Moveable Feasts Travels

Anse Chastanet: St. Lucia

2009-02-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever visited St. Lucia, I bet you’ve either been on a cruise or stayed at a resort near Castries. Not us. We discovered Anse Chastanet in a Fodor’s Caribbean guide many years ago, visited and fell in love with it- so much so that we return there as often as we can. We fly into the Hewanorra International Airport at Vieux Fort and a driver from Anse Chastanet picks us up. It’s still a hefty drive to the resort- about an hour, but the main roads have improved drastically over the past 10 years or so; I can remember when we were all carsick by the time we got out at the hotel. But still, the last mile or so climbs up a mountainside on a dreadful dirt road with potholes- it must be deliberately so; perhaps it will always be like that.

The drive from the airport: Soufriere on the right, Anse Chastanet in the distant middle.

I’ve nothing against Castries, we have visited this capital city of St. Lucia often enough. The boys play golf at the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club once every trip and my daughter and I have done some fun shopping in the local markets followed by a delightful lunch at The Green Parrot- a steep but short cab ride away.

The Green Parrot, courtesy of their website.

As I recall, there are two boats a day leaving from Anse Chastanet to Castries so you can go day-tripping when you like, or you can make special arrangements as my sons do for a golf outing. There is a lot of history here and it’s worth a trip. But Castries is a comparatively big city after all, and we come to St. Lucia for quiet time. Or as my children say: “we need to get on island time”.

On our first trip here long ago we arrived at night and it seemed as though we drove up a mountainside (not far from the truth) and were deposited in the middle of nowhere, rather like that movie Enchanted April. The only thing we didn’t have was rain; it was dark, we were exhausted and by the time we hiked up to our room, we fell into bed with mixed feelings, relief to finally be there and fear we might have made a bad decision. It was not quite like any other resort we had visited.

At night: the main resort entrance leading to reception area.

But in the morning….Wow. What a view. The Pitons in the distance and the ocean below.

And this is what greeted us on our coffee table. In fact, there were flowers and flowering branches all over our room.

Our first room- no other word for it but island-charming. Since then, we have stayed in a number of rooms AND in their new section, Jade Mountain. Some rooms look out over the ocean and others have the Piton view. Once, we stayed in a room that had a tree growing in the middle of it!

First things first. Where do I begin to describe the island? It is mountainous and beautiful. A small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. One of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain, between Martinique and St. Vincent, and north of Barbados. St. Lucia is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide. Its' dramatic twin coastal peaks, the Pitons, soar 2,000 feet up from the sea, sheltering magnificent rain forests where wild orchids, giant ferns and birds of paradise grow. Driving along, you will see fields and orchards of banana, coconut, mango, and papaya trees. The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rain forest preserves of St. Lucia's mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean's finest locales for hiking, biking and birdwatching. Not to be missed is St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcanic crater. There are even waterfalls here and there- but unfortunately as the island welcomes more tourists, they are not as hidden and private as they used to be. We used to wander in off the road and luxuriate under the cold waterfall; now there is a path and you are charged for dunking! Sometimes progress is disappointing.

Piton Falls, before the admission charge; my daughter and a friend.

If you want to look into other places to stay there are any number of them scattered about the island, ranging from small guesthouses to elegant resorts and even a choice of three different Sandals. A travel agent would be a big help, check good travel guides or go online.

But we are prejudiced: we adore Anse Chastanet. I can't imagine staying anyplace else. You feel at one with the island and nature; and although there is no air conditioning, between the ceiling fans and the night breezes the rooms are cool at night. All rooms are wide open to the lush gardens, trees, birds and the most beautiful vistas- no screens; in some rooms there are louvers on the windows as needed for privacy, but in most rooms, you are totally private- looking out over forested hills and mountains.

There are no TV sets and no phones in the rooms, something we appreciate; our cell phones work if necessary and there is a bank of phones by the reception area. There is also computer access in the reception area if you need it. As you can see in the photos, mosquito nets are above every bed. Some rooms have open air showers- you feel as though you are showering outside in the wilds.

