Why a Booktrail?
Destination: Anguilla Departure Date: 2000s
Have you ever wanted to just escape it all and open up a cafe in paradise? Eating and enjoying the good life? Step this way on to the beach…
A Trip To The Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean
What you need to know before your trail
We’ve all probably thought about it at some point – escaping to an island paradise and live the high life. Maybe set up a business and live there far away from the rat race.
That’s exactly what Bob and Melinda Blanchard did when they moved from their lives and food business in Vermont and moved to Anguilla in the Caribbean. Opening up a food bar then turns into a restaurant and a life neither of them could have imagined. But then comes Hurricane Luis, and their dreams risk being destroyed.
Should paradise be such a challenge and what can they do now?
Travel Guide
Life in Vermont is good but it’s when they’re on a holiday in the Caribbean that they stumble along a shack on the beach and think of the nice way of life they could have here. They stumble upon a shack and their reaction?
Tempting right? So, leaving behind the concrete jungle of Vermont, the island of Anguilla is out of this world. The white sandy beaches, the palm trees and the perfect weather for outdoor cooking and open air eating.
Adapting to the slower pace of life and the new and quirky island charms, life is one long day by the grill, the ‘music’ of fishing boats in the background and the essence of the ocean.
But creating and building a restaurant is just as difficult in paradise than it is anywhere else. Red tape, customs problems, delivery issues (oh the distances involved!)
“We forced ourselves to concentrate – to work in a spot where the rest of the world comes to play”
But the funny and hardworking staff make it all worth while. Even the way they speak, captured via the sing-song dialogue create an ambience that draws you right in. That’s if Shabby doesn’t with his ‘octopus arms’
Oh but the food – centre of the table at all times-
What about some Grilled Tuna With Coconut Rice Cakes? Maybe some banana bread and would you dare to try the strangely named Crisp Tai Snapper?
When the hurricane comes, life changes but the spirit and determination of Bob and Mel does not. The spirit of the Caribbean and its people immerse you in another world.
Where Next?
