Review: Anguilla’s Best Kept Secret….Garvey’s Sunshine Shack
It’s 2015. Does anyone beside me have winter blues? Today’s post will bring some sunshine into your day:) I am a frequent visitor to the small island of Anguilla, just 20 minutes ferry ride from St. Maarten. On my most recent trip for New Year’s, I had the pleasure of liming at the SunShine Shack, Anguilla’s best kept secret. Let me just say no trip to Anguilla would be complete without a visit to the Shack. Nestled on the softest sand on Rendezvous Bay between Anguilla Great House and Cuisinart Resort, you will find a tiny shack – one of Anguilla’s most popular beach bars. What makes the SunShine Shack so special? The most amazing Caribbean cuisine (chicken, ribs, and snapper) seasoned and grilled to perfection, cold cocktails to keep you refreshed (Garvey’s famous rum punch, BBCs, and pineapple margaritas are highly popular), cool reggae tunes, and the most friendly people you will ever meet – all while enjoying a breathtaking view of Rendezvous Bay Beach. And, if you’re really lucky, Garvey Lake, the owner will pick up his guitar and sing.
Eat. Drink. Relax. Repeat. Only in Anguilla. You will have the time of your life. #OneLove
Information on the SunShine Shack
Location: Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla (between Anguilla Great House and CuisinArt Resort)
Menu: Chicken, Ribs, Snapper, Lobster (by request only), and Drinks
Hours: 10:30am – 6:00pm every day except Tuesday. Dinner can be arranged by reservation.
Phone: +1 264 476 0649
Owner: Garvey Lake
If you would like to learn more about the SunShine Shack, please follow or like Garvey here:
twitter: @SunShineShack_
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarveysSunshineShack
Cupcake Tour in St. Louis: A Sweet Tooth’s Dream
Today’s post is delicious, if you have a sweet tooth. I will be sharing highlights from my Cupcake Tour in St. Louis, MO reviewing 3 popular cupcakeries. I have an addiction to cupcakes, I have tried them in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, with the goal to continue the Cupcake Tour in every city that I travel to. Here are the top criteria I use for evaluating cupcakeries:
1. Cake – Taste, Moistness, Freshness, and Size.
2. Frosting – Taste and Amount (less is more)
3. Price
4. Product choices – Variety and originality of flavors
5. Customer Service – are employees friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to go the extra mile?
6. Packaging – is it unique? Attractive? Do cupcakes stay in place?
7. Store design – Does cupcakery have pleasant, unique design?
Cupcakery #1 – Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Cafe (jillyscupcakebar.com)
Sample: Turtle Cheesecake, rating B
Description: Cake: Chocolate, Stuffing: Cheescake & Caramel, Topping: Milk Chocolate & Caramel Buttercream, Caramel, Pecans & Chocolate Curls.
Cost: $5.50
What I liked: Product choices (12+ daily cupcake choices, very creative naming), size (cupcakes are huge), cupcakes have 3 distinct parts (cake, stuffing, & topping), store design (cute, modern, colorful & spacious), and clear plastic packaging securely holds cupcakes in place. Frosting (topping) was amazing, cake was fresh.
What I didn’t like: Cost on higher end (ranged from $5 to $6 per cupcake).
Cupcakery #2 – The Cup (www.cravethecup.com)
Sample: Confetti cupcake, rating B+
Description: Cake: Vanilla, Frosting: Buttercream
Price: $2.75
What I liked: Product choices (7 standard + 9 rotating daily cupcake choices), Frosting was delicious (not too much), pricing ($2.75 & $3,25), store design (cozy, comfortable, chic), employees friendly, very attractive paper packaging.
What I didn’t like: Cake was a little dry, small cupcake size, and limited parking options.
Cupcakery #3 – The Sweet Divine (www.thesweetdivine.com)
Sample: Pink champagne, rating A-, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough rating B-
Description: Cake: Pink champagne, Frosting: Pink champagne Buttercream
Price: $2.50
What I liked: Pink Champagne Cake was moist, fresh, and tasted homemade. Frosting very delicious (not too much), lots of product choices (25+ flavors), reasonable pricing ($1.50 to $3.50 varying based on size), customer service was excellent.
What I didn’t like: Regular cupcakes seemed small, limited weekend hours. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cake a little dry.
Conclusion:
Cupcakes are big business, and this niche business segment will continue to grow and expand. Overall, I was very impressed with all 3 of these cupcakeries, and would strongly encourage cupcake fans living or visiting St. Louis to give them a try! Let me know what you think.
the travelpreneur 