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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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(A response to the comments of Elba Gonzalez in the October 1999 edition of the CTR)
I've just returned from visiting Puerto Rico and I can't believe I visited the same Island that Elba Gonzalez visited. Maybe the difference is that instead of having relatives there, I have visited the island over 35 times and have literally seen every square inch of this too often maligned island. To visit Puerto Rico and not have anything nice to say shows that you need a better guide and travel plan. Next time I'd love to show Elba places that would blow her away. Please don't compare it with Jamaica, Miami and the Bahamas....please! I've found that people in the island rarely know much about their island as professional film people and traveler's such as myself. For example, most Puerto Ricans when asked about the phosphorescent bay, they mention La Parguera. That's a joke compared to the true luminescence of Mosquito Bay When asked about the prettiest beaches, they will tell you Luquillo and Boqueron. Again wrong, wrong. Not even close. The overwhelming majority have never seen Red Beach, Blue beach, Navio, Sun Bay or Flamenco. San Juan has been gradually restored over decades and not just recently. It's a continuous process. Some buildings are dilapidated until it's their turn to be restored. To only mention this and a handful of beggars in the entire old city is a disservice to this little masterpiece of America. Old San Juan is a United Nations World Heritage site . A source of pride for all Americans. Elba, how many beggars and homeless do you see in New York? Or are they invisible to you. Please, be fair and next time do your homework. Yes, the Dominican has cheaper resorts because the people aren't paid a living wage. Tell me about beggars there in Santo Domingo. No comparison to Puerto Rico. Did you try and rent a car to see the Dominican Republic? Try and do this in Jamaica...I dare anyone. Yes, there are not many posted signs in the hills. It's not supposed to be for tourists, yet. You can't have it both ways. You detest the modernity of San Juan with its K-Marts everywhere and yet you want all the signs or billboards in the mountains. You need to travel more, I've been doing it professionally for 35 years. To learn what true value is, you have to go everywhere. Arthur Frommer, of the world travel guides, and one of the three greatest travel authorities in the world, recently named Puerto Rico as his favorite overall island in the world. I'm not alone. Do your research and I hope you avoid the relatives next time. Want an itinerary, I'll be happy to share one with you.
Trip: May 1999 My fiancee and I traveled to St. Lucia with 2 other couples and got married on the island. We picked the island because it was a place we hadn't been before and it looked so beautiful. Here is a report of our April trip: Travel We flew from Chicago O'Hare to St. Lucia with FunJet Vacations air- only option (charter American Trans Air). We left at 7am, stopped in Antigua to drop off/pick-up people and arrived at Hewonnora Airport around 2:45pm (EST). The airfare was considerably lower ($377) than American Airlines($700-$800). We also looked into Apple Vacations, but their air-only option was around $600. Lodging We stayed in the southern part of the island just outside of Soufriere at Stonefield Villas (a mile or so from the Hilton Jalousie). We booked it through Villas St. Lucia and stayed in the 3- bedroom Plantation House which comes with its own pool right under Petit Piton (gorgeous)! Stonefield is a locally owned resort consisting of 10 villas (1 or 3-bedroom), a pool (in addition to our private pool) and a bar/restaurant. A local beach is located about a half-mile down a steep hill (not bad walking there but you get a work-out walking back). It's an okay beach but has strange access - we walked through the grounds of a "old folks" home to get from the road to the beach. We were almost the only guests there the entire week, so it was very quiet. We liked our villa, which is a roomy restored plantation house. However, it is a typical Caribbean house (ie, not luxurious - no screens or A/C) so we did see a few bugs, geckos, etc but nothing too bad. You definitely need to use the mosquito netting over the beds. But the bugs weren't nearly as bad as they are here in Wisconsin in the summer. The cost was around $375/night. We were married at our villa near the pool. It was a beautiful setting - under a mango tree with the Petit Piton in the background. Claudia at Stonefield arranged all the legal documents, ceremony, flowers, photographer, cake and champagne toast. A fun and very stress free event! Meals/Restaurants The Plantation House also includes a cook and we arranged for them to get us start-up groceries (25% stocking fee) and cook the first nights meal (chicken and rice with salad). We got groceries in Soufriere the next day and decided to get fish for dinner. The grocery store in Soufriere is tiny, and we