|
|
Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
| CTR Homepage | Order silagra online | Doxycycline hyclate tablet |
IBEROSTAR – QUETZAL/TOUCAN RESORT OCTOBER 10TH – 17TH 1998 TRIP REPORT – JEFF COLBORN GETTING THERE When booking with a tour operator such as apple, Funjet, or Mlt vacations you will usually fly a charter non-stop to Cancun, Mexico and then take a bus or shuttle to the resort. Apple offers free in- flight drinks (which always help get your trip off to good start). Upon arriving in Cancun you will be herded to the baggage claim area, then through customs, you will then look for your tour operator rep. It is my recommendation that you do not let anyone take your bags for you until to meet your tour representative and are ready to board your bus or shuttle, otherwise you could be paying someone to move your bags 20 or 30 yards. Once you get to your shuttle or van relax you are on vacation. if you so desire your driver will gladly retrieve you an ice cold Cervesa (beer) for a fee. What the heck live it up little, have a drink if you choose and enjoy the wait its part of your trip. When everyone has found his or her way to the shuttle you will depart for your resort. The driver will ask you for one of your travel package vouchers which covers the cost of the transportation to the resort; it also lets him know who goes to what resort and how many stops he needs to make. The trip to playa Del Carmen is approximately 60 kilometers or about 36 miles. it usually takes about 45-60 minutes by the time people are dropped off. The driver will gladly stop along the way to get you some refreshments all you need to do is ask. Finally you arrive in Playa Del Carmen. It is an older fishing village that has begun to build up to offer more and accommodate more tourism. You will continue through playa Del Carmen and enter the Playacar resort community. It is a gated community with a guard on duty. The streets are made of keystone interlocking blocks, and in some spots have trees are left right in the middle of the street. Playacar is where the business owners live, as well as condos and homes owned as vacation properties. it is a very beautiful community. You will pass various other resorts along the way and finally towards the southern end of the Playacar community you will arrive at the Iberostar Quetzal / Toucan. CHECK-IN Check in was very efficient. The quetzal and the toucan combine to make one very large resort complex, which share Amenities. There is the quetzal side which primarily Accommodates European tourists, and the toucan which accommodates American and Canadian tourists. This is how the resort tries to set up but people are generally put in the best available room at the time of check-in. After checking in we were driven to our room on a modified golf cart, as the resort is so large. THE ROOM We felt that this was one of the best rooms we have ever had at a resort. The floor is all marble. The room has a full hanging closet with shelves and a safe (which is included), a dresser with about 5 or 6 drawers, two double beds, a color TV with cable, a phone, a refrigerator stocked daily with bottled water, soda, and beer. I used the trash can and filled it with ice as a makeshift cooler as the beverages are not cold when they are put in and it generally takes a good day to chill them. Wine is available upon request with a surcharge. I would order a couple of extra glasses of wine and pour them into an empty water bottle, easy enough, The bathroom is all marble and my favorite part was the huge stand up shower (plenty of room for two people to share), the bathroom also had a shower dispenser with soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Bar soap is also left in the room. A hairdryer is also provided. The rooms all have a patio or a balcony with a table and two chairs. There is also a drying rack on the balcony to hang your wet clothes and towels. The room also had a sitting area, which included a sitting chair, a table and a built-in couch. THE LANDSCAPING The resort is beautiful. It is very large and built around the natural beauty of the jungle. It is laid out in a rectangular pattern. The check-in / lobby, meeting rooms, disco, fitness center/spa, lobby bars, tour desks, buffet dining and gourmet dining areas at one end and the pool, pool area bar & buffet dining (breakfast & lunch only), and beach at the other end, the guest buildings are along the sides. In the middle is left the natural jungle with all native and exotic wildlife. There are lighted, formed, concrete pathways that wind through the jungle area and lead to the pool and beach area. You can also use the outside walkways to navigate from one end to the other end of the resort. It seems that there are flowers, bushes, and trees everywhere. It is a never- ending task of upkeep for the landscape crew. There are spider monkeys climbing freely in the trees, iguanas, chickens, peacocks, and swans running around. There is a parrot courtyard, a toucan aviary, and a turtle pit, not to mention what I missed. One buffet dining area has goldfish ponds surrounding it. The other buffet dining area has a cascading waterfall with an elevated wooden bridge you actually have to walk across to get to the dining area. Various waterfowl inhabit the waterfall pit area. THE BEACHES These beaches are the best that I have experienced on vacation! The beaches are the part that everyone really looks forward to. The lazy mornings with nothing more to do than to indulge in that novel, or maybe it is the tough decision as to what time you will eat next, how about the drink of the day, one of those fresh Pina Colada would sure work. Well I say this “go ahead you’re on vacation”. Life is good! Ah yes the beaches. These are the beaches that some of the world’s best postcards are made with. The water was the cleanest; the sand was soft and not a piece of rock or coral for you to step on at all. The beach area itself is wider than it is deep. It runs the full width of the resort and it allows you to go out almost 200 yards and still stand up. It gets about chest high on the average 6’ male; it then gets shallow again. At one point about 100 to 150 yards out I could sit on my behind and the water was only up to my neck. One of our favorite things to do at the beach was to take the blow-up inter tube we bought at the gift shop, and go out and ride the waves back in to the beach. I would take turns flipping from my stomach to my back so as to get that even tan. THE POOLS There are three pools on the resort property. The jungle area locates them all in the same general area just up from the beach and separated from the main resort. There is a children’s pool conveniently close to the children’s day camp area. Right next to it surrounded by a walkway and a vertical wood post type of fence is a privacy pool. It is much smaller than the main pool and is sunken down with a waterfall leading into it. It also has a variety of landscape grasses and bushes that give it more privacy. It has a constant depth of about 4 ½ feet. Then there is the grand daddy – the main pool. This pool is big! It has many different coves to it. It has small islands with trees that you can swim out to. It has a large Mayan statue / fountain in the middle of the largest cove of the pool. There is even a hot tub in the middle of the pool on one island. What makes it even more special is the unique shape. Trees, bushes and many different plants were left in place as the pool was built around them. Popular with some people were the covered cabanas. These large square huts had mattresses on which people could lie down and get out of the sun and maybe take a nap. You had to get up early to get a cabana. I think some people might have taken shifts sleeping there just to maintain