Frangipani Beach Resort, Anguilla

30th Birthday in Anguilla: Photo Album

There’s been some silence here for the past three weeks.

I’ve been living life – like majorly living life – and haven’t carved out the time I should have to share the wonderful details of our Anguillian adventures over the course of June. My phone also took a dip in the pool last week so I’ve been in a forced digital detox, which as it turns out, isn’t all that bad (mostly liberating, though a bit frustrating). Scott surprised me on my 30th birthday in Anguilla by flying my grandmother and my dad in to celebrate with us. To say that it was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful surprises ever is an understatement.

As anyone who’s read this for any amount of time will know, I love my grandmother in the deepest soul mate love kind of way. She’s absolutely precious and her strength and perseverance at 90 years old (through lots of love and lots of loss) has been utterly inspiring for me to watch. We don’t have children yet so Scott always jokes about how I post pictures of my grandma like she’s my child. I take pictures of her doing the most mundane of things (e.g. floating in the pool, drinking a BBC, getting on a boat) because I so cherish every moment that I have with her and love watching her live life to the fullest, even into her tenth decade of life.

So, here goes. I’m unabashedly sharing photos from a week with loved ones in Anguilla. Naturally, grandma had to one-up my 30th by wearing her 90th birthday sunnies as if to show me that thirty years barely puts a dent in life! We had a week of celebrating, but on the actual day we enjoyed Anguilla as total tourists: I soaked up the sun, had a drawn-out, rosé-laden lunch at Jacala (one of my favorites), listened to music by Omalie 360 at Ocean Echo, and finally finished with dinner and drinks at Viceroy’s Sunset Lounge. If there’s a better day on the island I can’t imagine it.

30th Birthday in Anguilla
Surprised in St. Maarten with family!
30th Birthday in Anguilla
Celebrating my 30th year with beautiful weather!

30th Birthday in Anguilla

30th Birthday in Anguilla
With our dearest friends on the island.

30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in AnguillaJacala, 30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in Anguilla

30th Birthday in Anguilla
Lunch at Jacala – my favorite place in Anguilla for a fabulous lunch!

Jacala, 30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in Anguilla

Scilly Cay, Anguilla
No trip is complete without Scilly Cay!

Scilly Cay, Anguilla30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in Anguilla30th Birthday in AnguillaFrangipani Beach Resort, Anguilla

Cheers to a fabulous decade ahead! It’s off to a great start.

How would you celebrate a milestone birthday in Anguilla?

Shannon Kircher, The Wanderlust Effect

More about Shannon Kircher

Shannon Kircher is the founder and editor of The Wanderlust Effect. Founded in 2009, she has continued to document her international escapes as an expat in Europe and the Caribbean. Additionally, Shannon is the founder of Compass & Vine, a luxury boutique travel design firm, and is the Director of Marketing for the Frangipani Beach Resort. Shannon holds an MSc in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and is a current candidate for WSET Level 3 in Wines & Spirits.