|
|
Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
| CTR Homepage | Island Index | Search |
May 1, 1998 Little Anguilla Makes Big Splash at E-commerce Conference. . . . Anguilla Looks Huge In Cyberspace Anguilla has more web data per capita than any other country, but of course there are only about 8,000 citizens. Maybe that is why Anguilla had such a large attendance (second only to the USA) at last week's On-Line Offshore 98 Conference. Cayman and Bermuda have made E-commerce special national goals to supplement tourism and finance. But Anguilla proved to be on the leading edge this time. Anguilla may be a small, quiet, rural country with more goats than people but it isn't backward when it comes to high-tech. Not only did we have more attendees, Vince Cate of Offshore Information Services was the only person present at the conference who had actually done offshore e-commerce, completed a fiscal year and made a profit, although representatives from Guernsey , Bermuda , Cayman , and even Seycheles Islands in the Indian ocean, had big plans. Vince also presented a paper on his software product he is creating as an infrastructure for secure accounts across the Internet . Sort of a "MS DOS for financial systems." There were two other speakers from Anguilla who presented papers. Alan Jones and Peter Morgan presented Anguilla's new on-line system for registering offshore corporations. Who Knew? We had no idea the speakers were so famous until we got home and looked them up. Such as Ian Goldberg of UC Berkeley who broke the encryption of GSM cellphones last month. Or Professor Lawrence Lessig of Harvard, appointed as technology master in the "DOJ vs Microsoft" case. Griffin Webster and myself attended to learn about e-commerce in connection with our new tech center on Shoal Bay . Opening soon! Griffin will be working with me at the tech center. He is an electrical engineer, formerly MIS manager at Cable and Wireless, and currently software engineer with my firm and project manager overseeing construction of the tech center . Definitely an over- achiever. The On-Line Offshore 98 conference was held in Grand Cayman -- an amazing place that has seen fantastic development. The mean family income is now $75,000 US. It is hard to believe that 30 years ago it looked like Anguilla does today. But... it now has traffic jams and not a goat in sight! News Tidbits from Anguilla Cap Juluca Fans Strike Back. Almost immediately after a biting review of Cap Juluca appeared in the Wall Street Journal (the article isn't on their web site now), a question about it was posted to the Anguilla Tete-a-Tete forum and numerous Cap Juluca guests jumped to the defense of the resort. "I have just come back from spending 2 weeks at Cap Juluca and I was also there in December. The WSJ article was completely disgusting and obviously not representative of the fair kind of journalism we expect the WSJ to display. Sitting on the most beautiful, white powder soft sand and reading an article that said there was no beach, was totally humourous to me and all of the other guests at the hotel. The rooms are incredible as well as the food at both restaurants. I am a well seasoned, 5 star traveler and have already booked my next trip to Cap Juluca for August." Read the visitor comments yourself. A few days later a worried honeymoon couple asked "We have paid in full for 2 weeks. Yikes! We've also heard about the article from The Wall Street Journal." Again, knowledgeable, recent guests posted replies such as "Just back from Cap today. I can't imagine a better place exists. Go and enjoy and read the WSJ for stock quotes and news!". You can read these exchanges on the Forum . This shows the power of the Internet to instantly respond to inaccurate information. Tae Kwon Do Club is off to New York to compete. The coach is Emmanuel Laud (black belt) and assistant instructor is Edward Webster (also a black belt). Read all about the club on their web site , courtesy of Danny Laud (Emmanuel's son). Savannah Savvy is the name of the newsletter of the Savannah Gallery . You many want to to email them about getting on their mailing list. The Spring 1998 issue includes an article on the vibrant art of Haiti, Cuckoo clocks with Anguillian themes, Anguilla and the Solar Eclipse, the "Hardanger Lace" of Irenee Edwards and Stephanie Carty, and Historical Tours of Anguilla during the winter season: At 10:00AM every Tuesday in Sandy Ground and every Thursday at Wallblake House in The Valley, people gather to begin fascinating tours of these two areas, sponsored by the Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society... learn about salt- picking, Homestead Houses, an 18th century ruin of a British fort, among other fascinating gems of information. New Issue of Anguilla Life . As we were flying back from Grand Cayman, publisher Claire Devener was giving out copies of the Spring 1998 issue of her magazine to startled passengers. This issue has some excellent articles, such as the "Remembering the Beacon", "The Role of Rain in Anguilla's Past, Present and Future", "Cap Juluca Adopts an Iguana", and "Face Painting at Kids N' Karnival 1997" which goes with the great picture on the cover. US$2 in Anguilla or you can subscribe Haydn Hughes Wins Scholarship. Haydn has one a $4,000 US scholarship from the CHA foundation to attend L'Ecole Hoteliere de Laussane in Switzerland. Haydn has worked at Cap Juluca for the last five years and was selected, along with Douglas Eckel, as candidates for a program to train future managers from the local population. Raymond of Skyline Sports Raymond is one of the beach helpers for Skyline Sports on Shoal Bay beach . You may have seen their moving store that looks like it has not moved in 5 years and the beach attendants with the blue T shirts. Skyline Sports have a web page at net.ai/skyline for their rental business next to Uncle Ernie. They rent everything you need for a day at Shoal Bay (umbrella, snorkel, chair, raft, locker, etc.) from booth on wheels or their beach rep. They have been in business since 1987, when Shoal Bay was empty except for Uncle Ernie's bbq grill and the Shoal Bay Villas. Their prices today are the same as 11 years ago, except that one item has gone down in price! Their motto is "just bring yourself and your suit, we can provide the rest." Telephone: 264-497-8644. Opus II Villa When you rent Opus II villa, you get a bonus -- Molly Goodnow as your private Anguilla consultant. Molly talks with her guests on the phone so that they are prepared for Anguilla. Then when they arrive, she has three binders of information garnered over years to guide them: restaurant menus and reviews, excursions, and background on the island. And the master bath has an outdoor shower with a view of the ocean . Opus II is located in a neighborhood called "Sea Rocks", which is between Shoal Bay and Island Harbour -- sort of a United Nations enclave of luxurious homes owned by people from Britain, America, Canada, Greece, and Anguilla! The villa is fully appointed, including dinner setting for 12, because this is her home in Anguilla. Rates: 2 bd $260 per day ($180 in off-season), 3bd $310 (or $210). Plus the normal 8% tax. Molly Goodnow, mgoodnow@top.monad.net 603- 352-7568. Upcoming Events in Anguilla The Anguilla Local News has an Calendar for the year showing events, holidays, and activities. Start planning your visit to Anguilla for Carnival and boat races this summer. Read all about last year's events . Carnival opens on Thursday, July 30th with a free show at the Carnival village and continues with activities every day until August 10th: July 31. Band-O-Rama Aug 3. Afrika Revisited Aug 7. Parade of Troupes Aug 1. Intl Night Aug 4. Boat Race, Talented Teen Aug 8. Food Fair, Kids N'Karnival, Calypso Contest Aug 2. Youth Nite. Aug 5. Boat Races. Calypso Monarch Aug 9. Champion of Champions Boat Race, Grand Finale Aug 3. J'Ouvert Mornin. Boat Races Boat Races. Miss Anguilla Aug 10. Last Lap street dance New and Improved Ferry The newest ferry at the Blowing Point terminal is the Link Cat , a large catamarran belonging to Franklyn Connor. It is licensed for 90 passengers, with a roomy lounge, plus bar and bathroom. And there is a large sundeck on top too. The Link Cat was navigated from Florida to Anguilla by Lans Connor . He flew to Florida, added extra barrels of fuel on the roof, filled the cabin with purchases such as refrigerators and headboards, then took Link Cat across to Bimini, then Nassau, Exuma, down to South Caicos, across to Grand Turk. Then a 400 mile run to San Juan. The Link Cat made San Juan in a single 25-hour run, rested, and then on to its