One of our favorite bathroom and shower areas

(Sorry about our clothes laying on the beds!)

As with most vacation spots, the most important thing is the staff; after all, they are your first introduction to the resort. They were welcoming and friendly from our very first visit and welcome us back with open arms each time we return.

The resort itself is owned by Architect Nick Troubetzkoy and his wife Karolin, who are both firm believers in living with nature. Anse Chastanet is built along and around the sides of a rather steep hill. The estate encompasses 600 tropical acres bordering two soft volcanic sand beaches. Some of the rooms are down near the beach and 37 others are scattered up above the reception area, on both sides of a lush hillside. Some are octagonal wooden cottages and others are lovely suites or rooms that have marvelous balconies with fabulous views.

At the top of the aforementioned “hill” is the new Jade Mountain area- more about that later. The rooms are all furnished with handmade furniture made with local woods; pillows, spreads and fabrics make use of the charming madras pattern that predominates at this resort and is also used in aprons and caps worn by the staff. The women tie knots in the hats, numbers of knots indicating their marital status.

Photograph courtesy Anse Chastanet

Located in the center of the resort halfway up the hill, you will find the reception area, a breakfast area, two “treehouse” dining rooms and a bar- each a few steps up or down from one another. The walk down (and more importantly- up) to the beach from this area is a twisting trek of 120 stairs built into the hillside. It certainly is not a trip for the faint-hearted, but it’s great exercise and, if necessary, you could call for the complimentary shuttle from the beach to hillside level or to Jade Mountain.

The intersection of several levels, center hillside, for eating, drinking, reception.

We always have breakfast in the hillside restaurant with the birds flying all around. Of late, we have seen some small water pistols in the shape of seahorses to give a squirt at particularly annoying birds- they will eat off your plate while you go back for seconds at the buffet. Cute little sugar birds, but pesky.

My darling granddaughter trying to tame a sugar bird.

After breakfast, we all go our separate ways; some of us go diving with Scuba St. Lucia- which goes out twice a day. I really cannot say enough about the diving here; there is so much to see and the diving operation is well handled. They have locker space so I dump my snorkel gear in order to avoid hauling it up and down 120 steps each day. Some guests play golf in Castries, others have made arrangements to climb Petit Piton with a guide (my kids have done that several times), there is mountain biking, some take a tour of the botanical gardens or plantations in the area, or go see the Sulphur Springs, Volcano and the Diamond Mineral Baths, or you could take a rain forest hike; we have also gone horseback riding.

There are also two tennis courts on the grounds and assorted beach activities. Whether you want to have an active vacation or a quiet one, there are a lot of choices here; there are any number of guided tours and lectures to sign up for. You could even visit other islands nearby if that's your wish.

My granddaughter, the youngest diver ever at Scuba St. Lucia.

I am here for quiet time; so I pack up for the day (I am NOT going to walk back up that mountain until it’s time to change for dinner- I can usually talk one of my kids into fetching something for me!) and walk down to the black sand beach where there are tiki huts galore. I snorkel, read, go to the spa, shop- there are several small shops here- and lastly, look through the art gallery. I have purchased many things here for my home- wooden figures, artwork of all kinds and even pottery, all locally made.

Anse Chastanet's black sand beach and tiki huts

The nearest town to Anse Chastanet is Soufriere. There is not much there- a few shops on the waterfront. It's biggest claim to fame is the absolutely ghastly movie Creature starring Craig Nelson. It was filmed here.

A street in Soufriere with a storm brewing over the mountains

We usually all meet for a late lunch at the Trou au Diable restaurant on the beach- the only meal not included in the room rate. There is also afternoon tea served here- and a busy and always entertaining bar. Once a week a dinner buffet is served down at this beach restaurant- it is always a beautifully presented buffet and quite tasty. On the other six nights there is an Indian theme menu titled APSARA in this same location.

Trou au Diable bar and restaurant

However, at night we prefer the Treehouse restaurants up on the hillside. They are also open air restaurants but these are nestled among the treetops. Treehouse I has been here since the beginning and we find it charming. All the tables overlook the forest, although in the one pictured you are seeing the art on the wall behind.

