Viceroy Photos

As previously mentioned, Korinne and I toured Viceroy.  We have a number of rooms blocked off here, and I would highly recommend it as an option - could be an alternative to Cap Juluca or if you had planned one of the larger rooms or rooms with views at Frangipani (booo).  The pricing here will never again be like the offer that we have here, because the hotel just opened today and they are trying to fill up a new hotel in a bad hotel market.  They don't yet have the return guests that keep coming back (yet).

It's a more modern place with a South Beach or LA feel, as opposed to a "right on the beach" place like Cap Juluca.  There are more pools, they are all very cool looking, and there is a bit more focus on the pools here than at CJ - I've actually never seen anyone at the pool at CJ.  There's no need because of the beach there.  But, the beach at Viceroy is still great, and they were finishing their beach club which is actually at the end of Meads Bay, all the way at the opposite end as Carimar.  The hotel spans from the end of Meads Bay, much of it sits on a cliff, over to Barnes Bay.  The big villas are on the ledge above the beach at Barnes Bay. 

We are thinking about having our welcome cocktail event at Viceroy (the other option is CJ), because the space is unbelievable, and the bar area would be great for hanging out post-event (and pre- whatever other nonsense goes on later that night).  Here are some photos for your perusal:

Below is a view from one of the suites.  This is the Meads Bay side, and the beach club is right on the other side of the buildings in the middle of the photo.  The building on the right has the oceanview rooms that are available at the price on the list, and there are less expensive ones right behind that.  Obviously you're steps from the beach, plus this pool has cabanas and full service.  The spa is apparently down there too, though it wasn't finished when we were there.

This is a view of Barnes Bay from the area outside the main house, just down from the bar and restaurant area.  The buildings you see on the bluff are the crazy 4- and 6-bedroom villas, which apparently have almost all been sold.  You can rent these if you want, but it will cost you!  The beach is open to anyone, as they all are.  We've never been down on Barnes Bay beach, so can't tell you how it is.  I imagine it's as good as all the others there.

Turn to your left from the above point, and you'll see the bar area just past the infinity pool.  The entrance to the main house is on the left.

Here's the bar area from closer to the main house, facing the area where the above pictures were taken.

Hotel Notes

Korinne and I returned, sadly, from Anguilla last Sunday, but I'm just getting around to posting a few items.  I just downloaded all the photos onto my computer, so I'll be putting up some good ones.  Most importantly, we toured the Viceroy, which as I noted in my email, is a great hotel.  Different feel than Cap Juluca (and Malliouhana and CuisinArt), but very nice and the pricing we got seems very attractive - moreso now that I've seen it.

A couple notes as you make your reservations:

If you want the room/hotel of your choice, you should probably think about booking soon.  I know that Cap Juluca is filling up and only has a few rooms left.  Viceroy still has a bunch of rooms blocked off for us, and they are one of the only hotels that has rooms w/ two queen beds (in case you're rooming w/ someone).  I think Paradise Cove has plenty left, and Carimar (as previously noted) is just about filled up.

Off to Anguilla...

Korinne and I are off to Anguilla bright and early tomorrow (Thanksgiving) morning.  Can't wait to get down there and relax and have fun.  I've been busy at work, but nothing like she was through election day.  I imagine she's got a lot more steam to blow off than I do.  Either way, we'll be on the ground in St. Maarten in 16 hours, in Anguilla 30 minutes later, and on the beach by 3pm Atlantic Standard Time.  You may notice the posts in this blog appear to be posted an hour later than they actually were, but before we switched back to standard time, they were correct.  I have the blog set to Atlantic Standard Time - Anguilla time.  I've already been on that time for a while.

Have a great Thanksgiving, keep reading the blog, and look for more posts in the near future.  Hopefully I'll have a FINAL reservation form to send to you soon, and please feel free to start making your plans.  If we don't see you before, we'll see you in Anguilla in late April...

Photos!

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and about 12 hours before Korinne and I head to the airport to fly to Anguilla for 10 days (via St. Maarten, of course).  I finally got around to downloading the photos from our wedding location scouting trip to Anguilla in April.  Actually, Korinne finished with the campaign and finally got around to bringing the camera/computer connector cord home from her office.

