Excellent It bailed us out when we ran out of light before getting into the anchorage at Philipsburg and got us into several beaches that were completely deserted.

A bit dated is spots (it is 7 years old) For example, Saba has installed a number of excellent mooring on the south and west sides on the island, making it much easier to get either by the traditional landing or LLadder Landing on the West side. There is a road down to that now (no more 1000 steps to climb). However it was out when we were there (4-1-00)

We've sailed and chartered in the USVI and BVI numerous times and ALWAYS take this guide with us. From little known anchorages (Mermaids Chair on St. Thomas) to the most frequented (Great Harbor on Yost Van Dyke)this guide is without equal.

Although I have been sailing for 40 years, this was the most useful and informative sailing guide I have ever read. It adverted me from several unknown and possibly costly collisions...and I'm not referring to other boats. His harbor guides and navigational charts were indispensible! BUY BUY BUY!!!!

I wish I had met this book before I went to St. Kitts & Nevis for the first time. It tells you everything about them and you can count on it. Very easy to find out what to do, where to go, stay and eat. Very organized and easy to read. Many pictures in this book.

I have been traveling to Anguilla for several years but just found some new discoveries in this guidebook.

I just returned from a trip to St. Kitts and Nevis and found this book very useful, from the time I was selecting a hotel until I was on the island and looking for a place to eat. Through this guide, I learned about many out of the way spots that were overlooked by other guides. I am looking forward to using other sections of the book on a trip next year to St. Martin and Anguilla.

Great Book. We have bought many books about the Caribbean over the years, but this is one of the best if not the best. Easy to read, full of up to date info and breaks it down into catagories easy to find. Does not just refer to the large hotels or famous places to eat, but also those not so famous.
THE TIPS that are easy to see, are throughout the book that give short, to the point, info.
This is a valuable book.

An excellent new guide... replete with detailed information on every aspect of vacationing on the islands. Illustrated with maps and drawings. Focus on France

Finally! We have looked for years for a book which gave St. Barth proper coverage. We have heretofore found only books with from a few to a dozen pages. St. Martin & St. Barts Alive gives this tiny island well over a hundred pages, and it covers beaches, restaurants, hotels, villas, shopping, and considerably more. Our edition is copyright 1999, but the authors mention the damage done by Hurricane Luis several times -- do not let that dissuade you; the island had fully recovered when we visited there two seasons after Luis.

The layout uses lots of free clip art, one font used for headings is rather hard to read, and there are no photographs, but the book is well- written in plain English, without gushing -- we enjoyed it. The authors have covered the island very well, and there were lots of tips which were new to us. We will have this book with us on our next trip.

This book is recommended for all visitors to St. Barts, whether first- timers or old hands on the island.

I'd definitely give this guide full marks. It's without doubt the most comprehensive of the guides I looked at for the area I was travelling to(the Virgin Islands). It had everything we could have wanted to know and it definitely meant we did some better diving than we'd have done without it. We particularly liked that it gave us information about the British and US Virgin Islands and as they are less than 5 miles apart it's simple to dive both areas. They have some really different types of diving and we'd have missed out on a lot without the guide. We bought the book before we went but we took it along with us and used it all the time. One of the things we enjoyed reading was the descriptions of the dives andthe sections about the marine life. We've been diving for over 10 years and I've learnt more from this book than I have in my previous years of diving.

The Complete Diving Guide (2) is a must for anyone diving the Netherlands Antilles. I used it while cruising in the area on my yacht in St. Maarten and dived in Saba, Statia and Anguilla on the strength of the information in the guide book. It tells you where the best dives are and how to dive them. The maps show you where the dives are and there is a lot of general background about what the diving will be like. I was surprised how much information the authors included and there's no woffle, it's all good value for money.

Reading this book, you are taken to the world of Anguilla, a small Carribean island where it is so beautiful that they don't need a weatherman. The Blanchards started up a restaurant bearing their name years ago on this island heaven and it became one of the highlights of the Western Antillies. In this book, you are taken through their journey, their lives together, of building a restauarnt of a fine reputation.

I MUST ADVISE: The book is cannot be fully appreciated unless one actually travels to Anguilla to experience the happy and peaceful mood of the entire island and to actually meet the Blanchards to see how lovely people they are.

It can be seen that at the beginning of the novel, it is pointed out that although, yes, the Blanchards had already started a restaurant, Mangoes, before their current one, it would not be discussed for the means of telling the story. Also, just because Melinda and Robert's name both appear on the cover, and just one is the narrator, it does not mean that they both didn't write the book together, sharing their experiences and building the structure for the book.

This trip to the beach will be one you never forget....

Along the "Provence" and "Tuscany" genre of books, this anecdotal book takes the reader through a year of dealing with natural and human challenges as the Blanchards try running a restaurant on the upscale island of Anguilla. Having been a visitor to the island many times, I suppose I was somewhat inclined to be predisposed to enjoy the book, but then again I could also have been more critical. It's a pretty quick read, full of local characters, and makes you realize what kinds of things you're up against when you try and do something like this. You'll want to make plane reservations to see the island for yourself when you've finished reading it. It's light reading, perfect for a cold winter day as it transports you to an island paradise that is so idyllic in the midst of today's hectic urban world.

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!

I was very disappointed with this guide book. I've bought a lot of guidebooks and have never seen one as general as this one. The information contained in Fodors or Frommers big Carribean books give better coverage to St. Kitts which is what I was interested in learning about.

I read the review that said this book was worthless and chose to ignore it - mistake! You can definitely find all of this information, plus a whole lot more, via the few websites and message boards about Anguilla. Buy a book to read on your trip instead!

I have found this book to be an informative helpful guide about some of the Carribean islands which little seems to be written.

It is particularly useful for someone, like myself, who is ready to explore the Carribean beyond their own favorite island, in my case - St. John.

I am finding it to be a great resource tool.

A minor fault - I wish it had more colored pictures.