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• St. Maarten
• Jamaica

*BONUS MILE OFFERS*

• Five New American AAdvantage Offers For Bonus Miles And Savings
• New Members Earn 2,500 Bonus Dividend Miles On Caribbean Flights
• Alaska Mileage Plan's Brokerage Partnership & Online Coupons
• 500 Bonus Dividend Miles For Avis, Dollar & Thrifty Rentals
• Thrifty Offers 500 Bonus Miles To US Airways Dividend Miles Members
• Miles alliance: America West and Bank of America offer small businesses miles for purchases on the FlightFund Visa card. Restrictions. Call 800-360-5080.

• Stay Three Nights At A Wyndham & Get The Fourth Night Free
• Introductory Fares On Spirit's New Spring Flights
• 7th Night Free In April At St. Barts' Tony Hotel Le Toiny
• Save 25% On Greyhound Fares Between New York & Select Northeast Cities
• Greyhound Offers Over 50% Off Boston To New York Travel
• Lodging deal: Book a room at participating Best Inns & Suites for as low as $39 for a single or $49 for a double for stays through May 24. Go to www.bestinn.com or call 800-237-8466.
• Island hop: American begins daily non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Hawaii on June 15. The airline also lists special offers to various destinations at aa.com; click on "NetSAAver & Special Offers."
• Canada for less: Air Canada reduced fares up to 40% across its entire network for travel April 2-June 15. Additional deals are also available for travel June 16-Sept. 30. For both promotions, purchase tickets by March 21. Restrictions apply.
• Universal Orlando tickets reach $49.95: Universal Orlando's two theme parks have pushed the single-day adult ticket price closer to the magic $50 mark. At $49.95, Universal has quietly passed Disney's $48 single-day adult ticket. To appreciate the number of visitors this affects, consider that adulthood in the theme-park world begins at age 10; only those ages 3-9 are classified as children. Now that's a small world. ... And in California, guests who purchase a ticket to Universal Studios Hollywood on a day when the park receives more than an eighth of an inch of rainfall by 2 p.m. will be offered a rain check good any time in the ensuing 30 days. The new policy, the first for a theme park, guarantees that guests don't get soaked twice when it rains and rides close.
• Be an early bird at Yellowstone: In Yellowstone, the early bird catches the room. Yellowstone National Park Lodges announced its operating dates for the summer season. Book a room or cabin operated by Amfac Parks & Resorts by April 1 and take advantage of the park's Early Bird Specials, which start at $39 per night for a room or cabin, single or double occupancy. Dates available for Early Bird stays include May 3-16 at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel; May 10-16 at the Old Faithful Inn; May 17-23 at Lake Yellowstone Hotel; and May 24-30 at Grant Village. Information: 307-344-7311 or www.travelyellowstone.com.
• Attention, Seattle-bound passengers: National Airlines is celebrating its new service to Seattle, beginning May 23, with discount round-trip fares for both first class and coach starting at $178 for travel through Nov. 7. Fares must be purchased no later than Monday. Taxes are not included. Sample round-trip fares to Seattle include Las Vegas from $178 coach and from $544 first class; New York from $248 coach and from $811 first class; and Chicago from $258 coach and from $746 first class. Information: 888-757-5387 or www.nationalairlines.com.

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WHERE'S JOHNNY JET?
Last week  I left you hanging from St. Maarten.  This week,  I will finish the job about my trip to Anguilla.  For all the new people who signed up this week, let me update you:  I got a great deal cashing in 35,000 Continental One Pass Miles for a LAX-EWR-SXM-ANU-EWR-LAX trip that totaled 8,498 miles. Not bad, huh?

Well getting there was only half the adventure.

The basics:

Electricity is 110-volt AC, so no need to bring any adapters.

Taxes: The government collects an 8% tax on rooms and a departure tax of $12 if you leave the island by air, or $2 if you leave by boat.
Weather: The hottest months are July-October and the coolest are December-February.  The temperature ranged from 70-85 while I was there.