Anyway, here are some photos that may be of interest to you and your hotel selections.

Cap Juluca at sunset:



View from the restaurant at Cap Juluca:

View from the balcony of an oceanview suite at Carimar:

View from a poolview suite at Paradise Cove:

Hotels - Paradise Cove

Paradise Cove is a nice little apartment-style hotel, with garden-style buildings surrounding a large pool and bar area.  See below for website link.  It is a few hundred yards down the road from Cove Bay beach, and also a short walk from Maundays Bay, site of Cap Juluca.  The rates here are great, and as I mentioned in my previous post on Viceroy, I think they should actually be lower than what is on the form.

There are studio, one- and two-bedroom, and penthouse suites at Paradise Cove, all with a kitchen, patio, etc.  The pool is nice, and there's a cool little bar at one end of the pool.  There's a fitness center, a cafe, and two jacuzzis (niEEce!), and you can actually have them do grocery shopping for you before you get there. We haven't stayed here, but toured the rooms and grounds in April.  This can be a great option if a bunch of people want to stay in the same place with lots of room, don't mind being off the beach, and most importantly, are looking for an economical option. 

The hotel can also arrange a bunch of the activities and amenities that aren't provided directly by the hotel.  And, as I've mentioned, all beaches in Anguilla are public.  So you can stroll (or get a ride) down to Cap Juluca and hang out at the beach there if you want.

Hotels - Viceroy Anguilla

The Viceroy is a brand new luxury hotel located on a coral cliff between Barnes Bay and Meads Bay (where a couple of the other hotels are).  See below post for website.  It just opened this month, and Korinne and I will be taking a look within the next few days when we're in Anguilla.  This is one of a handful of major developments that were taking place in Anguilla at the peak of the lodging market, and is the only one that is or will open anytime soon.

Viceroy was developed by a company called Kor Hotels, which just changed its name to Viceroy Hotel Group, and also has Viceroy hotels in Miami, Palm Springs, Santa Monica, and Snowmass.  It's the only "branded" hotel on Anguilla, and based on the others, expectations are high.  Fortunately for all of us, since they just opened and the hotel market is in the dumps, the rates they are offering are pretty good - and even better for our group.

This is a place that will command premium rates once it stabilizes and the lodging market comes back, so this is a great opportunity to stay at a hotel like this for a reasonable price.  They will be offering us both garden rooms and oceanview rooms.  Viceroy has all the amenities you could ask for - spa, multiple restaurants, great pool, and great service.

You should have received the updated reservation form from me in an email, though I may have to send an amended one (again) because of some confusion on the rates for the Paradise Cove (I think the rates should be lower than what is on the form).  Please start to send these in to Jackie to reserve your rooms.  As you now know, there is at least one other wedding down there, but we do have rooms blocked off at all the hotels we've discussed to date (except, obviously, Frangipani).

Hotel (Bad) News

I just found out that the geniuses at Frangipani rented the hotel to another wedding party, despite our already confirming that we were going to do the same.  Ugh.  We are working on different hotel options, and have a couple things almost lined up already.  Those include the Viceroy (http://www.viceroyanguilla.com/), which is a brand new luxury hotel right down the beach from Meads Bay (Frangipani, Carimar, etc.), and Paradise Cove (http://www.paradise.ai/), which is a more economical option but is still a nice place to stay.

Viceroy is offering us really great pricing, though it appears that it will be slightly higher than Frangipani.  But like I said, it's brand new (opened this month) and is supposed to be spectacular.  The Paradise Cove is not right on the beach, but is only about 300 yards away from it - actually from Cove Bay, which is right where Smokey's (wedding location) is situated.  It is more of an apartment hotel, with 1- and 2-br suites and kitchens available, surrounding a large pool and bar.

I will be sending out yet another hotel registration selection form from Jackie as soon as everything is nailed down.  Apologies for the confusion and delay.  I imagine these hiccups happen during any wedding planning, but this one is especially frustrating and disappointing.  Also, it looks like Carimar has had some cancellations, so there will be some rooms available there.  I think they are 2-br suites that can convert to 1-brs, and Carimar is right on the beach and economical.

