Wednesday was almost a repeat of Tuesday in terms of weather. So we couldn’t go parasailing as planned. We had this crazy idea that we could take an island tour on the public bus, but the folly in that idea was soon revealed by the front desk staff person. The bus only came to our far away hotel twice a day, once in the morning to bring staff, and once in the evening to take staff home. So in order to catch a bus we had to take the ferry to Port Lucaya Marketplace, but even then there would be no guarantee to actually catch it since there was no published schedule.
Since by that time it was 1 pm, we decided to squash that plan and head on down to the grotto bar. It was actually a fun day to go there since the DJ was in residence and the music was background for a dance competition. Alcohol induced spring breakers volunteered to learn a dance not fit for children called “dollar, dollar” and it was very entertaining. In the evening we headed over to Smith’s Point for the weekly fish fry. The conch fritters were really good!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Day 4
Tuesday started out very gloomy. It was darkly overcast and we thought for sure it would rain just as it had for most of the night. But, luckily it did not and by 10 am it was only partly cloudy. Although, not so luckily, we couldn’t stay long on the beach due to the harsh winds. So today was a day of relaxation and inside activity, except for our one venture out for Beach Olympics, organized by the hotel, which lasted a whopping 20 minutes. I spent the day reading, playing Yoshi DS, taking pictures, and watching TV. It was a good food day in the room; we had pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and burgers & fries for dinner. Beach Olympics was fun but the wind once again plotted against us, preventing us from racing in kayaks. So all we did was egg toss and egg race with spoons. The best part though was that the only participants were we six so we would no doubt win something, and that something turned out to be a bottle of rum. Yeah!
Day 3
Monday was an eventful day for both my wallet and my aching feet. We went shopping at Port Lucaya Marketplace. To get there we took the ferry (could have taken a taxi, but that would be more expensive), which cost $5 each round trip. And then we discovered (a little too late) that my aunt, who owns a timeshare, could buy tickets for $2.50 each round trip. Well I should say it was too late for me (vacation mentality) but not for the fam because they were ready for running all the way back to the hotel to make it back just in time before the ferry left.
So a long day of shopping and a couple of us getting our hair braided (at $30 this was triple what I paid in Rocky Point) later I had spent $75 and was ready to go lay on the beach. We got back and actually did more than just lay on the beach; we swam in the ocean too. The water is warmer than usual and this was near sundown. I got some really cute pictures of my cousins enjoying sand and surf so I was very happy. We stayed away from the grotto bar this day but the yummy drinks were not so soon forgotten.
So a long day of shopping and a couple of us getting our hair braided (at $30 this was triple what I paid in Rocky Point) later I had spent $75 and was ready to go lay on the beach. We got back and actually did more than just lay on the beach; we swam in the ocean too. The water is warmer than usual and this was near sundown. I got some really cute pictures of my cousins enjoying sand and surf so I was very happy. We stayed away from the grotto bar this day but the yummy drinks were not so soon forgotten.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Day 2
We started off bright and early Sunday with a trip to the market to buy groceries for the week. It was great that the hotel provided the transportation. I had read in many different places that the prices are high so when we got there we were not at all surprised. One item of note: $12.75 for a 24 pack of water bottles, we would pay $3.99 for a comparable brand here.
We were back in just enough time to wake my cousins (only four tickets were provided for the bus, but that worked out because they wanted to sleep in anyway) and then head on down to the resort briefing at 10 am. This included a free continental breakfast so we were eager to get over there, having not eaten yet that day. Not sure if the food was good or if we were just really hungry, but anyway.
Each of the hotel services (restaurant, activities, housekeeping, etc.) had a drawing and gave prizes such as a t-shirt or a hat. My cousin won the prize of free snorkel tour at 2:30 pm that day so that’s what we all would be doing later. Great so now we only had four hours to kill. During that time we planned out the week, deciding what we wanted to do and then reality checked it down to what we could actually afford to do. According to our plans it would be an eventful week, but plans do have a way of getting messed up, don’t they? Weather would end up being a huge factor during our entire trip, oh well, what can you do?