Here's today's forecast in Anguilla.
To call the United States from Anguilla is very expensive.  You can call AT&T Direct, 1-800 -872-2881, or MCI, 1-800-888-8000. My advice is set up a time with your loved ones and have them call you.  It's still pricey for them to call, so the best deal is have them shop around for an inexpensive phone card.  Amber found a calling card (By UNI) for $20 which gave her 60 minutes of chat time.

Getting to Anguilla :  There are two ways besides swimming.  If you don't have a lot of luggage, I recommend flying into St. Maarten, jumping in a 15 minute taxi that costs $12 for one person, $16 for two.... Then take the Anguilla ferry that departs every 30 minutes, and costs $12, which includes the $2 departure tax.  The ferry is short, only 7 miles across and takes about seventeen minutes.  It can get rough so be prepared.  The second option is flying into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and connecting to an American Eagle flight which seats 40 and flies directly to Walblake airport in Anguilla.  The latter seems silly to me with all the delays, and who wants to fly for 1 hour on puddle jumper?  Not me.
The airport in Anguilla (AXA) is small and old.  It's a throw back to the 50's.  If you don't believe me, check out this  scale.  AXA also has one of the best restaurants on the island too and most visitors don't find out until they leave.  It's not only good food but it's cheap, around $9 per entree.

Back to my trip: When our ferry docked I noticed how flat Anguilla was (unlike St. Maarten).  The highest point is 217 feet above the sea.  I went through customs again and got another stamp on the ol' passport.  There is no need to call for a taxi because plenty are waiting and all have fixed rates, so ask before you get in.  They don't have street addresses, just saying the hotel or the name of the persons home will be sufficient (that's how small it really is).
Anguilla is owned by the Brits and you will be driving on the  "Wrong Side" of the street.  Once again all the locals know one another so don't get nervous when you hear the horn beeping behind you.  They are only honking to say hello to passersby.  My taxi driver must've been the mayor because she tooted at least 30 times.

Fortunately, I was staying at a private home.  Unfortunately, it was the most expensive ride on the rate sheet.  $22 took me across the 35-square mile island.  I paid in USD, as I did the whole time and never had a problem.  The other currency accepted is the EC$ (Eastern Caribbean Dollar.)

When I finally arrived to my destination my sister and her family were sitting down to lunch which was a fresh crawfish salad that they just caught out back in some lobster traps.  I'm not a big seafood fan but it was tasty!

After lunch, we made our first trip to the beach.  The beaches in Anguilla are some of the nicest I have ever seen.  Really!  The white sand is like flour and the water is crystal blue with a water temp of 78 degrees.  What else could you ask for?  All I did was swim and eat ice cream with my niece and nephew. My brother and sister made sand sculptors, I mean perverted sand sculptures.
After that, we went back to the house to get one of the best massages on the island.  You can get one too: Just email Louis Price and he will come to your hotel or home for a very reasonable fee.  As he says, "If you can't relax getting a massage in the Caribbean then where can you?"

The food in Anguilla is good, but very expensive, especially at the hotels and fine restaurants.  It's great to visit a place that has NO fast food chains!  The best table on the island has to be at the Malliouhana hotel. We also dined at Roys, which is right on the beach and owned by an English man which means they do have fish & chips.  Hibernia is mix of French and Thai food which is tasty but stuffy (they don't welcome kids).  Uncle Ernies on the beach at Shoal bay is perfect for lunch and inexpensive.  For an upscale on-the-beach experience try George's at Cap Julaca.  Straw Hat is a great place to celebrate a birthday as we did for Frank.  BTW: Is it me or does he look like Moe from the 3 stooges the older he gets?  If you just want some good island take out, try Elsa's in Island Harbour.

One of the most popular items on the locals menu is goat.  The British could almost rename Anguilla Goat Island because they are everywhere.  The most disappointing food for me was the fruit.  It's bad.  In fact, they hardly grow anything on the island because the soil is terrible.

For drinks in the afternoon, take the free boat ride out to Scilly Cay Island and relax.

