Having had a very pleasant and relaxing flight from LGW we emerged from the terminal to discover that the taxi driver we had been given evidently thought we were a little too laid back and needed some stimulation. I didn’t know that Toyota mini vans, loaded with 8 people and their luggage, could go quite so fast nor (it would appear) be equipped with technology to see round the hairpin bends. [:0] It was a 90 minute experience we won’t forget in a hurry.
On arrival at the Inn we had our first taste of the ambience that we’d read about on TripAdvisor. Completed the form, handed the key, luggage portered to the room and then…it’s up to you. No introductory spiel, no selling of trips, just a minimal set of instructions about the facilities and a “Welcome” fruit plate and bottle of rum. They’ve omitted things some may consider essential (as you can see from the number of “no…” statements), but added in so many other ways. Now this means they won’t appeal to everybody, but it suited us down to the ground.
Accommodation is either in bungalows (“de luxe”) or hexagonal dwellings (“superior”) with 30 rooms in total scattered through the grounds. We’d opted for one of the “superior” jobs – these are generally closer to the beach and restaurant than the “de luxe” rooms – and found a simple, well executed, design. A single living / sleeping space (huge bed) with an attached bathroom (large, walk in, shower, no bath, and hallelujah ! clean, scratchy, towels – I expect them to be clean, of course, but have a hatred of fluffy towels). Tiled floors. Wooden slatted windows, no glass (though insect screened). No aircon, but a remote control ceiling fan. Outside, a seating area shaded by a cabana style thatch. Oh, and umbrellas provided – not surprising given the season…
Definitely set up for the romantic time a deux; no TV (the “de luxe” rooms have a TV and DVD player), candles, shower space for two, fridge stocked (and restocked every day) with complementary soft drinks, bottled water and beer. Romance rather restricted though by presence of teenage daughter (brought our own).
Exploration revealed the pool (including swim up, serve yourself, bar), a large number of cabana style shadings with recliners just off the public beach and the main restaurant / bar / clubhouse. All have the hexagonal theme and are open to catch the breeze. (I think the only aircon unit I saw was for the kitchen).
And so the days passed. Breakfast – beach / read– lunch – beach / read – dinner / cards. Great play is made of the food and the chef’s skills. There were always options on the 4 course dinner menu (plantain chips and avocado mousse, goat curry were my favourites) and the fish was always fresh – red snapper, barracuda, trigger fish, tuna, dorado and shark - some brought in to the beach by the fishermen. Barbecues were fairly frequent and well received. Occasionally I found the food slightly over complex and over facing – I’m not sure what size the pig must have been to produce the huge pork chops we were served one night – but I think it goes with the clientele which they target. By that I mean producing a special and unique atmosphere, rather than catering for gluttons, BTW. Wine was varied and plentiful, champagne was always on offer, and the spirits were both local and premium brand. Amongst the beer drinkers the local “Piton” beer was a clear favourite, to the extent that supplies ran out one day.
As the hotel is on the Caribbean side of the island the sea is calm and safe for swimming. The beach itself is public (the hotel’s cabanas are set back slightly from the beach proper on sand within the hotel grounds) and used by locals but is clear of people trying to sell you things. Though the hotel pool isn’t massive, it has an “adult” depth…though you may want to stay clear after a few white rum punches.
There were a number of repeat visitors and the general consensus was that there were more visitors than usual for the time of year, with Christmas and Spring (particularly around Valentines’ Day) being the busiest times. Occupation tailed off whilst we were there, and when we left there were 11 guests left after lunch. That at the same time the amount of building and maintenance work was ramping up suggests that the management did not find this unexpected.
As so often in the service industry, the staff was the making of the experience. The manager made sure he was known to you and was usually seen at meal times). Service as always attentive, without being over bearing, and willing to accommodate changes without making a fuss. When my daughter couldn’t find anything to her liking on the menu, but was willing to settle for plain pasta (this girl’s favourite meal is plain pasta – no sauce, no butter, no cheese. Failing that, plain boiled rice), a steak was suggested and produced with no fuss, no bother. One waiter had a rare talent of being able to pivot 90 degree at the hips when taking your order. Quite disconcerting to find his face at the same level as yours when you’re seated at the table. I could have done without being referred to by the staff as “dad” quite as often as I was; not great for the self image!
Nights were quite warm, but the absence of aircon didn’t make a great deal of difference to the ability to sleep. Insect noise kept me awake on the first night, but later became a lullabye. Mosquitos did come out at night, but I think I received most bites from the sand flies at the beach in the late afternoon after the day’s sun block wore off and before application of the evening’s industrial strength insect repellent.
Given that we’d opted to go in the rainy season the presence of flying bitey things was entirely expected. As to the weather itself, we had a couple of afternoons of torrential downpours (being Brits, we of course huddled under the cabanas on the beach even as the thunder roared and the lightning split the sky) but generally it rained late evening / overnight and the days themselves were gloriously sunny.