went to the open air market for the fish. They only had one fish (tuna) at that time (which they comically wanted me to grab by the tail, but our driver quickly got us a bag). The cooks/housekeepers at Stonefield make the meal before they leave for the day. The next day we asked them to do the shopping for dinner since it was a challenge to shop and then they showed us sample menus which made it much easier to pick out what we wanted (it would have been nice if they had done this to begin with!). We tried interesting vegetables like dasheene and breadfruit. They didn't make a great quantity of food for dinner but it was enough to satisfy us. Later that week we found the rest of the tuna in the freezer - and it was still great when we cooked it. We had our wedding dinner at Dasheene at Ladera. The drinks and meal were terrific. The setting is the most beautiful we saw on the island. We also ate at the Courthouse and Hummingbird in Soufriere, and Spinnakers near Rodney Bay. All were pretty good, though service can be very slow. Stonefield cooked us a barbecue on Saturday night (usually on Friday night but they moved it for us since we were away on Friday). The food was good and varied (though expensive - around $50/pp) - it was nice to be in a small resort and know the whole staff, but there isn't much (any?) night life there. Beaches & excursions Stonefield offers a shuttle to the beach at Jalousie (though they don't tell you about it - you have to ask), but the times didn't seem to coincide with our plans so we mostly used taxi vans to get around. We highly recommend Marcus, our taxi driver who was very helpful. We preferred the beach at A/C over the local beach near Stonefield and the Jalousie Beach. The A/C beach has more shade and we liked the snorkeling/diving facilities. Jalousie seemed very over- priced for non-guests. We went on a few dives and snorkeled at A/C - both were pretty good. We went into Soufriere a few times, and found it to be a fairly small town and very poor (no shopping to speak of, but we aren't big shoppers). Often we were the only tourists within sight, and a couple of times were offered to be "guided" by a local. They generally take no for an answer, and we didn't feel threatened. A couple of the guys in our group hiked up the Petit Piton with a guide and thought it was great but very rugged and expensive ($50/pp). We took a tour of the rain forest (rather steep hike in some parts but great waterfall at the bottom), sulfur pits (short & interesting but not very exciting), and botanical gardens ($57/pp). Paul from the estate escorted us and pointed out the various trees, ferns, etc. We walked over to the "warm" waterfalls one day on the way to Jalousie (we walked the entire way - quite a hike!). It was okay but not that well-maintained and had a slight sulfur odor. We also trekked up to Castries on Friday via water taxi ($120) to do some shopping, then took a cab to Rodney Bay ($20) for dinner and walked over to Gros Islet for the Jump-Up. It was interesting to see Castries if a little overwhelming (very crowded that day in the market - there's very little touristy stuff outside of the port shops). The Jump-Up was interesting, but much smaller than we thought and only taped music. Not worth the trip if you have to travel far. It was a loooong drive back from Gros Islet where Marcus met us (also around $120). We not big shoppers or partiers so we could have skipped this trip, but I'm glad we got to see the north side of the island. It's a big contrast to the south. More developed and familiar feeling, and we thought it was more like other islands we'd been to. The Soufriere area is a totally different experience - ruggedly beautiful and quiet but very poor and remote and hard to get around. We took a "sunset cruise" on a guy's boat one night ($40/pp). It was hard for Claudia to find someone since it was a Sunday and a holiday weekend. The driver, Terry, was friendly though his boat was pretty small for the 6 of us (just enough seating if one person sat next to the driver). He offered us Piton beer and rum punch from a cooler. Nice ride to Marigot Bay and back. He even let us get off at Jalousie to make an emergency pit stop for a bathroom break. Summary It's a beautiful island and it was very relaxing & beautiful sitting by the pool at our villa looking up at the Petit Piton. We really enjoyed our dinner at Ladera. It was also a very active vacation and we never ran out of things to do. However, it took effort to get around and travel & tours were expensive. It would have been better if we had the courage to rent a car - but the roads looked too treacherous. The north part of the island seems easier to get around, and more commercialized. The people were generally friendly, but not very out-going. We're not used to having to ask for everything with no information offered voluntarily, but we got used to it. We would go back some day and probably split the stay in both the north (for the convenience/action) and then in the south (for the beauty/peacefulness), but we love to try new things so maybe on our 15th anniversary!