HOTELS:
Since I didn't stay at one, I just drove around and visited them.  The Moullihana has a fine beach and the best kiddy pool. If you are staying somewhere else, you can still use their facilities, just ask about the $25 day fee.
My favorite is Cap Julaca.  You probably have read about it in the travel magazines and they are right.  It really is beautiful.  The Frangipani was deserted, as was the pool at Cuisine Art but they do have the nicest gardens. Most of the hotels are hurting in Anguilla and the Caribbean. I was told by one hotelier that they are averaging around a 40% occupancy rate.  My advice is call the hotel directly and bargain with a manager/supervisor.

My biggest adventure:
I dropped my brother off at the airport while my family was at the beach.  First of all, it was my first time driving on the "wrong side" of the road in a while and I wasn't exactly ready because my stomach was still hurting from lunch (must've been all that local hot sauce).  I turned off the radio and just tried to concentrate while driving on the "wrong side".  I was doing well until I came upon a damn roundabout.  I knew I made the wrong turn when I started down a steep hill, and my Jeep started to jerk.  I turned around and started to go up the hill, but the Jeep wouldn't let me.  It was driving like a tired bronco.  I thought I had it in the wrong gear, but it was an automatic.  I got totally distracted looking at the dashboard, and luckily I looked up from the gas gage just in nick of time.  I was no longer on the "wrong side" of the road, instead I was on the RIGHT SIDE and cars were approaching me.  I jerked about 10 more feet acr oss the road and the dang Jeep finally conked out.  I was officially out of gas.  I can't remember the last time I ran out of gas, and I was totally unprepared.  I didn't have my wallet or a cell phone, besides who was I going to call?  Triple A?  I don't think so.  I remembered the guide books mentioned how Anguillans are very friendly people and many of them hitchhike to get around, so I did another thing I haven't done in a long time: I stepped out onto the hot dry road and stuck my thumb up.  The first car that came by stopped. How do you like that?  The FIRST CAR!  I explained what happened and they said, "Jump in!"  (The back.)  Thing number three I haven't done in a while: riding in the back of a pick up truck.  So here I am in the back of a flat bed, thirsty as can be, no sunscreen on, and driving down a bumpy road.  I had my back against the window and I was facing the rear.  I started to think, well maybe those guidebooks were outdated.  Maybe Anguillan's weren't that friendly and have a lot of hatred toward the tourists.  I mean these guys seemed too friendly.  My guard was up.  To be safe, I turned around to see where we were going, and some sand or dirt flew into my eye.  Great.  Now I can't see.  I immediately tried to get it out when my eye started burning like my tongue did at lunch.  (I still had some of that local "Ass In The Ocean" hot sauce on my fingers.)  Now I was really the toast of the town, sitting in the back of a flat bed speeding through the bumpy streets.  Did I mention it was around 3pm and everyone was out on the streets, especially the school children?  I think they drove by the only school on the island on purpose, just so they could see the reaction of the little Anguillans seeing an American tourist riding in the back.  I started to get nervous when we went down a single lane street that was really bumpy and had no sign of life.  It was an eerie quiet, I could hear tree crickets.  We pulled up to a house and that's when I said here it is, time to get cooked like those goats hanging from the trees.
Luckily I was wrong, really wrong.  These Anguillan guys were so nice that they went way out of their way for me.  They brought me to their home to get a gas tank, took me to the Shell gas station (which was miles away), filled up my tank, and took me back to the Jeep.  Luckily I had $20 hidden in my asthma inhaler, and I was able to pay $10 for the gas and give them the other $10 even though they kept refusing. They said, "This is how people are in Anguilla."   The guidebooks were right, Anguillans are unbelievably friendly.

I thought all my troubles were over but they weren't.  To make matters worse, I go to pick up my sister and her kids at Cap Julaca, which has a great public beach, and my little nephew slips on the wet tiled sidewalk and cuts his head.  We rush him to the only hospital in town.  Keep in mind there are no street names, and my only directions were, "Go straight maan, take a left at the airport and ask somebody."  I asked some lady and she jumped in her car and says, "Follow me."  This time I trusted the locals. The hospital has no signs and is not easy to find, but thanks to her we found it.  The doctor was very good and little Johnny was so brave, he didn't even cry when they stitched him up.
Guess how much it cost for the trip to the hospital?  $9, that's right NINE US DOLLARS!  I thought it was going to be like $900.

