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2008 Trip Report |
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April 2008 Trip Report—Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Hmmm, what can I say that I haven`t said in my many other very long trip reports? This time I will try to keep it short or shorter anyway.
Day 1—Thursday April 17 Our flight thru Charlotte was no problem at all. We bought 2 liters of tequila at the duty free shop, which is complete now and located in the D terminal at the opposite end from where we were departing. Our layover is a few hours and we had plenty of time. Charlotte is a very nice airport and we had a great breakfast at the Chili’s there.
We landed in Provo about 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled 2:14 arrival, deplaned and got thru immigration with no trouble. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the luggage to start coming in and then we headed for customs to declare our 2 bottles of tequila and 1 carton of butts that the Provobum had brought from home. They changed the rules on how much can be brought in and we had to pay $6.41 for one of the bottles of tequila. No big deal, but it took a few minutes as the customs girl refused to get off the phone while she processed our paperwork, stopping every few seconds to focus on her phone call (sounded like an spousal disagreement). It still took only a few minutes and we headed out to meet Grace Bay Car Rentals.
Just outside the doors stood a smiling Paul with his clipboard, I recognized him from October when he delivered our car to us. He was talking with someone (who I swear I’ve seen in photos on the forum before) and I interrupted briefly to let him know we were there and then Steve and I stood aside and enjoyed the familiar warm air for only just a second before Todd himself came and greeted us with a warm smile and a firm handshake. He had our paperwork and within minutes he was walking us to the parking lot and our car. He even insisted on helping with our luggage which was very nice. At some point while we were chatting outside the car and getting the luggage in the trunk he even started the engine and the a/c which was a nice surprise that when we got in to drive away the car was already cooling off. It was now 2:57 and we were on our way. We had booked an economy car for $39 per day and it turned out to be a Toyota Corolla. It was in fine shape and was perfect for what we needed. Todd had said before we left that if we wanted to go to Malcolm’s Beach this time we could come by the office and if he had a 4x4 on the lot he`d switch it out for us for the day. I thought that was great. All and all GBCR has decent cars and most importantly, excellent customer service, so we will continue to rent from Todd in our future travels to Provo.
We went to the IGA first so we could get beer and the other ingredients needed for our strawberry margaritas. The IGA didn’t have any strawberry mixer so we stopped at the liquor store on Grace Bay Road and discovered that there was no strawberry mixer on the island and it had been that way for several months. Hmmm… Provo without strawberry margaritas? Could we do that?
While at the IGA Steve also went into the Digicel store and purchased a cell phone. The store is located in the plaza just next to the IGA and the door to get into it is not the one with the big Digicel sign above it? Go figure. We learned that Digicel does NOT take credit cards. We got a simple pay as you go phone for $69.99 and we bought $30 worth of minutes to top it up with. It also came with some minutes already on it but we weren’t sure how much. By the end of our 11 days we still had $12 left on the phone. We used it to call home many times and everywhere on the island. Calls to the states were only .40 per minute which was better than if home called the phone. To call Provo from our house (Comcast digital phone service) is .52 per minute so we thought paying .40 per minute was great. We never needed to add minutes and now we have a phone and number that will be ours whenever we are on island. It was hard to get answers from the top-up sellers about adding minutes and how long they are good, but I think they are good for 1 year, so when we go back in October we’ll still have a balance and we can add more then, enough to keep the phone alive till the next visit.
We got ourselves to The Alexandra and found the entrance had been moved around the corner and they also now had a driveway dude, he sat in his little hut and moved the cones when people drove in. He smiled and waved every time we came or went. We thought it was kind of funny since those cones weren’t really doing much and often times there would be no one there, but just enough space for a car to go thru the cones. I thought it was nice to have someone to wave at whenever we came and went but I’m silly like that. Check in was a breeze. We were given a nice cold rum punch, which made me happy, and we also discovered there are no more towel cards, just sign them out on the beach and take whatever you need. YAY we could use more than one towel per person. We were in our room (same room as last October) and unpacking by 4pm. We could see from our room that the ocean was crashing on the shore and so we didn’t hurry to the beach. GASP!
