A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean Paperback – November 20, 2001

This was light, fun reading for the beach and about a beach, but imbued with all the travails of running a restaurant. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and loved all the characters they encountered.

I was skeptical about this book, so I got a free sample for my Kindle. Within 10 minutes I was purchasing the full version!I am a lover of a good beach book, and have read a few lately that fell quite short. Not this one, I LOVED it!This is a fascinating story, written in an intriguing, relatable and interesting style. The Blanchards are truly fascinating people, and I have found myself desperately pondering planning a trip to Anguilla, JUST to eat at Blanchard's.The story is told, just like that..a story. Could have easily been interpreted as fiction had I not known it was a true story.The setting is obviously amazing, and she does a GREAT job of bringing it to life! You can almost feel the tropical breezes, and hear the palms swaying. The characters are brought alive and you feel like you personally know each of them by the book's end.I have been to all of the islands that neighbor Anguilla, and she made me feel like I had just taken a vacation. This was one of those books that you looked forward to snuggling up with, instantly transprting you...where you find yourself trying to carve time out of your day just to read.You will not be disappointed with this one!

An interesting narrative about creating a restaurant in Anguilla where restaurant supplies are hard to come by........this story helped me to understand why restaurant meals areso expensive on most Caribbean islands! The author and her husband were determined to study and fit into the culture of the island. Fun to read!

A great read

Really fun read! You feel a part of the Blanchards life. Anguilla is now on my bucket list. Read it!

Enjoyable story about a talented couple who decide to move to Anguila and open a restaurant. It is a quick read. No creative writing or memorable prose. Just a first person story written by the wife. And a few chapters from the husband’s point of view written in third person (not sure how their editor let that incongruency slip through). The people they met and the food they eat all sounded wonderful and made me want to travel to Anguila to experience it.

Caribbean vacationers who have ever wondered what it would be like to sell everything and operate a business on their favorite island retreat will find satisfaction in this easy going account of a Vermont couple who move to Anguilla. Anguilla is a sixteen mile long thirty-five square mile patch of land at the northern end of the gentle crescent of islands in the eastern Caribbean nestled close to the flashier and better known St. Martin. Here on this quiet island the Blanchards arrive with their life savings and a dream to open a restaurant. Their story is about the embrace of the gentler life rhythms of this special island paradise. For the Blanchards the secret of "island time" is a life of breathing deeper and walking slower. Along the way we meet the locals against a background of palms, bougainvilleas, frigate birds, blue skies, and sandy beaches. We follow the Blanchards during the holidays, a local election, a demanding wedding celebration, summer boat races, an employee's dismissal, a break-in, etc. Occasionally we are treated to a recipe, for example, banana bread or better yet, "banana cabana"! The gentle trade winds that are the text of this impressionistic account build to a natural climax - a direct hit from Hurricane Luis (1995). Stow this paperback in your carry-on bag for quick relief while you wait impatiently to board your fight to the island paradise of your choice.

A great book once the reader gets past the inordinate professionalism of the author. The tale of these entrepreneur's escape to paradise was quite an eye-opener, and I became completely vested in learning whether or not their business venture in the islands would pay off or break them forever. This was my third read of 4 books on the islands and found myself captivated and enjoying the book and stories immensely. Once the book was done I missed the retelling of conversations in the island dialect captured by the author on a number of recounts. A blessing to me, I would recommend it to the business-savvy and the casual-interest-reader. Truly a marvelous story unfolded in its pages.