This morning we had coffee on the veranda before eventually heading down to breakfast. It looked like the rain had passed but immediately after we sat down it started again so we went inside the restaurant to eat.
We have checked out and are lounging in the shade by the pool. We will have lunch at the Mango Reef on the beach before we grab a taxi to the airport.
Although it is sad vacation is ending it was so relaxing I feel terrific. Scott an I got along very well on this trip. It is a feat for anyone to endure me for six days. We agreed the Alexandra really is the perfect resort. It has all the amenities including one of the best beachfront restaurants.
This was the first day Scott did not go scuba diving. Instead of waking up to an alarm and rushing through breakfast we go to sleep in and have a relaxing breakfast at the beachfront restaurant. After breakfast we sat on the beach for a while. Clouds and some sprinkles rolled in so we are now up on the veranda waiting for it to pass.
We will spend the afternoon on the beach. Later today we will walk up to Regent Village. Scott wants to go to the scuba shop and we both want to find souvenir t-shirts. We will have dinner at the Ocean Club West’s Seaside Cafe.
The walk to the scuba shop is about 1.5 miles and the sky looked threatening so we took a cab. It was the correct choice because it rained hard for a short while. We would have been soaked dogs walking along the beach. The Regent Village and Salt Mills shopping district around the scuba shop is an odd mix of very high end retail and vacant storefronts.
We walked to the Seven Stars’ beachfront bar for a couple drinks (as we had our first day on the island). We missed the sunset because of the rain but the skies cleared and it was a beautiful night.
I was slightly disappointed when we arrived at the Seaside Cafe. It did not look very impressive. The food we were served could have come from any four star restaurant. My ahi tuna was fantastic.
Somehow the walk back did not seem very long. We had another drink on the veranda then I went to the restaurant for dessert and coffee. It was another early night.
We had dinner at Hemmingways in the Sands resort. We originally debated whether to stay at the Sands or the Alexandra. The Sands was very nice too and we really liked the restaurant. It had a beachfront view and a great musician. He was talented but I still think the Caribbean is where easy listening goes to die.
Thoughts to be organized later …
I risked the chance of being charged twenty dollars for a local call to make a dinner reservation at Bagatelle. It is far west on the island at the Gansevoot resort. Theireviews were very high but I was not prepared for the experience we had.
Walking west on the beach took us past many empty properties. There are resorts but fewer than to the east. It is a shame they are not identified with signs on the beach because we kept having to walk into each one to find if we had reached our destination.
The Gansevoot (Dutch name) is a very hip, posh hotel. Wearing shorts and a linen shirt I almost felt underdressed. Most men were in khakis and most women were in dresses. Speaking of the women, we now know where the trophy wives like to vacation.
The restaurant, for some unknown reason renamed the Stelle, was beautiful, nestled under a canopy of palms. The food was excellent. Scott introduced me to beef carpaccio. I introduced him to Malbec wine. I had a blackened lobster tail. It was the best dinner experience I have ever had..