After unpacking and doing more errands to catch up with old friends and let them know we were around we went down to Royal West Indies for dinner at the Mango Reef. I had called earlier to make reservations and they said 8:00 would be good. I wanted to check out the beach there so we arrived 30 minutes early with hopes of sitting on the beach and catching the last of the sunset. However Mother Nature had different plans. The waves were crashing. HUGE waves that would have been a surfers delight. You could see the swells heading to shore and then just as the depth changed the waves started to break and were 6 feet easily before crashing on the shore, I would have been scared to swim there. The waters washed so far up the beach that there really wasn’t any left to sit on. So we stood on the public access ramp and watched in awe for a little while. Why is it we have so many trips with such ferocious waves and yet the experts still claim that there are never any waves? In our 8 trips we have only had one week (last October) when we didn’t see big waves on Grace Bay for at least a couple days. Just before 8:00 we went up to Mango Reef and found it was hoping. They had a wedding party going on and it was packed. We had to wait for our table for maybe 10 minutes. No big deal. It’s nice to see how the servers there actually hustle and work fast, island time has never been a factor for us at Mango Reef. On this night, and this night only, I was chilly during dinner. It wasn’t unbearable but I wished I had brought a shawl or something to warm me up a bit. However, nothing was going to keep me from enjoying the scallop appetizer we’d been thinking about since last October. Crispy scallops ammoniore (sp?) or something like that. Flaky thin dough wrapped around grilled scallops in a creamy cheese sauce with spinach and mushroom and oh yeah…my mouth is watering. $14 for this appetizer and worth every penny. We each had the filet mignon dinner for $26 which includes potato and salad. It’s a treat to get a salad with a meal on Provo. It’s smaller and served on the platter with the steak and potato but it’s just perfect for my needs. I choose the Cesar salad and it’s yummy with bacon bits sprinkled over it and fresh grated cheese. We love Mango Reef, the prices are reasonable (by Provo standards) and the food is delicious.
That night when we went to bed I had trouble falling asleep because I could hear ice cubes clanging in a glass next door. LOL I had to mention it because it may be important to someone out there to know that you can hear the neighbors.
Day 2— I woke up the next morning and walked east to the Seven Stars dock. Grace Bay was still quite choppy and there was some seaweed along with more sea grass than I’ve ever seen. Not growing on the bottom but loose in the surf. It’s my belief that the dredging of the canal loosened up the grass and now it’s stuck in the bay being washed ashore on wavy days and settling to the bottom on calm days. This day started a bit overcast and not very hot. Also the ocean was crashing but the palms in the trees were very still. By 11:00 the sun was starting to break thru and the wind was reaching the palms. Since the ocean was cranky we decided to explore for a few hours. We headed to the Leeward area first as I wanted to drive by Nikki Beach and see what the canal looks like. We missed the resort but ended up at a spot next to the Conch Farm and Catch the Wave excursions where I could see Nikki Beach and the canal. Took some photos but can’t say if it was changed as I had never been to that exact spot before. There was a lot of seaweed stuck along the shore here but I find the seaweed to be the prettiest I’ve ever seen, it’s amber or golden in color and so much nicer looking than the yucky green slime we have here in New England. From here we went looking for Long Bay. We didn’t follow a map but just had an idea of where to go off of Leeward Highway. I think we ended up closer to Stubb’s Cove because we didn’t find the road that runs along side Long Bay (Long Bay Beach Drive); however the spot we ended up was just fine by me. Over here on this side there were no waves and the sun was shining brightly. However the conch shells in the water make it not the best beach for getting wet in but that was okay with us. We set up camp and had a nice couple hours. There were kite boarders down the beach that looked like they were having fun and there was one other couple who showed up to do the same but other than that there were no other people and we really enjoyed the scenery. When we were leaving we came upon a local guy standing on a corner looking for a ride to work. He didn’t ask us but he looked like he needed a ride so we offered and he accepted. His name was Robert and he worked at Beaches and seemed very grateful for the lift. After dropping off Robert we decided to explore the Chalk Sound area and find our way to Sapodilla Bay. Chalk Sound Road is a beautiful ride. Silly Creek on one side and Chalk Sound on the other both lined with gorgeous homes. We went all the way to the end and it was breathtaking. Highly recommend a ride thru this area. We did not however find Sapodilla Bay which was funny to us since we had been there several times before. We spent the rest of that afternoon on the beach in front of The Alexandra where Camke surprised us with strawberry mixer she brought from home just for us…how nice is that?
We went to Sharkbite for dinner and were surprised at how packed it was. We had arrived before sunset so that we could enjoy it from the deck overlooking the marina but there were no tables left out there. Instead we sat inside and had our few appetizers. The chili fries are our favorite, and the homemade chips and salsa too, and we had some cracked conch that I thought was so good but Provobum thought the breading absorbed too much grease. Along with a couple Coronas it was the perfect way to end our day. Just as we were getting ready to leave Tara (our favorite island waitress) came over to say someone at the bar wanted to buy us drinks, Thanks Patrick, (a TA lurker), I’m sorry we were too tired to accept.
