|
|
Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
| CTR Homepage | Island Index | Search |
(Response to Mike Leib's article in the March 98 CTR.)
Regarding the article by Mike Leib about South Ocean Golf & Beach Resort, I have been to the Bahamas many times and stayed in Cable Beach, on a cruise ship and found South Ocean to be GREAT! I even liked it better than the gorgeous hotel we stayed at in Aruba. I have never been so close to the water! The hotel was fantastic and lit up at night with lights in all the palm trees. Absolutely beautiful! The room was a handshake away from the ocean, very clean and the grounds were beautiful. We ate the breakfast buffet every morning and rented a car and drove to dinner every night. The staff recommended restaurants and we had the most wonderful food every day we were there. It's too bad Joe had such a bad experience, because for once, our experience was GREAT!!!! I can't wait to go back there again. Yes, the beach had washed away from the steps, but then again what beach hasn't washed away lately with all the storms, but I didn't let that ruin our trip. Our friends bought the dive package and have gone diving at many islands and found Stuarts Cove to be convenient, fun and very reasonable. Why would you spend so much time sitting at a hotel when there is an entire island out there to explore and have dinner? It is a great place to relax, but as soon as the sun when down, we left the hotel and went exploring. I thought South Ocean Beach was rated A+.
Trip 4/98 We're just back from 8 days in lovely Barbados. 4/4-4/12 We drove from Rochester to Toronto and stayed overnight at the Valhalla Inn(about 45$ US which includes free parking and free airport transport to and from.) On 3 adult and 1 child's airfare we saved 750$ plus the flight was nonstop instead of going via JFK. That's enough money and convenience to make me drive to Toronto. Air Canada was quite good. Smooth flights, free movie, and on schedule. We were 5/5 on checked bags, none lost or damaged! Rented a van from Corbins. It was about 400$ for the 8 days. They met us at the arrival gate with all the paperwork in hand. The van was a Suzuki 5 speed with the wheel on the right (eg. wrong) side. Drive on the left and assign a family member to scream keep left whenever you put the car in 1st gear. (worked for me!) We stayed at a private home in an enclave called Castle Close. It is adjacent to Sam Lord's castle which is a Carnival resort. The house had 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. It had a great view of the ocean and 1 flight of steps to a small beach. The water on the southeast side of the island is a bit rough so we didn't swim much there. The owner has an agreement with Sam Lord's for his guests to use their facilities so we did use their pool and poolside bar. (about a 5 minute walk from the house.) I tried to snorkel off their beach but there isn't much of a reef and the undertow makes it tough to get back in. (even for a strong swimmer with fins) The location is a bit out of the way but we made good use of the car to get to the west coast beaches and other sites. The roads are not great and not always well marked. Get the "Barbados in a nutshell" booklet and map and stick to the numbered highways when possible. Many locals walk or ride bikes at night, making the night driving a real adventure. I still prefer the flexibility of having a car vs. taxi transport. Activities: We did enjoy some beach time. Calmer water on the west coast at Mullins Bay. Nice snorkeling at Folkstone beach but only a narrow strip of sand. This spot is hard to find, just off the main road between Holetown and St. James church. Dover beach was very nice in terms of sun and sand, with mod. surf. Watersports stuff available there. We visited the Flower Forest (great), Gun Hill (very interesting with great views of the island), Heritage Park and Rum Factory (very new, beautifully maintained, interesting, some shopping there, one free punch or rum punch per admission) We did go in to Bridgetown one day to shop. Some bargains but crowded and hot, not my thing. We visited the synagogue in Bridgetown, a worthwhile stop for historians, jews, or ,as in my case, both. We looked for, but never found the entrance to Welchman Hall Gully. We spent a day sailing on the Heatwave. This catamaran has a great crew, open bar, nice lunch with grilled fish, chicken, and delicious salads, 2 snorkel stops with equipment provided. (70$ adults, kids 35$) They even had a spray of ginger extract to help my son's seasickness. Within 5 minutes he was fine! Dining: Excellent meals in the expensive category at Pisces and Bellini, both in the St. Lawrence gap area. The Steak House, in the same area was good. The Crane Beach Hotel's restaurant was a disappointment but the view from their balcony on a full moonlit night was phenomenal. We ate at two places nearer to Sam Lord's. The Pot and Barrel and Castle view. Both were casual but delightful with simple but delicious Bajan food at half the price of the fancier places. We also enjoyed the dinner show, "1627 and All That". The 65$ US per adult (35$ for kids) included transportation to the show (on the grounds of the Barbados Museum) a buffet dinner, open bar, and an entertaining musical and dance show featuring aspects of Bajan history and culture. I would recommend it but if you're staying far from the museum, drive or take a taxi; the bus ride was awful. We did eat in for breakfasts and a few lunches. This is one of the reasons we prefer to have kitchen facilities. The have some well stocked grocery stores and some convenience stores. We bought some fresh fish and had our own home cooked feast one night. The freshness of the catch made up for a lack of other ingredients. You'd be surprised what you can do with Italian dressing and a little mustard. Fish provided by Derrick, a local who swims out to the reef and spearfishes. I decided that this is not an easy way to make a living, in spite of the pleasant work environment. Derrick had fish and plenty of philosophy to share. All in all, we enjoyed Barbados. A lot to see and do. A little more distance to cover than some of our other Caribbean destinations.(St. Maarten, St. John) I know I didn't leave much out but feel free to ask! Bon Voyage.