them. There was never any shortage of lounge chairs or straw huts around the pool though. They were very plentiful. To give you an idea of how big this pool is they had kayak races around this thing and it took quite a few minutes to complete the course. One of the nicest things about the main pool is that you enter it just like you would the ocean. You walk in on an inclined bottom and it gradually gets deeper. The incline is a rough type surface to eliminate the slipping problem. The average depth of the main pool is about 4 ½ feet, 5 feet in some spots. I just cannot say enough about the pools, for all the people the resort accommodates it never seemed too crowded. I almost forgot about the pool that is dedicated to water volleyball, water polo, and water basketball. How could I have forgotten that? THE FOOD / RESTAURANTS & BARS The food was well prepared with plenty of variety. The resorts each had a main buffet area that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each resort also had a Poolside buffet /bar which served breakfast, lunch, and drinks until 6:00pm. Each resort also had a gourmet restaurant, one a Mexican theme, and the other an Italian theme. A small cascading waterfall with ducks and various animals surrounded the Quetzal side main buffet dining area. The entrance into the dining area was a suspended wooden walkway over the waterfall and small riverway. A freshwater goldfish pond surrounded the Toucan side main dining area on three sides. Overall the food was very good at the main buffet dining areas. There was a very large variety and it was all well spaced to avoid congestion. For breakfast there was the typical assortment of bagels, muffins, breads, and toast, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs grouped by the minutes boiled, omelets made to order, potatoes, bacon, ham on occasion, pancakes, waffles by request, Mexican specialties that would vary from day to day. There was also a juice table that consisted of 4 to 5 various freshly blended juices such as papaya, pineapple, banana-coconut, orange-strawberry, and cantaloupe, or watermelon. There was a fresh fruit table with yogurts, muselix (blended with a different yogurt each day, really good) fresh preserves, milk, and a good compliment of cereals. There was also a table with salad, various cold cuts, and cheeses. Lunch brought a very nice salad table, soups, breads, more fresh fruit, cheeses, and usually a Mexican assortment including nachos, quesidillas, tamales, etc. Then there was the main serving area which would have things like grilled chicken, grilled fish, a pasta dish, cuts of beef, cooked vegetables. A desert area was also set up. House wine and beer were also served at lunch. Compared to the other all-inclusives we have been to this was very nice. Dinner was usually set around various themes. There was an enormous amount of food to choose from. One night we had grilled lobster, grilled kingfisher, rack of lamb, chicken breast, turkey, and pasta dish all on one night! Boy did I overeat. As you might have decided by now I enjoy eating. I feel that I am thereby qualified to say that even though the food was buffet style it was really good. The service was excellent as well. We would always check the menu before deciding to go into town or to one of the gourmet restaurants. Even though you had to make reservations for the gourmet restaurants we still wanted to see what we were missing. The gourmet restaurants were also a real treat. You are allowed to eat at each gourmet restaurant one time each week (I would prefer the option of unlimited). You are given vouchers that you have signed at the time your reservations were made. They are then taken when you arrive for dinner. They are both air-conditioned which to me is very nice after a day in the sun. The pace is nice and leisurely with dinners usually taking about 1 –1/2 to 2 hours if you don’t rush. But as I say relax, enjoy, you’re on vacation. We were even allowed to order a full bottle of wine for our table at the Italian restaurant. They were both real nice but I would rate the Italian better in food quality, selection and overall service. There were 5 bars total for the two resorts. This includes the two bars in the lobbies, the bar at the show area (the best bar of all), the two pool buffet bars, and the disco bars when it is open. Bar service was good, not much wait, friendly service, and a good variety. I think that they would do well to have a much larger drink menu to choose from. When you are on vacation you tend to want to try something different. They would make what you want but sometimes it is hard to be creative. You can ask for a recommendation from the bartender. They tend to like that. THE ACTIVITIES The activities were typical of the “all-inclusive” environment. Let me see if I can put them all together. THE SPA There was a spa area and a pretty good fitness facility. Being a former competitive bodybuilder I tend to scrutinize the fitness centers pretty good. Lets see the facility had a small rack of dumbbells (up to 40lbs), pre-loaded barbells (up to 80lbs), a couple of benches to use at the dumbbell rack, a commercial grade multi-station (8 station), two bicycles, two stairmasters, and one treadmill. The shower rooms were all marble with a steam room, a cool Jacuzzi, and a hot Jacuzzi. I found it interesting to note the European workout consisting of a look at the equipment and on straight to the steam room and Jacuzzis (with drinks in tow). I found it very rude that the European crowd really pays no attention to which shower room facilities that they use. I know I said relax, you are on vacation but what the heck I don’t feel sooo bad about all of the over-indulging after getting a light workout. WATERSPORTS The resort offered scuba diving with lessons, snorkeling, wind surfing, and kayaking. The snorkeling was free off the beach but was not to good off the beach as it was mostly white sandy bottom. There was a $20.00 dollar charge to go to the reef with a guide from the resort. It was windy and a little choppy the day we went but I thought it was pretty good though. They take you to a national park area offshore. The scuba had a fee that seemed to be around $350.00 to get lessons and a few dives. I am not real sure I just didn’t look into it too much. GAMES There were regular games which included pool Olympics, water polo, water basketball, water volleyball, beach volleyball, beach football (touch), aerobics, water aerobics, dance lessons, Spanish lessons, pottery classes, and a few more. Needless to say there is always something going on. There are also enough people to allow you to sit and observe if you choose. You know how some resorts are if they don’t beg people they may not have an activity. SHOWS/ENTERTAINMENT The shows varied every night and were pretty good for resort entertainment. The only drawback was that they would tend to explain everything in 4 languages or so. That kind of slows down the pace of the entertainment. My wife and I did make an appearance at the disco one night. The disco opens at 11:00pm and turns into a party real fast. It was not like Jamaica or Cancun where the music tends to be mostly American, there was an International flavor that truly was representative of the mix of guests. CONCLUSIONS I thought the resort was well layed out. The landscaping was superb, and the exotic animals added a nice touch. The resort is spaced out over a large area so you need to be prepared to walk. It’s one way to get your exercise. The service of the hotel was great. They were always willing to help. The maid service was great and they would even leave fresh flowers in different areas or towel creations on the bed. I would agree with the 5 Apple rating from Apple vacations. I plan to return.