When we got back to our room we heard a quiet knock at the door and we opened it to find another trip advisor, LongingforProvo. She was very nice and was hoping we could help her family find Sapodilla Bay, LOL what a coincidence. We decided we’d fire up the laptop and look at Google earth to see if we can figure out how to get there and just as we did our friend Shaun knocked on the door. Perfect timing, since he is born and raised on Provo he showed us just what we needed to know to find it. He also showed us how to find Taylor Bay which was helpful. Google Earth is a great way to figure out your way around. I had the pleasure of chatting with LongingforProvo for a little while and it was nice to get to meet another trip advisor.
That night we hung out with our friends and tried to learn to speak and understand Patois, it was so funny for them, trying to teach us phrases and slang, what a hoot.
Day 3— I woke up at 7am to dark and overcast skies with much less wind than the day before. By 8:00 the sun was starting to shine but by 10am it started raining. It rained for 5 minutes. And then the sun came out and it was a perfect day. Grace Bay was still choppy but starting to calm down a bit. We spent a glorious day on the beach with a pitcher of strawberry margaritas and lots of new friends. We had dinner reservations for Hemingway’s at 6 and walked the 10 minutes along the beach to The Sands. Camke joined us for dinner which was lovely. We all shared the conch fingers which were very good. Steve had the Thai Chicken Stir Fry ($17) and said it was as good as last time. I had a Cesar salad with grilled chicken ($11) that was very good and Camke had Pasta Primavera ($17) which she said is one of her favorites. The Provobum had fried ice cream for dessert and I had a brownie sundae that was delicious but I really wish Camke would have helped me eat it, it was huge. Our dinner would have been perfect had it not been so dragged out. It took over an hour after we finished eating just to get the check, which caused us to not be by the pool when the sun set and we missed out on seeing other trip advisors. Patrick was at the bar we noticed but he didn’t stop by and say hi. Ajax and her family were eating at the same time as us and I wish we had just invited them to sit down with us. We spent a little while after dinner around the pool chatting and taking pictures and then walked back to The Alexandra. It was a lovely warm night.
Day 4— Today started bright and sunny and hot. We went to the beach early and just around noon time it started to sprinkle a bit so we went to Orchid for lunch. Just in time because it then poured for about 45 minutes or so. For lunch we each had burgers and beer and it was under $30. We enjoy the lunches here at The Orchid. After lunch we went back to the beach where the sun was shining again and the water was much calmer. We stayed on the beach thru sunset and then went to Sharkbite for dinner. Provobum needed a nacho fix and we knew they have great nachos. To our surprise Sharkbite was packed at 8pm on a Sunday night. It was bingo night and the whole island was there to play. What a fun time listening to that. Shannon greeted us and got us a table as soon as she could and we shared some fries and nachos and went to bed stuffed.
Day 5— Today we awoke again to hot bright sun and finally a completely calm, flat Grace Bay. Beautiful. There were a lot more guests here now as well and the beach was pretty packed by 11am, but we still got a chair and umbrella. They were raking up the sea grass and burying it in the sand and things were starting to look like the Grace Bay we remembered. We enjoyed the beach all day. Except for the few hours we slipped over to the Palms pool bar to meet some friends. Thanks for the drinks Ginger and JoJotheHuman, it was so nice to meet you. We really had a great time. We met several newlywed couples and everyone was so friendly over there. It’s a very neat bar area with tables and chairs right in the water. You can swim over to the infinity edge and see the beach, very cool. I took some pictures but was afraid of having my camera surrounded by water. Funny thing was that after a few hours we thought we’d be sun burnt badly but somehow we weren’t. We at first thought maybe they put sun block in the water but then after talking and getting sober we remembered that Ginger had saved us with her sun block. Thanks Ginger . We left the Palms much later than we thought and got back to the beach to find it empty except for our 2 chairs and cooler. The Caicos Dream Tours boat was unloading and we stopped to say hi to Shaun when this guy spoke up and said “Hey, your Provobum and Justlaura”. It was Chicagotriman (aka Chachi) and his wife Joni. We spoke with them for a few minutes and made plans to see them the next day. Then as we headed back to our room we could hear Eldridge the activities director talking to everyone at the restaurant. Oh snap! We were supposed to go to the managers welcome party tonight. We got to the restaurant just as the buffet opened and we got in line, filled our plates with food and ran off to our room to eat it. LOL we just couldn’t meet and greet with our bathing suits and buzzes on. From what I remember the food was really good. But I think in my condition at that moment any food would have been really good. Sorry Eldridge that we missed the party.