new home in Anguilla. Franklyn's original Link ferry hasn't been retired. It now does a daily sheduled service between Blowing Point and Julianna Intl. Airport in Saint Maarten, leaving Anguilla daily at 12:10am, (12:30 during winter months). Telephone: 264-497-2231. More details on their web site. Did it ever appear to you that the ferry and another boat appeared to be racing? Well, you're right. Sort of a drag race between Anguilla and St. Martin. Often if one of the charter boats is getting ready to leave, it will stall, waiting for the regular ferry departure, and then the race is on. Updates and Feedback Feedback on Church Services: Saint Gerards Roman Catholic Church, located next to Wallblake House, has weekly masses at 9:00 am only. If there are any other churches that would like to post their service times on the Internet, please email . Update on Big Jim . The walls are up for Big Jim's new bar and restaurant at the ferry terminal. If you want to taste his award- winning BBQ ribs while he still cooks them leaning out the window of his temporary place, don't wait too long. AT&T Direct in Anguilla. Here is an update to our article on Communicating from Anguilla. AT&T offers a service called AT&T Direct in many countries. This allows you to connect to an AT&T operator in the USA. You pay an initial surcharge for the operator- assistance, but if then you pay regular USA rates. This could be a big savings from Anguilla. The number, 1-800-872- 2881 works from Anguilla, but only the pay phones at the points of entry (the airport and blowing point ferry terminal), and from hotels that have requested the service. Feedback on Shoal Bay Villas . "Thanks so much for the recommendation of Shoal Bay Villas. It was exactly what we were looking for. My mom and I visited the island for 8 days. It was spectacular, and the people have not changed a bit!!! It is truely a special place, and I found that you don't have to stay at an expensive resort to have a relaxing vacation. Everyone at Shoal Bay Villas made sure we were comfortable and enjoying our visit. We especially enjoyed Ronnie. We hope to return again and again." Regards, BBC Stoney Ground Primary School Gets a Face Lift On Sunday April 26 the Super Warriors Sports Club of Stoney Ground were out in full force plastering the walls of the Stoney Ground Primary School. "We have adopted this school", says the club's fund raising manager, Clinton Bryan. "We feel it is only fair that we put back something into the institution that has done so much for us and our children." The Super Warriors has been competing in domino tournaments throughout the eastern Caribbean, the latest being in Nevis where they won two games out of three against the two clubs that they played. The club is organised like most social clubs in Anguilla, with an elected executive and various committees including a fund raising and discipline committee. The funds for this latest community effort were donated by "Jiggy" Gorge of North Side and Watkin Hodge of Stoney Ground. The club also collected donations from anyone driving by while they worked. ================================= April 15, 1998 - On most Caribbean islands, cricket is the national passion, but on Anguilla it is boat racing . . . . Easter Monday Boat Race - 1998 Easter Monday is the first race of the season. From Sandy Ground around the western tip of Anguilla up the sourthern shore to Sandy Hill Bay, around a bouy, and back the same route to Sandy Ground. This report is for Joan Waskevich , who wrote A friend of mine will be sailing in the Easter Monday boat race. He owns Bluebird , his name is Carl a.k.a. Shadra. Please include a picture of his boat in your next issue of Anguilla news, because of course they will be the winners, ha ha. Bluebird came in first on Monday, De Chan was second, and UFO was third. We joined the race at the midpoint as they were rounding the buoy at Sandy Hill bay. Bluebird was in the lead, but De Chan was close behind. On the return leg, De Chan took the lead for a while, but Bluebird regained the lead to emerge victorious. (see the second picture above, which shows Bluebird touching the final flag and De Chan right behind them). There was a new boat in the race this year, Oliver Brook's Miss Anguilla . What makes a boat race special in Anguilla? According to our house guests, it is the spectators. Scotty and Jan were on their way to a sailboat race in Antigua, and wanted to see an Anguillian race. We followed the crowd all around the island in our vehicle, trailing a dump truck with a party of 12 in the back, jumping from beach to beach to see who was in the lead. At the westernmost point of Anguilla, we joined a crowd of 200 at the end of a long dirt road, crowding the cliff edge and arguing loudly about their favorite boat. When the leaders suddenly had to tack to avoid hitting the cliff, the crowd let out a massive gasp and went crazy. We reached Sandy Ground just as Bluebird approached the flag (actually an inflated J&B bottle!) and joined the huge crowd of cheering fans. News Tidbits from Anguilla House of Assembly. Read about the second sitting of Anguilla's House of Assembly in the island's local paper, The Light . Successful Art Show. Artist Lynn Bernbaum, who lives in Anguilla, has a showing this year at the Devonish Gallery in George Hill Landing. Featured are a series of sepia Caribbean scenes, each of which is highlighted by a single small splash of color which is also its name. The series is called "Spectrum" and has almost sold out--only two remain. You can see the works on this page . Visitor Feedback Every day brings new email messages about Anguilla. Here is an interesting email message for April, 1998: Date: Sat, 04 Apr 1998 18:40:04 -0500 Subject: Beautiful Island and Friendly People We have enjoyed really enjoyed your news letter, and used it to prepare for our visit 2 weeks ago. We have been looking at various islands for a place to rent for the winter. Anguilla was the last on our list and everyone on the other islands told us you won't like it, really nice beaches but too flat. We arrived expecting to visit the beach and go home. Well, the flight in from St. Kitts changed all of that!! We liked the geography of the island as we circled it in our small Carib airline plane. It is great to be so close to St. Martin and the other islands. Clearly the other islands must be jealous. Anguilla does indeed have many beautiful beaches, but is also isn't flat and has many nice vistas on both sides of the island. It also has some of the best hotels and restaurants of the islands we have visited. But lastly and most important, it has some of the most friendly and helpful people we have met anywhere. We decided to visit at the last minute and our travel agent booked us in the lovely Malliouhana Hotel. It and Cap Juluca (Pimms is a must for lunch or dinner by the water) are definitely first class establishments. We also made the mandatory trip to Shoal Bay Beach and Scilly Cay for lunch. Every where we went people went out of their way to talk to us, give directions, explain aspects of the island. At this point we were hooked! We spent the rest of our visit looking for rental villas, land and homes for sale. Once again thanks to your web site we found a property which we really like and hope to complete the purchase as soon as possible. Just to illustrate the helpful nature of the people, I want to recall an incident that happened just as we were scheduled to depart. I forgot and locked my glasses in the car and entered the airport with wearing my prescription sun glasses. Only at the airline counter did I realize my problem! I was heading to Europe on a business trip without my glasses. What happened at the airport was nothing short of amazing. The LIAT staff called Island Rental Car, Malliouhana Hotel and several other to provide emergency assistance. Together with a constable and some baggage handlers they verified that there was no way to get into the car without a key or a lock smith. The hotel dispatched a manager with her cell phone in full operation. Island Rental rushed off to the far end of the island for the backup key and arrived in nothing short of record time. I travel 5 months a year and I have never had such sincere concern and assistance from such a diverse group of people. Thanks to all involved!! You can expect us each winter! Dave and Margaret Thomas , Ottawa, Canada Read more email from visitors . Vandalyn's Moving Market: Fruits and Vegetables You know the Caribbean is loaded with wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables, and they don't come sealed in plastic wrap. What you really visualize