Trip 12/97 We just returned from a wonderful relaxing trip to the Royal Solaris Caribe hotel in Cancun Mexico. We arrived on Wednesday 12/3 without much ado on American airlines at 6:30 PM, it was already dark. We had been to Cancun once before in 1991 and enjoyed ourselves so decided to try our luck again. We breezed thru customs and made our way over to find our luggage when we were approached by a smiling gentleman asking to see our transfer documents. I should have known better. These people ( Best Day) had nothing to do with Olympus ( our transfer company) they were tour operators looking to sell trips to every ruin and boat ride/dinner cruise, whatever, you name it. They checked thru my transfer and hotel documents to get my name and hotels name then smiled, said something like everything is in good order, asked us if we were interested in a tour. (Ahh hah I said, we shouldn't have shown him anything, weren't we the dumb tourists). We said we weren't interested in anything but relaxation, he smiled then sent us on our way. Sure enough the next morning at 10:00 am we get a call in our hotel room ( gee how did he know where we were staying duh) from Best Day tours, asking did we want to go somewhere. A stern answer of No and that was the end of them thank goodness. They are very tricky tho demanding your attention while gently taking your documentation to check if things were in order. At least 3 more smiling gentlemen at the airport tried to do the same thing but we had wised up at that point and just said everything is all right we know where we are going. We had a lovely air conditioned ride in a new suburban van, a far cry from the old school bus transfer back in 1991. We tipped the driver a couple of ones. I was advised ahead of time by someone here on the net to bring a wad of ones for tipping, it was a good idea. When we pulled up to the Royal Solaris my heart sank. There was no pretty-road-front-long-winding-drive-with-pretty-palm-trees, the 2 parts of the hotel look enough like all the pictures but it was so plain sitting there in the dark with old Volkswagens jammed in the parking lot . No main road presentation at all. I cursed Don kc and Dave from New Orleans and others from the net who recommended this place. The price was somewhat low in comparison to other all inclusive in the area so I was a bit nervous about the quality. I said to my husband, oh no, I'm not impressed at all, what have we done. Visions of diarrhea and cockroaches ran thru my head. Ahh I love to be wrong when right is no good. We walked up the ramp to the Royal Tower and there was this gorgeous polished marble lobby with a long shiny marble desk. We received our all inclusive bracelets signed a paper or 2 and were whisked away to our room which I had requested be in the Caribe Tower. I had heard from some nice net people was the quieter of the 2 buildings. Over to the Caribe tower we went in a rickety ole Volkswagen bus with our luggage in tow. The lobby in the caribe tower is not nearly as impressive as the royal tower but it was very quaint with ceiling fans and light green wicker furniture. We got our key and the bell hop brought us thru winding tunnels of white thickly plastered walls trimmed with a dark wood. The floors were patterned with shining tiles (deadly when wet) Very Mexican I thought to myself Up the elevator down 2 more winding corridors to a room tucked away in the corner. The air conditioning was a welcome blast as we entered the room. The room decor wasn't much to write home about but it was neat and clean and that's all we ask for. The floors are all tiled but not a polished tile, sort of a deep brick red color, white thick plaster walls and a dark wood trim. My delightful surprise came after the bell hop left, I walked to the window, drew back the shade and there was the ocean. An ocean front room. Ahh I opened the window and took in the warm wind and the smell of the ocean and sound of the pounding surf. Just gorgeous. The hotel may have no road front presantation, all of it was on the other side. We went to dinner in some restaurant, I cant even remember the names of them all there are so many. The buffet room over looking the pool in the Royal tower. There is a restaurant just above the buffet room, sort of like only a step level above, I cant remember the name of it but this is the restaurant that was closed due to construction. No big deal. No noise. My favorite restaurant was the Marco Polo which has a dress code and is in the caribe tower. Dim lighting, lots of ambiance. terrific shrimp salad and onion soup. We didn't do the lobster dinner for the extra $13, the food in the buffets was always good and we were happy with that. We ate 3 times in the MP, once in the Italian (dress code) and the rest of the nights in what ever buffet was open. Sometimes my husband just didn't want to put on long pants to eat so the buffet was it. We didn't care for the Italian rest. My husband ordered chicken parmesan and it was just a chicken leg with red sauce, blah. My favorite place for breakfast was the big palapa place on the water in the royal tower. The best place for lunch was the Bogavante on the beach in the caribe tower. We didn't even notice this restaurant until the last 2 days of our visit, too bad as we would have eaten there every day. 4 course meal for lunch. while in a beach cover up, yum. I had baked chicken both times and always saved enough room for dessert. The hamburgers and hot dogs at the pool snack bar were kind of yuk. The hamburgers were never cooked fully even tho I asked for very very very x 100 well done. This seemed only to be a problem in the pool side snack shack tho. My husband was very unhappy with the beer situation. They open what's similar to a quart size bottle of beer and leave it sit, opened in ice and fill the plastic cups from that as people request it. This led to flat beer 90% of the time. We noted this on our evaluation form at the end of our stay. My banana daiquiris, dos bananas please were marvelous. So were the millions of other drinks I happened to sample. Did I say millions??? We had a great laugh on the Concierge from Hell, as we dubbed him. We never went to a concierge as I knew they were the time share people as well as a traditional concierge. One of the young men took a notice to us and tried on many an occasion to get us to sit and talk with him. His desk was always in the walk way of the caribe tower which led to the royal tower. This was the only way to get back and forth from the 2 buildings unless you wanted to walk by way of the beach. We would do our best to put our heads down and hope that he didn't notice us. When he did we would mutter no thank you and walk as quickly as possible by him. It got to be a game to see how fast we could get by him without making eye contact. The newspaper was always at his desk tho and my husband wanted that newspaper every morning, don't get that