Day 6— The sun was shining, the ocean was flat, and the air was warm. A perfect morning. We had breakfast at The Orchid, which was very good. It was $8 for the Orchid breakfast which was 2 eggs, bacon (or meat), potatoes, toast and enough of a fruit garnish to make me happy. We spent the day on the beach with Chachi and Joni and the other friends we had made that week. We had invited our friend Tara (our favorite waitress) to spend the afternoon with us and she brought her daughters who were great fun to play with. As the day went on the ocean got wavier and we all went to the pool. The girls liked the pool a lot and we had a great time. After the sun set we went to Mango Reef again for what we knew would be an exceptional meal. We were delighted to find our favorite waiter Jean Luc working and had the pleasure of his service for dinner. Jean Luc has a wonderful thick French accent and we enjoyed his sense of humor. We met him on our first trip to Provo when he worked at the Barefoot Café and have seen him almost every time we visit the island. He even remembered what table we sat at when we saw him in October. He said to us with his wonderful accent “You are the boom something no?” “Huh?” was our reaction and he said “your website is something boom no?” and we laughed as he hurried off to get our drinks. Again we had the dreamy scallops appetizer and when ordering dinner Steve almost got the rack of lamb but we kept being drawn to this one item on the menu called “scallops and shrimps open ravioli” so we asked Jean Luc about it and he said it was very heavy and the same kind of creamy sauce as the appetizer…SOLD! We decided I’d get the filet again and he’d order the open ravioli and we would share. What a smart thing that was. The shrimps and scallops were cooked in the same delicious creamy sauce with every kind of vegetable you can think of, tomato, peppers of all colors, mushrooms, spinach, green beans, cauliflower, onions etc. There were squares of pasta lying over the top of it all to make it‘open’ ravioli. This was THE very BEST meal we’ve ever had on the island (besides Da Conch Shack). The creamy cheese sauce was outstanding with the filet too. And mixing the steak with the shrimp and sauce was just heaven. We can’t say enough good things about this dish. It was Magik, (said with a French accent of course). After dinner Jean Luc announced to us that he was going to buy us dessert which we thought was not necessary but didn’t want to argue with him so we told him okay but only one dessert and we could split it. Now hear this with his thick gorgeous accent “Oh No No, that is unacceptabull” so Steve said “but Jean Luc I think I’m going to explode” to which he replied “I do not care if you explode, you just cannot do it here” Maybe you have to hear the accent to appreciate how great it was but we still walk around repeating it and laughing at how much fun Jean Luc is. He came back with 2 desserts for us, a tiramisu which was very good, but not enough cookies in it and too much cocoa powder on top, and bananas flam bay which was just totally yummy. When we left we wrote down our website for him since he said he couldn’t remember and wanted to look it up. Again I have to say Mango Reef is a must eat place for our future visits. Between the wonderful food and the friendly service and lovely atmosphere I can’t imagine anyone being unhappy there. That night back in our room we listened to all the kids singing karaoke at the bar and I must say camke’s kids did a wonderful rendition of yellow submarine.
Day 7— Since the water on Grace Bay was beginning to stir up again we went off in search of Sapodilla Bay which we found with ease this time thanks to Shaun. When my photo album is finished it will have some landmarks and directions to help others find it. The trick is that once you turn onto Chalk Sound Road you take the first immediate left down a dirt road that goes right to Sapodilla Bay. We got to the Bay by 10am and found we had the place pretty much to ourselves. There was one other couple hanging out but that’s it. It was close to high tide so the water was knee deep for hundreds of yards out and calm and warm and just perfect. At low tide the waters edge is hundreds of yards out and it’s not as enjoyable. We saw a huge school of bonefish (a local guy came along and told us that’s what they were) hanging around in the warm water and they almost let us walk right up to them. There are some boats moored here but I liked the quaintness of it. We saw one couple come along, walk out into the water and retrieve a dingy that they then paddled out to a gorgeous sail boat further out. We could see turtle rock and osprey rock where we visited with Captain Bill’s adventure. There is one tree for shade but the other couple had it when we arrived and if you are early in the day the sun isn’t so bad. This was a perfect morning. Absolutely perfect. After a few hours we went to Da Conch Shack for lunch. It’s changed a little since October. They have built a deck going around to the front so the front tables are no longer in the sand. They moved a few things around and it seemed as though there was so much more seating. I love it here. We wanted a snack and not a meal so we shared and order of cracked conch with rice and peas (which are actually beans) and a few beers. I think the cracked conch here is the best meal anywhere on the island. It’s soft and tender and sweet with the perfect crispy coating. They serve it with lime and I love squeezing it like lemon over the conch…mmmm. We like to get rice and peas when we’re out and this is the best spot for good rice and peas too. I just love the food here and the atmosphere is unbeatable. Since we shared our meal I made Steve promise to take me back again before we left, need more conch. We went back to the resort and spent the afternoon on the beach with margaritas and friends and then made our way to Tiki Hut for rib night. We made sure we got there around 6pm and it was a good thing we did. It was pretty much empty when we got there but by 6:30 the place was full and people had to wait to be seated. Of course I got the ribs and Steve got the chicken and rib combo. I have to say its reputation is valid, great food at very reasonable prices. After dinner we went to Island Scoops ice cream on Grace Bay Road for something sweet. It was just okay. The ice cream had that sandy texture that happens when it’s been melted and refrozen. But they did have some really interesting flavors. We thought Giggles had better ice cream but still neither are what I would call great.
