Friday we decided on La Playa, knowing Bruno would be there. We arrived around 10 am and settled into comfortable lounges on the front row.The beach is quite wide, with little seaweed. It narrows the farther south you go towards Club O. Beach service is attentive at La Playa, and we enjoyed a couple of cocktails before lunch. We had reserved a table on the elevated deck, and the view from there is just stunning. Our entrees ranged from steak to fish, to pasta, and everyone enjoyed their food immensly. I had what was probably my best meal of the trip (so far), a perfectly-cooked red snapper filet with a delicious sauce and accompanying vegetables. Bruno has done his magic with La Playa, and it has become the showplace on Orient.

Saturday the Benners headed to Cupecoy, which is not our favorite spot, so we went back to Orient, this time to Kakao. Even though there were six ships in, the beach wasn't ridiculously crowded, and tge people watching was pretty good. We love Kakao on Saturday because they always have fresh fish. There were several choices today, but David and I both went with the whole sole with a Noilly Prat sauce, and it was delicious. The thing I do miss at Kakao since the chef has changed is the lovely little vegetable accompaniments that used to be served with the fish. Today we got some rice, potatoes, and a small salad. They were all fine, but not as inspired as the veggie preparations of the past.

Sunday morning Mr. Brooks was right on time for our ride to Marigot to catch the ferry to Anguilla. We arrived at the terminal much earlier than we needed to for the quick ride over. The weather was warm and sunny, and we enjoyed sitting up on the upper deck. We picked up our rental car and took a short drive to Straw Hat, where we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast with an even more amazing view. Todd and I each had the lobster benedict, MJ had a fritatta, and David had French toast. Everyone loved their meals, and the bloody marys were pretty good too! After breakfast we headed on over to Serenity Cottages, where we were able to check in early and enjoy some time on tge beach there before we headed over to Gwen's for some reggae. We had planned to walk along the beach to get there, but the beach has narrowed, so we had to drive the short distance. We had a wonderful time listening to The Scratch Band, enjoying their antics and those of some of the patrons, and even getting in a little dancing ourselves. If you go, make sure to try Gwen's pasta salad; it's amazing!

Since David and I had never been to Anguilla, we relied on Todd and MJ for recommendations, and as our travel planner, Todd did an excellent job. We had planned on dinner at Zara's, and finding it closed, we traveled on to Veya, which unfortunately was also closed. Next on the list was Tasty's, which was a bit farther away. Navigating the dark roads while driving on the left was interesting, but David did an excellent job behind the wheel with Todd directing with the help of Google maps. Tasty's proved to be another excellent choice. Their freshly-made Johnny cakes are delicious, as were all of our entrees: chicken pasta, chef's seafood pasta, chef's seafood salad, and Tasty's shrimp. Oh, and I can't forget the pumpkin soup, which is apparently traditional in Anguilla. The service was impeccable, and the restaurant is so very quaint.

After dinner we headed back to Serenity Cottages, where we all promptly crashed after a long, fun day. our suite had two bedrooms and two baths, a spacious living room, full kitchen, and a huge patio that was accessed from the living room and one of the bedrooms. The other bedroom, being a lockout, had its own private entrance and patio. The furnishings were comfortable and very Caribbean in style. Our unit was steps from the beach, as well as the restaurant where we had breakfast on Monday.

Thanks for the update. Last trip I took to Anguilla it was almost impossible to walk the beach you are referring to. I think it has been that way for several years now. Always a nice diversion to go to Anguilla.

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I wish I liked fish because everyone seems to have wonderful fish meals.

Thanks for the updates, enjoy reading your reports.

Did your unit at Serenity have an outside shower? We loved that place almost as much as we loved Anguilla itself.

Glad you're all having such a great trip. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

It did not, but the outside wall of the shower was glass, with greenery and a wooden screen providing privacy, so felt like you were outdoors. The bathrooms were beautiful; all polished stone.

My apologies for the typos; I proofread twice, but still missed some errors.

Sounds wonderful!
Thanks for taking the time to post. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the report ! Sounds like a great little interlude in the middle of SXM fun!

Enjoying your reports.

Thanks, Norm! I think I forgot to mention that we ran into you at The Palms our first night. It was fun to finally meet you!

The previous chefs at Coco Beach used to do those little vegetable things also. They were little treats packed with flavor. I miss them too.

Sounds like a nice little diversion from the SXM festivities.