Every other Sunday my friends and I stock up the boat with fresh baguettes, fruits, cheese and rosé and go explore the nearby islands that are barely touched by humanity.
PRICKLY PEAR CAY
Prickly Pear is a small uninhabited island 650 meters north of Anguilla. When we approached it from the North West side I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was not dreaming – crystal blue water, white fine sand, bright sun and the colorful boats docked next to the beach created a postcard-like scenery.
The island is relatively small and extremely picturesque. There is only one building and it is a restaurant called Johnno’s Prickly Pear that offers fresh BBQ fish, lobster, chicken, and ribs. It is a perfect spot to spend a day with a group of friends or family.
SANDY ISLAND
This island is a tiny sandy treasure – just 250 by 75 meters located 2 miles away from Anguilla. It looks like something you would see in an illustrated children’s book. It is literally a pile of sand in the ocean with some vegetation and a restaurant in the middle. The beach beds there are extremely comfortable and the BBQ Lobster is one of the best I have tried in the Caribbean. Definitely worth a visit!
DOG ISLAND
This is our favorite place to come back to. There is so much to discover about this island. There are three beaches, but only one in the Southeast is easily accessible by boat. The island is low, rocky, wild and full of life. It is home to large numbers of nesting seabirds, mainly sooty terns. BirdLife International identified it as a bird sanctuary and we did feel like we were guests in a bird land. The birds are mainly occupying the cliff areas, gracefully sitting atop and facing the winds. During our last visit, we docked our boat in a small bay surrounded by rocky cliffs on the Western side and spent a day sun tanning, swimming, snorkeling, hiking and picking pretty shells from a tiny beach.
TINTAMARRE ISLAND
From the listed above, Tintamarre is the closest island to St.Martin – located 3 km away from its eastern side. It is uninhabited now, but between 1946 and 1950, it was the base for the airline Compagnie Aérienne Antillaise, which flew planes from the island’s 500-meter (1,600 ft) airstrip. It no longer exists, but it always exciting to take a hike and find the remains of the runway.
We love going to the beach on the Western side of the island. It has a fantastic view of the hilly St.Martin, especially when the sky behind these hills changes colors during sunset. It is also an excellent spot for snorkeling to sea turtles.