Anguilla Map

The best map is probably here at http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/ag/agmap.shtml for all the island detail.  Some of you have asked where all these hotels are and if they are close together.  Well, for once, you are in luck.  See the west side of the island - Maundays Bay is where Cap Juluca is located (#5) and Meads Bay is where Frangipani, Carimar, etc. are located (#s 6 & 11).  Smokey's, location of the wedding, is at Cove Bay, immediately to the east of Maundays Bay.

Rate Information - Carimar

If you'd like to stay at Carimar, there are not going to be any special wedding rates, since they apparently only have eight or so suites left.  Thus, here are the rates for the relevant time of year (off season, of course - hey, that's why we picked May 1 for the wedding!):

Beach-view 2 bedroom $335.00-starting May 1 $295.00 until April 30
Beach-view 1 bedroom $225.00-starting May 1 $200.00 until April 30

What this means to me is there are not any beachfront rooms left.  That's ok - no matter what, you're a few steps from the beach.  As with the other rooms, please email Jackie at her email address I posted below, or fill out the form that I'll send you as soon as I receive it.  I'll tell you what, though...these rates are great for what the hotel is.  Read the Carimar post below and you'll see.  That is dirt cheap for right on the beach, man!

Wait a second, why is it cheaper before May 1 than after, even though off season is really post-April?  I have no idea.  The only explanation I can think of is the extravaganza that will be the Korinne/D.J. wedding on May 1.

Hotel Reservation Logistics

To make a reservation at Cap Juluca, Frangipani, Carimar, or other potential hotels or villas that pop up over the next few weeks, I will be sending a form for you to fill out.  Jackie, the woman on island that I've mentioned that is helping us with the hotels, will be coordinating all this.  In order to ensure that you get the right rate and we know where you're staying, please send this form to her. 

If you want to make a reservation on your own, please feel free.  Despite all these posts, emails, and demands, you are not required to stay where we're telling you.  Can you believe it?  But, we will be organizing wedding event transportation from these hotels (ok, and maybe others, depending on where everyone ends up staying).

To repeat:  please be on the lookout for a hotel reservation form via email from me.  Thanks.

By the way, it will be much more fun posting about restaurants and bars on this blog once we get all this hotel garbage squared away.  I'm looking forward to talking about the Barrel Stay, Pump House, Elvis's, Picante, Straw Hat (oh wait, I've already mentioned this), Johnno's, Ripples, Koal Keel, and of course, Bankie Banx's legendary Dune Preserve.  Of course, there are many others, and I am much more looking forward to writing about those than taking care of logistical BS.  Oh yeah - can't forget about Smokey's, which is where we're actually getting married.  (http://www.smokeysatthecove.com/)

Frangipani Rates and Potential Whole Hotel Rental

I'm about to send you an email that asks this question:  Do you want to stay at Frangipani?  The reason I ask the question is that we have the opportunity to rent out the entire hotel (18 rooms) as I described in a previous post.  When I send the email, and you may have seen the email before you see this post, please respond if you have any interest in staying there.  If it ends up that we have enough interest to rent out the whole thing, and fill it up, we'll do so and it could save everyone anywhere from 15-25%.

In lieu of renting the whole hotel, here are the rates.  The 2- and 3-br suites are, I think, combinations of the one room suite(s) and some of the other luxury rooms. 

Luxury room (No View) - $250.00
Luxury room (Ocean View) - $300.00
Junior Suite - $360.00
1 Bedroom suite - $475.00
2 Bedroom suite - $575.00
3 Bedroom suite - $675.00
Grand Penthouse - $360.00

Please look out for my email and respond if you can.  Thanks.

General Anguilla Hotel Note/Issue

I forgot to mention this - and this is actually a relevant issue.  All hotels, anywhere in the world, really, have taxes and other BS that they charge you in addition to the rate.  Well, Anguilla is no different.  Since they have no income tax or really many or any other taxes, they charge taxes to people that stay in hotels there.  In Anguilla, they charge double-tens.  In other words, there are two 10% taxes on the base hotel rate.  So when you are thinking about the total cost, add 20% to the hotel rate.  More good news!

Again, Korinne and I really, really appreciate you coming to our wedding...

Carimar Photo

This is Carimar, obviously the two villas that are right on the beach.  The rest of the villas stretch back away from the beach but start right behind these two.

