Jetblue flight horribly delayed due to a problem with the plane. Butch and I ditched everyone at the airport and are flying home on American.
Good luck to the rest of the gang.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
I will not have a salad. Thank you.
Walked into town last night for dinner.
We ate at Maydays which is owned by a couple who hail from Austria and Hungary. The Mayday's menu has both local dishes and dishes from the owner's home countries. I had Wiener Schnitzel. In the Caribbean. It was as good as any that I had in Vienna. Not that I'm an expert.
Here we are with our complimentary shots of local rum. It tasted like Scotch. Not that I'm an expert.
After breakfast at Castaways this morning, we had our last swim in the ocean. As you can imagine, none of us are too excited about returning to the cold weather.
I leave you with some parting shots.
The bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace" and walking into the sea.
Jeff with his "workout buddy" in the distance.
Sunset on the beach
We figured out who owns the house we've been enjoying all week: Brigitte Vosse. http://nymag.com/listings/stores/brigitte_nyc/
This will be my last post of the trip unless something exciting happens on our return flight. Stay tuned for my next trip...
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Last full day. Sigh.
Today is our last full day in Antigua. The car arrives at 1 pm tomorrow to take us back to the cold. It's always fun to be on vacation but I do miss NYC.
Last night's dinner at Castaways was very good. The Friday night BBQ includes an ample buffet of local food.
JetBlue has still not refunded us for our canceled flights here or for our checked bag fees. When JetBlue works it is great but when it doesn't you don't have that many options. I prefer the bigger airlines. They have more options to re-route you when problems arise.
We had this brilliant idea to open all the windows in the van this morning to let it air out. Unfortunately, the plan went awry when it poured for about 10 minutes this morning. A good soaking is not doing anything to dispel the musty smell.
We spent the day hanging around the villa and swimming in the ocean.
Butch and I climbed up to the hills overlooking the beach this morning.
From the hills overlooking our beach, we saw another beach along the mouth of the harbor. Butch, Eric and I went exploring this afternoon to find that other beach. I was on my bike and Butch and Eric were in the golf cart. There are 365 beaches in Antigua and everyone is slightly different. The beach near the mouth of the harbor is called North Beach and the water is much clearer since it is protected inside the harbor.
The view of North Beach from the hills
Not sure what we are doing for dinner tonight. I think we are going into town.
More pictures of the gang
Last night's dinner at Castaways was very good. The Friday night BBQ includes an ample buffet of local food.
JetBlue has still not refunded us for our canceled flights here or for our checked bag fees. When JetBlue works it is great but when it doesn't you don't have that many options. I prefer the bigger airlines. They have more options to re-route you when problems arise.
We had this brilliant idea to open all the windows in the van this morning to let it air out. Unfortunately, the plan went awry when it poured for about 10 minutes this morning. A good soaking is not doing anything to dispel the musty smell.
We spent the day hanging around the villa and swimming in the ocean.
Butch and I climbed up to the hills overlooking the beach this morning.
Our villa is on the South Beach of Jolly Harbour. I highly recommend staying in Jolly Harbour if you are planning a visit. The South Beach is very long and not very crowded. The people from the cruise ships are here on Thursdays and Fridays but they congregate around Castaways and leave by late afternoon. Dickenson Bay is a beautiful beach but it is too crowded. Hawksbill Beach was our favorite beach but it is so remote that I don't recommend staying there. Jolly Harbour has both a great beach and a town with restaurants and bars.
From the hills overlooking our beach, we saw another beach along the mouth of the harbor. Butch, Eric and I went exploring this afternoon to find that other beach. I was on my bike and Butch and Eric were in the golf cart. There are 365 beaches in Antigua and everyone is slightly different. The beach near the mouth of the harbor is called North Beach and the water is much clearer since it is protected inside the harbor.
The view of North Beach from the hills
Not sure what we are doing for dinner tonight. I think we are going into town.
