Caribbean Capers

Day Two: Monday 28th December

Ill, ill, ill! This was a grim day as Richard was sliding into the worst stage of the flu illness: temperature, sweating, shivering, accompanied by occasional moments of delirium. However despite this we both managed to go to breakfast at the Bay Garden restaurant where Sandals serve up a buffet-style breakfast replete with more options than you can shake a stick at. They had fresh fruit, including pineapples, watermelons, yellow and green melons, and some kind of odd tasting stuff which may have been fresh papaya which I have never had before (it tasted strangely of old socks). They also had a whole array of cooked items: these ranged from Eggs Benedict, to things as diverse as battered flying fish; bean curry (for breakfast? hmm!); bacon (delicious the way they do it); hash browns; miniature roast potatoes; hot pancakes; the occasional chicken or cooked fish dish; dumplings/dough balls; and various other hot things too numerous to recount. The hot selection usually numbered around eight dishes and seemed to change on a daily basis, with the exception of the consistently good bacon and the occasional variant on the Egg Benedict.

Also provided was a toast and freshly-baked roll counter with various bread types (apparently all baked on-site), and two women standing behind a stove cooking to order: you tell them what you want and they could provide anything from a range of scrambled egg, boiled egg, fried egg, sausage, black pudding and various other things cooked on a griddle to order.

Also on offer were the usual Kelloggs cereals, sweet muffins, Danish pastries, croissants, a selection of jams, and other spreads, yoghurts, several different types of fruit juices and coffee (or tea – supplied as hot water with a tea bag of your choice from a selection box) supplied at the table. The breakfast was fantastic and a welcome surprise after the disappointing first night’s meal. Throughout our stay we thoroughly enjoyed the breakfasts, which were incredibly copious, very tasty, imaginative, and thoroughly excellent.

Feeling as much better as was possible under the circumstances of Richard’s illness, we tottered back to our room to decide what to do during the day. Richard rested and slept for a few hours while Sam dipped into one of the two swimming pools in the resort. These are both leisure pools (not the kind one can really do lengths in) and are pleasant features with little bridges, sun loungers, a covered bar serving drinks and snacks (these areas also provide tables, chairs and hammocks thereby providing shelter from the sudden rains).

Picture right; shows area leading to one of the pools

We discovered that St Lucia is quite a wet place but the rain tends to come briefly, hard, and then suddenly stop, allowing the sun out for a while before the next shower. The whole place is very green and lush which I suppose is in part due to this. However, it can be a bit maddening having settled oneself on a sun-lounger and soaking up the sun only to be subjected to a sudden downpour out of the blue half an hour later. Although the downpour only lasts five minutes, it makes everything wet and uncomfortable for when you try to lie down again and get back in the sun. Not every day was like this, but on most days it did rain at least 3-4 times.