Rate Information - Cap Juluca

We will have a special rate for the wedding for Cap Juluca - $450/night for a luxury room and $556/night for a junior suite.  This is about a 15-20% discount to the regular offseason rate, so seems to be a pretty good deal.  The rooms are huge and, again, are all in the villas that stretch across the beach.  Let me know if you have any questions about the differences between the types of rooms.  You can get a pretty good idea of each from the website - they show photos and floor plans.

RESERVATION INSTRUCTIONS:  If you would like to stay at Cap Juluca, please email your name, the dates you are staying, type of room, and any special requests to Jackie Pascher at jackiep@anguillanet.com.  You need to do this in order to get the special rate, and because she is keeping track of all the guests and accomodations.  Thanks.

Hotels - Carimar Beach Club

I'm going to post the hotel rate info shortly, but figured I should give a little info on the third hotel, Carimar Beach Club (http://www.carimar.com/).  Carimar, situated right on Meads Bay Beach, is a series of villas with four rooms in each building.  The rooms are one- or two-bedroom, and each has a full kitchen, living room/sitting area, and patio.  Two of the villas are right on the beach, and the rest are in a horseshoe around a garden area backing away from the beach.  But the furthest villa building is about 100 yards from the beach, and you have ocean/beach views from every room.

Carimar is right next to Malliouhana (reminder: location of D.J. and Korinne's engagement - there will be a test when you get to Anguilla), and frankly the two beach villas almost look as if they are part of Malliouhana.  The resort has water sports, tennis courts, and a concierge that can set up anything you might need to do.  There is not a restaurant at Carimar (that's why there are kitchens), but you are obviously right next to Malliouhana, which has probably the best restaurant on the island - Michel Rostang (Racz - he's a Frenchy).  Meads Bay Beach is also home to a number of other restaurants, including the world famous (seriously) Blanchards and Straw Hat at Frangipani.

The prices at Carimar are very reasonable, and again, it is right on a fantastic beach.  I'm told by Jackie that there are only eight rooms left there, so they will not be offering a wedding discount.  So the message is if you want to stay at Carimar, make your reservations soon.  I'm kind of surprised it's this close to sold out, but it is a nice hotel with a great location and a great price.

Finally, Hotel Rate Info

I just got all of the hotel special rate information from Jackie (oh...oh! - no, not Jackie the Jokeman, VTOB, Coop,nd Millertime), who is in Anguilla and helping us with all the hotel stuff.  I will be posting it shortly, and will also be asking a question over email about who wants to stay at the Frangipani.  One of the potential situations is that we rent the whole damn thing - 18 rooms - for the wedding.  If people want rooms there, and want different kinds of rooms, we may do it.  Anyway, you'll be seeing an email from me shortly on this topic, because we'll need to figure this out before we do so with the rest.

I shouldn't say this since I may want to edit it after Saturday, but...go Irish...beat Southern Cal.

Hotels - Frangipani

Frangipani (http://www.frangipaniresort.com/) is a great little hotel right on the beach at Meads Bay, which is a long stretch of beach on the northwest part of the island.  The rest of the hotels that we are recommending are on Meads Bay Beach.  It has 18 rooms that include luxury rooms w/ one king or two queens; junior suites; one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites; and two penthouse suites.

Prices are more moderate here, and though the service level probably isn't as high as a Cap Juluca, it has all the amenities that one would need.  There's a nice pool that's right on the beach, as well as one of the best restaurants on Anguilla - Straw Hat.  The beach is outstanding, and the hotel is literally right on it.  There are also water sports and a tennis court.  We haven't stayed here, but we've seen a number of the rooms and eaten at Straw Hat multiple times.

We hope to actually secure most if not all of this hotel for your lodging pleasure, and again, we hope to get the wedding special rates soon.  The rooms are nice, the views are of the ocean to the north and the beach, and the restaurant has great food and atmosphere.  There is one room that has an "island view" that goes for a much lower price than the rest (I can think of a few of you for whom this might work!).  I don't have a photo to post because Korinne hasn't downloaded her photos to my computer.  But there's a good photo gallery on the website.

Next up...Carimar Beach Club.