Not much in the way of activity entertainment, save for a pedalo, some kayaks and a couple of floating items that allowed you to view the sea bed. My partner swore she’d seen brains and snakes, but it was after lunch [:w]. Every other night (and some afternoons) there was some musical accompaniment to mealtimes. Usually of the steel band variety, but one evening an intriguing guitar / banjo / fiddle / drum band - kind of a local Buena Vista Social Club grouping. Possibly reflecting the creole tradition? I did try to ask one of the musicians but all he would say was “I follow the guitar, the guitar follow the banjo, the banjo follow the drum”…
While on the subject of music I found the choice of piped music slightly odd (or perhaps I listen too closely). Apart from an occasional left field selection when the staff thought no one was around (including “Tubular Bells” one day) it was of the ballad / romantic variety you might expect. Is it not incongruous that this should include songs about stalking (“Every Breathe You Take” – The Police), unemployment (“One In Ten” – UB40) and homelessness (“Another day In Paradise” – Phil Collins) ? And if I ever hear “Lady In Red” again ever I shall not be held accountable for my reactions.
We did leave the Inn for a few trips, but can’t in all honesty say we got a true “feel” for the island. Took ourselves round the bay to the Windjammer for a nosy at another hotel. Lots of organised entertainment, jet skiing, scuba diving, very busy with families, very popular on Tripadvisor but not our thing. Did the Sunset Cruise on the Brig Unicorn, a replica sailing ship used in “Roots” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”; the boat itself was looking a bit battered and the need to keep the diesel engine going a disappointment, but the crew did scramble up the rigging to unfurl / furl the sails and we did catch a lovely sunset. Also a trip to the Rum Distillery (mmmmm…fermenting molasses), that showed us some of the hills and valleys on the island and the banana plantations. Apparently the entire export crop comes to the UK as to stock the “Fair Trade” shelves of Waitrose, Tesco and the like with Windward Isle bananas.
The service from VH was as it should be. Our rep was on site when she said she would be, and was informative about trips without being pushy and trying the hard sell. She was clear about when the Departure information would be provided, and it was there as promised. I think she was also aware of “issues” about the taxi service – her first question was not about the flight, or the place, but about the taxi ride. She was also good about keeping us informed of developments around the security alert.
Leaving was a wrench, but was lightened a little by the return cab being a Lexus 4x4 for our sole use with a calm, collected driver. There is a shuttle helicopter service available (USD 120 pp) for those who don’t want 90 minutes on the road. Another group at the hotel leaving at the same time as us took this option, but in terms of time saved they only had an extra half hour at the hotel and were only two groups in front of us at the check in. I do know that they thought it worthwhile, though.
On arrival at the Inn we had our first taste of the ambience that we’d read about on TripAdvisor. Completed the form, handed the key, luggage portered to the room and then…it’s up to you. No introductory spiel, no selling of trips, just a minimal set of instructions about the facilities and a “Welcome” fruit plate and bottle of rum. They’ve omitted things some may consider essential (as you can see from the number of “no…” statements), but added in so many other ways. Now this means they won’t appeal to everybody, but it suited us down to the ground.
Accommodation is either in bungalows (“de luxe”) or hexagonal dwellings (“superior”) with 30 rooms in total scattered through the grounds. We’d opted for one of the “superior” jobs – these are generally closer to the beach and restaurant than the “de luxe” rooms – and found a simple, well executed, design. A single living / sleeping space (huge bed) with an attached bathroom (large, walk in, shower, no bath, and hallelujah ! clean, scratchy, towels – I expect them to be clean, of course, but have a hatred of fluffy towels). Tiled floors. Wooden slatted windows, no glass (though insect screened). No aircon, but a remote control ceiling fan. Outside, a seating area shaded by a cabana style thatch. Oh, and umbrellas provided – not surprising given the season…
Definitely set up for the romantic time a deux; no TV (the “de luxe” rooms have a TV and DVD player), candles, shower space for two, fridge stocked (and restocked every day) with complementary soft drinks, bottled water and beer. Romance rather restricted though by presence of teenage daughter (brought our own).
Exploration revealed the pool (including swim up, serve yourself, bar), a large number of cabana style shadings with recliners just off the public beach and the main restaurant / bar / clubhouse. All have the hexagonal theme and are open to catch the breeze. (I think the only aircon unit I saw was for the kitchen).
And so the days passed. Breakfast – beach / read– lunch – beach / read – dinner / cards. Great play is made of the food and the chef’s skills. There were always options on the 4 course dinner menu (plantain chips and avocado mousse, goat curry were my favourites) and the fish was always fresh – red snapper, barracuda, trigger fish, tuna, dorado and shark - some brought in to the beach by the fishermen. Barbecues were fairly frequent and well received. Occasionally I found the food slightly over complex and over facing – I’m not sure what size the pig must have been to produce the huge pork chops we were served one night – but I think it goes with the clientele which they target. By that I mean producing a special and unique atmosphere, rather than catering for gluttons, BTW. Wine was varied and plentiful, champagne was always on offer, and the spirits were both local and premium brand. Amongst the beer drinkers the local “Piton” beer was a clear favourite, to the extent that supplies ran out one day.
