Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!!!!!
Review: A Trip to the Beach is a fantastic book that you can't put down. Usually I want a book to end, but not this one - I was sad to finish it. I was awed by their ability to open the restaurant with all the trials and tribulations they had to overcome. I highly recommend this book - the food descriptions were fabulous. I am awaiting their new cookbook and can't wait to try the recipes.
Rating:
Summary: As Enjoyable as a Tropical Breeze
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great reading for your Caribbean Vacation
Review: I can relate to Island time, having just finished producing "The Best Caribbean Beaches" DVD here on Amazon.com. Every Bahamas Air plane was an hour late and no one seemed to care! Anyway, this book is a nice 'adventure' tale of a couple trying to make a living in Paridise which I can strongly relate too. Dealing with all the unusual problems and joys of running one's own business in a foreign country.
Rating:
Summary: A JOY TO READ!
Review: I dearly loved this book. The Blanchards have done a beautiful job of telling their story in such an endearingly human, yet captivating way. Their descriptions of the people and places they encountered drew me into each chapter of their adventure. I didn't want the book to end!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have never been to these islands but through Melinda's words, I felt as though I was right there with them . . . meeting all of their new friends and employees, sharing their joys and sorrows, experiencing their challenges and achievements. I can't wait to read the new Blanchard's Table. Melanie Blanchard definitely knows how to write an extremely enjoyable book!
Rating:
Summary: An Armchair Trip to Anguilla
Review: Melinda and Bob Blanchard have written a wonderful account of the trials and tribulations of building, maintaining, and operating a restaurant on a tiny Caribbean island. When these adventurous folks found themselves more or less out of business in Vermont(their gourmet food business had failed) they decided to chuck it all and retreat to the Caribbean. They tell a fascinating story that includes all of the obstacles that a restaurant patron might never think of when sitting down to a meal at Blanchards restaurant: the need to buy building materials and all of the supplies such as tables, linens, dishes, glassware, etc. in Miami and have everything shipped in; the difficulty of finding competent help; the daily struggle to get perishables sent to the island; the vagaries and dangers of the weather. Despite many setbacks and problems, Melinda, who narrates this book, never whines about their circumstances. Their love for the way of life overshadows everything else. It was so interesting to read about how they conquered the myriad obstacles along the way (lack of water, cooking for a full house with no electricity one night, growing flowers and shrubs in an area with little rain, finding a house at a reasonable price on a resort island). I also liked learning some of the history and government of this island and how it arrived at its present status. A lovely trip!
Rating: 
Summary: Paradise Found
Review: My husband and I have been lucky visitors to the gorgeous island of Anguilla and we have eaten at Blanchard's. The restaurant is gorgeous and the food was wonderful. After reading the book and visiting Anguilla 3 times in the past year, it was interesting to meet the people in the book. Anguilla is a very close knit island of approximately 9000 people. When I read the book and talked to the "belongers" in Anguilla they told me a different story about the Blanchards. The book leads the reader to believe that the Blanchards were walking on these gorgeous beaches and just decided to start a restaurant. The truth is that the Blanchards owned a restaurant called Mangos on the island and sold it!! They made a lot of money and then came back to open Blanchards. Shabby Davis is a wonderful Anguillan who was kind enough to do several things for the Blanchards. In fact, the whole Davis family is remarkably kind and sweet. Many of the people in the book were never asked first if they opposed their names being used in the book. Unfortunately, this was not good PR for the Blanchards. They should have been honest about what really happened on the island and understood the cultural and language differences between Americans and Anguillans. I was disheartened after I found out several things about what really occurred during the Blanchards opening and running their 2 restaurants in Anguilla. Anguilla is a terrific island with wonderful people. We need to be considerate of them and not spoil their island. I found that I was viewing the Blanchards in a totally different way.... as true capitalists!!! They seem to be only out for money and themselves.
Rating:
Summary: A Mind Trip to the Beach
Review: Reading this book was like taking a trip to Anguilla in my mind, each sitting bringing lovely images of the sun, beach, food, local life. On the same level as Under the Tuscan Sun or the Provence books (complete with recipes scattered throughout), this book is a great account of the experiences of a foreigner adapting to a new culture/setting. Those who have travelled to the Caribbean will surely laugh out loud at some of the more typical experiences (both good and bad) that the Blanchards have in moving to and opening their restaurant. Ultimately, the story is a love letter to the island of Anguilla and its residents. I hope to travel there soon and dine at Blanchard's too!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: The Blanchards did a wonderful job relating their experiences (both the good and the not-so-good) as new residents/business owners in Anguilla. Though I have never been to this particular island, I was captivated by their story and the delightful descriptions of the land and people. I had a hard time putting it down and was sad when it ended. I actually found myself entertaining thoughts of picking up and moving to the Caribbean! A great read all around.
Rating:
Summary: Blundering into success
Review: This book is a journal of the first year in the lives of a couple who decide to cash in their chips, sell their house in Vermont, and start a restaurant in Anguilla. Although they've had some experience in the food service industry before, having started a reasonably successful company that makes bottled sauces, they had no idea about the challenges that might face them when trying to run a business in a foreign country and culture. Their first task upon arrival in Anguilla was to find a suitable location for their restaurant. They soon discovered that the way to find a property in Anguilla is not through a real estate office, but through connections and backroom deals, sealed with a handshake. As they moved on to the renovations and supply stage of their business, they were shocked to find out that they couldn't just run down to the local Home Depot to get construction materials. Slowly, they became aware that things are done differently in Anguilla, and one reason why prices for tourists are so high is that most everything must be shipped in from Miami and pass customs at great expense. It's very fortunate for them that Melinda is a great cook and Robert is handy and knowledgeable in so many areas, and most important of all, that they have a healthy relationship based on trust and wanting to keep each other happy. Many people would never have the courage to even attempt what the Blanchards have done- -they would sit down first, make some calculations on the back of a napkin, check with the local business people to find out about tax laws and suppliers, and give up before they ever got started, realizing that the venture would be hopeless. But the Blanchards aren't planners, they don't agonize over what disasters the future may bring, and as a result, with fortune smiling upon them, their little business venture seems to fit in fine in Anguilla.
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