I promise, I will try to be calm about this info while I still boiling. My travel agent in New Jersey has booked our trip to St. Lucia. She said: we will stay at HOTEL ODYSSEY. After our arrival to the airport the agent of the Club St. Lucia put hand written stickers on our luggage's and said this is our room number. After one and a half hour drive we arrived to a gate. Behind the gate we have seen lot of little bungalows. On the top of the hill the driver stopped and pointed toward a little bungalow and said: put your luggage's there it is our hotel room. When we have entered the room we smelt a terrible odor so I had to get out! bungalow and I requested to turn on the air conditioner to get better air. No air-conditioned, was the answer. It does not work. Only the ceiling fan was running with lot of noise. When I entered the bathroom I opened the cold water valve for the sink. No water came out from the faucet!!! I looked on the agent. Before I was able to ask about it he stated that there is not enough waterpressure, because we are on the highest elevation point of the hotel!?! I asked about the upgradeable ocean-view room. No such a thing available was the answer. Than my wife asked him: Do you know what is the different between a hotel and a bungalow? The agent replied: Oh madam, this is a hotel. Actually Club St. Lucia (Hotel Odyssey) look like a camping place. They have over 350 small bungalows and those bungalows, many of them are very far from the beach, from the restaurant and bars. I tell you that I was suspicious before we left for our trip, because the travel agent could not give us a brochure. Therefore I called via telephone from New Jersey the Club St. Lucia in St. Lucia and I have requested some printed material and brochures. The Club (Hotel Odyssey) did not send any. After I made my second request without any success. After forty minutes we requested the top management person and we told her that we will not check in, because the Club of St. Lucia has lured us to the Club, using misrepresentation! Actually they changing names. They still use on their official papers the Hotel Odyssey name. I got a telephone-book from St. Lucia and there is no Hotel Odyssey in the telephone-book! But they use Hotel Odyssey on the Internet. It is a strong senseless misrepresentation, and I will write to the Tourist Government Services about it. We requested to find for us a real Hotel. So the manager called Rex Papillon Hotel and has booked a superior oceanfront room for us. The price of the air-conditioned superior room was $300.00 per night for two people. The price of the Club St. Lucia was $262.00 per night for two. I do not have to tell you what is the different between the two rooms and atmosphere. The Papillon is a newly renovated Hotel with 140 rooms. With a very large restaurant, two bars, one of them on the oceanfront with outdoor eating. Three meals, free soft and alcoholic unlimited drinks, watersports, swimming pool and water and tennis sport facilities etc. We have been more than happy during our stay at Papillon, and we are going back very soon. Go there and try out both places. The different is like hell and heaven.
Trip 10/99 We made our first trip to St. Martin 19-26 October. We wanted to go on a trip to the Caribbean in the fall but try to avoid the peak hurricane season. We felt going in late October would be fairly safe. We booked the trip in June through MTI Globetrotters Vacations and took out trip insurance just in case we needed to cancel. We wanted to stay on Orient Beach and have a view of the Ocean. St. Tropez Hotel seemed to fit the bill. All seemed set for an enjoyable vacation in St. Martin. Unfortunately, to get to St. Martin from St. Louis, we had to catch an American Airlines flight to Chicago then switch planes to San Juan then finally from San Juan to St. Martin. When we arrived in San Juan, the ticket agent looked at us and said did you know there is a hurricane coming? We had tracked Jose prior to leaving, but did not know how close it would actually come to the island. Flights were still leaving, so we got on the ATR aircraft and headed to St. Martin. Over half way there, my wife looked at me and said the plane is turning around. I looked at the flight attendant and asked my wife if she thought we should be concerned if the flight attendant looked scared to death. We then found out the generator had gone out on the plane and they had to return to San Juan for repairs. They did not tell us if they would put us on another plane or we would have to stay in San Juan. When we arrived back at San Juan Airport, they met us with a bus and took us to another plane. We finally arrived at San Martin at approximately 8:30 PM. We had a car reserved for the week through Budget. We looked for Budget at the airport and could not find their office. We were told that they were closed for the night and we would need to take a taxi to our hotel. We ended up taking a taxi ($25) but it was worth it because I don’t know that I could have found the hotel in the dark and the rain. When the driver loaded our luggage, we discovered a large bottle of shampoo had exploded due to the air