In the Sildenafil price us of the CTR Mike Johnson wrote: "Our daughter had to try a famous "cheeseburger in Paradise" from Jimmy Buffet fame Everything we read gave the impression that most of the people on the island spoke English but that was not the case." Amy responds: I've search the web and found the official web site from the mayor of St. Barths. # 1 St. Barths is generally French speaking it says that only some people speaks English. Why may I ask American people go to such distant travel experience just to eat "cheeseburger" when they get there??? why? oh! why?
Trip 1/99
The Windwards are at the southern end of the chain of Caribbean
islands that sweeps in a huge arc from Florida to Venezuela. On the
eastern side, they are exposed to easterly trade winds and the rough
seas of the Atlantic. Those of a gentle disposition will prefer to
keep to the western shores (leeward side) for sunbathing and
swimming.
The four main Windward Islands, from north to south, are Martinique,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. Our visit consisted of a few
days in St. Lucia follow by a week sailing in the Grenadines
(http://www.grenadines.net), a host of tiny, idyllic islands that
pepper the sea between St. Vincent and Grenada. The following notes
are intended to inform visitors planning a similar trip, rather than
relate a personal travelogue. For a detailed Grenadines travel
guide, I would recommend the "Sailors' Guide to the Windward
Islands" published by Chris Doyle Publishing (redstart@sover.net)
ISBN 0-944428-46-0, which was our bible throughout the week.
28/Jan/99 We (two couples from England) had booked three nights at
the self-catering Villa Marigot Round (http://www.marigot.com),
Marigot Bay, St. Lucia at a rate of US$279 per night. For an extra
US$55, the villa's owner, Ginny Capers, collected us from St. Lucia
Hewanorra International Airport and drove us to the villa. Taxis
from the airport cost about the same, but you don't get the useful
insider's information that Ginny provides en route.
The hour drive from Hewanorra to Marigot Bay gave us our first
experience of St. Lucia. The island is lush and tropical (our
previous Caribbean destination, Antigua, was disappointingly arid),
unspoiled so far by development, although I got the impression that
the rate of property investment is accelerating. Banana plantations
are everywhere, the produce exported mainly to the UK. The main
roads are well-made but seriously undulating, and four-wheel drive
is recommended for long stays.
Marigot Bay is on the west coast of St. Lucia, a few miles south of
the capital, Castries. It is one of the most beautiful natural
harbours in the Caribbean and a favourite anchorage for yachts.
Villa Marigot Round is located high up on the hill that forms the
southern side of the bay and offers spectacular views. The villa
itself is not luxurious, but is safe, spacious, clean and well-
equipped, and great value compared with resort hotel prices. What it
lacks in luxury, it makes up in its unusual architectural style and
exquisite vista. If you want more independence than a resort offers
but want to live as comfortably as you do at home, then this is for
you. For about US$70, Ginny will stock the fridge and prepare your
first night's meal, which is useful if you arrive late in the day as
we did.
29/Jan./99 Marigot Bay is off the main road, which is part of its
charm, but as such is not serviced by regular buses or taxis. You'll
need to hire a vehicle, and we borrowed Ginny's 5-seater Suzuki
minivan for US$50/day. A local license costs US$32/driver and can be
purchased at the police station next to the jetty at Marigot Bay.
We drove through Castries, which is a busy, unattractive port. A
road map of the town is recommended to negotiate the haphazard one
way system. Gablewood's shopping mall ten minutes north of Castries
on the main road has a bank, excellent large supermarket and well-
stocked pharmacy. Prices are comparable with home.
Further north, we arrived at Reduit Beach (turn left off main road
by Palm Hotel), reputedly one of the finest beaches in St. Lucia.
This may be so, although there are a number of resort hotels on the
beach front which meant that it was crowded with holidaymakers and
hustlers. Spinnakers, a beach-front bar next to the Royal St.
Lucian, is good for drinks but mediocre for lunch.
In the evening, we ate at the much-hyped Green Parrot restaurant.
The décor and service was excellent, as was the menu choice. The
food, however, was disappointing, 5 out of 10 at best. The meat was
tough, and the soup was 'warmed up' and the sauces had an acrid
alcoholic taste. Maybe they had an off-night, or the chef was
concentrating on a wedding reception in the adjacent function room.
Ginny, an American ex-pat who has lived in St. Lucia for 10 years,
informed us that the best restaurant on the island was The Coal Pot
at Vigie Marina near Castries, but we didn't have a free evening to
confirm this.
30/Jan./99 We spent the day down in Marigot Bay, which has been
unfairly criticized as lacking facilities in other internet reports.
Certainly the 'beach' is limited and not for serious swimmers, but
you can relax under the palm trees, sip rum punch from nearby
Doolittles Bar and watch the yachts enter and leave the bay.
Doolittles is part of the Marigot Beach Resort on the north side of
the bay. They did an excellent barbecue there on Saturday night,
which left the Green Parrot cuisine for dead. Other reports suggest
that this comparison is not typical, but there you go.
31/Jan./99 Oceana, a beautiful 71-foot two-masted ketch, was
anchored in Marigot Bay when we awoke. This was the yacht that we
had chartered for the remainder of the holiday. Up to six guests can
hire Oceana from Hastingwood Limited in London
(hastwood@globalnet.co.uk) at prices that start from US$4800 per
week. The yacht has been charting Caribbean waters for some time and
is renowned amongst the sailing fraternity. The master cabin,
situated aft, features a full-size double bed and single berth. This
cabin also has ensuite bath with shower and head, and direct access
to the aft deck. The midship cabin has a double berth and a single,
with generous hanging and storage space. The forward stateroom has a
double and single berth. These cabins share a large bathroom and
shower.
Oceana's captain, Russell Reid, has 17 years experience of sailing
in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean seas. For our week on
board, Russell was ably supported by first mate Johan, chef Iain
Clague (spoons_bc@hotmail.com) and stewardess Jess. They were very
friendly and worked extremely hard to make our trip as comfortable
as possible. We just relaxed as pampered guests as the crew sailed
us from one exotic spot to another. Without doubt, Iain's cooking
surpassed anything we tasted ashore in the Caribbean and most
restaurants back home. If all this sounds like a tub-thumping
recommendation, it is.