newspaper Id say to my husband, no said my husband I want it, he would grab it quickly and just as we thought we had made it by him we would hear.. Senor!!!! ugh.. The day before we left he saw us coming, we groaned oh no there he is. He shouted Senor!!! to my husband, who is your concierge, luckily I knew the name of one so I shouted Jose to him and I think I broke his heart. We continued to walk fast, heads down, but he got up and followed us out side on the walk way. Oh Nooo we groaned, he asked did we get our free t shirts from the tour, we said No we aren't interested, leaving tomorrow, blah blah blah, any excuse we could find, all the while we never stopped walking, he kept following us until finally he gave up and we were safely away. We laughed so hard we were bent over double trying to make it up the stairs to the RT. He was always polite and never rude so to speak, just overly ambitious and very hyper. He was comical in a sense. Anyway, I wouldn't have minded the tour as they all seemed like decent folk there, we just always had other plans and we didn't want to change them. On Friday 12/5 it poured buckets. I was very upset about the rain but decided to do some souvenir shopping and get it out of the way. The flea markets have really taken a turn for the worse. It wont be long IMHO before they are gone for good or at least greatly reduced in size. When we went in 91 it was fun to bargain and browse. This time we were instantly devoured by the shop owners, it was claustrophobic to say the least. Browsing was out of the question. One man made a sexual gesture to my husband we had enough at that point and just walked out. There is a rudeness in the markets now that I hadn't seen before. I wanted to make it into Cancun central but we never had the chance, I wondered if it was the same there. The best mall IMHO was the Kulkucan Mall. Great prices on all souvenirs without the bargaining and rudeness. The Characol Mall was a bit pricey, and there was another mall the one that houses Planet Hollywood which I thought was also a bit pricey. The malls will take over I think. We didn't do too much partying. Funny how this age thing keeps getting in the way. Our favorite place by far was the Hard Rock Cafe. It looked brand new and was housed in a smallish shopping center called the Rain Forest Mall. The Rain Forest Cafe is something else to see. We didn't eat there but did go in and look around. Don't miss it. We spent 2 nights in the Hard Rock Cafe 1 night in LaBoom and 1 night walking around bar hoping to Senor Frogs ( got the yard glass) Baja, Cats and the Hard Rock. We didn't get to DadyO's or Dady Rock because we weren't interested in paying the $20 cover/all you can drink for men only. A lot of places had a high cover charge and since we are frugal ( yeah yeah cheap) we didn't go in. We went to LaBoom on a Monday night which is free cover. LaBoom is wild, dry ice, laser show, dancing waiters. Techno gets a bit redundant tho so we left around 1 am. There are so many clubs, I wish I had more time to go back and try them all. I liked Baja, (across from Cats and above Tequila Rock) It reminded me of how Senor Frogs used to be. Senor Frogs is too crowded and over commercialized. In 91 senor frogs was unique and wild, now its just riding on its old reputation. By the time we went to Cats I had had 1 too many Dos Aquis (sp?). We had met 2 other couples at our bus stop and we all did the bar hoping together, it was alot of fun. Unfortunately we were so beat we didn't go out for the next 2 nights. Geez it was only 20 years ago I could stay out until dawn and still make it for a 8 am class. The only tour we opted to do was the Jungle Tour $40 pp, thru the Marina Del Rey. Our tour person at the hotel recommend them instead of aqua world. We ended up having a private tour as no other couples showed up. We got our wave runner (motor underneath) drove thru the lagoon with hesitantly as my husband had never driven one b4. Went thru the jungle ( hah what jungle) and out to snorkel. It was gorgeous. The guide kidded us about sharks ( more to come on that) After an hour snorkling we cut lose on the wave runner. My husband had the hang of it then and we went circles and jumped over waves all the while I just held on tight. We went alot faster and had more freedom than the aquaworld tours. But Aquaworld uses new snorkels and the group we were with seemed to re use the snorkels. blech. Anyway it was a fun trip and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to the novice. More experienced snorkelers would be bored tho. Later that afternoon while resting on the beach at the hotel, we noticed a commotion amongst the people who rent the wave runners and the tourists who were using them. We wondered did they go over their time limit as the person in charge ( life guard? ) was frantically trying to get them back to shore. Soon the guard person came to the hotels beach and was anxiously blowing his whistle getting the swimmers to get out of the water. We decided to be nosy and go see what was happening. Up toward the Solymar a group stood staring out into the ocean. We asked what were they looking at and a Canadian guy said see the sharks eh. I squinted and looked many miles out to sea, no the guy said, look in the 1st cresting wave about 20 feet out. EEEEE sure enough there were big dark shapes going in and out of the waves. My husband said oh that's seaweed. Soon enough the surf washed 1 shark onto a sand bar and dorsal fin and huge tail and big big body was thrashing around, until the next wave knocked it back into the water. The crowd gasped. The life-guard-type-wave-runner-man let us know in broken english that there were 4 hammer head sharks in the area. I only counted 3. No one went into the ocean on our end of the beach for the rest of the day. The next day tho, everyone was swimming like nothing unusual had happened. I swam in the pool after that. To think we had just been snorkeling less than a mile from the sharks, yikes. Apparently they came down with the cold front and it is highly unusual for sharks to be in such warm waters. I guess it was a rare thing. It was the 1st time id been so close to a shark outside of an aquarium. After 7 nights we had to head back. It was the 1st time we had left our children with relatives for such a long period and near day 6 I began to miss them terribly. In 2 years or so, Id like to take the whole family to the Royal Solaris, my teens would have a ball. All in all we had a wonderful vacation. The hotel was terrific, the staff courteous, yes even teh consierge from hell, the rooms clean, the food ranged from good to very good and I think it was a perfect location. We are rested and tanned and we both gained a few pounds. Terrific value for the money. Oh the bus rides are the cheapest way to get into town 3 pesos and a heck of an adventure. I dont think the cabbies had much business, everyone uses the bus.