pressure, so that entire bag was saturated with shampoo. We arrived at the hotel forty-five minutes later. Things have to get better! We checked in at St. Tropez and were taken to our room by Claude who spoke very little English. We had paid extra for an ocean view room. We looked out the patio doors and saw construction of a new hotel blocking the majority of our view. We could see a little of the ocean, not the beach but the ocean. We asked Claude if there were any restaurants open because we had not eaten since lunch on the plane. Claude said that all restaurants were closed to get ready for the hurricane. We settled in and went to bed. The next morning (20 October) we got up and they were serving croissants by the pool, so we had bread and coffee ($10). We thought breakfast was included, WRONG!! We did not know at the time that this would be our last meal of the day. We went to the beach in the rain. It was fairly deserted as businesses were getting ready for the hurricane. We sat on one of the bar decks and watched the ocean and talked to a couple of people. We went to the office to inquire about our rental car and were told no car today due to the hurricane. That evening a lady from the office came to secure our deck furniture. We asked her if there was any place to get something to eat and she said no. When we told her we had hardly eaten in the last two days, she said that’s too bad. Later that night we rolled down the hurricane shutter over the patio doors and prepared for the storm. The tropical winds switched to hurricane force winds at 9:00 PM at which time we lost power. We went to bed and listened to the wind and rain pound the tin roof of the hotel and blow against the walls. At approximately midnight part of our wall above the patio door came crashing in. We could see lightning and rain was coming in the hole. Unable to see in the dark and uncertain of what to do, I tried to assess the damage. Our bed remained dry but everything else got wet. The storm persisted through most of the night. The next morning (Thursday) we got up looked out and saw quite a bit of vegetation down. The parking lot to our hotel was knee deep in water. We walked down to the lobby, which was also flooded. Needless to say, they were not serving croissants by the pool and of course there was no place to get food. On the bright side, this looked like it would be the first vacation where we lost weight. We walked up the beach in the rain and looked at the damage to the bars and restaurants. Around noon, while walking through the lobby of the L’Hoste Hotel, the hotel manager told us she would be serving sandwiches to her guest at 12:30 and we were welcome to join them. We certainly appreciated her gesture. She turned out to be MUCH more helpful than management at St. Tropez. We had our ham and cheese sandwich, which was wonderful. We once again inquired about our rental car and were told due to floods, we couldn’t get one. That evening Bikini Beach Bar opened. It was the only place open on the beach. We had an early dinner there. They had a limited menu due to the storm, but we were grateful that they made the effort to open. The power kept coming and going and most of the TV stations were down. We were getting two French Channels and one that broadcast the local radio station (LAZER101). Friday morning, still raining, parking lot still flooded, (Are we having fun yet?), we walked down the beach. We sat in one of the concession hut porches on the beach and watched the ocean and rain for awhile. We then walked down to Club Orient. Papagayo’s was open, so we went in and had breakfast. The waitress was very friendly, and we had a good American style breakfast. This really lifted our spirits. We asked the waitress if the boutique was open and how to get to it. She gave us directions and off we headed in the rain. A lot of Club Orient’s ground was also flooded and we walked through several deep puddles to get to the boutique. In the boutique, we bought some souvenirs and more importantly some snacks. The clerk was very nice. Friday evening we lost our water, (we had lost hot water earlier), and power. Due to additional flooding on Friday, a curfew was issued on the island. No car again! Saturday the sun came out, although we did receive several showers during the day. We walked to Papagayo’s for breakfast. We were told that Jose had stalled and we were still in the rain bands. We did soak up some sun and enjoyed the beach. The beach was still fairly empty. We sat in Bikini Beach’s chairs with another couple, (who were staying at Palm Court), but did not get charged for the chairs. The people at Bikini Beach were nice and helpful throughout the week. By this time we didn’t care about a rental car, we threw all our plans out the window and would settle for a couple of decent beach days. The couple we had met asked us out to dinner and the casinos. We ate at Lynette’s close to the airport, the food was good. We then went to a couple of casinos and had a good time. Sunday was spent on Bikini Beach again. The sun was out most of the day, but we did get several rain showers. L’Hoste set out croissants for free so we grabbed one