is a friendly person bringing you delicious mangos and papayas, and passing your special requests on to the small farmers. We have such a service in Anguilla, Vandalyn Fleming's Moving Market . She sells wholesale and retail produce right out of her pickup. Vandalyn distributes fresh fruits and vegetables from Dominica (beautiful bananas, fantastic grapefruit, etc.), Seamoss drink, Nutmeg, Ginger, and other spices, Coconut, Yams (sweet potatoes, Dasheen, cush-cush, tania), baskets, straw hats, mats (by request!), and lots more depending upon the season and customer demand. She sells wholesale to Proctors Supermarket, Ashley and Sons, Hillstreet Restaurant, Lynettes's Bakery, and many others. But she will also sell retail to anyone who would like regular or even one- time deliveries of delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. If you see her in her delivery truck, don't forget to give a friendly honk. Telephone: 264-498-4190. Upcoming Events in Anguilla The Anguilla Local News has an Calendar for the year showing events, holidays, and activities. Sports Day A regular event in Anguilla is the student's Sports Day, when teams from all the primary schools and the "houses" of the high school compete in track and field events. The events are held in the Ronald Webster Park, which is next to the high school and also has the cricket field. There is a parade of the teams and a band and the competitions last all day. Spectators are welcome, but there is a small charge. Sports Day is usually announced on the radio and in flyers on the window of Ashley's and Fairplay supermarkets. On the recent Sports Day during spring break, the winners in the Primary School division were: 1. Stoney Ground Primary School 2. Road Primary School 3. Valley Primary School Our one high school (Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School) is divided into "houses" (yellow, orange, etc.) so that there can be competition. The standings after this Sports Day were: 1. Yellow House 2. Maroon 3. Pink 4. Orange 5. Purple Requests for Information We have had three requests for information this month that need answering. Public Tennis Courts. There are public courts at Ronald Webster Park and East End village. Are they open to visitors? What about scheduling conflicts with PE classes from the school? Where are some good places to play tennis at night under the lights? Click to send answers! List of Church Services. Anguilla has many churches and visitors are welcome to worship along with church members. But, where is a list of the churches, their locations, service times, and contact phone numbers? Click to send answers! Public Comment on Rocket Launches? I received the following email from the Virgin Islands recently, by way of the Anguilla Home Page : My name is Carl Holcombe. I'm a newspaper reporter in the Virgin Islands at the Virgin Islands Independent, a new start-up newspaper owned by the 150-year-old newspaper, the St. Croix Avis. Beal Aerospace is apparently coming to the USVI to build a rocket assembly plant. I'm doing stories on this and I'd like to talk with some people from Anguilla to see how they feel about having the launch facility located there [on Sombrero Island]. Debate Team Wins Again After months of preparation and practice , the Anguilla high school debate team travelled to Antigua and has returned victorious. The Anguilla team of Tara Carter, Damien Harrigan, Kishma Bryan and Marlon Lake was travelled to Antigua with their principal Rodney Rey, teachers Sharon Richardson and Curtis Richardson, and many supporters. The Leeward Island Debating Competition was once again of a high standard and very successful. The contestants were the pick of the English-speaking Caribbean's students, the future lawyers of the region. On Night One, Anguilla defeated Nevis - topic - The Internet should be regulated. On Night Two, St. Kitts defeated Antigua - topic - CAPE is a step in the right direction. On Night Three, Anguilla defeated St. Kitts in the finals - The main reason for the decline in West Indies Cricket is that West Indians no longer understand the political importance of the game. The overall best speaker was awarded to Tara Carter of Anguilla. This was the Anguilla team's third win in the competition (including last years contest here on the island), and they look forward to next year's competition in St. Kitts. They would also like to publicly thank everyone who donated to their trip and helped with their coaching. New Visitor Training Program Here is what you need to know for your first visit to Anguilla: Comfort : 80F day and night. Casual dress. No ties. No swimsuits in town. Airco not needed. Perils : Use sunscreen at the beach. Do not touch coral. Guard against mosquitos. Money : Bring US cash and travellers checks, plus your credit cards. No ATM machines. Phonet/Net: : Reliable but expensive. Consider Internet-by-the- minute. Driving : Stay to the left. Don't worry about horn beeps. Bring your license. Manners : Say "good morning" before stating your business. Wave to strangers. More Tips : Pets. Gratuities. Ferries. Marriage. Web Sites About Anguilla Domain Names. The Anguilla "domain" on the Internet is .ai and the person in charge of registering Anguilla domains is Vince Cate . Vince will register any Anguilla domain name for your web page, such as ccb.ai for the CCB bank or Sue.ai for your personal home page. As long as the web page has some relationship to Anguilla, the service is free. Read all about it at this web site . Beachshack.ai, Mary Ann's tropical construction page has been updated with another month's worth of building news , including progress on the "Silicon Isle" technology center. History of Anguilla. Here is a brief synopsis of the island's history on the Expedia web site . Scuba Diving. Two divers have set up a web site about there dives around the world, including Anguilla. Comments on Bali Hai Vacation. Here is a visitor review of their April stay at Bali Hai villa near Blowing Point. For links to all villas on Anguilla with web pages, visit villas.ai New Stamps Announced. This stamp collecting site has descriptions of new issues announced by Anguilla, but no pictures. The Overlook Restaurant What restaurant has great seafood, reasonable prices (for Anguilla!) and a wonderful view of Road Bay and Sandy Ground ? The Overlook is the new home of Cyril's Fish House, which was previously in Island Harbour. They have the same staff, and the same chef, Dion. The menu is expanded, but includes all the old favorites such as Garlic Crusted Snapper . They have been packed since they opened last winter. Directions: Overlook is located on "backroad" along the cliff in South Hill. When you pass the Methodist Church going west and make the sharp left turn, you can actually see it just down the cliff. However, it is on a one-way road that can only be entered from further west. Take any of the turn offs away from St. Martin on the main road west of the Blowing Point traffic light, such as the turn off for Rafe's BBQ. Then follow the cliff road to Overlook and park across the street in their lot. Overlook Restaurant - Menu Soups Chilled Gazpacho with Lobster or Crayfish medallions $7.50 Hearty Conch Chowder with potatoes, spices and herbs $7.25 Zesty Red bean Soup with vegetables and corn dumplings $6.95 Salads Garden greens and vineripened tomatoes honey dijon vinaigraitte $8.50 Baby lettuce and Gorgonzola with house dressing $10.95 Grilled chicken over greens and warm balsamic vinaigraitte $9.50 Vine ripened tomato and mozzarella with basil oil $10.95 Warm goat cheese with poached fruits and toasted walnuts $10.50 Starters Crisp golden calamari and spicy tomato salsa $8.25 Tempura Fish bites and capers fines herbs $7.50 Morsel of Conch stew on homemade flat bread with local condiments $8.25 Lobster Pancakes $9.00 Medallions of Jerk-kingfish and smoked mozzarella $8.50 Fish Entrees Seared Tuna Teriyaki with pickled kale $21.50 Garlic Crusted Snapper and Sour Lemon Mojo $21.95 Roasted Grouper with Red Curry Sauce, west indian sticky rice and mango chutney $21.9 Kingfish creole and garlic polenta $21.25 Mesquite mahi-mahi with red onion marmalade on local sweet potato fries $21.95 Wood grilled whole fish with lemon grass broth and pimento aioli $19.95 Baked Stuffed Shrimp with Oriental vegetable & Crabmeat $24.95 Grilled Anguillian Lobster with drawn lemon butter $35.00 Local crayfish broiled to perfection $38.00 Chicken & Meat Roasted Jerk Chicken with Sweet Plantains $17.95 Shitake stuffed Chicken breast $18.95 Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb and Darphine Potatoes $26.00 Grilled Black Angus and House Potatoes $24.50 Marinated Pork Chops with Candied Sweet Potatoes $22.00 Pasta Penne in Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto with marinated grilled chicken $19.50 Angel Hair & Lobster Marinara $21.95 Chefs Vegetarian Special Platter $17.95 Desserts Creme Deluxe of Vanilla Toast, Poached fruits and Cinnamon Crust and Rosemary Drip $6.00 Chocolate Rum Cake in Grand Mariner Sauce $6.50 Keylime Cheese Cake with Tropical Fruit Compote $6.50 Creme Caramel Flan with Roasted Pineapple Sauce $6.50 Commish Lee's Vanilla Rice Pudding with Candied Tropical Fruits $6.50 Island Dairy Ice Cream $5.50