Trip 2/98 My wife and I honeymooned at Caesar Park Cancun Beach and Golf Resort in February 1998. We chose this destination because of high marks from Conde' Nast Traveler, Frommer's, and other travel guides. We arrived at Cancun's airport from St. Louis, MO at 2:15 PM on TWA, but did not arrive at our hotel until 5:15 PM because of long lines at Customs and Immigration (chaos). Apple Vacations was nowhere to be found inside the airport, but luckily a baggage person directed us to an Apple Representative standing behind an outside pillar. When we finally arrived at the hotel, we were awestruck by the impeccable beauty of Caesar Park's grounds; lush foliage, bridges, and waterways sprawled everywhere. The hotel's unique architecture is a landmark from miles afar, resembling a majestic Mayan temple. Check-in was a challenge because the concierge wanted $500 American as a deposit. Despite our objections, the manager stated $500 was required up front for "extras." After several discussions, we submitted $200 (to my wife's chagrin); the manager later apologized and explained the concierge was unaware our room was fully paid--never mind our reservations and information were in their network, and our Apple vouchers confirmed as much. I didn't care to use a credit card, but that would have been easiest. By that time, we'd missed the "Apple Introductory Meeting." Other than check-in, we enjoyed the Caesar Park Staff, as we were usually met with smiles. The hotel's hurried, outstanding service belied its tranquil, relaxed atmosphere. We were also impressed with the dining--$80 for two included wine, succulent steaks, and desert at La Sirenita, a secluded, dimly-lit, marble-laiden restaurant. During our first meal, we requested water, to which Ricardo replied, "Bottled? Faucet? Or pool?" Quite personable, and yet, professional and unassuming. Another outstanding place for dinner was The Cove ($30-60 for two), a dockside, open-aired restaurant on Nichupte Lagoon--reservations recommended. We also heard raves about the Blue Bayou (reportedly $90-$130 for two) in the Hyatt. The drinking water, by the way, was purified wherever we went. We'd reserved a Royal Beach Club Villa Room because Main Tower Rooms were sold at the time of booking. I believe we booked too early, however, because the hotel appeared empty. Our villa included an iced bottle of champagne, marble bathroom with two sinks, separate tub and shower, and twice daily maid service. Our first night, the water from the tub faucet was yellow! Maintenance rectified this, but we opted for showers thereafter. Our private, secluded balcony overlooked the Gulf, which was quite rough; we read the surf is sometimes un-swimmable in that area, but was especially so because of an east coast hurricane. Despite the hotel's 7 impressive pools, I'd have preferred the ocean. Caesar Park is wonderful, but we wouldn't recommend staying in the Royal Beach Club. The Beach Club "breakfast" consisted of tart fruits, lukewarm juices and meats, and bland pastries. Some of the croissants were like rocks. Furthermore, we walked a long distance (the equivalent of a street block) to and from the main hotel for pesos, swimming, tours, etc. We could have phoned for a ride, but preferred not to wait. Furthermore, we weren't messy enough for twice daily maid service, and were inevitably forced to place a "No molestar" sign on our door. Lastly, room service took 45 minutes to 1 hour reportedly because of the distance. We paid an extra $400 to stay in the Beach Club, but felt excluded from the hotel and its outstanding services. Public transportation in Cancun is sufficient and economical. We rode the buses, which seemed to run every 30 seconds. A one-way ride is 3 pesos per person, or $.25 American. We didn't bother with taxis, whose drivers wanted 68 pesos, or $8 for a 3-mile ride. If you want change, you must use pesos. We often rode with local commuters in the morning and found them pleasant. The Mexican people we encountered seemed friendly and proud, but preferred to speak English to Americans and Spanish amongst themselves. We also noticed several were waved onboard buses without payment, but didn't complain. People drove like mad, so I'd not recommend car rentals (Mexican citizens aren't required to purchase liability insurance, but tourists are). We didn't take too many tours, but were delighted with the Lobster Cruise at sunset. $60 American for steak or lobster, open bar, and salad--all for two; dinner was cooked on deck, made-to- order. We had excellent rum punches and pina coladas, served throughout the evening. After dinner, we danced above deck in the open air; great music and interesting people... quite romantic. You can book this through Apple, and the boat departed at 6 and 8 PM nightly from the dock adjacent to The Cove Restaurant. Warning: do not take the Jungle Tour unless you're GUARANTEED a firm departure time and boat. We were informed by Apple that we'd have a "speedboat for two" and would depart at 1 PM; we left at 1:40 PM and had a wet-bike with an outboard motor (very dangerous). The Lagoon was beautiful that day, but too rough for under-powered wet-bikes. We also got quite burnt, probably more from the wind than sun. We drove (bounced) through a dense jungle to Nichupte National Park and snorkeled. The fish and coral were colorful, but it was too windy to snorkel, as the water rippled and repeatedly crested into our snorkels. We later discovered all para-sailing operations had closed that day because of strong winds! I might also add that persons on our tour traveled in a single-file line, around 10 feet apart; if a person were to have fallen off a bike, the consequences could have been grave. I highly recommend taking this tour through Aqua World Tours (cannot book through Apple), aboard their cruiser, which