Cap Juluca Photo

Here is a photo showing Cap Juluca from the beach below the main house and in front of the restaurants.  The villas the furthest to the left are the multi-bedroom big ass places with their own pools, etc.  The rest are the ones with six rooms per, as described in the earlier post.  Can't wait to be back there in seven weeks.

Short Flight Note

I know, it can't be short based on the other posts.  Well, it will be.  Just wanted to mention a couple additional notes on flights.  Spirit Air flies to St. Maarten from Ft. Lauderdale (not that all or any of you live there).  But it's a cheap one.  Also, if you have the ability to get to Antigua or St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands), you can get to Anguilla via LIAT, which is a Caribbean commuter airline.  Korinne and I flew LIAT last year when we stayed in St. John for a few days.  St. John is only accessible by boat from St. Thomas, so we flew American non-stop in and out of St. Thomas and LIAT to and from Anguilla.

Also, based on a couple emails I've gotten, I now understand that there are some flights that arrive in St. Maarten after the last official ferry has left.  I'm pretty sure that wherever you stay will arrange some kind of transportation if this is the case, but I will confirm and post.

Hotels - Cap Juluca

This post is the first in a series detailing the hotel possibilities for your respective trips to Anguilla.  Unfortunately, as I described in a previous post, Anguillians are on "island time" and I haven't received confirmation of room blocks or special wedding rates.  Also, everyone is on vacation for hurricane season.  I hope to get something soon, but it's been a long damn time and I haven't yet.  So, we'll start it off with Cap Juluca (http://www.capjuluca.com/), which is where Korinne and I will be staying this coming November and for the wedding in May.  I will post special room rate information if and when I get it. 

We also stayed there for our first trip to Anguilla, and tried to stay there for our second.  Alas, Hurricane Omar swept through the island last fall, and Cap Juluca was unable to open by the time we went in November.  Basically, there was some minor damage to the less permanent structures, but most importantly, the beach was essentially washed away by the rain and surf.  Fortunately, Mother Nature naturally replenishes the sand, and it is back to being the unbelievable beach that it was before.

Cap Juluca is, in our collective opinion, the best luxury resort on the island.  The others, not far behind, are Malliouhana and CuisinArt, and from what we hear everyone that goes to Anguilla has differing opinions as to which is the best.  (By the way, we've stayed at the other two as well, and were engaged at Malliouhana - I know, aww, how romantic!)

The hotel has about 100 rooms spread between 14 or so Moorish-style villas along a crescent-shaped beach at Maundays Bay (southwest end of the island).  Each villa has six rooms - three upstairs and three downstairs - steps from the beach.  Well, that's not entirely accurate - the villas furthest down the beach from the main house are individual villas with multiple bedrooms and their own pools.  Robert DeNiro was there the first time we went there.  No, we did not hang out with him, but we did meet his personal chef at the hotel bar/lounge.

There are two great restaurants, a bar/lounge at the main house, and a more casual restaurant for breakfast and lunch (and a beach BBQ/buffet dinner once a week).  There's a pool, which we did not even use, but apparently it has been upgraded since we were there.  One doesn't need the pool, though, with a beach like the one at Maundays  CJ also has all the watersports and Hobie cat boats and kayaks for people to use, plus a spa, gym, tennis, and over-water driving range  Great service, great rooms, great food, great beach, etc...

This resort was recently purchased by Adam Aron, former Chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts, along with a couple partners.  The new owners have invested something like $20 million in the resort in the last year or so, on everything from new beds and TVs, to solar powered golf carts for every room to get around the resort, to refurbishing the main house and restaurants.  The place looks great, and is the most recently renovated of the big three resorts.

Cap Juluca isn't the cheapest place to stay, but is definitely worth the expense.  All the other hotels we'll be suggesting, at a wide range of pricing points, are on the same beach at Meads Bay on the northeast side of the island, and we'll have transportation from all recommended hotels to the wedding events.  It is in the tentative plans now to have a Friday night welcome event at Cap Juluca.  Check out the website, and look for more information from me about this and other hotel options.