and ate it on the beach. We ate lunch at Bikini Beach Bar & Grill. We walked to Pedro’s (next to Club O), and had drinks and listened to the steel drum band. We bought some snacks at the Club O boutique and ate in our room for dinner. Monday, our last day, we spent the day on the beach at Club Orient. We ate breakfast at Papagayo’s. There were a couple of hard rain showers that morning, but overall we had a nice beach day. We met another couple staying at Club Orient. They asked us to join them in Grand Case for dinner that evening. Prior to leaving we looked at their chalet and wondered why didn’t we stay at Club Orient? We ate at La Mandier that evening. The food and service were very good. We returned to St. Tropez and finished our packing. Tuesday we had croissants by the pool ($12). A taxi picked us up at 8:00 AM and took us to the airport. We had an uneventful but tiring flight home. As hard as it is to believe through all this, we had a good time. We are considering returning in June and staying at Club Orient. But June is the beginning of hurricane season, are we taking a risk again? I could never recommend St. Tropez. We could have been dead in our room for three days for all they knew. They never checked on us. Our room was not serviced at all for three days, no towels, clean sheets, nothing! Our air conditioning did not work most of the week, our phones were out and our room was infested with ants. They never did fix the hole in the wall! They provided absolutely no help. I realize there was a hurricane, but it seems you would take care of your guests. L’Hoste, Palm Court and Club Orient took very good care of their guests. To add insult to injury, we found we were paying significantly more than any of the other guests at the surrounding hotels (or St. Tropez). As long as this report is, it only scratches the surface of some of the stories we have to tell. We look forward to an uneventful trip in June where hopefully we can enjoy all St. Martin has to offer.
Trip: Oct. 1999 This was our fifth bareboat sailing trip to the Caribbean Islands, our first trip to St. Vincent/Grenadine Islands. Our bareboat charter was booked through Sunsail Sailing Vacations. We arrived in the late afternoon of Oct. 8, 1999 and were met by Harold, the taxi driver for Sunsail. We arrived at Lagoon Marina, Sunsail's base, and were met by Paul, the manager. Lagoon Marina is located in Blue Lagoon which on the southern tip of St. Vincent. He welcomed us to the islands and preceded to take us to our boat, which was a 38 Athena catamaran. Thereafter, we unpacked our belongings and went directly to the bar to have a toast to the beginning of our adventure. The Lagoon Marina's Green Flash Bar/Restaurant, which is located on the base, has a quaint atmosphere. The bartender, Arnold, introduced us to a couple of the native beers and cocktails. After a few hours in the bar and several EKU beers, we made our way back to our docked boat. The 38 Athena catamaran was a '97 and had some wear on her. There was ample room for five persons which had four berths and two heads. This was our second catamaran we have charter and thoroughly enjoyed it because it has so much more room than a mono hull. Prior to our departure from the States we purchased two frozen lasagnas, a large bag of chicken tenders, and four steaks. We also filled a large Rubbermaid box with hors d'oeuvre items, i.e., crackers, smoked oysters, clams, etc. We had no problem bringing the items through customs. The only dilemma we had was that the Rubbermaid box got dented in and was cracking on the sides. Luckily, prior to our departure from San Juan we placed duck tape around the box. Usually we pack all of our staples into a cardboard box, but we thought this would be a little bit more sturdy. Next time, the cardboard box will do. The next morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. we had our charter meeting with Bringsley who is a native of the islands, was with the Coast Guard for 20 years and he also serves as a captain on charters. The meeting was very informative and gave us our start on our itinerary. After the meeting, we proceeded with the boat check-out, which went smoothly. Prior to our departure, we obtained ice, beer, water and liquor from the store located on the base. The store also carried frozen meat/seafood, spices, and canned items. We left the dock at approximately 11:30 a.m. We motored out of the bay and set our sails and were off on our new adventure. The winds that day were 5-10 and we cruised to Bequia, which was approximately a 1½ hour sail. By the time we got there, we did not want to go into the bay so we sailed around for another hour and enjoyed the wind in our faces. As we approached the bay of Bequia, we were mesmerized by the white beaches and the blue/green water. A boat boy came by and directed us to a mooring ball. After a few cocktails on the boat, we climbed into the dingy and went to shore. We ended up roaming the small streets of Bequia and stopped and picked up same fruit and vegetables. The vendors were very polite and offered us samples of the fruits. We were amazed by how sweet the mangos were and how large