Day 8— We had an early breakfast at Orchids and headed out for another glorious morning at Sapodilla Bay. We arrived in the parking area for the bay just before 10am; we had hopes of getting the shade tree. As we pulled in to the parking area another car was pulling in behind us with 3 ladies and 2 kids being dropped off. It seemed to me to be Grammy with her 2 daughters and 2 grandkids. Well Grammy saw us getting ready to get out and she started yelling at the kids, “Go, Go” “HURRY GO” she jumped out and started hurrying to get there things out of their car. I commented to Steve that they wanted the shade and he agreed they could have it since it was a Grammy and small kids and all. We could have easily got there first but who would do that? This Grammy wasn’t very friendly at all and as we got our stuff and smiled and said hello she just kept saying to the kids and moms “go go go...hurry go”. The little boy said hi as I smiled at him but none of the adults would even look at us, they just pulled the kids past us and forced them to almost run. We intentionally slowed our pace and let them get to the shade. If she had said hello and made eye contact we would let her know she can have the shade and didn’t need to run for it. They were just so unfriendly and rude about it. I mean what kind of example does that set for those little boys? Then for the 2 hours we hung out there they didn’t look in our direction, they didn’t smile at us and if the boys wandered too close to where we were they got scolded. It was weird. I felt hostility from someone on island, and it was a tourist not a local. Anyway the tide was still coming in when we got there and there were actually waves (small ones) that made it less enjoyable than the day before. Sitting on the bottom we got tossed around and it just wasn’t as much fun. I think in the future we will be sure to time our visits to Sapodilla Bay with the high tide.
We went back to the resort for a 1:30 boat trip with Caicos Dream Tours. The half day conch salad cruise for $89 per person. We had booked it a day or 2 earlier with Chachi and Joni on the same trip, we asked to be on our friend Shaun’s boat and were really looking forward to spending time with him during the day. He works almost every day so we only got to see at night unless we went on a trip with him. Unfortunately we didn’t get his boat even though John had told us when we booked that we would. Frankly, we wouldn’t have spent the money to go out if we weren’t assured we’d be on Shaun’s boat, so I was disappointed, but I don’t complain on vacation and I just went with it. We knew our captain, Vario, from our last trip and were looking forward to getting out on the water. His mate Twain seemed very nice and we love meeting new people. However I have to say where he took us to snorkel was just wrong. He took us out to the reef where we could see huge swells and breakers crashing, as we approached we could see a Silver Deep boat just before the reef and (before the swells) sitting calmly and surrounded by happy snorklers. But for some reason Vario decided to take us thru those huge swells to the other side of the reef to snorkel. This was a terrible spot. The boat was tossing up and down by 15 feet as the swells rolled under us. When Steve complained to him about it he shushed him saying he has tourist on board. Steve pushed harder and said why can’t we snorkel there where it’s flat and Vario said something about how this will be better because the water is shallower or something crazy. I wouldn’t go in. Steve wouldn’t go in and had all he could do to not get seasick. Lots of guests wouldn’t go in. One poor guy got back in the boat and hurled all over the place. It was not a great experience and Vario just basically laughed at us and shushed us for asking for something different. The hardest part was looking over at the silver deep snorklers all face down in flat water most likely enjoying the heck out of the sights. So anyway, we’re off to the Caicos Bank and the conch hunt. Chachi went in for me and got 2 nice conchs since I had wanted to take one home (it was the only thing our oldest daughter wanted) and the others on board all got lots of conchs. Some of the guests were holding on the theirs for dear life and didn’t even want to let Twain take the meat out for fear of not getting the right one back again. I sat back and said I’ll just take which ever one when the trip is over. No worries. I should have worried I guess (more on that later). Vario took us over to the back side (the water was choppy on the bay itself we were told) of Half Moon Bay which is a beautiful spot and we went off and walked over to Half Moon Bay for a swim. Steve and I were in the water for a few seconds when we realized there were these little things around us. I had seen something similar earlier in the week that was some tree leaves so I assumed it was the same leaves. But these leaves