appeared much smoother. It costs $28 American for two and lasts about 3 hours. Thereafter, we were confined to our room for a few days from wind and sun burn; doesn't this invariably happen? Upon swelling, we treated my wife's left eye with ice and aloe vera. The hotel doctor stated the swelling would subside over time. I later read, however, that Benadryl tablets immediately combat allergic skin reactions. We canceled plans for Chitzen Itza and Isla de Mujeres (and had some problems getting our money back from Apple-don't pre-pay more than 24 hours in advance), but were later told we didn't miss much, especially regarding Isla de Mujeres. The "Island of Women," according to three couples, is a dismal and wretched place. One woman told us there was trash throughout the island, including fruit rinds on frequented walkways, and various cans. I would like to go to Cozumel and Chitzen Itza someday, however. Cozumel received a lot of praise from persons we encountered. Everyone agreed Cozumel is great for a day or two. Xcaret sounded somewhat appealing, but Mexico doesn't have strict regulations... I therefore couldn't bear seeing droves of people "swimming" with dolphins in small areas confined by rope. (I'm not political, but I LOVE the ocean). Off the subject: a fellow St. Louisan was miserable at Cancun Palace. She claimed the hotel submitted daily reminders of time share availability. Free tours and meals were offered in exchange for the usual sales pitches, which we didn't encounter once our entire trip. Their food is reportedly mediocre, but I imagine all- inclusive meals would become bland anywhere: for instance, I know people who've been unsatisfied with Sandals' cuisine in Halcyon Beach. A reputable tour representative at our hotel also stated Palace Resorts were to be avoided... We took obligatory trips to flea markets, the All-Star Cafe, the Hard Rock, Planet Hollyood (skip the food), and so on, and found them quite enjoyable. The bargains were impressive, especially on leather goods, but I would suggest bartering with pesos or American singles. Shopkeepers rounded downward when administering change for $. I've carried on about the hotel, shopping, and dining, but haven't mentioned Cancun as an overall destination, which brings me to conclude we were unimpressed. It's quite similar to Miami or Fort Meyers, and truly isn't Caribbean. The hotel and amenities were wonderful, but I also think a 7- night stay was excessive. If we ever go back, we'll stay 4 nights at the Fiesta Americana Condesa-another austere hotel we saw. We met a couple who have enjoyed the Fiesta over the last 8 years. We spent wonderful time together, but we're unsure if Cancun is appropriate for a romantic honeymoon. For a family vacation or short getaway, however, I would recommend Cancun or Caesar Park. We plan to visit Anguilla, Saba, and St. Martin in AUG '99; we unfortunately couldn't afford these after our wedding. Hope this helps.
I guess you can say our adventure began 2 years ago on Charlotte
Harbor in beautiful Punta Gorda, Fl. Before that Scott or myself
had never sailed a boat. Charlotte Sailing, Inc. located next to
the motel that I manage had just gotten a new type of sailboat
called the Escape. After watching a few people sail them I asked
if I could try one out. After one hour I was sailing. I told my
friend, Scott Endicott about the boats and so he tried one out.
Before long we were sailing every other day. We loved the boats
and decided to get involved with the racing program at Charlotte
Sailing. Within 6 months Scott and myself had bought our own
boats. We dominated the racing and started sailing on short trips
around the Harbor. We sailed to Boca Grande which is 26 miles from
the sailing center and on the way back we thought it might be a
great adventure to sail the Escapes on a long trip.
Well, where else would you Escape to? Cuba!!
We wrote to the Escape Sailboat Company and told them of our
quest, to Escape to Cuba on a 11.5 foot Escape. The response we
got was "you must be crazy" But if you insist on going we would
like to send you 2 new boats for the trip. We were on our way to
the planning stage.
We talked to sailors from our local sailing club to find out what
we should bring for this estimated 40-50 hour trip. If we carried
all that was needed we would have to have a support boat along. We
talked Gary Trimmer, owner of the Sailing Center, into coming
along in his Beneteau 305.
Its a good thing we started planning 9 months ago. We never
dreamed what is necessary for such a short trip from Key West to
Hemingway Marina in Cuba. First of all the paper work was needed
to leave the Country to enter a foreign port. Passports were also
needed. The food stuffs were purchased at the local Sam' Club.
Area business donated other items like bottled water, safety
equipment, and money. Garmin Electronics loaned us 2 Garmin 170s.
GPS/VHF handheld units.
Now for the route and weather window. Our local weather man, Tom
Rector of NBC2 plotted the weather for us. Gary Trimmer plotted
the course across the Florida Straights which has currents running
at 2-3 kts to the East. On April the 18th at 10:00 P.M. I got the
call from Tom Rector. Leave now. Its a good thing we were packed
and ready to go. Within 2 hours we were sailing out of Charlotte
Harbor on the Beneteau lacking 1 crew member that couldn't be
found. Scott was to trailer the 2 Escapes to Key West the next day
and we would leave ASAP. We arrived in Key West on the Beneteau at
8:00 A.M. the morning of the 20th. Scott pulled in around 10:30
A.M. and we proceeded to provision the 2 Escapes and set sail for
our destination, Cuba. It was noon and the winds were 8-10 kts
from the SE when we sailed pass the large cruise ships in Key
West, Scott and I looking toward the South with great hopes of
reaching our destination.