We slipped out of Marigot Bay and sailed south towards St. Vincent.
This journey is 6½ hours on open seas, and the defining moment to
discover if you suffer from sea-sickness. The approach to St.
Vincent from the north is dominated by Soufriere, a 3000 ft. volcano
which last erupted in April 1979. Black lava flows are visible along
the coast. St. Vincent lacks the beautiful white sand beaches of the
other Windward Islands and, as a result, has relatively few
tourists. We landed at Cumberland Bay, which was unremarkable except
for an army of translucent crabs that emerged from the black sand
and pinned us to our beach towels. Elford Stephens owns a beach bar
there and asked us to pass on his details. So for Elford's sake,
telephone 784-458-2209 for overnight apartments, meals and tours
around St. Vincent.
01/Feb./99 - 02/Feb./99 Our next stop was Bequia (pronounced beck-
way), the most northerly island in the Grenadines and about 3 hours
sailing south from Cumberland Bay. It is a charming island about
five miles long and a favourite yachting destination. Oceana
anchored overnight in Admiralty Bay, which has Bequia's main town,
Port Elizabeth, at its head. The harbour is very picturesque and
bordered on its eastern side by a fine stretch of white sand known
as Tony Gibbons Beach - uncrowded and as good as any we saw in St.
Lucia.
Port Elizabeth is sophisticated enough to cater for every aspect of
yachting, and yet pleasingly undeveloped. Chef Iain recommended
Doris Fresh Food supermarket shop for gourmet provisions.
On the southern shores of Bequia, Friendship Bay is gorgeous with a
lovely white beach. Multicoloured fish inhabit the reef that extends
from the beach to Semplers Cay and beyond, although there are better
places to snorkel in the Grenadines. We ate a fine lunch at Herby 'n
Spicy, a beach-front bar that is part of the Friendship Bay beach
resort (labambas@caribsurf.com). Alcoholic measures here are over-
generous, if such a thing is possible.
18 miles south of Bequia is Canouan, a tiny boot-shaped island 3½
miles long and 1¼ miles wide. The northern part of the island is
undergoing development as a resort, although there are plenty of
hidden beaches to escape to. Oceana dropped anchor at Charlestown
Bay, which was full of bobbing yachts. The bobbing grew
significantly in amplitude as a northerly swell started to roll in.
By dusk, our stomachs could bear this no more and we decided to
transfer to dry land by booking some double rooms at the Tamarind
Beach Hotel for US$100 per room. (Tip: Ask for the basic room rate
with no meals. We were first quoted US$380 per double room with
breakfast and dinner included). Unfortunately, a combination of the
swell and a force 8 wind made landing in Oceana's r.i.b. (rigid
inflatable boat) impossible. Waves were crashing over the Tamarind
Beach Hotel's moorings. This frightening experience was resolved by
the decision to weigh anchor and sail south to a more protected bay,
away from any reefs since darkness had long fallen. The closest we
could find was in the lee of Miss Irene Point on Union Island, where
we arrived at 2.00 am.
03/Feb./99 Sunrise brought calmer weather and we sailed round
Frigate Island to Clifton, Union Island's scruffy main port. The
approach to Clifton is a narrow passage through reefs that protect
the harbour from swells. We checked into the Anchorage Yacht Club
where a double room and continental breakfast costs US$100 per night
plus 7% tax. The rooms are spartan but clean, air-conditioned and
with large showers and comfortable beds. We were served lunch there
by disinterested staff, but the US$19 pizzas we ordered were
excellent (and huge). A pool at the front of the Anchorage Yacht
Club is home to a bored family of nurse sharks.
This day was spent restocking at the local supermarket, cashing
travelers cheques at the National Commercial Bank and catching up on
sleep.
04/Feb./99 - 06/Feb/99 Peppering the sea between Canouan and Union
Island, the Tobago Cays ("keys") are a group of tiny, uninhabited
islands protected from the sea by Horseshoe Reef. The water and reef
are a kaleidoscope of colours and, on cloudless nights, the Milky
Way can be seen spanning the north and south horizons. The Tobago
Cays are the ultimate Caribbean destination for any would-be
Robinson Crusoe, and we headed there to spend three lazy, idyllic
days, in and out of the 79 deg. F turquoise sea.
The Cays are only accessible by boat, so you can generally count on
finding your own private white sand beach to sunbathe on. The
snorkeling is superb, the best we experienced, although the currents
can be strong in places. Striped damselfish, goatfish, angelfish and
parrotfish swim in abundance along the Horseshoe Reef, against a
backdrop of peacock-hued sea fans, pillar coral, brain coral,
staghorn coral, anemones and sponges. On our last day, we were lucky
enough to swim with a giant turtle just off the north shore of Petit
Rameau island.
Oceana anchored off the east coast of Mayreau (pronounced my-roe),
which is a 1½ square mile island offering better protection from the
wind and waves than anchorage in the Tobago Cays. It took less than
five minutes to motor in Oceana's r.i.b. from our anchorage point to
the Cays.
Basic supplies can be purchased from several groceries at Saline Bay
on the south-west edge of Mayreau. On the island's north coast, dry-
land lodging if required is available at the Salt Whistle Bay Club,
which quoted us US$100 per night per basic double room (or US$450
per night including meals, don't ask me why). We preferred to rock
gently in our beds on Oceana. There are four or five restaurants on
Mayreau but we opted for the excellence of Iain's cooking on board.
One evening, Iain prepared a barbecue on the beach at Petit Bateau
in the Cays. The rule here is to remove all debris afterwards,
including charcoal, since local barbecue vendors at one time
threatened to destroy the beauty of the beaches by leaving rubbish
and ash. The Tobago Cays are now a national park and an organised
taskforce has been set up to protect this wonderful spot.