Trip 4/98 The last time I visited Antigua was in February 1996 and the island was still recovering from the effects of a severe hurricane. I'm happy to report that the recovery is complete at least as far as the tourist facilities are concerned. This time I made the obligatory trip to St. John's and made my prime base the Yepton Beach Resort just five miles outside of the town. I was lucky that my visit encompassed the week between Classic Boat Week and the world famous Antigua Race Week -- probably the best possible time to visit Antigua as many of the most attractive yachts, boats and sailors in the world were there during my stay. St. Johns The rebuilding of Heritage Quay which houses the tourist oriented shops has been completed and the Quay is fully operational. Here one can find the usual institutions dedicated to separating you from your cash. All the more well known Caribbean establishments are represented like Little Switzerland etc. So if you are looking to increase your personal debt or frequent flier miles on your credit card, opportunities abound. In fact, I succumbed by purchasing a Citizen Navihawk watch at good price. Since Thursday is cruise ship day ( with 3 or 4 in port) you might want to visit the shops on another day. I selected Monday and it was pretty quiet. St. John's is actually two towns: one extending a few blocks back from the waterfront and catering to the tourist trade and the remaining part which provides for the needs of the locals. The latter is typical of many Caribbean commercial centers. While this section provides significant local color, there isn't much here for the visiting guest. I did revisit the Antigua / Barbuda Museum in St. John's. Although somewhat small, it presents a brief history of the island and can been seen in 20-30 minutes if you look at the exhibits in some depth. They request a $2 donation for upkeep. It is certainly worth a quick visit and donation. If you don't want to be captive to hotel dining, there are a few restaurants in St. John's. There's even a KFC should you have a yearning for American fast food. One afternoon I went to the King's Casino in downtown St. John's. When the cruise ship left at 6pm the casino was almost deserted. Few people were there when I left at 7 pm and a taxi driver told me that the casino is supported mostly by the locals. Not a good sign. He also said the machines are tight and I'd agree. Prizes didn't seem that high either. The Royal Antiguan Resort right next to Yepton Beach has a small casino but it didn't open until 6 pm. Yepton Beach Resort The last time I was in Antigua, I stayed at Club Antigua. This time around, I made my home the Yepton Beach Resort located about 5 miles from St. John's. I visited it briefly in 1996 and it looked like a nice property. This visit confirmed that notion. YBR is situated on a fine beach, which because of the way it is laid out, almost serves as a private beach. I saw very few non guests on the beach. It looked like the property was 50-70% full when I was there in mid April 1998. Each of the rooms appears to have a balcony overlooking the water and beach. The guests make good use of this feature. There were no telephones or TVs is the rooms but you could make calls from the resort office which was open from early morning till 11 pm. Each room had an air conditioner but I rarely heard them going. I used mine to extract some of the humidity from time to time and at night to make things more comfortable. The main lounge had a large TV which got the more well known cable channels. Not many people watched TV though. There was a small pool in the central area which was used from time to time by the guests. It's not really a pool for extensive swimming but you certainly can float around and maybe do a few short "laps" in it. The pool looked to be about 25- 35 ft. long with a depth down to about 9 feet. The property is well maintained and very clean. The staff all seemed friendly and willing to help if a need arose. Since my first trip had taught me that Antigua's roads aren't for the faint of heart (especially at night), I was somewhat dependent on YBR for my dining. Fortunately this proved to be a pleasant experience. The food, primarily the luncheon and dinners, were quite good. A couple of nights they had an all you can eat BBQ for $24 ( inclu. tax). These were very well attended by the YBR guests. In fact, even those guests with cars seem to dine at the YBR which indicated to me that they were very satisfied with the YBR fare. There even were some people who had come over from the Royal Antigua for dinner and the bar. Breakfast was served from about 7:30 to 10:30 with lunch from 12:00-2:00 then dinner at either 6:30 or 7:00pm. The bar operated from 11 to 11 daily. One main attraction of the YBR is the long beach on which it is situated. Most of the guests tended to cluster right in front of the main building but there was about 100 yards of pure sand beach just to the right with virtually no one on it. The clientele consisted of about 1/3 Americans and 2/3 Europeans. Of course, that ratio changed each day but the presence of the Europeans provided an good opportunity to exchange diverse views on world politics. One note about prices. Most of them are quoted in $US but a 10% service charge and an 8.5% Antiguan tax is added. This is also true of the room rates. So if you are booking a trip to Antigua you should check with your agent to see if the prices quoted you include these tariffs. Your stay might be 18.5% higher than anticipated and that could be a big surprise! Race Week Next time you are in the presence of a sailor play this word association game. Say "Antigua" and I'll bet he/she says "Race Week". Race week actually begins the third week of April with Classic Boat Week which brings into Falmouth and English Harbors some of the most impressive ( and expensive ) yachts in the world. Many of the boats which I observed were over 100 ft. in length and a couple looked like they had 100 ft masts. There is then a week when the big boys leave and about 250 smaller craft come in for the official Antigua Race Week. I caught the middle week so it was pretty interesting as I got to see a varied fleet in the harbors. Race Week is the fifth largest regatta in the world and in terms of tonnage, the largest. The local bars and eateries were populated with sailors exchanging sea stories about crossing this or that sea or ocean. Don't any of this people have real jobs? If you are in Antigua during mid to late April be sure to check out Falmouth and English Harbors. Better yet, plan your vacation around these two events. And speaking of unique events, each Sunday and Thursday there is a large party that takes place at Shirley Heights complete with steel band etc. It is usually noted in the travel articles whenever Antigua is mentioned. I attend the Sunday session and there was plenty to eat ( prices seemed nominal) with an excellent steel band, Since it was the week between the Classic Boat and Race Week, the view of Falmouth and English Harbor was spectacular especially at sunset. General Comments: If you are not planning to do a lot of traveling around Antigua cabs may be your best bet. Most of the locals seem to have graduated from the Richard Petty School of Offensive Driving and many of the roads have ditches on the side to make driving even more interesting. These depressions make it hard to recover from an error and you frequently meet locals walking on the side of the road in the dark. This makes driving especially dangerous at night. Every AA flight in the Caribbean seems to either be jammed or overbooked. Why the local governments haven't gotten together to take advantage of the region's popularity is beyond comprehension. LIAT proves to be a poor provider and with the failure of Carib Express a few years ago, AA has a virtually monopoly. A couple of island have even paid AA over a million dollars each for them to continue service to the island. Maybe someday they will smarten up and get a good local air carrier.