Treehouse I

Treehouse II is new and quite glamorous as you can see; the view is just as spectacular.

TreehouseII and Bar (look at those wood carvings!)
Photograph courtesy of Anse Chastanet

The food is quite good, using island grown products and offering a limited menu each night- but with several courses. There could be some improvement here, but with the special one night a week buffet on the beach and the Indian food nights along with some local restaurants AND Jade Mountain's new restaurant (which I think resort guests can use) there is enough variety to please everyone.

The grounds include an old and tropical plantation called Anse Mamin with numerous cocoa trees on the grounds for guests to see and for Anse Chastanet to produce their own chocolates. In Anse Mamin you will find turmeric, cashews, tamarind, mango, avocado, oranges, tangerines, guavas, papaya, coconut, breadfruit, yams and sweet potatoes. The garden and farm include vanilla beans, bay leaf, nutmeg trees, cinnamon trees, and numerous varieties of mango, sour orange, and coconut trees. The Emerald farm grows greens, vegetables, and herbs for the restaurant. Anse Chastanet has a close relationship with many fishermen in town which gives them access to the freshest fish. You can even special order lobster for the next night if you wish and if it's available. There is a bar up here as well and usually island entertainment every night- especially during the holidays. Christmas at St. Lucia is great fun- Santa comes around during dinner, gives everyone a lovely gift and there is a champagne breakfast Christmas Day.

Every once in a while we want to dine away from Anse Chastanet. We order a cab and here are some of our favorites: The Humming Bird in Soufriere; The Jalousie Hilton (air conditioned!); Dascheene at Ladera, a smashing small hotel mid island which has a talented chef (Chef Orlando) and a marvelous shop where we often find exquisite wooden jewelry and island wear; Dascheene is fun for lunch as the view is spectacular. Lastly, The Rainforest Hideaway on Marigot Bay- we take a boat to go there- delicious and fun.

Ladera Resort and Dascheene restaurant

You will find the most marvelous hand-carved wood art around the hotel- in the rooms, in the restaurants, everywhere. In the on-site art gallery you will find a lot of local art for sale. I especially love the hand-painted pottery by Wild Orchid Designs and have brought much of it home with me; Anse Chastanet will ship the bigger pieces. There are many talented local artists represented here; among them we especially like Lawrence Deligny who has done most of the large wood carvings (my daughter, son and I each have his pieces in our homes- he carved a beautiful seahorse-headed walking cane for my daughter) scattered around Anse Chastanet and we think he is brilliant; for funky we like Matthew Paul who signs his name Matthew Edge- as in living on the edge- and down on the beach, you will find several ladies with jewelry and island dolls for sale and usually Sunshine Biscuit- another wood artist. Look what he made for me- they sit on a bedroom table:

By Sunshine Biscuit

By Lawrence Deligny

Recently, The Troubleskys built an addition to the resort called Jade Mountain. As I mentioned, it is at the very top of the hill; rather an unusual but attractive structure with fabulous rooms.

Jade Mountain, back side

We had the opportunity to stay in one of these rooms a couple years ago and the views are stupendous, the rooms breath-taking. There is lovely dining offered here called "Jade Cuisine" created by James Beard award winner, Chef Allen Susser. Jade Mountain can use all the facilities of Anse Chastanet, but not the reverse. The rooms here, of course, are much more expensive and would be super for a honeymoon.

Jade Mountain, overlooking our infinity pool to the Pitons in the distance.

The open bath and shower area on a level up

And now I suppose you'll want to know the skinny on room rates. First of all, Anse Chastanet requests you do not bring children under the age of four. Whether this will change in the future I don't know. It is a quiet and peaceful resort- at least in the hillside rooms- perhaps everyone wants to keep it that way. You might also check to see if this age limit is raised or lowered during Christmas or other holidays.

Amazingly, after years of having to stop in either Puerto Rico or Jamaica there are now non-stop flights from Miami. Prices for these flights depend on the time of year and the class of service. Perhaps you have some frequent flyer miles to use, that's what we try to do.