Getting back to reality is tough, and Continental doesn't make it any easier getting to the West Coast.  I felt like I traveled to Asia, which would've been quicker.  I took the 10:00am ferry from Anguilla to St. Maarten and arrived at the airport way too early.  My first flight of the day departed SXM at 1:30pm.  That was a 45 minute flight south to Antigua.  We sat on the ground there for one hour to drop off and
pick up passengers.  I'm not complaining because the scenery was beautiful and the plane was 3/4 empty.  (I had a whole row to myself!)
We flew 4+ hours to Newark and from there through Customs.  Customs is great at EWR, it's in a brand spanking new building, and the Gov't workers are friendly.  The only negative is that it's laid out all wrong.  If you are connecting (which many people do) you have to go through security again. Not fun.

My last flight of the day was to LA.  It departed at 8:25pm and got me in to LA at midnight (4am Anguilla time).  Now I know why there's  not many West Coasters visiting the Caribbean.  It takes a day to get there and a day to get back.  Next time I will cut my time by flying American through Miami. Note: All 6 of my Continental flights departed on time!

My favorite thing to do in Anguilla besides going to the beach was ? and !.   Get my point?  You go to Anguilla when you don't want to do anything but relax.  There is no sightseeing, no incredible shopping, and no rushing.  When you leave this place you don't need a vacation from your vacation, except if your flying to L.A.
 
 

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LETTER FROM A READER
As a Continental frequent flier, and HUGE Continental fan, I enjoyed your comments about the airline.  (I'm also impressed that you've got elite status on your "secondary" airline.)  I have always found them to be VERY professional and responsive.  They're the one airline that has not cut back on their food service since 9/11 too.

A word about how hard you think it is to get from CT to EWR.  I disagree -- I zip down the Merritt and Henry Hudson, over the GW and into EWR (most of the time I "zip," anyway).  E-Z Pass has made things even easier, especially the bottleneck paying the toll on the NJ Turnpike.  I've made it from Westport, CT to the airport in 1:05; usually it's 1:15-1:30.  With parking at $12/day, and the monorail back in operation, it's a breeze.  Now, too, there's an Amtrak link from Stamford to the Newark station, then onto the monorail (I haven't tried it yet).  As for amenities, cleanliness, and all the rest, I think EWR has it all over JFK and LGA.

Keep up the great work -- hope all is well -- Dan Woog

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TIP OF THE WEEK: From The Bartender.
Tape your name to the outside of your computer to help you identify it after it goes through the airport scanner. These days, they are making you take them of of the computer bag. Then they just randomly place computers on the top of the scanner and you pretty much have to make an educated guess as to which one is yours. I've got a Mac and that makes it easier to i.d., but I can see how it would be easy to have someone in a hurry walk off with the wrong computer.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

• A cautious return to Europe
• L'hostellerie revisited
• European tourism contacts
• Euro rail passes a good deal
• Czeching out Mozart in Prague
• BEST FESTS
• One good Turner deserves another
• Bunk in a Euro city that never sleeps
• SUNDAY'S TRIBUNE
• Hotel reservations: Paid in advance
• Share stage with bicycling's best
• BRAZIL
• UAL to end support for new business jet unit

• On Virginia's Antiques Trail
• How the West Is Done Down Under
• Footloose on the Busy Streets of Saigon
• Chinatown's New Fortunes

• A Wild Road Follows a Wild River in Provence
• What's Doing: In Marrakesh
• Choice Tables: In Dallas, a Taste (and a Sweet) for Every Palate
• Four Novices, One Grand Canyon
• They're Strapping on the Backpacks
• Business Travel: Animosity Over Different Fares for Different Travelers
• Essay: An Ill Wind in Paradise
• Correspondent's Report: Caribbean Asks, Where's the Peak?
• Europe's New Web Ticket Site
• Travel Advisory: The Michelin Star Shuffle for 2002; San Diego's Museum of Man; Bypassing the Line at Heathrow Airport
• Q & A: Gothic Cathedrals in France; Gatwick to Dover; Ethiopian Tours
• Letters: Canal Crossing; Arizona High; Santa Ynez
• Practical Traveler: Room Bargains Await in Dorms
• Deal of the Day: Alpine Tours
• Air Travel Fear Fades, but Experts Still Worry