Trip 4/98 Sandals Antigua My husband and I vacationed at Sandals Antigua in April 1998. We were extremely pleased with this resort and would highly recommend it for honeymooners or vacationers. Our flight was uneventful, and the airport transfer was painless. You must go through Antiguan customs when you arrive at the airport, but it was a snap. (We didn't have to go through their customs when we left, unlike Jamaica.) Our check-in was slow, due to the fact that many travelers arrived at the same time we did, and there weren't enough staff to go around. However, we received our welcome champagne, and took advantage of the snack bar while we waited. The visitors contained a mix of Europeans (mostly French and German), Canadians, and US citizens. The mix was about half honeymooners, half vacationers. Visitors were mostly in their twenties and thirties, but there were also some older couples. We booked a second-floor honeymoon junior suite, which included concierge service. There are two concierges at the resort, who make your reservations for dinner * all three specialty restaurants must be booked one day in advance, book your tours, and assist you with any needs. I truly enjoyed the suite, which gave us robes, a daily-stocked wet bar and a more luxurious room. Antiguan water is not very good, so if you have booked a suite, make sure to ask the daily suite restocking service to add bottled spring water to your wet bar. It's not standard, but they will happily accommodate your request. We had a gorgeous mahogany canopy bed with a lovely sitting area. We were located right next to the main pool with a swim-up pool bar, which was fantastic. The noise from the pool didn't bother us at all, because the bar closed up at a reasonable time, and very few people used the pool after sunset. We had a semi-ocean view, but overall, we were extremely pleased with the room location. If you are looking for good TV, however, beware. Although the resort has satellite TV, reception is poor and available channels depend on your room location. We had HBO, Cinemax, and all the major networks except FOX (19 channels in all), but several other couples we spoke to didn't even have our selection. But, who goes to a resort like this to watch TV, anyway? The weather was beautiful the entire week. The temperature averaged around 85 degrees, and there was always a breeze to cool you off. The humidity didn't bother us as much as we expected, due to the breeze and the short thunderstorms that tended to cool things down. All guest rooms had A/C units, which we only had to use during the afternoons. Once the sun set at 6:30pm, we were able to open our balcony door and sleep with the evening breezes. You will hear sounds of nature the entire night, which was a pleasant experience. We did have a minor problem with the room * the water pressure was poor, and hot water was scarce. However, we tended to take our showers in the middle of the day, which alleviated some of this problem. When you take a shower after hanging out at the pool or beach all morning, you prefer cooler showers, anyway. The maid service was fantastic, and they were very friendly and efficient. However, cleaning services took place at a different time every day. Sometimes they would arrive before 9am, other times, they wouldn't clean our room until lunch time. Sleeping later than 8am is not recommended. (But, you don't want to miss their fabulous breakfasts!) One day, we forgot to exchange our wet towels at the water sports desk, so the maid exchanged them for us. This was a real show of their level of service * doing a little something extra to make the guests more comfortable. We also had a nightly turn-down service, where housekeeping would refresh our towels again and prepare our bed. (Yes, you get a mint.) The resort was immense and beautiful. Don't worry about hurricane damage * all damage caused by the 1995 storm has been repaired. All staff were friendly, from the grounds keepers to management. We felt comfortable and very much at home. The grounds were beautifully landscaped. A nice touch was the addition of little signs along the paths indicating the types of flowers and trees you were viewing. Also nice were the speakers placed inside fake rocks, piping soft music along the paths. You will notice few bugs (although I did get attacked by a mosquito in the room), but lots of geckos. The beach was clean and white. The water was warm and shallow, and areas were sectioned off for swimmers. We didn't mind the fact that the beach was public, especially since we were aware of that aspect before we arrived. The vendors were much less aggressive than in Jamaica. We ended up buying several mahogany carvings and some island jewelry right off the beach. And, Antiguans are so friendly! Even the non-vendors said "hello" whenever they saw you. Lots of water sports were available. Snorkeling at Paradise Reef was a little disappointing, though. We only saw about five or six different varieties of fish, and the reef was not coral, but rock. We had one of the staff take us out on a catamaran, which was really fun, and we also tried a kayak. Scuba diving was included for licensed divers, or you could pay extra to be certified. We chose not to try this. If you like to water-ski, that was also available. Onto the food. We weren't expecting the best food after reading previous reviews, but we were pleasantly surprised. Breakfast was buffet-style, in the Bayside Restaurant (the only restaurant not requiring dinner reservations). Don't be surprised if you are joined by blackbirds at your morning meal. The meal included fruit (but little papaya, which I really wanted), cereal, yogurt with toppings, pastries and doughnuts, bacon, sausage, daily hot dishes, and made-to-order eggs. The eggs were wonderful * hot and made just as you like them. The only drawback to breakfast was that the coffee and orange juice were very weak. Lunch was also buffet-style, and delicious. Fruit was again available, and a salad bar was added. There were cold pastas and specialty salads on the bar, but many were overly salted, so we only tried them once. The hot food line offered a wide selection, with at least six or seven items to chose from, and a daily carving board or specialty item. There was also a daily pasta on the hot food line, and a daily fish. All were wonderful. To top it off, you had your choice from about seven desserts. Dinner quality varied based on the restaurant you chose. Actually, our favorite was the Bayside Restaurant, which was the most casual, and served international food. Although items were usually selected from a menu, they also have an international buffet once or twice a week. We sampled the buffet on our last night, which had king crab legs, jumbo shrimp, scallops, carved roast beef and other fine treats. Service was also the best at Bayside. Il Palio, their Italian restaurant, had the worst service, but the food more than made up for it. They offered daily specials, and we chose the lobster/shrimp shish kebabs with a lemon cream sauce that just melted in your mouth. They also had cappuccino, which satisfied my strong coffee craving. The OK Corral, their southwestern grill, was our least favorite of the lot. The sirloin was tender and cooked properly, but not as tasty as steaks my husband has had at other places. My seafood shish kebabs were mostly marlin * they serve a lot of marlin, as that is their island fish * and were overly salted. Other guests who had the fajitas said they were much better. At Kimonos, you