More pictures of the gang
Friday, January 29, 2016
Of Rain and Devils
As you read from the previous post, our grand plan was to get up early, pack lunches and spend the day on the eastern side of the island.
Everything was going perfectly. We left just past 8 with our swimming gear, sandwiches and a cooler full of adult beverages.
We arrived at Devil's Bridge just past 9. Devil's Bridge is a natural arch carved into the limestone by the ocean waves. All the literature says to not cross the bridge since it is very slippery and the current is very strong below.
Here is Eric winning the Horse's Ass award for the trip. Yup. That's him crossing the bridge.
After spending some time exploring the Devil's Bridge park, we drove over to Long Bay Beach with the intention of staying there until early afternoon.
At Long Bay, we finally found some clear water. Here are the underwater pictures you've all been waiting for
Unfortunately, soon after I took these pictures. It started to rain and rain and rain. We decided to return to the villa to eat those yummy sandwiches.
We've spent the afternoon relaxing around the villa. It rains on and off for a few minutes at a time. We are going to the bonfire and BBQ at Castaways tonight.
Everything was going perfectly. We left just past 8 with our swimming gear, sandwiches and a cooler full of adult beverages.
We arrived at Devil's Bridge just past 9. Devil's Bridge is a natural arch carved into the limestone by the ocean waves. All the literature says to not cross the bridge since it is very slippery and the current is very strong below.
Here is Eric winning the Horse's Ass award for the trip. Yup. That's him crossing the bridge.
After spending some time exploring the Devil's Bridge park, we drove over to Long Bay Beach with the intention of staying there until early afternoon.
At Long Bay, we finally found some clear water. Here are the underwater pictures you've all been waiting for
Unfortunately, soon after I took these pictures. It started to rain and rain and rain. We decided to return to the villa to eat those yummy sandwiches.
We've spent the afternoon relaxing around the villa. It rains on and off for a few minutes at a time. We are going to the bonfire and BBQ at Castaways tonight.
Don't forget to Air Wick the van
Today, we are going on our farthest excursion of the week not counting Trinidad of course.
We are going to see Devil's Bridge which is possibly the farthest point east on the island. Antigua is not a very big island which adds to its charms. Any trip in the van first requires us to open all the windows and apply a liberal dousing of Air Wick.
At dinner last night, we all decided this is our favorite island so far. The beaches are beautiful, there are many things to see and do and it is easy to get around.
Butch and I insisted on walking to dinner last night so the remaining 5 rode in the golf cart. "Svelte" was never a word used to describe anyone in this group so you can only imagine the strain on that ancient cart.
We ate dinner at The Firehouse Grill last night. I highly recommend it and not just because the waitress joined in to our non-stop teasing of Jeff.
Speaking of Jeff, he has mad skills. We stopped at 2 bars after dinner. He fell asleep sitting up at the first one. We woke him up upon leaving only to have him promptly fall asleep at the second bar. We ordered him a beer anyway. As we were leaving, we noticed his beer was empty. With no one noticing and seemingly while asleep, Jeff managed to drink his beer. Now that is impressive.
Here we are enjoying some after dinner conversation
Enjoying the water
Next update upon our return from the far east.
We are going to see Devil's Bridge which is possibly the farthest point east on the island. Antigua is not a very big island which adds to its charms. Any trip in the van first requires us to open all the windows and apply a liberal dousing of Air Wick.
At dinner last night, we all decided this is our favorite island so far. The beaches are beautiful, there are many things to see and do and it is easy to get around.
Butch and I insisted on walking to dinner last night so the remaining 5 rode in the golf cart. "Svelte" was never a word used to describe anyone in this group so you can only imagine the strain on that ancient cart.
We ate dinner at The Firehouse Grill last night. I highly recommend it and not just because the waitress joined in to our non-stop teasing of Jeff.