• Cottage Fervor in Tuscany
• COMINGANDGOING
• It Takes a Villa
• IT CAME IN THE MAIL
• EXTREME TRAVEL TRIVIA
• High Rollers, High Seas
• St. Patrick's Day 101
• Hike Built for Two (or 20)
• Where to Go in the European Countryside
• What You Need to Know Before Renting a Home
• Rental Companies
• DETAILS Tuscan Cottage
• DETAILS Portuguese B&B
• And Don't Forget About Lisbon . . .
• Driving School: A Guide to Renting a Car Abroad
• Making Tracks
• Four-Wheel Drive
• Ferry Tales
• Taking Edinburgh in Stride

 

• Airbus jets to undergo inspections
• Marketers take aim at spring break revelers
• 10 great java joints
• Iris-recognition systems tested
• Safety in the skies means waiting in line
• Snowboarding didn't need the Olympics to make it popular.
• Travelers seek adventure over leisure
• Flight attendant's tell-all releases cabin pressure

• E-ticket aid: American and United airlines now accept each other's electronic tickets. Airlines often accept other airlines' paper tickets, but incompatible computer systems hamper easy transfer of e-tickets from one airline to another.
• Wyoming link: Northwest Airlines offers seasonal non-stop flights from July 1 to Sept. 30 between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Jackson Hole, Wyo.

BEST FARES

• Pennsylvania Doctors Take On Air Travel Anxiety
• Delta & El Al Codeshare; Air France & Delta Reinstate Their Korean Air Codeshare
• The National Guard May Remain At Airports Through May
• Northwest Expands Security Checkpoint Express Lines To 19 Airports
• JetBlue Flies Its Five Millionth Passenger And Paints Its Tails
• More Soap Stars Are Added To Disney's Super Soap Weekends

• Mobil Travel Guide: Travel With Confidence
• AC to merge regional carriers
• Atevo: Plan Your Dream Vacation
• Make Your Telemark!
• Still Lazy After All These Years
• Europe Packed With Bargains

• Revenue takes wing on airlines' Web sites
• Airline travel won't rebound until 2003, FAA says; then ridership will take off
• Six Months Later: U.S. Airlines Fly, But Few Soar
• Brazilian Jet Probed at LAX
• Called for traveling

• TWA Pilots Lose Senority Ruling
• American, United Reach Ticket Pact
• United Airline Workers OK Contract; Avoid Walkout
• America West Leads On-Time Arrivals

• 'Shotgun' shacks for blues buffs
• Split beams: Chicago's holograms
• After terror, Cancun spring break still booms
• Sanded with criticism, Greenwich eases fees
• Mississippi Delta artist's work shown
• Suspicious item, bomb threat at L.A. airport
• Security breach sentence: 10 days in jail
• Technology group offers help with screening
• Fire hits another French tunnel
• Californian charged with making terrorist threat
• Caribbean growers eclipsed
• Woman rescued after fall from cruise ship
• Scissors in trash: Airport evacuation
• Mont Blanc tunnel to re-open in days
• Peruvian past: Conserving Caral
• Cockpit fire forces emergency landing
• Feds announce screener recruitment contract
• New show travels 'beyond Earth'
• Dummy grenade found in passenger's luggage

• Airport workers charged with lying
• Passengersmay be called to help crewdefend planes
• Equality at the airport
• Hose explosion forces plane to land
• Keeping airport security plugged in
• Food processor causes evacuation
• Man arrested for airport threat
• Guard may remain fixture at airports
• Man who shut down airport gets jail
• Jet-fighter patrols have increased
• Cherry Blossom Festival coming
• Scissors leads to airport evacuation
• China may put police on airplanes

• ORBITZ AND THE MYSTERY OF MULTIPLE BOOKINGS
• CHECK OUT NEW EUROPEAN CAR RENTAL OPTIONS

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