubt that life is …
I’m about to go to bed, but I doubt that I’ll be gettting much sleep. I’m way too excited because, when I wake up, I’m heading back to my beloved island of Anguilla! The packing is as done as it’s going to get. I’ve got the basics: my passport, id, some warm weather outfits, a …
I get to see this view again! The official countdown has begun and I’m beyond excited! The first couple of weeks of November have actually gone by pretty quickly for me, so December should be here in no time. All of my transportation and lodging arrangements have been made and I’ve begun thinking about what …
In order to aid in the recovery from my recent illness, I went ahead and booked my next trip back to my favorite island. :) It was always my plan to go back to Anguilla sometime this winter and since I was feeling a little bummed about having to cancel my St. Croix trip, it …
Continue reading ‘Next trip is booked: Back to Anguilla again!’ »
Rats! I had to cancel my trip to St. Croix because I got sick (just like everyone else around here). Luckily it’s nothing serious so everything should be back to normal soon. I am a bit sad about it not getting to visit a new island just yet, but I have hopes that I’ll get …
One of the things that really took me by surprise on my first visit to Anguilla was the way that locals were so quick to offer their greetings to tourists. Depending on the time of day, it was rare not to get a “good morning”, “good afternoon” or “good night” (considered to be a greeting …
If you’re planning on going on a vacation to Anguilla, and especially if you’re staying in one of the larger resorts, you aren’t likely to want for much during your stay. In fact, you can probably be as relaxed and pampered as you want to be with the wide array of spa services, dining options …
Continue reading ‘My Island-Life Lesson #2: Trade-offs Are To Be Expected’ »
With an estimated population of just under 15,000 people (according to the CIA Factbook), Anguilla definitely has a small-town feel to it. It’s the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone else, and even if they don’t, a short conversation is likely enough to uncover a degree or two of separation between almost …
Continue reading ‘My Island-Life Lesson #1: Your Business is Everyone’s Business’ »
I’m back from my second trip to Anguilla. My visit was even more amazing than I could have hoped and I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the chance to go back so soon. But, now I kind of have a problem… All of a sudden my everyday life here at home seems so …
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 …