As we sailed across the Reef we were amazed at all the debris you
could see on the bottom. There were old military shells, sunken
boats and other unrecognizable objects. But knowing we had a long
trip ahead of us we focused on sailing the Escapes as fast as they
would go. We each had our Garmin 170 to navigate and keep in
contact with each other, so we listened to the weather channel off
and on for wind and sea conditions. At 12 miles out the wind died
to 0-2 kts and the sea was like a sheet of glass. At least we were
out of the grip of the incoming tide, but we were not making any
headway.
We decided to board the support boat "Something Special" and head
West. Our thought was that when we were on the support boat and
traveled West we would not sail toward Cuba unless we were on the
Escapes. At 5:00 A.M. the 21st we climbed back on the Escapes and
headed SW. in 13-15 kts of SE winds. This was great sailing. The 3-
4 ft seas didn't bother the performance of the boats at all. So we
prayed for 15-20 kts and that afternoon we got it. We got wet,
even though we had our gear in water proof containers somehow
water found its way to spare batteries instantly turning them to
rust. We decided we had to much gear aboard and we came along side
the support boat and unloaded keeping only the Garmin and safety
equipment and bottled water. With the thought of losing our gear
gone now, we tied ourselves to the boat and headed on a close
reach toward Cuba.
The evening of the 21st brought light winds as we were entering
the currents, so we again took advantage of it and headed for
"Something Special" for some long needed food and a quick rest.
The winds came up again so we climbed back aboard the Escapes and
headed SW. in 15-20 kts. Wonderful, we thought, as night fell we
turned on our improvised lights to keep visual contact with each
other as well as the support boat. With the seas running 5-6 ft
now we lost each other in the swells. Now in the darkest of night
I have ever seen before the Gulf was letting us know why this trip
is not to be done in a small boat, unless you are "Escaping From
Cuba, not to Cuba" To make matters worst the lights began to fail
and my heavier weight {180 lbs} allowed me to sail faster than
Scott {110 lbs}, even when I reefed the sail I was still faster.
We were broad reaching now and one mistake at that high speed on
the Escape could mean a "pitch pole".
Before we started the venture we agreed that if conditions
threatened our lives beyond our control we would abort and head
West on the support boat until the conditions changed in our
favor. The only commutation between us was the Garmin 170, thank
God it was both GPS and VHF. I radioed Scott and ask him what he
thought about aborting the last leg of the trip, before I got his
answer back the support boat came over the radio and said "its not
your decision anymore" and gave us the order to come along side to
board. Now with the seas at 6-7 ft and winds gusting to 32 kts
this wouldn't be an easy task. As it turned out it was the hardest
part of the trip both physical and emotionally. It took over an
hour to get in tow and board "Something Special".
Our hats are off to the Captain and Crew of "Something Special"
for there Seamanship and knowledge of the open seas. They through
us hot food in baggies when we were hungry and bottled water when
we were thirsty.
The work had just began on the support boat as the 2 Escapes began
passing us from the huge swells pushing them as we dived into the
next swell on the 305 Beneteau. Scott and I spent the rest of the
night keeping slack out of the tow lines and guiding the Escapes
towards Cuba.
When daybreak came we were 3 miles from the Sea Buoy at Hemingway
Marina. No celebration was to be had yet because the channel going
in has reefs on both sides. It is said not to make an approach at
night if the winds are coming from the West. Our winds were coming
at our backs from the North. I think that should be the warning
Other sailing vessels are dry docked with crushed hauls and gaping
holes in the sides from trying to make an approach with North
winds.
But we made it in the channel and the fun began with the guards,
customs, immigration, etc.
Those of you that have been to Cuba know that this is only a
formality and takes about an hour.
From there we were assigned a slip number. As we motored through
Hemingway cheers came from the shoreline from all directions. I
had completely forgotten that weeks earlier I had E- mailed the
Comodoro at Club Nautico and explained our venture. It was easy to
tell who we were with 2 bright yellow sailboats with the word
ESCAPE on the sides. A word most Cubans know. The Reception we got
was as one would only dream of upon entering a foreign port. We
received "fully hosted" status from Club Nautico. The people were
amazed at the Escapes. One sailing instructor ask if he could try
one out. And then another and another. Scott and I looked around
at what the youth program had for sailboats. "Are you thinking
what I'm thinking" as we looked at each other.
We decided right then to donate the 2 famous 11.5 Escapes to the
Youth Sailing Program of Club Nautico on behalf of the Escape
Sailboat Company. At that the Comodoro's interpreter asked if we
would return to the Club around 6:00 P.M. We would love to and
with that we headed back to the support boat for some rest. When
we returned at 6:00 that evening the Club Nautico had changed from
a sailing center into a reception area fit for a President. Tents
were set up and the 2 Escapes were set on pedestals with the sails
full and cleaned as if they were new. The interpreter said "please
come with me" We went to center court with the crew of Something
Special and received cheers and applauds from all who had gathered
including sailors from around the World that were docked at
Hemingway Marina. They brought out the paper work for us to sign
which was read aloud in both English and Spanish. Again applauds
and handshakes were plentiful. From there we were introduced to
"Cuba Libre". I can't quite remember how long the celebration
lasted, 1 or 2 days, I think.
The next day the sea conditions weren't favorable for us to leave
Hemingway for the sail back to Key West, so we had a stand down
and did some laundry and rested for the next days trip.
On Friday the 24th we decided to head back to Key West. As we
motor-sailed out of Hemingway Marina we got waves from everybody
on shore. There ahead of us was the 2 Escapes with 2 kids on each
boat. As we passed them one of the kids yelled in broken English
"these Escapes, they are very fast". I'll never forget the smiles
on those kids faces. As we sailed out of sight I couldn't help
thinking that someday those 2 Escapes will turn up in the US with
4 Cubans on each boat. I only hope they will get the same kind of
reception as we got. After all they will have set a new record on
the 11.5 Escape.