Anse Chastanet room prices depend on the room and location. We have tried them all. Off season rates range from $300 a night to $600. During high season, you can figure double these prices. Breakfast and dinner are included in this price and there are packages galore. This is one resort worth saving for. Jade Montain, of course, is much more expensive.

As you can see, we are terribly fond of Anse Chastanet and feel it is one of the better Caribbean resorts; it is unusual, very native, very natural and you are treated like family. So many resorts give little thought to nature; Anse Chastanet blends in with nature and the privacy is just what the doctor ordered. Island time.

Venice

2008-11-06T05:03:00.000-08:00

There is only one word to describe Venezia: enchanting. No matter how much time I spend there, it is never long enough to see all there is to see or to have my fill of this glorious city. I photograph everything with my mind as well as with my camera; ancient religious statues in little niches in walls, fading colors and crumbling cement, water glittering under charming bridges and bustling with activity in the Grand Canal, gondolas with their colorful gondoliers, music in unexpected places, art to die for in cool, dark churches, the colors, smells and bustle of the Rialto market early in the morning and all the nooks and crannies Venice abounds in. One could spend hours lazily watching the activity on the canals. My eyes are so filled with stars I don't even see the touristy over-priced restaurants, the tacky souvenir shops, the crowds of people and the thousands of fat pigeons in the Piazza San Marco. It passes right over my head and I long to start wandering this marvelous city.

My first trip many years ago set the mood for all my following trips: we arrived at night, Venice suddenly appeared in front of us in the distance and we watched, charmed, as the city grew in front of our eyes. Our hotel, Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal, was on the water and once up in our room we threw open our shutters and leaned out the window not wanting to miss anything. On our way to dinner, as we crossed one of Venice's many little bridges, a gondola appeared below with a hatted gondolier, a young couple and, believe it or not, a tenor singing an aria. Could you doubt for a minute that I couldn't wait to get back and spend more time here?

On our most recent trip, we stayed once again at Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal; again we arrived at night and watched Venice appear like magic.

The hotel has a great location and fabulous views over the Grand Canal, the Church of Santa Maria della Salute and the island of San Giorgio. It has been newly renovated and is really charming, retaining its old world elegance while introducing a contemporary decor. I can't praise them enough for their service; one of us became ill while visiting and a doctor was there in 15 minutes. Now I grant you this is a pricey hotel, but my granddaughter had never been to Venice and we wanted her to see it the way I did on my first trip.

In this same price bracket (and also on the Grand Canal) is the Hotel Danieli; another charming old world hotel. I won't spend much time talking about hotels as there are many to choose from in Venice; any travel agent can help you find one to fit your budget. However, another favorite (and very inexpensive) is the Pensione Accademia; very small, it offers offers two large gardens for breakfast al fresco and is close to the Accademia Gallery. It's in the Dorsoduro district, one of the most peaceful areas of Venice, adjacent to the Grand Canal.

One of the biggest charms of Venice is getting lost. Very easy to do with all the narrow streets, alleys and tiny bridges, but that's the way you find out-of-the-way churches, some of the nicer shops and workshops owned by old fashioned artisans and the niches, nooks and crannies I spoke of. Besides, there are maps and the concierge at your hotel will be extremely helpful.

Everyone should cruise the Grand Canal: Whether seen by gondola or by water bus, Venice's Main Street is something from another world. Although many will tell you the gondolas of Venice are a tourist trap and can be quite expensive, where else can you have the experience of riding an authentic Venetian gondola? You should try it once. It's fascinating. First the bustle of the Grand Canal and then the gondolier takes you up and down and around the smaller canals. So peaceful.