07/Feb/99 Oceana sailed back to Union Island where we caught a plane
from the airport just behind the Anchorage Yacht Club. The aircraft
was a five-seater twin-prop Aero Commander 500S, chartered from SVG
Air (http://www.svgair.com) at a cost of US$682 including tax. It
took 30 minutes to fly the four of us directly to Hewanorra
International Airport in St. Lucia. Air Martinique, Mustique Airways
and HelenAir run cheaper, scheduled air services from Union Island.
Airline tickets and charter flights can be arranged by Joy at Gems
Aviation, located in Magie's Business Centre just behind the
Anchorage Yacht Club. The journey from Union Island to St. Lucia
took us back over our sailing route, and offered a wonderful bird's-
eye view over the beautiful Tobago Cays. From Hewanorra, we caught
our plane back to London Gatwick.
After three weeks on the island I'd like to begin with some general info and observations. As has been noted by others, the weather, especially during the first week was unusually windy and rainy. As the USAir pilot announced as we were landing, the winds were up to 30mph. Those gusts prevailed for several days and brought frequent downpours, usually as we were getting ready for dinner. Mud was everywhere and footwear became a problem. The rain and mud caused road problems as well, especially on the Dutch side where roads are really bad to begin with. The potholes in some places were filled with water and completely invisible at night. Driving was not easy. The weather did improve into the second week though nights remained cool during the whole vacation. I was prepared to some extent but many were caught without long-sleeved clothing. Sweatshirts became de riguer attire, if you could find one to buy. I mentioned in a few replies that some of the pricier restaurants were not what they used to be. When we sat around during the day, the topic of conversation usually turned to where one went to dinner, where were the best meals on the island, etc. Some expressed disappointment with Mary's Boon since new owners have taken over; help was rude, food not as good, portions not as large... We have never been there so take that, as well as some others I may quote as second-hand info. Saratoga was also among those mentioned that did not meet previous standards. We did not get there this trip choosing some new places instead. In Grand Case, some places were good one night and poor the next. As I have mentioned already, we were disappointed with Sebastiano's. Friends who were there on the same night agreed but said their meal there the previous week was much better. Lots of the problems can be attributed to the crowds that flock to the popular restaurants, especially during the week between X-mas and New Year's, the busiest week of the year. Entire families travel together and take up to half a restaurant in some cases. Our friends, Mary & Bob, have parties of at least 10 every night for dinner. One night, we happened to be in the same place at the same time. Their group exceeded 30 people, including babies. The whole staff was needed just to take care of them. So, it's easy to understand the pressure on the restaurant owners. But, when you spend $80-100 for two, you still want your money's worth. I'll go into some detail in the next report about the better meals we had but, generally the consistent restaurants were still DaLivio, La Rosa, La Laguna, and Brasserie DeLa Gare. Don Camillo's had one "off" night (too many diners, not enough help) but made up for that another night. Mario's also ; one very good meal and one much better than that. Good news for those who don't know where to shop for food on Sunday. The Food Center on Bush Road has a big banner in front claiming to be open on Sundays. Hours not noted. Best to call first. I did not see the same sign in the Cole Bay location, however. There is a new road into P'burg. Turn right at the BelAir Beach sign, just after passing Ram's. This will take you past the stadium and the Medical Center, over the hill, and past Great Bay Hotel. Half of that road is brand new with lines painted and everything !! It really avoids the traffic circle by Mark's Place and the Food Center, the bridge and the light into P'burg, and can save several minutes if not more. Brings you into the top of Front St. near DaLivio. I guess it's time to do the "veal chop" report <<GG>> so I'll start with a newcomer to the list. That would be Sandro's located in the Maho Beach Hotel on the second level above Rum Boat. Their chop was plain, grilled to perfection and required no additional embellishment. On New Year's Eve, when most places are stressed to the max, the meal was exceptional. The filet mignon ranked high as well. They have wonderful spinach ravioli, too. Entrees were between 22-25.00. DaLivio continues to present the best chop, even bigger than before. Daniel, the owner, would like me to say that other entrees are special, too. I have tried the lobster and I agree. Another consistently good chop is the veal Regine at La Rosa Two. That is it for the acceptable ones. The one that disappointed was at Sebastiano's.It was fatty and covered with a sauce that was way too heavy. The size was not as generous as the others and, considering the price, it was a rip-off. Other enjoyable meals were at Brasserie DeLa Gare in Marigot where we ate at least 4 times, calling it "light" dining. We mainly ordered pizzas, always wonderful, mussels, also great, onion soup, salads and new for me, steak Tartare. Mind you, this would be a no-no in most places and I asked the waiter to promise me that I would not regret ordering raw meat. He assured me that the quality was tops so I gave it a try. The portion was enough for two and the wonderful pomme frites that came with it could feed a family of teen-agers. This was such a good choice that I repeated it several nights later. "M" ate half and agreed that it was excellent. BDLG remains the top choice for us in the "bistro" category. We were lucky to get in as many times as we did. It was constantly packed with huge crowds waiting to be seated. Lots of people gave up and filled the other nearby restaurants. I must confess that we dine with friends who are regulars there and always get a table despite the crowds. Helps to know the right people. Don Camill's was good except for X-mas Eve when they were so busy we didn't get anything to eat until around 10:30 pm. By then, it was too late to enjoy anything. I hardly touched my 1/2 order of pasta. Generally, pasta and veal dishes are prepared with a light touch and are very good here. Try the gnocci, excellent. Not as good as last year was Bistro Gourmande, located near Sapphire Beach Club where the Brazilian place used to be. The food was too saucy for me and obscured "M's" lobster as well. Other places were better for lobster, including Tortuga's, our beach restaurant at Royal Islander. Ravi, the manager, got lobsters for us since they weren't on the menu for the day we wanted them. The simple grilled preparation was just what we wanted. On another night, I loved the Stone crabs, directly from Miami that day. Haven't had them for years...tasted just like Joe's Stone Crab only cheaper. Give the place a try. It's a little off the beaten path but worth the effort. It is at the end of R.I.'s pool area, near the airport runway. Not too much air traffic at dinner time and great ocean-side views. Once again we were lucky enough to do Mario's, twice. I called from home for reservation #1 and got the next one while at the restaurant for our fare-well dinner. We always have an exceptional meal there but I have to admit that Martine seemed a bit brusque at the first meal. Again, crowds were overwhelming and quality must come before anything else so I'll overlook her mood swings. The mussels are the very best ever and this is in no small part due to the addition of cheese to the red sauce; just enough to give the sauce a little more texture. The dish is only available when mussels are flown in from France, usually on Fridays. Do call ahead, no more than 30 days, for reservations. 