Swimming pigs in Bahamas
I wish I were at the beach.
I’m guessing so do a lot of people right about now when it is freezing across the country.
At least I can think about the fun times on the beach in recent months:
— On a girlfriends’ getaway to Anguilla, we spent a blissful afternoon at the stunning Viceroy Resort down the road from where we are staying. Did I mention the five-bedroom villas that rent for as much as $17,500 a night? Think neutral colors, raw woods, textured materials—a design dream but certainly not cozy. Did I mention a lot of the suites have their own private plunge pools on their terraces and bathrooms as big as some NYC apartments? We ensconce ourselves in a cabana next to one of the pools for a couple of hours—(love the complimentary floating mats!) and then move to another infinity pool overlooking the ocean to watch the sunset. Can it get any better to have nothing else to do but sit on a comfy lounge waiting for the sun to set?
— Watching the swimming pigs from our own boat at the tiny island of Big Major Cay in the Exuma islands of the Bahamas. They swim right up to our boat — in the hopes that we will feed them, which of course we do. We are staying nearby at Fowl Cay Resort a tiny enclave of six distinct villas on a private island—the most unusual all inclusive I’ve ever visited. There’s tennis, bocce, bikes and a pool as well as two beaches—one with water toys. We can putter around our kitchen but don’t have to shop for groceries or clean up, explore neighboring cays and snorkel among schools of brightly colored fish Did I mention the outdoor shower with views of the water?
Rainbow over Tortola on our first morning in the BVI
— Sailing our own boat in the British Virgin Islands, the undisputed Sailing Capital of the World — for a week aboard a chartered Moorings sailboat. It is the first time my husband and I and our three kids (plus my daughter Reggie’s boyfriend) have been in the same place at the same time in more than a year. The British Virgin Islands have long been popular with sailors because of the constant winds and the fact that you are rarely out of sight of land. It’s no wonder then that more than 700 sailboats and yachts, the largest fleet in the Caribbean, are moored in Tortola. Everywhere we look there is turquoise blue sea, bobbing sailboats, cruise ships and mega yachts, not to mention the small islands off in the distance. (This is an archipelago of some 60 islands, after all.) The best part: There is no one telling us what time we have to eat dinner or even where we are going next. Welcome to the alternative to mega cruise ships and fancy resorts.
— Admiring the spectacular desert landscape from the pool at the Camelback Inn Spa in Scottsdale, a fixture here since the 1930s and complete with 125 acres of desert landscape (love all the cacti!) at the base of Mummy Mountain and Overlooking Camelback Mountain. I love that here we really know we’re in Arizona—from the architecture to the foliage. And then there is the spa complete with its own restaurant that serves healthy eats (.We love the chicken curry lettuce wraps, tuna tartare and salads ) Besides the treatments, we can use the fitness center, take a class (zumba or a 6:30 a.m. power walk maybe?) or hang out at the pool where we can order drinks. No cell phones allowed.
I feel warmer already.