On our first trip to Caneel Bay, we stood on the bow of the shuttle boat, and an older couple next to us said, "There it is!" We looked out at the low-lying resort nestled into the landscape and asked if they'd been there before. "Every year for 20 years." They replied. My wife and I thought they must have endless funds to come to a place like this every year, but by the end of our trip, we understood. They just had their priorities straight.
We vowed to follow their example and come back annually to this magnificent, peaceful place, with no TVs or phones to distract you from the pristine experience. We found ourselves surrounded by sea turtles, deer, hummingbirds, donkeys, iguanas, mongooses, and more. All so unbothered by the nearby humans, it seemed like we were in Eden. Perhaps we were. Just as Eve and Adam were forced out, Hurricane Irma brought ruin to this paradise — our dream of an annual pilgrimage ended after only five years.
If those gates ever reopen, we will be there — again and again.