watched as an entertaining chef prepared a variety of items on the grill, and then you sampled everything * pork, beef, chicken, scallops, shrimp, and of course, marlin. The pork was my favorite; however, everything was really over-seasoned. Too much sauce for my taste. If you get Angelo as your chef, you will really enjoy him. (He is the chef pictured in their brochure at Kimonos.) He made our dinner extremely enjoyable. Several other things I didn't specify * desserts were available at every restaurant after dinner. At Bayside, you chose your dessert from a variety of selections on a table. At OK Corral and Il Palio, desserts were ordered off a menu, and at Kimonos, everyone got the same thing. Most were very good. One other thing to note was that margarine, rather than butter, was served with your dinner rolls, and all rolls needed salt! We commented with the other guests that we had to salt our rolls before we could eat them, and we really wish that butter was served instead of margarine. You can also have snacks most of the day at the Courtyard Grill, which served several types of grilled sandwiches, French fries, pizza, nachos and frozen yogurt. Even if you missed a meal, you never went hungry. To make a long story short, although some food was over seasoned and some was under seasoned, overall, food quality was very good. Casual dress was accepted, even at Il Palio, where they "require" pants. It was a very laid-back environment, which was exactly what we wanted. The bars were really great. There are two bars on the resort * one in the main resort area, and the other at the largest pool. If you want good beer, don't expect it. Only Red Stripe and Wadadli were available. However, the mixed drinks were great, and the blended drinks were my favorite. Don't expect to get weak drinks. In fact, I think their drinks had more alcohol in them than normal. If you like creamy blended drinks, ask for a Banana Sipsup * it tastes like a strawberry banana milkshake, and is just great. The Dirty Banana is similar but without the strawberry flavoring. The only thing I didn't like was that once lots of people started ordering the same drinks, like the Sipsup, they began using the machine to make them. Not as good as handmade, so I often just asked for a new blended drink, which they cheerfully made. Many were drinks that had no names but were made up by the bartenders based on the ingredients you liked. We didn't participate too much in the daily activities, although lots of things were available. There was a great gym with nice equipment, and fitness and tennis pros were available. The water aerobics were my favorite. One thing that differed from Jamaica was that you were not forced by the activities staff to participate. If you wanted to, there were plenty of group things to do. If you wanted to lay back, you could do that, too. A spa was available as well, but most services had high price tags, so we never tried them. Tours were available each day, but we thought they were overpriced (anywhere from $44 US per person for a three-hour sightseeing tour, to $80 US per person for a special day-long excursion). We did take a shopping trip to St. Johns ($5 US per person), but that was a disappointment. Don't expect to get any great jewelry bargains in town. However, since we didn't see much in the stores, we spent some time in the Casino, which is right next to the shopping plaza. If you stayed at a Sandals resort previously, you will be pleased to note that you are treated extra special on your return visit. We received complimentary Sandals Antigua t-shirts the day after we arrived, and were invited to a special returning guests dinner party, which was fabulous. We even received a complimentary 5 x 7 group picture. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation, and felt like we had been away for longer than a week. Of course, Sandals Antigua is couples- only, which is the only type of resort we will visit. Our total stay came to $4900 (including airfare and travel insurance), but it was well-worth it.
Just returned from a wonderful week at our Sonesta Suites timeshare. Great weather. Lots of relaxation. Not a lot of activity for us: the obligatory trip to the Rock Formation and Natural Bridge. We did spend a marvelous afternoon sailing on the 73 ft. Monsoon with "Captain Jan." He's a Dutchman who fulfilled a lifelong dream to sail the Pacific on his boat and now gives tourists like us the benefit of his talent. For $50 per person, it was the best entertainment value on the island. We sailed up and down the leeeward side of Aruba, stopped for an hour at Marmok Beach, enjoyed sandwiches and conversation with this truly pleasant man whose only interest, besides sailing, --- seems to be making sure his guests have a great time. Monsoon is docked at the pier in Oranjestad next to the Seaport Casino. Our daughter and her college roommate were with us and they enjoyed places like the Cobalt Club, Senor Frog's and Cisco and Charlie's. If you are looking for jewelry, we recommend Bijoux downtown Main Street."Vick" and "Jugie" are really great people and with some negotiating the values are very good. Restaurants: Porto Bello in the Seaport Marketplace --- still one of our favorites Carlo makes everyone feel at home and the food is delicious. A new place for us this year turned out to be superb. Flying Fishbone in Savoneta features outdoor dining ON the beach -- or a patio if you don't like wriggling your toes in the sand. The food was marvelous, the service very good. Menu is limited, depends upon the day's catch, but it is on our list for next year again. Our favorite is still L'Escale. Wonderful food, a beautiful room, strolling string trio -- a truly memorable evening. Chalet Suisse is still very good, but more "Americanized"; fewer local seafood dishes. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the lighthouse. We were seated -- immediately without a reservation inside; a table on the patio with a gorgeous view of the island at night is only available after 9 PM, unless you make a reservation at least two days in advance. Mama Mia, across the street from the Crystal Casino, was "just OK" in my opinion, but the girls loved it and went back another night for pizza. We ate, also, at Buccaneer. The entrees were delicious, but the accompaniments -- cabbage with cheese and twice baked potatoes were awful, in my opinion. Unless you eat shellfish, the menu is very limited. The tab for four was $75 including tip, the most reasonable of all the places we visited. We had lunch several times on the square --- downtown at Bananas. Peter and his partner, a couple of delightful young men offer a terrific selection of salds, sandwiches on French bread and drinks which we enjoyed in the shade of the canopies and surrounding trees. A huge salad for $3 and large sandwiches at $5- $7 were the best bargains we found; we ate there 3 or 4 times! 4 door Tercels wit a/c were available for $200-250 per week. We rented from Aruba Rentals for $216. As usual we had a marvelous time and are already looking forward to next year. This was our third trip --- and it gets better all the time. Ooops, almost forgot to mention the walks each morning to get bagels at Bon Bini Bagels. Owner Alan Lavine (a transplanted New Yorker) was a fount of information and a brief chat with him always started the day off right. And the bagels, while not quite the same as at home were a daily treat, with coffee (that we brought from home) on the balcony overlooking the ocean!