Getting to Anguilla

It's been a while since I've posted.  I wanted to get the hotel info up so you could make your reservations; alas, Anguilla moves on "island time" and it's been very slow getting the hotels blocked off and the wedding discounts squared away.  Plus it is now hurricane season - after the Carnival festival, everyone goes on vacation for two months and most of the hotels/restaurants shut down.  Oh well.  In lieu of hotel info, below is a bit of a summary of how to get to Anguilla from various metro areas in the US.

For the most part, the easiest way to get there is to fly to St. Maarten and take the 20-minute ferry to Blowing Point in Anguilla - more details at the bottom of this post.  Then you take a short taxi ride to your hotel destination.  You can fly directly into Anguilla from San Juan, PR, on American Eagle, which can be easier if you can get a direct flight to PR.  When Korinne and I are going in November, we're going through St. Maarten, but we've done Angulla airport (AXA) via San Juan (SJU) as well.  The flight from SJU to AXA is at 1:05pm, so as long as you can get to SJU in time, you're fine.

Air Travel from Cleveland:

It appears the best way to get to Anguilla is through St. Maarten. There's a Continental flight out of Newark but it is first thing in the morning, so unless someone wants to stay in NYC overnight, another airline will probably be the best way to go. This would be either Delta connecting through Atlanta or USAirways connecting through Charlotte. Both would entail an early flight out of CLE and arrival in St. Maarten (SXM) around 1 or 2pm.

Air Travel from DC area:

There is actually a direct American flight from BWI to SJU, and then on to AXA on American Eagle. This may be a better, but slightly more expensive, option than flying into SXM and then taking the ferry over, because there are no direct flights to SXM from any of the DC area airports. But one can get from Reagan, BWI, or Dulles to SXM with one stop on almost any of the major airlines.

Air Travel from NY area:

A couple options here: Newark (EWR) direct to SXM on Continental, take ferry over to Anguilla. Also JetBlue flies direct to SXM from JFK. Or, fly American through SJU to AXA or to SXM then ferry, both from JFK.

Air Travel from Chicago:

Direct to SXM on United, then ferry to Anguilla.  There's a direct flight from ORD to SJU on American, but it arrives after the AXA flight leaves.

Air Travel from Houston area:

Unfortunately for all of you members of Korinne's family, this is one of the more difficult ones.  Why don't people from Texas like to go to the Caribbean?  Anyway, you will likely need to fly American through Miami or Delta through Atlanta, both to SXM, then take the ferry over.  There are Continental flights to SJU but they don't get in until after the AXA flight departs.  Fortunately, it looks like MIA has multiple flights to SXM, and I think they are regular sized planes, as opposed to regional jets or props.

Air Travel from LA:

Looks like your best bet is to fly American through MIA to SXM, then ferry it over.  Will be a long day for you folks, as you'll have a 6:30am flight from LAX and you'll get to SXM around 8:30pm.  Hey, thanks for coming!

Air Travel from Atlanta:

Murph, you have one option - 10am Delta to SXM, arrive at 2pm, take the ferry over.  Sorry if I forgot anyone else that lives in the ATL.

Air Travel from Dallas area:

Unfortunately, there are no morning flights to SJU from DFW, so you'll probably have to fly to SXM.  Aren't there any Puerto Ricans in Dallas?  You'll have to fly through MIA to SXM and ferry it.  I guess people from Texas really don't like the Caribbean.  Stick to Cancun, I guess.

Air Travel from Boston:

Lots of options for Blodge and Margaret, and possibly Derek and Maura if they fly from Boston just because.  To SXM, you can take American via SJU, MIA, Continental via EWR, or USAirways via Philly (PHL) or Charlotte (CLT), then take the ferry.  But you are among the lucky ones - you can fly right into AXA via SJU on American.  There must be Puerto Ricans in Boston...

Air Travel from Cincinnati area:

Surprisingly, Cincy seems to have more options than most places.  No offense.  No AXA options, but to SXM you can fly USAirways via PHL or CLT, Delta via ATL, or American via MIA.  And if you couldn't tell by now, you need to take the ferry from SXM.  Leave your kids at home.  That includes you, Mulligan.

Air Travel from Columbus, OH:

I had to clarify Ohio because Korinne's sister and brother-in-law live in Columbus, TX.  Go Cardinals!  Columbus seems to have lots of options too - basically the same as the Cincy folks. 