On every list of "must sees" you will find the following listed first: San Marco Square. This is the main square of the city, it’s home to the beautiful Byzantine basilica of San Marco, the patron saint of Venice, and to the Doges Palace the symbol of the Venetian Republic and the most conspicuous feature of the city, the 91m high Campanile San Marco.And then around the corner is the famous Bridge of Sighs, which connects the palace with public prisons and was the route by which prisoners were taken to and from the judgement hall. The Bridge of Sighs was the last bridge prisoners walked over before being thrown into the dungeon or executed, so the sighs came from realizing that the view through the bridge’s cutwork was their last view of Venice. But my favorite bridge is The Rialto Bridge. The Rialto, dating from the 1500s, was the first bridge to span the Grand Canal, and it has shops lining both sides. More important for a foodie like me, it also heralds the area of the Rialto market, an enormous open market where you can find anything from spices to eels. Be sure to go there early! It's open Monday through Saturday, but the fish market is closed on Monday. And you don't want to miss the fish market! You can spend hours here and wish you had your kitchen and refrigerator nearby. We always end up with some lovely fruit (which we eat immediately as we walk around) and spices (which we put in our suitcases). This is an extraordinary market, world famous and should not be missed.

And then there is Venetian glass; it's everywhere. From enormous objects d'art to chandeliers, to some of the most beautiful crystal glasses you will ever see. In some shops you can find lovely glass jewelry; in others you can find glass beads to take home for your own projects. We found some wonderful artisans; they are worth searching for.
If you have time, visit Murano, located north of Venice; it's famous for its beautiful, hand-blown glass. There’s a glass museum there, and many glass-making shops; you can go into the factories and see the glass blowers shaping the lovely pieces as they are being made. The glass blowers were moved to Murano long ago to lessen the chance of fires in Venice, and they have remained there ever since; you can find less expensive prices on the fine glass there than in the Venice shops, and you can bargain with the shops for even lower prices.

There are also day tours to the mountains and day trips to Burano and Torcello, two more of the lagoon islands. I must confess I have never taken the side trips, but would love sometime to eat at the Fortuny Restaurant at The Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca Island.

Art. It is everywhere. In churches, in architecture, on the gondolas, secreted away in wall niches, on a wall in a restaurant. There are the museums: The Venier dei Leoni Palace is the headquarters of the famous Peggy Guggenheim art collection and contains works by Picasso, Klee and Kandinskij. The Accademia Gallery holds a vast collection of Venetian painters from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The Ca'd'Oro, one of the most beautiful monuments of Venice, is now the seat of the Franchetti Gallery. I love wandering and finding the art in churches. Any guidebook worth its salt will list churches, locations (good luck with that) and a brief description of the paintings in each. We were fortunate to have my daughter along, who knows her way around Venice. But even she finds new surprises every trip- it is part of the charm of Venice.

Do you adore exploring old churches? You can have your fill in Venice. One afternoon we happened upon a choir sitting casually on church steps and giving an impromptu concert. There are some really important churches: of course St. Mark's Basilica in St. Marks Square; Santa Maria dei Frari, a monumental church in Gothic style containing numerous works of art, including the altarpiece of the Assumption by Titian and a wooden statue by Donatello; Church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo- the biggest Gothic church in Venice; Santa Maria della Salute, while a minor basilica is probably the most photographed and its location and prominence on the canal make it famous. It has an interesting history, although most churches do. In October of 1630, after nearly a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens had been killed by plague, the Venetian Senate made an offer to God: "Stop the plague, and we'll build a church to honor the Virgin Mary." God came through, or maybe the onset of cooler weather reduced the population of plague-ridden fleas. No matter the reason, the plague was stopped in its tracks. The Venetian authorities honored their promise by giving the Virgin a prime chunk of real estate near the tip of Dorsoduro, where the Grand Canal merged with St. Mark's Basin. (As you can see it was being renovated during our visit):

And the last two: Chiesa della Madonna dell'Orto, where there are 10 paintings by Tintoretto and Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli which houses Nicolo di Pietro's Virgin and Child—a painting believed to have miraculous powers.