were kind of pulsing. I tried to pick one up when I realized it was tiny jelly fish. So this is the thimble jelly fish everyone is always talking about. Steve laughed at me for trying to say it was leaves and we hurried out of the water. Thankfully neither of us had dunked yet because if they got stuck in my hair I might not have been able to laugh and take it lightly. I guess if they had stung us we wouldn’t have laughed either. But even when picking them up they didn’t sting us at all. I took some pictures of them washed up on the beach that I’ll post later. We discovered that just walking a hundred yards down the bay there was no jellies. So even when they are around it’s not like you can’t find clear water for swimming. We didn’t get any rash or have any problems with our bathing suits but I’ve been told to be sure to wash suits in fresh hot water ASAP, with soap too. Thankfully we never had any trouble because of the jellies. But now I can say I’ve seen them and no worries. We cruised in with the sunset and it was all in all a great day. I was disappointed because no one left me a conch shell. All the others on board took every last one of them and I didn’t get either of the 2 that Chachi had caught for us. I was surprised that people were so rude but it wasn’t the first time on this trip I ran into self absorb travelers. Captain Vario gave me an old shell that had been left in the water after it was killed and it was already turning to rock so it was very heavy, and it wasn’t very pretty, so we left it behind. We had a great day with Caicos Dream Tours and would recommend them for an excursion, but I do think having an experienced Captain is a must if you want to snorkel in the best more comfortable spots. I know they have several other Captains who would not have brought us to the swells for snorkeling, so we were disappointed with that one thing. However it wouldn’t take away my recommendation. John runs a top notch operation.
For dinner we went to Hemingway’s. We had no reservations and couldn’t get a table so we sat at the bar. They have a nice little bar atmosphere and the bartenders were very friendly. Steve had his Thai chicken Stir Fry that he loves so much and I had the Fish & Chips. Simply Fantastic. The Fish just melted in my mouth and the amount of food on my plate was ridiculous for $11.95. Steve enjoyed his stir fry dish and still talks about how he can’t wait to go back and have it again. After dinner we each had dessert. Steve had the fried ice cream again because he loves friend ice cream and I decided to try the Crème Brule and OMG I wasn’t disappointed. It was so good. So creamy with just the right amount of sugar on the top cooked to the perfect crispiness. I was in heaven. I have never had better Crème Brule and I think I talked about it all the way back to the resort driving the provobum crazy. I’m good at that.
Day 9— It’s Friday, we leave Sunday, heavy sigh. It was hot when I woke up and a bit windy. Steve slept a little late but eventually we got ourselves going and we decided to go for our favorite walk down past Ocean Club, towards Leeward. Ajax and her hubby had mentioned to us how different it was and if I hadn’t seen it for myself I don’t think I would have understood the gravity of the changes they are making to our perfect little paradise. In the April 2005 album in our gallery there are pictures of the way it used to be and I’ll be posting the pictures of how it is now so you will eventually see it for yourselves. They have added sand, so much sand that they have buried the limestone walls and all the gorgeous natural rocky shore that was such a joyful contrast to the other miles and miles of pristine white sand found along Grace Bay. They BURIED it all! It’s completely covered and made yards and yards of beachfront there instead. It befuddles me that the beach is even there, how did they move the ocean back? Not an improvement in my humble eyes at all. Sure that gorgeous house I envied now has a football field of beach in front of it but it took away something special in doing so. And the sand was full of sea sponges and other sea life that made me wonder if all those creatures lost their lives so this beach could be built? However I have to say from what we saw this newly added sand isn’t going to stay for long. Signs of erosion are already easily seen. I took lots of pictures and am also working on a ‘now and then’ album of sorts to show the changes we’ve seen. The ocean was fierce this day-Friday April 25-down here on the east end of Grace Bay. It was choppy back at The Alexandra beachfront but up here it was fierce. The sand was washing back into the ocean rapidly. We were able to walk all the way to Leeward Beach. Just before it we found that the limestone walls and some of the beautiful formations were still left uncovered, just about where the ‘nude beach’ sign used to be the natural beauty still slightly