So please keep your eye out for "The Sailboat That Could" Frank
Stone..Escape 1 Scott Endicott..Escape 2 For more information on
our adventure "Escape To Cuba" please write..Frank Stone, 23275
Bayshore Road, Charlotte Harbor, Fl,33980 or call 941-764-9100
Frank Stone President Escape Class Association
Trip 3/98 A simple report on the above all inclusive that I have just spent two marvelous weeks at. Obviously my views only. About an hour by coach from Puerto Plata past Sosua and Cabaret. Maybe it doesn't fully conform as AI as it isn't actively promoted in USA and 'tipping' isn't actively discouraged but on the other hand my experience suggests that service provision is not affected in the slightest regardless. Tipping appeared reserved for bedroom cleaners at the end of stay and the like.(Privately).It certainly wasn't common as most of us carried little all day. We all wore green wrist bands(and trunks(:-)) , but the resort is remote so I wonder if even this was necessary. The resort is very large (833 rooms) presently. There is a small amount of building ongoing at one end , but this in no way affected our enjoyment. The beach is man made and not as good as adjacent natural ones. It is however cleaned daily. The main pool was never overcrowded and there were two additional smaller pools remote, hardly used at all. The resort was some 80%(or more) occupied during my stay and I never had to queue (stand in line) for any service apart from about 20 minutes checking in as 3 buses arrived from the airport at the same time. The bars could become crowded , but resort knowledge soon had me sidestepping busy periods. Drinks are in plastic tumblers or pvc cups. Glasses were reserved for restaurants. Sun loungers were plentiful. Some 'reserving' took place but there were more loungers than people so no problem. The resort is totally all inclusive. Jet skis are additional cost. An hours diving in the pool is also included , which I used as a prelude to a dive over the reef(at cost). Snorkeling gear is free loan , but to be honest you need a short boat ride to see anything. The surf throws up sand too much to see close in. The loaned equipment was all as new condition. The rooms were basic but clean. The frigo is free but mini-bar and room safety deposit box cost extra.(Who needs a mini bar after a 11 hour free drinks session - hic). The staff at the resort are friendly and helpful. Obviously , standards of service differ from Europe and mainland USA , but this is more than made up for by the friendly smiling attitude of all the staff. I requested and got a double bed.(Gold dust apparently). Drinks at the adjacent Pueblo (Owned by Hotel)are 30 pesos for a beer , but rise to 120 Peso for a short and mixer and 150 for a cocktail. The street party every night is excellent and the young girls from the hotel complex are working to ensure everyone dances. It was fun. The food was excellent some days and passable others. This was perhaps due to our European taste rather than the standards. Hygiene was excellent for a third world country. This isn't meant to be derogatory merely factual. We only experienced one planned power cut in the middle of the night. The complex has its own generator. We also drank the water obtained from the bars including ice cubes , but not the bathroom tap water. It was OK. I would gladly return to both the DR and this resort. I must admit that I cannot compare it to others , as it was my first (but certainly not last) visit to the DR.A previous short visit to the Bahamas(Nassau) suggests this resort is of a similar standard. As a adjunct , I am aware that Airtours , the UK agent with whom I booked etc. and the DR in particular have recently received some bad press in UK.I will personally confirm my utter satisfaction with both the service and the resort. Indeed the service and resort far exceeded my expectations. Perhaps my expectations aren't so high. I am also fully aware of individuals within the resort (English as I am and some Canadians) actively campaigning to besmirk the resort in an effort to gain refunds from the tour operators. IMHO this is an increasing trend with we Brits. Sad to say.
Trip 4/98 My wife and I just returned from a 7 day vacation in Grenada. We stayed at the only hotel on Morne Rouge which is a pretty little local beach next to the more famous Grand Anse Beach. The Gem Hotel ,which was priced very reasonably was clean and the staff warm and friendly. I had been to Grenada years ago and detected a change of attitude in the general populace, not associated with the tourist business. Anywhere I went which was not a hotel or restaurant the passerbys were unfriendly and seldom answered my greetings as we past. I got the feeling there is definitely something brewing that will not serve tourism there. On the beaches, especially Grand Anse and Morne Rouge we were frequently subjected to Grenadian youths intimidating stares. Hoards of peddlers frequently descended on us hawking their wares. Some were very aggressive. The food (we are quite particular) left a lot to be desired. We tried most of the recommended restaurants, but for dinner we could only give a rave review to one, The Aquarium near the airport. It was always excellent. Sundays they have a barbecue outside. The meats, fish, and wonderful salads made us forget about the $20 taxi fare from our hotel. Breakfast was impossible. We did not find a restaurant who could fry eggs nor make a good cup of American coffee. We finally found a place called the Donut Shop which was like a Dunkin Donuts. The cinnamon twists were out of this world and the coffee acceptable.The owners, an Indian couple were friendly, gracious and a wealth of info about the island. We booked this trip late in high season because most of the resorts or planes to them were booked. If you just want a cheap tan this is still a good place to go. If you know of a beach/inn/hotel situation where the peddlers are not so thick and we can be assured of some privacy, I would love to hear about them.
