I got up early on Monday, hoping to see an Anguillan sunrise but instead was greeted by a rain shower. After checking the radar map and hourly forecast, it was apparent that it would not be a beach day. The four of us had breakfast in the restaurant at Serenity, which was excellent. The staff is so friendly and attentive; in fact everyone we encountered in Anguilla was just as nice as can be.

After breakfast we packed up and checked out, and then took a ride around the island. I was struck by how much vacant land still exists there, as well as by how clean it is. SXM could learn a lot from her neighbor. After our ride, we decided the best course of action was to take the noon ferry back to Marigot. We decided on The Palms for lunch, where they had been so busy that Jo wasn't even sure what they would have left to serve us. Not a bad problem to have! We ended up getting sirloin burgers, and they were excellent.

Tuesday, David and I met friends off a cruise at their favorite spot, Palm Beach. We had some nice beach time, and a delicious lunch. David and I each had the lobster and shrimp risotto, and it was spectacular.

Tuesday evening a large group went to Karakter for live music. They've really done a lot to improve the place since we were last there. It was packed, but the service was still pretty good, as was the food. David and I shared four different tapas, and I think most of the others did something similar; it was dark and the music didn't allow for much conversation, but we still had a great time. The musical talent on the island is pretty impressive.

Wednesday was a La Playa day, and despite there being seven ships in port, Orient wasn't really a zoo. La Playa in particular wasn't overly crowded, as Bruno doesn't cram the chairs right next to each other. We again reserved a table on the elevated deck, which is just a lovely spot to enjoy a meal. I finally got my mussels, and they were just delicious. The others had steak, fish, and a wrap; I was too busy with my mussels to pay close attention to anyone else's meal. David and MJ didn't want dessert, so I talked Todd into sharing the Cafe Gourmand with me.

Wednesday we had dinner at Avantika with the Benners and the Masts. In the past, Caribbean Scout had made menu suggestions for a group, so I pulled that back up and came armed with a plan. Unfortunately, their menu has changed, and many of her suggestions are no longer available; but seeing the method of the list, our waiter helped with alternatives. We had chicken sate and salmon sashimi to start, then red curry chicken, drunken noodles with beef, beef fried rice, and a veggie dish with beef added. We ordered everything medium hot, which proved to be a mistake; as we were all a bit overcome by the spice level. I was quite surprised by that, as I have a good tolerance for heat. I think the chef may have changed there, but I didn't ask.

I realize that I missed posting about our dinner on Saturday. We went to Lal's, where we shared chicken tikka masala, spinach chicken, and one other chicken dish whose name I don't remember. All had the perfect spice level, and served with a couple of orders of garlic naan to sop up the delicious sauce. Lal describes his food as Rock and Roll Indian, and that's a good description.