We are a family of four - boy 17y/o and girl 15 y/o. We left Portland, OR at 6:30AM and arrived in Aruba at midnight - 1 hr late out of San Juan on AA. We stayed at the Amsterdam Manor room 203. It had two bedrooms with a kitchen, dining area, lanai, Jacuzzi tub and two TV's on cable. We rented a Suzuki 4x4 from Economy and went to Ling & sons for groceries. They take VISA and Hong King doesn"t. Ling and Sons had a lot of locals and the aisles were narrow causing a lot of steering problems. Hong King was more like home grocery stores but we didn't go there often because we wanted to charge. We came back to our hotel and spent our first day on our beach. They issue lounge chairs and towels. We plopped ourselves down by a divi- divi tree on the beach. Noticed some of the women were topless. I guess our hotel caters to the Europeans more than Americans. We went into town and checked out Boonoonoonoos but found nothing our kids were interested in and the cheapest entree was about $25. We went to the El Gaucho to get reservations for the next day but they said come on in. We ate there and had 3 Churassco steaks for about $20. My daughter couldn't eat that much so she got a plate and veggies for $10. The total was over $100. We thought the meals on this island were good but nothing to rave about as has been done on this BB. The prices were comparable to other Caribbean islands where food is imported since nothing grows there except some tropical fruits & fish. The meals in Anguilla and St. Martin were far superior for the price in my opinion. The second day we snorkeled at Malmok Beach where all the snorkel trips tie up. There were some schools of grunts and other fish like box fish, puffer fish, tang, trumpetfish, angelfish (Fr.),flounder lobster and a school of eight squid. There was not much coral and visibility was so-so. My son and I played golf at 2 PM at the Terra Sol golf course. The driving range was at the highest point and windiest point on the golf course. the golf course was in excellent shape as far as the greens and fairways. The lake they show on the score card has dried up. They say that they have had no measurable rain since November 97. We played golf with Alex who runs the Tamarijn Hotel. Nice man who told us to eat at the Red Parrot which we did later. He said it was hard to fire people here so the service was not up to par. We noticed that in a lot of restaurants. We finished in time to watch the sunset through the cactus. Very pretty. Back to the hotel to clean up. Went to Carlos & Charlies for dinner. We weren't ready for dancing on the chairs and stage but did it anyway. While we were up there they took our plates away half eaten along with our drinks. Wouldn't recommend this place. We thought our kids would get a kick out of it but didn't. On our third day we drove to Baby Beach to sit in the sun and snorkel. The surf was rough and there was no sun so we drove around that side of the island. Very barren. We saw the Aruba Golf Club which must go down as one of the worst golf courses in the world. They said you hit off of rubber door mats to sandy dessert and on to Astro turf greens. We did see parrots there. We talked to a couple who played the course coming from a cruise ship. They said the course was interesting. We ended up at Charlies Bar in San Nicolas. We had lunch there. We had two garlic shrimp dishes, 2 beers and 2 cokes for over $50. Nothing to rave about food wise and way overpriced. The bar itself was a classic of memorabilia stapled everywhere like a Foxy's or Bombas Surf Shack in the BVI's. The bar tenders and waiters were nice and helpful. Tried snorkeling back at Baby Beach. We went through the opening but found mostly dead coral and some fish. Not good. Baby beach itself was nice if you didn't have to look at the smoke stacks of the oil refinery. We moved so we didn't have to look at them. We found an area of sand that was pink in color much like Bonaires Pink Beach. We jumped back in the Suzuki to look for the Natural Bridge. It was nice to see. Took some pictures and went back to the Gold smelter and explored it. We ate at the Buccaneer restaurant by an aquarium of fish. The kids enjoyed watching the puffer fish play in the bubbles. We had shrimp in Madame Janette sauce (local habanero pepper) and shrimp provencal. My son had the swordfish meuniere. We all enjoyed our meals except mixed on the spinach in the half shell and the cabbage roll. I personally liked them both. My daughter had the fettucine alfredo. Meal came to over $100 again. It seems all our dinners were over $100 and lunches over $50. We spent our fourth day shopping in Oranjestad. No bargains on jewelry or clothes, but we did buy some T-shirts and hats. We have no sales tax at home so Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger etc. were no deals. They don't seem to have the big gems found in St. Thomas or St. Martin. We ate at Senor Frog's for lunch to give the kids a treat. Bad food and $4 for a 6 oz. Corona. We went back to Palm Beach to get some sun. the walk to the Costa Linda and back was very nice. The beach is wide, white and nice to walk on barefoot. We tried to walk it every day. That night we ate at Twinklebones. I guess we weren't ready for the conga line and doing soca dancing. We had just got our food and they wanted us to dance again in the middle of our meal. The music was good and the people were energenic and tried to please but at the time I was hungry. The food was so-so and again over $100. We played Adventure Golf by the Black Hog Saloon. This was not a very good minature golf course. The only hazards were rocks on every hole. It got boring not seeing different hazards The next day we went to the California Lighthouse to look around and take pictures. Nice view of sand dunes and golf course. We found Hugh Lamle's house. It looked like a nice place across the road from beach. We then signed our son up for a beginner class in board sailing. He really enjoyed it. This a great place for beginners. You sail parallel to the beach so it is hard to get stuck out at sea and the water is around 3 feet deep. The people at Windsailing Vacations were great. That night we got Big Macs for the kids and we ate at the Red Parrot. The food was good. My wife had the coconut shrimp and I had a seafood rigatone. The service was very slow. We ate 50 minutes after we ordered. They have a nice bar nearby with music and dancing under the stars. Enjoyed it very much. The surf is right there. The next morning we had breakfast at the Ruinas Del Mar at the Hyatt. Great grounds and landscaping. Lots of birds - macawa, coccatoos, toucans, Amazon parrots, black swans, scarldet ibis and a white egret. There are lots of iguana if you look closely. The food was OK but the ambiance was great. the service was also great there. We decided to go back to Malmok Beach and snorkel out to the wreck Antilla. We took a used orange juice bottle to warn boats of where we were. It was a long swim but well worth it. My kids will never forget it. The wreck is covered with beautiful coral and has lots of fish of all sizes and shapes. It would be worth the snorkel boat trips just to see the wreck. We sat on the beach the rest of the day and went to Iguana Joes for dinner. I had the KeshiYena there for the first time. I liked it. My kids like Iguana Joes better than Carlos & Charlies or Senor Frogs. A huge 163 foot yacht pulled in to a slip by the Seaport Casino. There was all kinds of speculation as to who owned it. We were told that the casino owns it. Our last day was spent at the driving range (still windy) and sail boarding at the Fisherman Huts. My son and I both sailed there for a half day and thoroughly enjoyed it. The people there were not as nice as Sailboard Vacations but gave us a better board than the one my son took lessons on. Watched the sunset from the Hyatt pier. Very nice but a little windy. They play the Kokomo (Aruba, Jamaica. etc.) song there as the sun sets. Good happy hour drinks at half price and a nice lady bartender. We ate at the Outback Steakhouse because people said it was similar in price to the US. No so. We had a good time in Aruba and enjoyed the sun, beaches, people, windsurfing, snorkeling and food. While we were at the airport we heard that the lines can be quite long. We got there 2 hours before our flight and saw a long line behind us. We are not gamblers so a lot of that was lost on us. This was our 19th trip to the Caribbean. Aruba would not be our top choice because the scenery is lacking. If you don't look at the beaches and water you see dirt and cactus or residential areas. Probably the least pretty island we've seen. The Palm and Eagle Beaches are spectacular for being white and wide. It seemed widest in front of Manchebo Resort. The Hyatt was the most spectacular hotel. We didn't eat at the top restaurants because the food at the mid range restaurants were so-so and overpriced. This is the first time I didn't get some rain on my vacation in the Caribbean, so that was a plus. The windsailing I would rate first rate. We have the Columbia Gorge in Oregon and I personally liked Aruba much better. Maui has good windsurfing too but I liked this better. But I'm not an expert sailor. I found the golf to be way too windy. The golf course was in good shape but the scenery away from the course was basically cactus and dirt and an occasional view of the light house and sand dunes. I wouldn't put this island on the map as a gourmet extravaganza. Alex of the Tamarijn Hotel said his favorite was Le Dome. We never made it there or the Escale and other top places so my opinion doesn't amount to much. People we rode home on the plane with thought the Brisas del Mar was good. In comparing to the other ABC's - Bonaire had the best diving and had few beaches with the Pink Beach one of the best. They have no high rise section and seemed more laid back. Curacao was a heavily populated island with a neat harbor with old buildings restored for shopping. They have some beaches but none are very long. I collect sand from all the islands I visit in Fuji film cannisters. Cas Abao on Curacao has the whitest sand I've found followed closely by Playa Del Carmen in Mexico, Shoal Bay in Anguilla, and Dawn Beach in St. Martin and Eagle-Palm Beach in Aruba. I guess that sums our trip and any reflections I have about Aruba.