poked thru and I was so glad we took this walk. The sign used to be above our heads and now just the 4x4 it was nailed to remains and you can walk right up to it, it’s about waist high. I’m sorry I haven’t got the albums ready yet but when I do you will see what I mean. The beach was full of seaweed and see grass and dead Sea Sponges of all shapes and sizes. So sad. Leeward Beach is a beach I hadn’t been to so I was glad we were there. There are a couple rock jetty’s that add to the charm. It’s not just a flat Grace Bay beachfront; it had character and neat stuff to check out. We didn’t stay as long as I would have liked. Next time we’ll drive to the parking lot right here at Leeward Beach and set up camp with our cooler for a few hours. It was very rough conditions or we would have hung out and swam a bit but since it was windy and wavy we just took some pictures and then walked back to The Cabana Bar at Ocean Club East for lunch. Lunch was the worst I had for the whole trip. Just burgers, nothing special. We each got burgers. I ordered rare and got burnt to a crisp. Our waitress never spoke one unnecessary word to us and never came back to check on how things were. She was clearly not interested. It was more expensive (just by a couple dollars) than the same 2 burgers at The Orchid and we were disappointed that we didn’t go back to the resort to eat lunch. Usually we enjoy Cabana Bar but not this time and I’m not sure we’ll try again. We left and continued on our adventures. Grace Bay wasn’t flat and we knew we could find a calm beach somewhere. We headed out to find Taylor Bay, also known to some as Sunset Bay. When driving down Chalk Sound Road you turn onto Sunset Bay Drive, which is very clearly marked, and follow to the tennis courts. Park somewhere along the road and walk the path thru the palm trees and behind the courts and you will find Taylor Bay. Taylor Bay is like Sapodilla Bay with knee deep water for yards out. The tide was going out and you could see that the water would have been a bit higher had we got there earlier. The sand here has some rocks and stuff to watch for when walking into the water but it’s not like Malcolm’s Beach, just some areas of small rocks scattered about. No boats on mooring so it’s perfect empty bay. One side of it has houses set up high with boat docks and it was clear they had dug along side of the walls to give some depth there. We even saw some kids at one house jumping from the deck into the water and at first I thought someone would get hurt but then realized it was dug out there. There was one family and one couple spread out so we were virtually alone. We liked it here but it was afternoon now. 2:00 or so when we arrived and the sun was so hot we weren’t comfortable sitting there for long. Getting wet was hard because the water was even shallower than at Sapodilla Bay (I think because of the timing of the tides) and we didn’t stay for more than an hour because we were roasting. I can’t wait to go back early in the morning when the sun isn’t so hot, as long as it’s high tide too it’s a great spot.
We spent the rest of that afternoon on Grace Bay with Camke and Joni and Chachi. We heard that there were some small groups of the Thimble Jellies along Grace Bay that day. Some people we talked to hadn’t seen them at all and some had so I guess everyone should know they are very easy to avoid and if they are around it doesn’t mean the beach is off limits or dangerous. After the sun set we went to Mango Reef for some more “Magik” and it didn’t disappoint. We sat inside which was fine with us, people were waiting for tables outside and we didn’t want to wait. Jean Luc was not our waiter but he was working and he came by to say hello. He had been to our website and he said to us with a smile “you are not Provo booms, you are Provo bumes”. LOL can you hear the French accent and how there was no difference to our ears in how he said ‘boom” or ‘bume’? We laughed at his laughing at himself for not getting it right. We had such fun teaching him to say bums, ‘bahms’ ‘Provo Bahms’ he would say making fun of our Boston accent. What a great guy and we hope to see him again in October. After our usual scallop appetizer and sharing of the open ravioli and filet mignon I wanted dessert. I still had the Crème Brule in my head from the night before and could only imagine how good it would be here. It was very good. But it was better at Hemingway’s. It was creamier and smoother and stood out as something special at whereas at Mango Reef it was good, even very good, but didn’t compare to Hemingway’s version. I would still order it again it just didn’t inspire me to drive the Provobum crazy. Our dinners at Mango Reef are the most expensive of all our dinners on island. We usually after tipping end up spending over $120 for the two of us to have a drink, split and appetizer, have a meal and dessert each. And we leave ready to explode.