In your meanderings, you will find shopping is a real pleasure as you discover little shops, compare prices of the things you can't resist and then return later to purchase. I never buy anything I cannot carry home. Shipping is hideously expensive, it may arrive in pieces and who can afford to buy much in Europe now anyway? The fun is looking! Antiquing is a joy here, although prices are prohibitive. I won't list clothing and shoe stores because there are simply too many and they are easy to find. But we do have a few favorite shops: for masks, Max Art Shop, Frezzeria S. Marco, 1232. This shop is a Venetian carnival wonderland. Masks are all hand made and painted/decorated by artisans. Several years ago I purchased a mask made entirely of leaves, acorns and corn husks; we saw several that were reminiscent of this style. They have anything and everything. Elegant, funky, funny and decorative. The mask below I bought last year; isn't he wonderful?

Another favorite is Vetri a lume di Amadi - Calle Saoneri - San Polo 2747; you will find a world of animals: beetles, birds, butterflies, rabbits, fish, made with a thousand colors of glass. If you go with children, be careful; everything here is fragile. I couldn't resist this exquisite glass anemone:

We found all of these shops accidentally, merely wandering around and peeking in all the doors and windows. You will find just as many favorites of your own when you go. The last one I will mention is Venetian Dreams, Calle della Mandola 3805. They had some wonderful handmade bags (along with other fabulous items);

Did you think I had forgotten food? I could never forget that; it's on my mind most of the time! Please don't be in a hurry and eat at the most convenient place you find. You will be disappointed. We love these two restaurants for lunch and they are worth searching for:

Antica Locanda Montin, Fondamenta di Borgo, 1147. The charm is sitting outside in the beautiful spring weather; the food is spectacular.

And yet another fabulous place for lunch: Trattoria alla Madonna, Calle della Madonna, Rialto 594. As you can see from the address, this is in the Rialto market area. The fish here is mouth-watering.

For dinner, there are so many restaurants to choose from. The first night, because we arrived so late, we ate out on the water at our hotel's restaurant, The Grand Canal. It was delicious. But to narrow the dining list down just a bit, and if food is really important to you, you can't miss with any of these three beyond perfect restaurants: Corte Sconta, Calle del Pestrin, 3886; Da Ivo, Calle dei Fuseri, San Marco 1809; and lastly, Antico Martini, Sestiere San Marco, 2007. I had the most perfect asparagus I have ever tasted at Antico Martini.

We had a drink at Caffe Florian in the Piazza San Marco late in the afternoon every single day; you can't beat the view, it's relaxing, there is live music, you feel as though you are finally a true Venetian, and the crowds in the piazza have started to thin out by cocktail time. Anyway, it is super people-watching.

Of course, there is Harry's Bar and his famous Bellinis; you really should go there just to have one, to be a part of history. But sitting in the Piazza San Marco at Caffe Florian until the sun goes down is soooo romantic and just plain WOW.

We saw as much of Venice as we could during our short trip and I am already planning my return. I always feel that way as I leave the magic city in the distance. Ciao, Venice!

Harbour Island, Bahamas

2008-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

We've been to most of the islands in the Caribbean but this past summer we only had a week and decided to check out Harbour Island in the Bahamas. It's a 50 minute trip from Fort Lauderdale in a small plane (with your knees pretty much crunched to your chest); you land at the North Eleuthera Airport, take a taxi to the dock and then a short boat/ferry ride across to Harbour Island. The taxi from the airport, the ferry and the taxi to the hotel each cost $5 per person.

Harbour Island is 3.5 miles long by 1.5 miles wide, a small, quaint island of narrow streets filled with pastel cottages surrounded by palm trees and lush bougainvillea. I don't mean you won't see dilapidated houses and piles of trash here and there, because you will. Nonetheless, we were delighted by the old homes and the down home island flavor of everything. They have an enormous chicken population on the island which actually may surpass their local population. The hens and roosters pop up everywhere as you walk or drive around; the crowing goes on all day but you get used to it. The beach is the charm here; it is 3 miles long and a heavenly pink sand against the turquoise water. If you like to run or walk on the beach, you will love it as the sand is firm and easy to exercise on.