Air Travel from Birmingham:

No AXA option for the Zarzaurs.  You can fly USAirways to SXM via CLT or Delta via ATL.  Oh, and the ferry to Anguilla.  Almost forgot.

Air Travel from Austin, TX:

I take back what I said before about Houston being the most difficult place from which to travel to Anguilla or St. Maarten.  I only found two options - Delta via ATL to SXM, or Continental via EWR to SXM.  But guess what - you have to stay overnight for a morning connection!  Actually there is one option that has two connections that get you there on the same day - American to DFW, then to MIA, then to SXM.  And of course, finally, the ferry.  And a cab to your hotel.  You will be excused from any wedding-related events on the day you travel.

Air Travel from Seattle area:

Well, Seattle, looks like you're screwed even more - only overnight layovers or a redeye and no same-day one-stop options.  To SXM via CLT on USAirways, Delta via ATL, or Continental via EWR.  Presumably if you're staying overnight, you could fly right to AXA through SJU from wherever you're staying overnight.  There are two-stop options on American that can get you there the same day.

Air Travel from San Diego:

A couple same day options, which includes going through DFW to SJU, then on to SXM, or to LAX, MIA, and finally SXM.  There are one-stop options that require an overnight layover or a redeye on American, Delta, and USAirways.

Ferry from St. Maarten/St. Martin to Anguilla:

Wow, you had to read through all that BS for cities that you don't care about just to find out how to take the ferry over.  Again, there are a couple of options here. Exit the airport and to the right there is a line of taxis. Take a taxi to the main ferry terminal at Marigot (Frenchy pronunciation - ask Racz if you can't figure it out) and there is a ferry there that leaves for Anguilla every half hour or so (they do not have rigid schedules down there). The taxi will cost about US$20, the ferry will be US$15 per person, and each is about a 20-25 minute ride. Neither requires a reservation and they take US$ down there.  No dumb Euros required, fortunately (the currency, not the people).

Alternatively, there is a ferry for which it is better to make a reservation. It is a little more expensive ($35 or so) but is closer to the airport (less than 5 minutes) and a van will take you there. This one is scheduled at certain times and I'll need to get more info on it. Finally, some of the nicer hotels will arrange a private ferry or get you on a separate charter boat.

Welcome to Sandy Ground Bound

Welcome to Sandy Ground Bound, the blog that aims to provide you with information about the locale lucky enough to host our wedding on May 1, 2010. Until Korinne gets around to creating some kind of wedding website, that is. She seems a bit busy with some mayoral campaign.

If you haven't been there, I can tell you that Anguilla is a fun, laid back, friendly, just plain awesome place, and we're looking forward to seeing as many of you there as can make it. Since many of you are asking about where to stay, how to get there, and other island curiosities, I thought I'd start this blog to supply as much information as possible now.

Sandy Ground is an area in Anguilla at the shores of Road Bay that is home to a handful of restaurants and beach bars, in addition to the slab of concrete that is the only "commercial" port in Anguilla. The photo at the top of this page is of Sandy Ground. If you're able to come to the wedding, it's likely that you'll spend a night or two in the area. Don't be fooled by the heights from which this photo was taken and behind Road Bay, as these are the highest elevations on the island. Anguilla is a flat, sandy, arid island mainly formed by coral reefs, unlike many of the mountainous and/or volcanic islands in the rest of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. So it may not be much to look at when you're roaming the interior of the island, but Anguilla is known for its beaches, which are picturesque, have soft sand and typically clear blue Caribbean (and Atlantic) waters. Plus the southern coast of the island has a great view of St. Maarten, which is only seven miles away.

Please feel free to check out this blog over the next few months, as I will be posting information about hotels and villas that we have blocked off for the wedding. Also, I will give some pointers as to how to get to Anguilla from a number of different places. Once I post the basics that will help you take care of logistics, I'll probably post some of my thoughts on restaurants, bars, and other things to do when you're there. Korinne and I will have some "official" events planned, but since I know that some of you will be there longer than just the wedding weekend, we want to give you some extra tips.

Thanks for coming to the website. Hopefully it will be a good source of info, and maybe some entertainment. We're looking forward to hosting y'all (that was for the Texas crowd) in Anguilla next May.