Day 10— Our last full day. We spent the morning on the beach at the resort and then had lunch at the deck next to the beach. I’m not sure it has a name but it was a lovely setting for lunch and they had a grill right there that they cooked our burgers on and we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. Then we went off to Ports of Call and did some shopping at Mama’s which is always a hoot. Mama and Mama’s sister are how we know them and these 2 ladies are just fun and friendly beyond the call of duty. I even saw Mama’s sister in the IGA parking lot one night when Steve was inside and she recognized me and talked with me for 30 minutes. Very friendly ladies and the prices in their shop are the most reasonable of all the shops there at Ports of Call. She has a back wall filled with discount t-shirts that if you can find the size you want are some great bargains. We went back to the resort and started the blender. I filled a gallon water bottle with frozen strawberry margaritas and we filled another cooler with coronas and went to the beach to share with all our new friends. Since we have to leave tomorrow we had to drink up or leave it behind . This was an absolute lovely day. Grace Bay was kicking up a bit but we still swam and enjoyed the waves. We chatted with friends and baked in the sun watching funnel clouds over the water. Rain over there and sunny over here…it was great. We stayed on the beach thru the sunset of course since it was to be our final sunset for at least a few months. It was a perfect sunset of course. And we finished all the margaritas thanks to the help of friends. We went to Sharkbite for dinner again and this time we sat right on the water and got to feed the fishes. It’s the child in me. It’s fun. We got to meet Shannon and Mike the owners and told them how much we enjoy there place. They were both very nice and welcoming. I had the fish and chips and Steve had ribs and we both were pleased with our selections. And it’s never an expense so I don’t remember the bill. Our last night we spent doing a couple loads of laundry and packing up the room so in the morning we’d be free to enjoy as much as possible.
Day 11—Sunday April 27, 2008 We got up later than I had hoped but thankfully we got a lot done the night before. We had a nice breakfast at Orchid and then spent an hour or so on the beach before checking out at 11. After we checked out we went to the airport and checked in and checked our luggage. It was just after noontime and there was no line for any airline. American had a few people around but USAir was completely empty and we walked right up to the counter, checked our luggage and were back in the car leaving within 10 minutes. Very nice. We were happy we did this and will always do this in the future. From there we went off to Da Conch Shack for our final lunch. This was the perfect way to spend our time on our last day. It was almost empty when we arrived and we got a table on the front facing the beach. We each got our own cracked conch plate and a couple beers and I remembered to take a picture of it just to make everyone’s mouth water. So anyway, while we were sitting there the place filled up. I mean I have never seen so many people at Da Conch Shack as I did that day. They guy on the beach cleaning the conchs had a huge crowd gathered around him and I thought it was a sign of our diminishing secret. The sky was black with clouds off in the distance but the sun shone over us and the seas sparkled with shades of blue. I tried to capture the black sky and blue ocean but it was way better in person. Mother Nature rocks. Our conch was perfect as expected and I learned we get 2 sides with the cracked conch and so I had the fries and rice & peas (the other day I wanted fries too but could only get one side for some reason) anyway the fries are very good. Skin still on, hand cut, mmmm yummy. The cracked conch plate is $14 and my favorite meal on island, bar none.
After lunch we drove around a bit and then filled up the gas tank. $5 a gallon, ouch! But it turns our we spent $35 for the whole week and we went where ever we wanted when ever we wanted so we thought that was pretty good. We arrived back at the airport at about 2:30 for our 3:20 departure. We left the car in the rental car drop off and gave the keys to the lady in the booth. We sat outside for a little while and had our final butt. Went thru security in a second since there was no line and into the waiting area to see our flight was almost half boarded. It gave Steve just enough time to go to the duty free shop before we boarded. Perfect timing, no hanging around the airport and no standing in lines. Note to self; always rent a car from start to finish.
Our flight home was non eventful other than an electric problem in one terminal in charlotte that caused security delays when we tried to get back in after going outside to smoke during out 2 hours plus layover. We got back in just in time for our flight after standing in security lines for an hour at 10pm at night…it was weird. They had to close all but one security area due to power problems and also lots of flights had been canceled so unhappy travelers were everywhere. We were just happy to have made it back thru in time since there were people wanting our seats to Boston. (I guess one of the canceled flights was to Boston).
So that’s the story. We had a great time. We learned a few things… Trip advisors are all crazy … There is black gunk on the soda cans (in the cases) and it will stain clothes… Asian people can’t hold their liquor… Thimble jellies are avoidable if in season… Mango Reef is Magik… We want a full kitchen in the future… Always have a rental car from the airport to the airport… Chachi really does love Joni… Explore other beaches early in the day… Camke is a skinny be-ach and a sweetheart… We liked the water temps in October way better… Nothing is ruined (yet) and paradise still exists…
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