Trip 3/98 With the exception of Sunday, the weather was perfect. No seaweed on Palm beach, the perfect breeze (17.2 mph), good beer, bad casino's, maximum solar radiation, cool sand, great food, it can't get much better than that. Restaurants: We ate at the Flame, Tuscany, Suisse Chalet, Ventanas Del Mar, Riggoletto's, and the Petit Cafe. All were excellent, with Suisse Chalet and Petit Cafe being the very best. The Petit Cafe (as noted before) has moved to the Bistroquet at the Playa Linda. All the restaurants seem to be offering free booze nowadays (without coupons), the most generous offering was the Flame, who plunked down 4 beers and 4 glasses of wine, followed by two full pitchers of beer, and 2 carafe's of wine for 8 of us. We couldn't drink it all. We made reservations at all the restaurants (because there was 8 of us), we had no problem being seated, except at Tuscany (who did not offer free booze). On the front page of Wednesday's Aruba today, Valentino's was given an award as being the best Italian restaurant on the Island. The award was given by Eddie Andelman, a Boston sports talk show host, and phantom gourmet. One of the couples we were with, went there, and said it was excellent...just like the old days. Hotels: We stayed at the Americana, now the Allegro, the staff was polite and courteous, the grounds and lobby are beautiful, but the rooms are shoddy, and we had the best rooms at the hotel, except for the suites. Occupancy at all the hotels are down, I doubt that the Americana was at 40%, I was told the HI was at 20%, and the Royal Palm was deader than a doornail. The Hyatt and Marriot looked well stocked. Hospitals: I'm now a card carrying member of the Dr. Horatio E Oduber Hospital. For a variety of reasons, my ulcer started bleeding on Sunday. By Tuesday, I knew I had to get the bleeding stopped, or make an early exit from Aruba (I've had transfusions before). So I trotted on down to the emergency room, to verify the bleeding, and see how much blood I had lost (a simple blood test). The entire Bill for emergency room services, examination (I WAS bleeding), blood test and lab work was 38 dollars, I almost sh*t, I thought it would be 250 dollars. However, the Super pills that he prescribed, cost me 110 dollars for 20 of them. I stopped bleeding in 2 days. While I'm on the subject of hospitals, while in the waiting room, 3 Americans showed up. One girl had fallen off a horse onto a rock when her saddle slipped sideways, she was banged up very badly.....probably a 6 million dollar lawsuit here in the States. The Pueblo has reopened under a new name (Chinese), I forget the name. All the major grocery stores are now owned by the Chinese. I checked out the Phoenix, got a price list, and looked over the property. The 6th floor through the 13th floor is complete. They have a nice deli, small pool, small beach, it's nicely landscaped and squeaky clean. It's about an 8 minute walk through the sand to the Wyndham. The Tam and the Divi look rundown. The Sonesta suites look great, as does the Bucuti. We looked at a room in the Bucuti, it was brand new, spic and span clean. The Manchebo has some wear and tear. Costa Linda is in great shape. The price of beer in Aruba is outrageous (always has been). However, during happy hours, the prices drop to the point where they're just obscene.....tolerable. Happy Hours are about 1 1/2 hours max, and are staggered, starting at 2:00 pm at Playa Linda and ending at 7:00 pm at several places. I think I figured out that nobody can afford to be an alcoholic in Aruba. Some of the bars are still selling a special edition of Amstel beer, with a picture of the eclipse and the date on it. The sun sets at 6:55 pm at this time of the year, most of the sunset cruises return before sunset....I haven't figured that one out. The Cabbies are all pis**d off because they are not allowed to pick up or drop off people along the main street downtown. The people are pis**d too, 'cause it's hard to get a cab. Barb and I hopped into a cab while it was still rolling. The cabbies claim the government want the people to use the busses. The cabbies are also hurting, because tourism is down. I have this feeling that the Casino's are getting stingy, the slots don't seem to spit out quarters or dollars as fast as they used too. I think they cranked the "payoff" mechanism way back. We hit just about every casino on the Island, the most generous ones (in a meager way), were the Hyatt and the Marriott, the stingiest ones were the Americana and the Royal Palm. Of course, those were the deadest casino's too, I doubt if there was 14 people in them at any one time. I noticed that the HI and the Americana require tokens for their "quarter" slots, which rubs me the wrong way. The "Crystal" downtown was crowded, but probably because there were two or three cruise ships in town. Talking about cruise ships, well, there was a big sucker in port, I think it was called the Regal Princess....a real sleek looking thing, along with two smaller ships. Downtown Oranjestad was a zoo. I noticed some ATM machines sprinkled around the downtown area, some of them read "for bank customers only", others, seemed to be feeding money to tourists. They fenced off the Radisson with an 8 foot steel fence, with...get this...two layers of barbed wire on the top. The story is....that the vagrants were sneaking into the hotel, and making it their sleeping quarters. To be honest, I didn't know there were any vagrants in Aruba....except us Americans. The concrete around the pool area is all ripped up, but that's about it. I didn't see one worker there all week. American international Airways (AIA): The mechanics "kicked the tires" before we taxied onto the tarmac 1 1/2 hours late out of Boston. The plane WAS an L1011, but it seemed that they may have added some seats, unless my legs got longer, there was 353 people on board...a full house. The plane was clean, and the flight crew were polite and courteous, and believe it or not, the food was edible....actually, the food coming home was quite good. My only bitch was....they charge 4 bucks for a beer. It was a good flight, and I'd fly with them again any day.
My husband and I just returned from Aruba where we stayed at the Divi-Aruba all inclusive. We had a great time! The island is friendlier than most. It started to rain the minute we landed; they said it had not rained in 4 months! But that always happens to us. It actually was kinda cloudy during the week. But we still had enough sun to have a great time and get an awesome tan. I did find the service at the outdoor Pelican Bar pretty slow. They had Bud light and Amstel. I prefer bottled beer and they kept telling us they were out of it and giving us cans, and then I would see them serving other people the bottles. I am concerned that they may start doing more all-inclusives, and therefore lower the quality of overall service. I hope not, we plan to go back. Also, I would have appreciated knowing that they indeed did have oceanfront rooms with balconies. Before I left, i asked through the bulletin board and my travel agent and even called down and was told there weren't any, just 1 floor beachsides. We did change our room and get what we wanted. How come nobody ever mentions, Mama Mia's? We went there twice and thought the spag. sauce was fantastic! Maybe the other restaurants are so great, this isn't considered that worthy? The rest of the time we ate at the Divi since it was free. Next time we may not go all inclusive. When you buy a bar drink, you still have to sign a slip each time and they take forever to bring it to you. One more complaint: The other outdoor bar, the Sandpiper, which was closer to our room served no beer except draft, so we had to walk all the way down to the main bar. All in all, I liked the fact that there was virtually no peddling and the people were much more friendly than most islands.
| CTR Home | << Back | ToC | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Next >> | Search |