Snorkeling was awesome! Just being so close to the fish and in the middle of the ocean, it was just really cool. The boat ride to the reef and back to the dock, plus equipment was included in the $35 price so it was a really good value. I wanted to go again the next day, but no one else wanted to and plus we had lots of other things on the agenda. When we got back it was happy hour at the grotto bar so my cousin and I got a little tipsy. The bartender didn’t ask for ID but asked me if my cousin was in college…. hmmm…. I said yeah anyway. They have good prices for happy hour, $1 shots and 2 for 1 drinks, so it was a good night. A go-to-sleep-early-cuz-it’s-hard-to-keep-eyes-open-after-so-many-alcoholic-drinks night. :)
We were back in just enough time to wake my cousins (only four tickets were provided for the bus, but that worked out because they wanted to sleep in anyway) and then head on down to the resort briefing at 10 am. This included a free continental breakfast so we were eager to get over there, having not eaten yet that day. Not sure if the food was good or if we were just really hungry, but anyway.
Each of the hotel services (restaurant, activities, housekeeping, etc.) had a drawing and gave prizes such as a t-shirt or a hat. My cousin won the prize of free snorkel tour at 2:30 pm that day so that’s what we all would be doing later. Great so now we only had four hours to kill. During that time we planned out the week, deciding what we wanted to do and then reality checked it down to what we could actually afford to do. According to our plans it would be an eventful week, but plans do have a way of getting messed up, don’t they? Weather would end up being a huge factor during our entire trip, oh well, what can you do?
Snorkeling was awesome! Just being so close to the fish and in the middle of the ocean, it was just really cool. The boat ride to the reef and back to the dock, plus equipment was included in the $35 price so it was a really good value. I wanted to go again the next day, but no one else wanted to and plus we had lots of other things on the agenda. When we got back it was happy hour at the grotto bar so my cousin and I got a little tipsy. The bartender didn’t ask for ID but asked me if my cousin was in college…. hmmm…. I said yeah anyway. They have good prices for happy hour, $1 shots and 2 for 1 drinks, so it was a good night. A go-to-sleep-early-cuz-it’s-hard-to-keep-eyes-open-after-so-many-alcoholic-drinks night. :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Day 1
Saturday was travel day, with the changing of planes twice and lengthy layovers, it took us the whole day to get to Grand Bahama Island. It’s a good thing we got through Immigration and Customs fairly quickly, or I might have gone a little insane. Next we hopped in a van that seemed to be waiting just for the six of us (I’m a little delusional at this point) and headed to our hotel, The Ritz at Taino Beach.
On the way we were surprised to see that the island doesn’t look like a brochure. I know, what a shocker! Well I kind of expected this, I mean duh, everything can’t be beautiful, but that didn’t really prepare me for what I was seeing out the window. Sure it was green but mostly just looked like a bunch of small bushes. A lot of areas seriously looked like a giant had come along and took a stroll, literally smashing huge areas and knocking trees into other trees. Realistically, hurricane damage was evident and I assume there just wasn’t the time or money to fix anything besides maybe the buildings. I did see a lot of buildings with damage, some lots that had been reduced to ruins, and some half-built.
There wasn’t much we could do when we got there; it was almost dark by the time we got all our stuff in the room. In search of soda to go with our dinner (chicken alfredo that we cooked in the room with food brought in our suitcases) we found something that we had been expecting; four 12 oz. cans of soda for $6.00 from the hotel gift shop. Wow that was some good Hawaiian Punch!
On the way we were surprised to see that the island doesn’t look like a brochure. I know, what a shocker! Well I kind of expected this, I mean duh, everything can’t be beautiful, but that didn’t really prepare me for what I was seeing out the window. Sure it was green but mostly just looked like a bunch of small bushes. A lot of areas seriously looked like a giant had come along and took a stroll, literally smashing huge areas and knocking trees into other trees. Realistically, hurricane damage was evident and I assume there just wasn’t the time or money to fix anything besides maybe the buildings. I did see a lot of buildings with damage, some lots that had been reduced to ruins, and some half-built.
There wasn’t much we could do when we got there; it was almost dark by the time we got all our stuff in the room. In search of soda to go with our dinner (chicken alfredo that we cooked in the room with food brought in our suitcases) we found something that we had been expecting; four 12 oz. cans of soda for $6.00 from the hotel gift shop. Wow that was some good Hawaiian Punch!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