the avocados were. To our surprise, the tangerines had a green peel, but were very sweet on the inside. After our stroll, we ended up at the Frangiapani Bar and relaxed in the shade. A couple of the native children came up and sang us some songs. We went back to the boat and cooked one of the lasagnas and prepared a guacamole salad. We brought a novelty item with us to the islands which are called lightsticks. The original lightsticks were primarily used by the Navy/Army. The lightsticks we brought with us, come in different lengths and different florescent colors. They also manufacture them in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. That night at Bequia, we placed several necklaces and bracelets on and went back to Frangiapani. The natives, shop owners and visitors were amused. We were the hit of the party. By the end of the night, our lightsticks and jewelry were being worn by the islanders. The next day we sailed to Canouan and had light winds and blue skies. The seas were so calm that day we thought we were in a large lake. We moored at Charleston Bay and went to shore to check out the Tamarind Bay Resort. The resort was just beautiful. It has a very nice beach area. My husband was happy to be there because they had a satellite and he got to see the football scores. We had a couple of drinks in the bar. The most popular drink among us was the "Planter Punch". That night we ate at the Timarinda Restaurant and had a variety of different pizzas. The food was good. After dinner we walked the beach area and then headed back to the boat. The following morning we stopped at the restaurant and were advised that there is a nice resort on the windward side of the island. We adventured out to discovery it for ourselves. The walk was invigorating and when we reached our destination, the site was beautiful. The Carenage Bay Beach & Golf Club is built in a small valley and in the middle of it is an old church which has been renovated. We were told the church is 120 years old. We were offered an invitation to tour the resort by the management office. The resort recently opened in Feb. of 1999. The villas were painted in Santa Fe colors and are very pleasing to the eye. The restaurant and pool area were beautiful in themselves. The golf course is extremely nice and overlooks the sea front. We took a tour of one of the luxury villas. It contained three large baths with two large bedrooms. The living room is very spacious and painted with subdued pastel tones. The villa has its own terrace and private patio. The only rooms that are air conditioned are the bedrooms. The resort is in the process of building a casino which is being constructed on top of a hill. After the tour we proceeded our trek back to Charleston Bay. We stopped by the restaurant and purchased three bags of ice ($4 US/bag) and two loafs of bread ($3 US/loaf). The loafs of bread were very large and lasted throughout the trip. We set our sails for Tobago Cays that afternoon. As we sailed from the north and approached the entrance to the Cays the opening was picturesque. The crew all grabbed their cameras to get the perfect shot. We motored in and dropped anchor and took in the sights of the Cays. The anchorage was approximately 12-15 feet deep. We bought a couple of t-shirts and also purchased a very large lobster from the boat boys. The lobster was approximately 8 pounds and we paid $40US. The boat boys cleaned and split if for us for easy cooking on the grill. We had surf and turf that night. We were accompanied at the anchorage by eight other boats. A couple of the boats dinged over to the small islands and built bon fires. That night, we all laid out on the bow of the boat and enjoyed the activity in the sky. It was a great anchorage. The following day we went snorkeling in the Cays. We got to see some colorful fish and coral. The rest of the morning we explored Baradel Island and found emerald colored rocks. We sat out in the water for an hour and so and watched a couple of boats enter the Cays. That afternoon we sailed on to Union Island. Upon approaching the bay, we were met by a boat boy, who helped us get a mooring ball. We watched a boat cut through the middle of the bay and run aground on a reef. A couple of boat boys came to the rescue and we offered our help. Our assistance was not needed and the boat boys finally got them off the reef. We had a few cocktails as we watched the sun set and then went to Lambi's for dinner. I had the conch which was very tasty. We walked around and had an after dinner drink at Bougainvilla and checked out their large pool of live lobsters which is located in the back of the restaurant. The following morning we had breakfast at the Bougainvilla. Their breakfast menu was not extensive. It only consisted of a continental breakfast or the All American Breakfast. All of us opted for the All American, which consisted of eggs, bacon or ham, biscuits, coffee, juice or tea. After breakfast, we took a hike on Union Island and we went to the top of the hill where Fort Hill was located. It gave us a spectacular view of the bay. After our hike down the hill, we went strolling the streets to pick up some