011-5990-87-06-36. I think I need to tie up loose ends and finish the dining segment of my reports. I was gently reminded by our constant dining companions that we had a few glitches worth noting. One experience at La Rosa left a bad taste in all of our mouths...an entree was presented to one of us that was definitely off-tasting. When the complaint was referred to Mr. Rosa he responded very negatively and rudely. No replacement was offered. The item was removed from the bill but the incident was so poorly handled that the credit hardly mattered. Generally, we have had only good experiences here and I hope to return there again and again. Hopefully, this was just an isolated experience. I'm not sure if I mentioned Spartaco in any detail. We have had many enjoyable meals there and this year was just a little less than we remembered. I repeated a dish which was once "excellent" and now just "good". The setting is still romantic and worth a visit. Le Charolais was covered by Linda Moss in her report. I must agree; average beef and lots of it. Don't go out of your way unless you try the Marigot location. I hear that it's much better than the outpost in Simpson' Bay area. Do try La Laguna. The staff and owners make the visit worthwhile and the basic Italian food is always good. I love the veal parm; good comfort food. It's on the airport road. Skip Le Perroquet, the closest neighbor to La Laguna. It is an over- priced place run by an ego-maniac who is very impressed with his ideas of what you should eat. Forget what you've seen on the Discovery Channel.It definitely went to the owner's head but does not translate to what appears on your plate. Tropicana on the Marina in Marigot is another favorite of ours. I went there early in the trip and wish we could have returned at least one more time. It just didn't happen. You will be treated to a wonderful filet mignon or any number of other excellent choices. The complimentary banana rum drink is a great dessert. I guess I should add a mini shopping report at this time. My relationship with Touch of Gold continues to be very much intact. I did take the time to visit several other jewelry stores but returned to Heeru out of loyalty and mutual trust. I know that other stores have similar stock and perhaps, even more of a selection, but being totally satisfied with Touch of Gold, I could not bring myself to shop elsewhere. Enough said. SXM has lost a few important names in recent years; eg., Gucci, La Romana...add to the list H. Stern's and MCM. It's really a shame to see the demise of certain high- quality stores. Hopefully, they will be replaced by others of similar reputation. Fortunately, Desmo thrives as a source for fine leather goods. It is located catty-corner to Brasserie DeLa Gare in the Marina area of Marigot. Sergio, the owner is very cordial, and offers products by other leading designers besides Desmo. Look for Furla, Roberta Di Camerino, etc. For excellent "replica" jewelry, check out Tiara, a few doors from Desmo. Your friends will never know the difference.
We flew USAir out of Chicago, changing planes in Charlotte, NC. Flights were great and on time. We had booked through RCI Travel and paid somewhat less than the cost on American. Would do this again. Since Mike had already checked into our unit at Pelican we moved right in. Headed to the Marina in Marigot that evening and ordered mostly pizzas at Brasserie de la Gare. When they came an hour and a half later - they were excellent! We were a large group of 12 but a few times on this trip the service was so bad we were ready to walk out. And with so many restaurants to choose from it makes you less likely to be a repeat visitor! Sunday was mainly a day for relaxing by the pool and getting ready for our friends annual Chanukah party. Everyone contributed snacks, drinks, etc. and it is always fun to reunite with our "neighbors"! Monday was breakfast in Marigot at the creperie St. Germain which we always enjoy. Took the Pelican boat tour in the afternoon, the heavens opened about halfway through but it was fun anyway! Ate at Thai Garden that night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Headed to Casino Royale where they have installed some new machines and games, horse racing, bingo, roulette. etc. which are fun for those who don't go to the tables. Tuesday was mostly relaxing by the pool again, dinner at Don Camilo was excellent! Our first m time there and we will be sure to return next year. Wednesday we had some friends who were on a cruise visiting. They joined us for a lovely breakfast at LaVista and then the ladies adjourned to Marigot for some fast paced shopping. I had a real problem with shoes this trip. There seemed to be more shoe stores than ever and hey, you don't have to take your clothes off to try them on so it's easy shopping. A nice little shop had just opened across from the Match Supermarket. Dinner that evening at LeCharolais. Will start my next installment with report on that. My husband has not been a meat eater for the past few years and our older daughter is a vegetarian but on a recommendation we decided to try LeCharolais across from Lightning Casino. Mostly beef with some fish and chicken. The pleasant waitress had a lovely, large salad made up for my daughter. My filet was OK. Mike on a whim decided to try the meat "sampler platter" I think picturing a dainty little assortment of nice lean cuts. What arrived was an overwhelming platter with piles of huge chunks of meat some of which was tough and the mere sight of which would turn anyone into a vegetarian. If you're going for quantity that's your meal! Thursday was Christmas Eve. Picked up muffins from the bagel place which is a popular spot. Dinner that night was at Tropicana. I didn't like my lobster as much as the pasta dish I had last year but would repeat this for sure. Our friends who dined here all enjoyed it. Thursday night-Friday a.m. there was an attempted hold up at the Pelican Casino. A Jamaican man with a loaded hand gun entered the Casino around 1:00 am. He had pulled a white shirt over his face with two holes cut for eyeholes. He put the gun in the security guards back and ordered him to walk into the casino. He was quickly disarmed and arrested. We were not in the Casino at the time and are thankful no one was hurt. We know these incidents can happen anywhere but it was very frightening to those on the scene. Usually the security seems to primarily deal with keeping young teens from entering, not gunmen! Christmas Day was spent at Orient Beach, a lovely day all day, very relaxing and did a little shopping at the little market and at Sexy Fruits. Didn't even go out that evening, just snacked with friends.
