Just like the previous year, it’s no surprise that four of my most liked posts on Instagram from 2015 were taken in Anguilla. While we were able to travel to both coasts of Florida, make a jaunt to Chicago to check out one of the best cocktails in the country along with one of the best tiki bars anywhere, my first visit to a Kalahari Resort and a surprising Sandusky and took enough pictures of fancy cocktails that we could make a coffee table book out of them, it was my unexpected return trip to Anguilla for Moonsplash and its amazing scenery that convinced people to double tap their favorite images, confirming virtually that Anguilla’s beaches really are the best and that my questionable photography skills were at least good enough to give a semi-acceptable representation of the island.
Following are the stories behind these images, where I go beyond the multitude of hashtags and give you a glimpse into what happened before the picture was taken and why I decided to take a certain shot. I don’t know how informative or inspirational the stories will be but I hope they at least inspire the wanderlust lurking inside so many of us. The world’s a huge place – we might as well travel and take a bunch of square pictures of it.
4. The Beach Bar at Da’Vida, Crocus Bay, Anguilla
I could have sat at the beach bar at Da’Vida’s Bayside Grill all day. I was there on a Sunday afternoon (a must when you’re in Anguilla) and probably took 20 different pictures just from this spot. If you’re looking for a beach bar view that’s going to give you an unexpected “Wow” reaction, this place is it.
Find out more about my love for this beach bar and my seven other favorites on the island here.
3. The Beach at Da’Vida, Crocus Bay, Anguilla
If anything was going to pull me away from the beach bar at Da’Vida, it was going to be the beach. With plenty of loungers lined up on the beach to entice you away from the main restaurant, I took the bait and settled into one on the back row. Taken with my trusty GoPro, the white umbrellas were a perfect compliment to the picture perfect sand on the beach. The scene on Crocus Bay is transformative and will make you take pause and give thanks for being one of the lucky ones.
2. (Tie) Posing Cocktails on Sandy Island, Anguilla
Posing cocktails is what I do and apparently, I found the right scene for this one as it tied for the second most liked image for the past year. It took me forever to find a spot on Sandy Island to pose my margarita – so long, in fact, that most of the ice had melted by the time I got around to actually drinking it. Travel bloggers take note – people love pictures of cocktails on the beach, especially if you can squeeze in the ridiculously blue water of the ocean. It may seem like a “look how awesome my life is” photo opportunity but people wont’ care because they would do the exact same thing.
Check out this article to find Anguilla’s wild side and discover why you should take a walk around this sand bar on steroids.
2. (Tie) A St. Pete Beach Sunset
A true beach bar bum will go to St. Pete Beach for the beach bars but will go back home telling everyone about the sunsets. It’s known as the “Sunset Capital of Florida” and a few days here is all that’s required to realize that title is well deserved. This one was taken on my way back to our condo from, where else, a beach bar. Are sunsets really this amazing? In St. Pete Beach they are.
You can read all about our 11 days in St. Pete Beach here.
1. Behind the bar at Elvis’ Beach Bar, Anguilla
It’s no surprise that this image of the view from behind the beach bar at Elvis’ Beach Bar in Sandy Ground ended up being my most liked photo from 2015. It encapsulates in one shot what life could be like working at a beach bar which, at the end of the day, is a dream most of the people who follow my site have. Taken right before we hopped on the ferry to Sandy Island, I wanted to try and reflect that beach bar view we all envision in our minds, a virtual reminder of why we all work so hard. I’ve been reminded many times that owning a beach bar would mean I would be working in paradise but my reaction has always been this – where else would I want to work? With office views like this, working in paradise seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Give us a follow on Instagram and join in on the fun. I promise it’ll be a nice virtual escape and we won’t even tell your boss.