provisions. We picked up two Cornish hens, wine and cheese at Captain Gourmet. At that time, they were just moving into their new digs and did not have everything shelved. The owners were real nice and were most helpful. We also did some souvenir shopping, but seeing it was low season many of the shops were closed. Most of them do not open until the first of November. We bought all of our fruits and vegetables from the small stands on the street. We purchased our liquor at Grand Union, which provided an abundant selection. Our mission that day was also to locate some beer. Most of us were not EKU beer drinkers. We finally found a place that carried Old Milwaukee. We bought two cases that day. We also stopped by Susie's Okaou Boutique, which is located in the Bougainvilla. She has a great selection of casual wear, t-shirts and artistic handicrafts. The boutique is also air conditioned! One of the water tanks on the boat was empty and we wanted to purchase water, but the pump was not working due to an electrical outage on the islands. We motored over to Palm Island and the resort was being renovated. The white beach was magnificent. We took a couple of pictures and then set sail for Chatham Bay. Chatham Bay is located on the lee side of Union Island. This bay is uninhabited and provides a very peaceful anchorage. We shared the bay with two other boats that night. After the crew took a swim, we proceeded to cook the Cornish hens and steaks. After dinner we sat around and star gazed. The next morning we got up early for our sail to Bequia. We had some strong winds and we made our way to Bequia in five hours. We heard that Thursday night was Bar-B-Que night and that a steel drum band was playing there. We arrived at the island mid-afternoon. When we entered the bay there was small cruise ship anchored. We went to shore and went to see Bob at SunSports. We set up a dive at the "Boulders" for the next morning. On our previous visit to Bequia we met the manger of Tantie Pearls Restaurant. We mentioned to Bob that we were interested in eating there. He spoke of it highly and informed us that it catered to the locals. We figured this was a good way to check out the local food. Bob called and got us reservations. It was recommended that we did not walk to the restaurant because it was located on a hill and the walk was steep. We found a taxi driver by the name of Fat Man. This individual was as skinny as a rail. We were glad we did not walk there. You had to go up two very very steep hills. The view from the restaurant was breathtaking. It overlooks the bay. The food was wonderful and the price was great. The entrees consisted of chicken, pork chops, and mutton stew. The local side dishes were also very tasty too. For the five dinners and two cocktails a piece, the check was $65US. What a deal!! The next morning we took a 75 foot dive in the area called "Boulders." It was a great dive. Our dive master pointed our several creatures to us. We also got to see a six foot nurse shark and eight to ten moiré eels. That afternoon we sailed over to Young Island and moored in the bay between the island and St. Vincent. We took a tour of Young Island and it is a very charming place. The grounds are filled with lush greenery. The resort is pricey, and the villas are not air conditioned. We sat in the bar and had a couple of cocktails and then went back to the boat to get ready for dinner. We decided to eat at the Lime 'n Pub which is located on St. Vincent. The food was not as good as we experienced on Bequia. It had been a long day and our crew was pretty tired so it was a short night. That evening, we received our first rain shower. We all anticipated on sleeping on deck that night, but the heavens would not allow it. The next morning we started cleaning up the boat and getting all the food together that we did not eat and we gave it to the boat boy named Elmo. We contacted Sunsail and advised them that we were ready to bring the boat in. They in turn, contacted us and informed us as to where to dock the boat. Docking the boat, was a sad moment for all of us, our adventure was coming to an end. Following our clean up of the boat and the removal of our belongings, we went to our hotel rooms at the Lagoon Hotel. The rooms cost $95US (low season). They were of good size and are air conditioned. After cleaning up, we took a tour of St. Vincent with HazEco Tours. Our tour guide was Clint Hazell. Clint is a very informative individual and shared his knowledge with us. Due to the rain showers, we were unable to take the volcano and the rain forest tour. Clint took us to Kingstown and we went to Noah's Arcade for souvenirs. The selection was good. From there, we went on the windward side of the island and discovered the lush banana groves and the black coast beaches. We also toured the Black Point Tunnel and went to Sandy Cay. It was a tour that I will always remember and I highly recommend HazEco Tours. The remainder of the evening we spent at the Lagoon Marina's Green Bar/ Restaurant reminiscing about our adventure and planning our next trip back to the picturesque islands.
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