Trip 1/99 This was our first trip to the St. Thomas and we certainly want to encourage you to go. We learned that tourism is not the main industry in the Virgin Islands, it's the ONLY industry, and as such, they take care to do it right. A good place to start your pre-trip planning after here is on the St. Thomas web site. It's easy to remember: Buy canaural ear drops online canada. All pertinent information is there including airlines, hotels and what you need to know before your visit. I found it accurate and a good preparation for our visit. Our trip had one goal: to relax somewhere warm with a beach. St. Thomas and Secret Harbour Beach Resort fit the bill perfectly. GETTING AROUND First of all, unless you're the adventurous type, don't rent a car. The roads are 2-lane, curvy affairs, they drive on the left and I wouldn't want to have to try to follow a map while trying to drive. And you WILL need a map. Getting around is not at all an intuitive task. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable. Our taxi driver upon arrival was a bit pushy, but we found that to be an aberration. He pretty much grabbed our bags from my wife who was standing alone at the time and shoved us in an already full van, getting every last dollar out of the trip. That kind of treatment never happened again. The drivers who frequent the resorts are definitely different than those who service the cruise-ships and airport. From the airport on the West side of the island to Secret Harbour on the East side took about half an hour and the fare was only $18 for 2 people and baggage. Most of the cabs are passenger vans and you might find yourself sharing with others. Relax and go with the flow. We found that we got to see a lot more by sometimes making a detour to drop- off or pick up others and it became a treat. The prices are from point- to-point so it doesn't cost extra, the drivers make excellent tour guides and you meet nice folks. ISLAND TIME You might be thinking, yeah but it takes longer. You'll get over that after about 10-minutes of living on "island time". While everyone is friendly and attentive, it is true that life in the Caribbean moves at a slower pace. Simple things like bagging groceries and deli orders will take about twice as long as in the States. It bugged me the first couple of times, but pretty soon, Type-A's slow down to Type-B's, Type-B persons slow to Type-C's, and I guess Type-C persons become tree-moss. That's what my wife and I were by the time we left and we own our own businesses in the real-world. I can't explain it, but we found ourselves getting sleepy and resting at the slightest provocation, which is what we really needed and came down there for. It must be something in the air. SECRET HARBOUR BEACH RESORT Accommodations on St. Thomas range from luxurious and opulent to bare-bones. Secret Harbour falls in the middle. We can only speak to our one-bedroom condo/apartment lodging which was spacious and well- equipped. Secret Harbour appears to be an older establishment undergoing refurbishment and we were a little taken aback at first. We tend to frequent newer places in the "real world" such as Sheratons or Hampton Inns, but again, after about 10-minutes, I wouldn't have traded Secret Harbour for the Taj Mahal, which I can't say about a DoubleTree we stayed at in Florida last year. The warm welcome from the staff, including a personal greeting from the manager, proved to be the rule and not the exception. Again, initial impressions can be deceiving. From the road and when you first pull in, you'll ask yourself "What have I gotten myself into?" Not to worry, mon. The beach, restaurant, amenities, staff and atmosphere will have you luxuriating in Caribbean comfort your entire stay. A resort canvas tote-bag which was waiting for us in the room is emblazoned with the disclaimer that they are not responsible for guests who refuse to leave after staying at Secret Harbour. We really did find ourselves plotting ways to stay another week. Alas, it was not to be but it wasn't because we didn't want to. If I had it to do over again, I would have spent more time at Secret Harbour Beach Resort and less time traipsing about. Each time we ventured from the resort, it wasn't long before we were ready to return, which is not a shot at the Virgins Islands as a tourist destination, but rather a kudo to Secret Harbour as a "home away from home". On site, there's an excellent restaurant, the Blue Moon for breakfast, lunch and dinner (a continental breakfast is complimentary though they do not offer room-service), a fully equipped dive shop, gift shop, modern exercise room and beach bar open from morning until night. You should attend the manager's party on Tuesday evenings for some delicious, though lethal, rum punch and snacks. Besides being a good resort mixer, they give you an orientation of what there is to do both at the resort and on the island. The beach itself is stocked with beach chairs, umbrellas, coconut palms and girl who'll bring you cold drinks from the bar in the afternoon. There's no charge for chairs or umbrellas, but it's first- come, first-served and some folks will stake them out around 8:30 in the morning though we had no problems showing up as late as 10. I snorkeled and there was a variety of marine life around the coral reefs in the harbour, the most dangerous of which were the black, long-spined sea urchins. There was always someone cleaning or repairing something, pointing to the excellent maintenance and cleanliness of the resort. The beach is even raked each night and the chairs are put back from where we had drug them to our own special "spots" during the day. I have uploaded some .avi movies and JPEG files to accompany this narrative. Check `em out. OUT AND ABOUT Check the cruise ship schedule and plan your activities around them. At the resort, the cruise ships will have little impact, but in town and at any other tourist activity, you'll want to pick a day when there are as few cruise ships in port as possible. The schedule is in St. Thomas This Week -- a free newsmagazine that makes a good reference. As with any tourist destination, there are plenty of what- do-do type publications with coupons and advertisements. Again, our goal was relaxation and rest, so we didn't do a whole lot. We did take the ferry to St. John ($3 each way and runs every hour) and took an hour and a half tour of the national park. That was worthwhile and we did some shopping, though there's not as much of that on St. John as on St. Thomas and it's really no different. It was good to get a taste for a less populated island and it was kind of neat to see the millionaire residences overlooking Peter's Bay. The dinghies tied up to some of the yachts there probably cost more than our house. We didn't know to check the cruise schedule before we went into Charlotte Amalie (pronounced like the Mexican food "tamale") and there were 7 in port that day. It was wall-to-wall and shoulder-to- shoulder people. Pick a day when there's only 1 or 2. Also beware, you'll be approached to take a "free-tour" and receive $50 worth of island goodies from solicitors to get you to visit some of the time- shares. If you have the time, it might be worth it ... we didn't. If you want to find jewelry, clothing or tourist merchandise, you'll be in hog-heaven. Some things are cheaper than state-side, such as jewelry, alcohol and some clothing, plus they're tax and duty-free. We were told that if you told the shop-owners you were staying on the island and not from a cruise-ship, they would negotiate prices. We tried that but didn't have much luck. We didn't find out until on the plane ride home that the oldest active Synagogue under the American flag is in St. Thomas. There's lots of historical stuff to see and do, as well as water-oriented activities including submarine rides in Charlotte Amalie, Coral World at Coki Point and day sailing/snorkeling trips from most of the many marinas around the island. Magens Bay is reputed to be one of the prettiest beaches in the world, and we saw it from Drake's Seat (named for Sir Francis Drake) overlooking Magen's Bay. We had a taxi take us up there on the way back to the resort. One of our kids thought there were a lot of nude beaches in the Virgin Islands. I don't know about elsewhere, but not on St. Thomas. I understand that a secluded portion of Magens Bay is designated as clothing optional, but island-wide, modesty is the rule both on and off the beaches. Nobody had anything hanging out and, let's see how I can phrase this appropriately, a complete set of undergarments were the norm. As a matter of fact, I read somewhere that there's a statute specifying bathing suits must be covered when away from the beach. SUMMARY I hope this is of use to someone else making their first trip to St. Thomas and my sincere gratitude to the staff of the forum for their help. If you're wondering whether you should take the plunge and visit the Caribbean, don't hesitate. Go. We'd go back in a heartbeat and wouldn't hesitate to stay at Secret Harbour. Go. Get on "island time". Whatever you want, be it adventure or relaxation, you can find it on St. Thomas. You'll need some sort of proof of U.S. citizenship to get back in the States upon departure, but by all means ... go. We ran into several who actually did go for a visit and just stayed. We now know why.