We had a fabulous vacation in Grenada thanks to The Moorings and their staff. We weren't too sure about whether or not we would like sailing and were hesitant to book a sailing vacation for a week. Our only experiences on sailboats were day trips during some of our other vacations. While in Tortola last year, we stopped by The Moorings facility and picked up the booklets they had about the sailing vacations they offer. One of the packages was the Shore and Sail package and it seemed like it was just what we were looking for, a combination of a stay at a resort with a few days sailing included. We selected the package that had Grenada as the home port and booked with The Moorings for the Shore and Sail package from April 30 to May 8. This included a three night stay at the Secret Harbour resort in Grenada, W.I.; sailing from 9am on Sunday to noon on Wednesday; and two nights at Secret Harbour. While the package had only one night after the sailing, we added the second night . The sailing portion included all meals and drinks (more to follow on the meals!). We also used The Moorings travel office to book the necessary flights. We had shopped for the best airfare before we called and the best price we had gotten was nowhere near the low price that we got through The Moorings. Also, I have to mention that the customer service staff at The Moorings are just great. They answered all of my questions, offered advice and where very accommodating. It was a pleasure to deal with them. Secret Harbour is a beautiful resort, with very nice accommodations. Both the grounds and the rooms are very picturesque and I found myself taking too many pictures of the resort! The rooms have beautiful views with private decks and wonderful lounge chairs with cushions. Some overlook the marina with all those beautiful sailboats and some overlook the harbour which also is very beautiful. The staff is very helpful and we really enjoyed the resort part of the vacation. There is not really much of a beach but the pool in very nice. They offer water sports but we didn't have time to try them out. The breakfasts and dinners we had there were also very good. However, they must do something about the short stretch of road leading into the resort. It has what can only be considered as craters and from what the taxi drivers tell us, the resort has made no effort at fixing that stretch of road. It's a shame because you don't get a good first impression when you're arriving and get bounced around on that short stretch of road. They could have it repaved in about 3 hours if they wanted to. Just one of those things that don't make sense at a beautiful resort like this. There is a place by the Marina that serves drinks and some food, with tables overlooking the marina, which, if fixed up, could be a goldmine for Secret Harbour. It's only about a four on a scale of one to ten, and besides the short stretch of bombed out road I mentioned, is the only almost negative that we found at the resort. The sailing part of our vacation was the highlight of the trip. We were on a 50 foot sailboat called the Stargazer with only one other couple, and the Captain and his wife. The third couple canceled at the last minute. Captain Michael and Erna have to be the most accommodating, wonderful people employed by The Moorings. From the first minute to the last they were concerned with only catering to the needs of their guests and ensuring that they would have the best vacation possible. We stopped at beautiful places, snorkeled, swam, lounged around reading books, kayaked, ate Erna's gourmet cooking and drank her superb cocktails. When I say gourmet cooking, I really mean it. Erna makes everything from scratch, and from the snacks, to the dinners, to the deserts, the food is just the best! What she does with freshly caught fish (thanks to Michael!) is a mouth watering treat. The beer and wine were plentiful as were sodas, mineral water, or whatever it was you wanted. Having filled out a questionnaire when we booked the trip, everything we preferred was on board! Michael entertained us at night with riddles and other brain teasers and we laughed a lot and had a super time. However I was especially impressed with their knowledge of sailing and the waters we were sailing in. They are true professionals and while we were under sail, Michael was all business, as was Erna when needed on deck. It was comforting to know that we had very experienced sailors in control and we were never concerned about safety. Grenada was an interesting place to visit. They have a magnificent beach called Grand Anse and we went there twice. The town of St. George was the typical Caribbean island town with shops for the cruise ship people, but was nowhere near as pretty as say the town in Aruba. We went to the open air market on market day which is Saturday, and it is not to be believed. You cannot believe how many people are in the market at the same time! We bought some spices and took some pictures, but the crowds can be a little overwhelming. There are some forts that you can visit and the views from them are worth the visit. During our short stay on the island we only ate at two restaurants besides the one at Secret Harbour. We like local food so we were told to try Mamma's which we did. You get anywhere from a 16 to 25 course dinner, depending on what's in season. Luckily for us the armandillo was not! However our 16 courses included everything from goat to seafood and it was all very good. It one of those places that you have to try once. The prices were very reasonable. The other place was a local place called the Little Dipper. It was recommended by Michael and Erna and is actually run by a taxi driver's wife. At my request she made us conch fritters and they were great! The homemade soup was also excellent. The place consists of about three tables on a deck at their home. They can feed a max of about 10 people. It was extremely reasonable, but the food is very delicious and highly recommended. You should contact Rock Taxi at the marina at Secret Harbour or call him at 444-5136 or 3640. He's called Rock (his real name in Rochel) and he is a very nice guy. In fact our tour of the rainforest and spice factory fell through so we booked a tour with Rock. He turned out to be extremely well versed on the history of Grenada and all of the sights and plants, trees, and fruits. We told him that he should consider becoming a history teacher because of how well versed he is. We had a wonderful five hour tour with him and learned a lot about Grenada while visiting all of the major attractions, including the rainforest, the spice plantation, the nutmeg factory, the Concorde waterfalls, and the rum factory. His price for the five hour tour is also very reasonable compared to some of the other tour operators' prices. One drawback in Grenada is that you have to take a taxi wherever you go, and it can get to be very expensive. While I have driven on a number of islands, even those where you drive on the other side of the road, I wouldn't even think of driving on Grenada. The roads are extremely narrow, with some deep dropoffs or gullys where the shoulder of the road should be, and lots of the roads are in bad need of repair. And this is from a guy who drives daily in New York City! So all in all we had a super vacation thanks to The Moorings and Michael and Erna. We wouldn't hesitate to book another trip with The Moorings and are scanning the booklets already, thinking of maybe next year...
| CTR Home | << Back | ToC | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Next >> | Search |