Speaking of Jeff, he has mad skills. We stopped at 2 bars after dinner. He fell asleep sitting up at the first one. We woke him up upon leaving only to have him promptly fall asleep at the second bar. We ordered him a beer anyway. As we were leaving, we noticed his beer was empty. With no one noticing and seemingly while asleep, Jeff managed to drink his beer. Now that is impressive.
Here we are enjoying some after dinner conversation
Enjoying the water
Next update upon our return from the far east.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Soaring to new heights
I'm writing this while listening to some bagpipers playing (blowing, squeezing? Not sure what the right term is) out on the beach. Amazing.
Today, Butch, Jamie and I decided to drive down to the English Harbour while the rest of the gang opted to spend the day at the villa. Personally, I feel like our decision was better. We toured Nelson's Dockyard and drove up to Shirley's Heights. The view from Shirley's Heights is breathtaking.
So far this is my favorite picture from the trip
The rest of the gang lounged around the pool, swam in the ocean and made a few trips to Castaways. My readers can decide who had the better day.
Before leaving this morning, Butch and I walked over to town to rent a golf cart for the rest of the gang. Butch is getting tired of needing the horrible van for all the beer runs. Readers of the previous island blogs will not be surprised to learn that this van is just as bad as all the others. In addition, this van came equipped with a very strong musty smell free of charge.
After we finish the round of Pina Coladas that Eric just made, we are heading into town for dinner.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
You had me at all-you-can-drink...
We had such a great time at the Rex Resort at Hawksbill Beach that we decided to try their resort at Dickenson Bay.
Same deal at Dickenson Bay - $40 per person for all you can eat and drink. We were surprised the other hotel did not call ahead to warn them about us. While the food at the Dickenson Bay hotel was better, the drinks were much too sweet for me. The bartender Heleen was as good as Millie though. She and her staff took excellent care of us all day.
Dickenson Bay is an absolutely beautiful beach but it's more crowded and more commercial than the other beaches we visited. This is one of the beaches visited by the throngs of people from the cruise ships. We were hoping for clear water for snorkeling but the water was just as sandy and cloudy as the other beaches. I think we need to go farther out from shore to get to a good snorkeling spot.
I don't want my readers to think I've become jaded just 3 days into vacation. Dickenson Bay is an amazing beach but it pales in comparison to the others we have visited so far.
Selfie taken with the underwater camera. The water was too cloudy for an actual underwater selfie.
After a hectic day at the beach, we returned to the villa for some much needed R&R.
We are all questioning Jeff's decision to go with the SPF 4 so early into the trip. Let's see how he feels tomorrow.
Inspired by the Jane Fonda-esque beach workout routine of our banana hammock wearing neighbor, we decided to attempt some beach exercise of our own.
File this under #worst_pryamid_ever,
Same deal at Dickenson Bay - $40 per person for all you can eat and drink. We were surprised the other hotel did not call ahead to warn them about us. While the food at the Dickenson Bay hotel was better, the drinks were much too sweet for me. The bartender Heleen was as good as Millie though. She and her staff took excellent care of us all day.
Dickenson Bay is an absolutely beautiful beach but it's more crowded and more commercial than the other beaches we visited. This is one of the beaches visited by the throngs of people from the cruise ships. We were hoping for clear water for snorkeling but the water was just as sandy and cloudy as the other beaches. I think we need to go farther out from shore to get to a good snorkeling spot.
I don't want my readers to think I've become jaded just 3 days into vacation. Dickenson Bay is an amazing beach but it pales in comparison to the others we have visited so far.
Selfie taken with the underwater camera. The water was too cloudy for an actual underwater selfie.
After a hectic day at the beach, we returned to the villa for some much needed R&R.
We are all questioning Jeff's decision to go with the SPF 4 so early into the trip. Let's see how he feels tomorrow.
Inspired by the Jane Fonda-esque beach workout routine of our banana hammock wearing neighbor, we decided to attempt some beach exercise of our own.
File this under #worst_pryamid_ever,
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