As the hotel is on the Caribbean side of the island the sea is calm and safe for swimming. The beach itself is public (the hotel’s cabanas are set back slightly from the beach proper on sand within the hotel grounds) and used by locals but is clear of people trying to sell you things. Though the hotel pool isn’t massive, it has an “adult” depth…though you may want to stay clear after a few white rum punches.
There were a number of repeat visitors and the general consensus was that there were more visitors than usual for the time of year, with Christmas and Spring (particularly around Valentines’ Day) being the busiest times. Occupation tailed off whilst we were there, and when we left there were 11 guests left after lunch. That at the same time the amount of building and maintenance work was ramping up suggests that the management did not find this unexpected.
As so often in the service industry, the staff was the making of the experience. The manager made sure he was known to you and was usually seen at meal times). Service as always attentive, without being over bearing, and willing to accommodate changes without making a fuss. When my daughter couldn’t find anything to her liking on the menu, but was willing to settle for plain pasta (this girl’s favourite meal is plain pasta – no sauce, no butter, no cheese. Failing that, plain boiled rice), a steak was suggested and produced with no fuss, no bother. One waiter had a rare talent of being able to pivot 90 degree at the hips when taking your order. Quite disconcerting to find his face at the same level as yours when you’re seated at the table. I could have done without being referred to by the staff as “dad” quite as often as I was; not great for the self image!
Nights were quite warm, but the absence of aircon didn’t make a great deal of difference to the ability to sleep. Insect noise kept me awake on the first night, but later became a lullabye. Mosquitos did come out at night, but I think I received most bites from the sand flies at the beach in the late afternoon after the day’s sun block wore off and before application of the evening’s industrial strength insect repellent.
Given that we’d opted to go in the rainy season the presence of flying bitey things was entirely expected. As to the weather itself, we had a couple of afternoons of torrential downpours (being Brits, we of course huddled under the cabanas on the beach even as the thunder roared and the lightning split the sky) but generally it rained late evening / overnight and the days themselves were gloriously sunny.
Not much in the way of activity entertainment, save for a pedalo, some kayaks and a couple of floating items that allowed you to view the sea bed. My partner swore she’d seen brains and snakes, but it was after lunch [:w]. Every other night (and some afternoons) there was some musical accompaniment to mealtimes. Usually of the steel band variety, but one evening an intriguing guitar / banjo / fiddle / drum band - kind of a local Buena Vista Social Club grouping. Possibly reflecting the creole tradition? I did try to ask one of the musicians but all he would say was “I follow the guitar, the guitar follow the banjo, the banjo follow the drum”…
While on the subject of music I found the choice of piped music slightly odd (or perhaps I listen too closely). Apart from an occasional left field selection when the staff thought no one was around (including “Tubular Bells” one day) it was of the ballad / romantic variety you might expect. Is it not incongruous that this should include songs about stalking (“Every Breathe You Take” – The Police), unemployment (“One In Ten” – UB40) and homelessness (“Another day In Paradise” – Phil Collins) ? And if I ever hear “Lady In Red” again ever I shall not be held accountable for my reactions.
We did leave the Inn for a few trips, but can’t in all honesty say we got a true “feel” for the island. Took ourselves round the bay to the Windjammer for a nosy at another hotel. Lots of organised entertainment, jet skiing, scuba diving, very busy with families, very popular on Tripadvisor but not our thing. Did the Sunset Cruise on the Brig Unicorn, a replica sailing ship used in “Roots” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”; the boat itself was looking a bit battered and the need to keep the diesel engine going a disappointment, but the crew did scramble up the rigging to unfurl / furl the sails and we did catch a lovely sunset. Also a trip to the Rum Distillery (mmmmm…fermenting molasses), that showed us some of the hills and valleys on the island and the banana plantations. Apparently the entire export crop comes to the UK as to stock the “Fair Trade” shelves of Waitrose, Tesco and the like with Windward Isle bananas.
The service from VH was as it should be. Our rep was on site when she said she would be, and was informative about trips without being pushy and trying the hard sell. She was clear about when the Departure information would be provided, and it was there as promised. I think she was also aware of “issues” about the taxi service – her first question was not about the flight, or the place, but about the taxi ride. She was also good about keeping us informed of developments around the security alert.
Leaving was a wrench, but was lightened a little by the return cab being a Lexus 4x4 for our sole use with a calm, collected driver. There is a shuttle helicopter service available (USD 120 pp) for those who don’t want 90 minutes on the road. Another group at the hotel leaving at the same time as us took this option, but in terms of time saved they only had an extra half hour at the hotel and were only two groups in front of us at the check in. I do know that they thought it worthwhile, though.
We can get better, because we're not dead yet