The main mode of travel, aside from walking, is by golf cart; we rented one for the week. We got ours through our hotel (because we didn't know when we arrived it would be a necessity) although someone later told us the cheapest place to rent was right near the dock. Most activities are water or beach oriented and you have to be able to find your own amusements. If you want to be entertained or are looking for activities for your kids, this is not the island for you. It's very laid back, you sure won't need a tie or a little black dress and if you want nightlife, you mix with the islanders at their haunts. Surprisingly, you can ride a horse bareback on the pink sands of the beach- they were located right next to our hotel on the beach. We found tooling around in the golf cart a really fun way to see every nook and cranny of the island, although we got soaking wet the one day we spent sightseeing. Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Gustav was stirring in the Caribbean during our trip and we had quite a bit of rain.
My daughter and son are divers so they had looked into diving groups on the island. There appear to be two and Valentines was recommended by a friend; unfortunately, because of the weather they were only able to go out three days, and although they had one frightening day with some inexperienced divers, they were pleased enough with the dive group; the dives were good, but not outstanding.

If you like to shop, or just want to wander around, you will find lots to do in Dunmore Town; we liked shopping in the afternoon and found straw vendors lining Bay Street, nice jewelry, clothes- lots of decorative odds and ends along with the t-shirt shops. Look especially for Dilly Dally, Island Treasures, Shells and Things and The Blue Rooster. You'll find lots more just walking around. Unfortunately, the art gallery was closed. Our biggest help locating the interesting shops was our breakfast waitress; she was nice enough to name the best and locate them on an excellent map of the island. The Pink Sands Hotel has a nice boutique.

One of the quirkiest sights is an intersection referred to as "Uncle Ralph's Aura Corner". It is a collection of hand painted signs, some printable, some not. I read someplace that if you take a photo, you should leave some change and Uncle Ralph will give it to the medical center. Unfortunately, we did not know that at the time.

A friend recommended our hotel, The Coral Sands. It has a sister hotel, The Pink Sands, which is double the price yet located right next door and they are on the identical stretch of beach. We were very happy with the hotel; our room was not luxurious, but excellent and was air-conditioned which was nice as it is almost a necessity what with the humidity of August in the tropics; however, our bathroom left a lot to be desired and I believe it was scheduled to be remodeled. The rooms are no doubt the difference between the two hotels, though we did not take the time to look at a room in The Pink Sands. Coral Sands photos below (lobby, pool and dining area):

The lobby of The Pink Sands:
As far as eating was concerned, we were rather unlucky as many places were closed due to the time of year so our choices were limited. Food is expensive here. The one grocery story has very little in the way of food and after speaking with someone who has a home in these islands, they have to go quite a way for decent provisions. As on most islands, food has to be imported and this always makes for pricey meals. If you go on a budget please keep this in mind; our meals were costlier than we expected. However I must tell you the chefs on this island are superb. We never had a bad meal anyplace. I would not be exaggerating to say our meals were spectacular. We are foodies and therefore fussy and knowledgeable about dining. We ate at our hotel, The Coral Sands, at The Pink Sands and a restaurant in a hotel called Rock House Hotel, which looks like a fun place to stay (the sunsets there are unreal) but unfortunately it is not on the beach which we wanted. Be sure to order a Goombay Smash here!

Sunset at Rock House and their pool area below:

Of course there are lots of small, inexpensive places to eat (and takeout) as well. You will find many of them scattered around Dunmore Town; we especially loved Queen Conch. They have odd hours though (that could have been the timing of our visit- off season); you place your order and tell them when you are coming back to pick it up. Their conch salad is to die for. They actually have listed possible ingredients and you can pick and choose what you would like in it. Ask your hotel or any locals where to go for lunch and dinner. Or check out this website which I think is informative and amusing: http://www.myharbourisland.com/
As far as nightlife is concerned, try Gusty's or Vic-Hums or both!

The old fishing dock, where you can buy fish:

We noticed a big influx of people on a Friday and decided that many Floridians come over for long weekends; it is such a quick trip from Florida and the time it takes to get from the airport to the dock to Harbour Island is under half an hour. The one thing you have to be ready for- flight delays. Most of us are already used to delays, but there are lots more in the tropics because of the frequent (and quickly formed) storms that arise in the afternoons.
If you are looking for a relaxing time on an cozy, laid back island, you will love Harbour Island.