We got back from Tobago just under a week ago, and hope that sharing
our experiences could be helpful to others. Where to begin. Well, we
got a great package deal from our hotel, the Ocean Point Hotel.
Seven nights in a suite with two separate bedrooms, A/C, color cable
TV with 40 channels, six breakfasts, four full dinners, ten dives
(eight in the south, and two up north in Speyside), and an automatic
air-conditioned car for about $1000 apiece, including all taxes. The
hotel has a great web site, and will work with you on a nice package
to meet your needs. The innkeepers bent over backwards to
accommodate us. If we wanted breakfast at 7 so we could get an early
start to Speyside, they'd be up with us. My main caution is that you
probably need to bring earplugs unless you're a heavy sleeper,
because there's a macaw that lets out a blood-curdling scream every
morning at the crack of dawn (6 AM in the tropics). He only got me
the first morning, though--earplugs took care of it the rest of the
week. I swear we both thought a young boy fell off his bike and had
fractured his tibia or something.
The food at the hotel is great. We were promised one night of
lobster and actually received two. I'm not exaggerating when I say
they were the best lobsters I've had in my life. You can go there
separately--the restaurant is newly-renamed the Garden Grille, and
is on the road to the soon to be completed Hilton. I don't know what
the prices were like, though since it was part of our plan. I would
call them, and ask if they can make you the lobster...
On the other two nights, we had dinner at the Golden Star, and at
the Old Donkey Cart House. On the former, we were just coming back
from our night dive, and stopped at the restaurant because a steel
drum band was playing there. We were treated to beautiful music and
a nice meal, like something straight out of a travel magazine. When
I asked the waitress how much we should tip the musicians, I got a
somewhat puzzled answer. I guess it's not like Mariachi bands in
Mexico--although the musicians were on the sidewalk, they must have
been paid by the restaurant. We stopped at the latter because we
were getting gas in Scarborough for our last night, and wanted to
return the car with a full tank of gas, so opted not to drive to
Crown Point. The Old Donkey Cart House also had great food, but I
felt it was a bit pricey for Tobago (not egregious, mind you).
To the diving! We did most of our dives in the south, with Wild
Turtle Dive Safari. This is a very professional and friendly group
whose owner is a British subject. There were two other European
instructors there--a Frenchman and a German. My only complaint is
that they didn't like to do safety stops, admittedly not always easy
with drift dives, but we all had good buoyancy control... In the
north, we dove with Tobago Dive Experience (affiliated with the
Manta Lodge). I wasn't as thrilled with them. There were fourteen of
us crowded onto a tiny boat, and then there wasn't very good
communication. They didn't warn us, for example, of the 90 minute
surface interval, so we were on the pier with no water or suntan
lotion. Fortunately, someone let me sip his water, but I ended up
with sunburnt shoulders. On the bright side, I did get to see the
only manta ray I saw while waiting on that pier. It was also the
only manta ray most of the other people in our group had seen, and
they had been there for several days, incidentally.
Despite the reputation of the north part of Tobago having much
better diving than the south, I wasn't that impressed with the
difference. Visibility was about 10-15 feet better in the north:
about 50-60 feet in the south, and 60-75 feet in the north. The
animal life was different. We saw three sting rays in the north
only, but we saw many species of sharks in the south (reef, nurse,
black-tip) in great quantities, and we only saw a single shark in
the north. Also, the only wreck, the Maverick, and the only jewfish
were in the south. That jewfish, who always hangs around the
Maverick ("100% guaranteed") was very friendly, too--it let you pet
it! Also, the only sea turtles we saw were in the south. The
visibility in Tobago isn't as great as in many other Caribbean
islands, but the fish are bigger. I swear, some of those anglefish
looked like they were as big as Volswagen Beetles. Well, almost.
Other than the Kariwak Reef, all dives are drift dives--not a place
to learn how to scuba dive (I would recommend for experienced divers
only).
Driving was an adventure. Those roads are narrow, and the truck
drivers are a menace! Although I've been to four other Caribbean
islands where they drive on the left before, as well as two other
left-driving countries (UK and Japan), this was my first experience
actually driving on the left. Not an easy switch. I kept turning on
the windshield wipers when I wanted to signal, I continued looking
over my right shoulder when backing up, and I used the side mirror
on my right rather than the rear view mirror to look at the traffic
behind me.
The people were all friendly and honest. We picked up some old
ladies and schoolchildren as hitch-hikers. Can you imagine telling
your 2nd grade children: "Just go hitch a ride to get back home--
climb into the car of any stranger who might pick you up!"? People
at the hotel felt comfortable leaving things hanging outside on the
balcony, and things were also not terribly well-guarded elsewhere.
When I asked if they had any problems with theft, we were told "This
is an island--if anybody stole stuff, we'd know who it was!". Anyone
from Bonaire listening?
The Caribbean Travel Roundup is available worldwide via Compuserve and INTERNET and is distributed through the facilities of America Online. The official CTR World Wide Web site is