127 hours…in St Bart’s and Anquilla

James Franco did not have the same 127 hours that we had island hopping from the luscious St Barth to the unblemished beaches of Anquilla.   It’s the Caribbean (sun, sand and rum) at its best especially for foodies.  There is something for everyone in food centric St Barth.  A couple of stand outs are La Plage on St Jean beach and Do Brazil on Shell beach, both have a bohemian vibe with great food in a gorgeous setting. And if you like to shop while your food is being prepared, try the open air garden setting of Le Tamarin situated under a slow-growing long-lived massive tamarind tree bearing yummy sweet fruit although we didn’t taste it.   Also noteworthy is L’isola in Gustavia for a delicious italian dinner while experiencing Yacht envy at the Harbor…so full of magnificent sailboats in town for the famous bucket race. Did I mention the shopping?!  Three words…Bijoux de la Mer …big family run gem of a jewelry store selling among other things… Tahitian pearls. I went for the big gold hoops with a pearl on one side and a flower on the other… ooh la la! For the guys, purple shorts! All the better for our hiking day with our guide Helen Bernier, known in St Barth as the Activist.  She took us up one of the highest points overlooking the salt flats in Saline where the vegetation was quite overgrown forcing us to be bushwhackers. 

And then there was Anquilla, an 8 minute flight where everyone was friendly, beaches beautiful and golf (whew) was accessible at the new Viceroy Resort. Dine at Blanchards and eat at Straw Hat with your brim on! Lots of  Laughter is the key ingredient in life and there was plenty of that on this trip to the islands. After all, we were supposed to be on holiday in Egypt looking for pyramids which would not have been a laughing matter at his particular time in the Middle East.  So here’s to next year in Tahrir Square and hiking in Jordan’s Wadi Rum while praying for Democracy and Peace.