What comes to mind when you think of the beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla? Besides bright sun, blue water and soft, sandy beaches—you should think of seafood! The food in Anguilla is heavily influenced by native Caribbean, African, Spanish, French and English cuisine and the island is abundant with all types of seafood, including prawns, shrimp, crab, lobster, conch, mahi-mahi, shark, crayfish, octopus (a.k.a. sea cat), salt cod and more.
Then it should come as no surprise that Anguilla has an annual Festival del Mar (Sea Festival) in the village of Island Harbour every spring! I had the pleasure of attending this year’s festival with a group hosted by Anguilla Tourism and The Portfolio Marketing Group, and it was a Caribbean experience like no other.
We spent five days and four nights in a gorgeous villa at the elegant and contemporary Sheriva Estate, winner of one of Conde Nast Johansens 2016 Award For Excellence. And our days and nights were filled sea-themed activities and attractions.
The Food
The food is one of the main reasons travelers come to Anguilla every Easter. There are several cooking competitions and the festival go-ers get to be silent judges! There are competitions for Best Seafood Soup, Best Seafood Salad, Best Local Seafood Dish, Best Roasted Seafood and Best Grilled Seafood.
We ate at Hibernia Restaurant where the chef, Savour Raoul, infuses Asian flavors into local Caribbean fare; dined at Scilly Cay, a popular rustic, offshore getaway where you can enjoy a traditional drum-pan barbecue grill; and feasted at Sarjai’s Restaurant, Long Bay joined by where the award-winning Chef Darren created delicious, unique seafood combinations. There was even a Japanese cooking class where we learned to make our own sushi rolls.
The Fun
Dominoes is a popular pastime in Anguilla and there were several games being played from morning until the nighttime. There was a deep-sea fishing tournament, swimming races, crab races, volley ball competition, and—Anguilla’s national pastime—boat racing. Local vendors sell everything from local paintings to handmade crafts to T-shirts.
Our group toured several scenic and historic areas, including Heritage Trail and Anguilla’s iconic Shoal Bay, which was voted one of the world’s best beaches by the Travel Channel. We went on a water excursion, where we explored Anguilla by sea and did lots of sightseeing along the coastline with visits to Pelican Bay, Little Bay and Limestone Bay. And we also made time to just lie by the beach and soak up the local culture, which included music, of course. All day long and into the night, DJs, live bands, and local string bands and steel pans played, adding to the colorful, festive atmosphere.
If your schedule is open Easter weekend 2017, why not visit Anguilla during Festival del Mar? I had a wonderful time filled with great food, good music and big fun, all steeped in small town Caribbean culture. It’s a unique, relaxing experience you’ll want to have again!
