Having arrived in St Vincent, it was already quite late. However, it was quite easy to get a taxi to my hotel, the Paradise Beach Hotel and check-in was swift. The AC was strong, and it was still an hour til closing time at the hotel bar on the beach…which was filled mainly with Trinidadian businessmen trying to impress anyone that would talk to them. It made for a few interesting discussions! Now, a few thoughts on the hotel:
The restaurant was odd. Yes, they served food, but it doubled as the hotel bar and patio. However, when asked, the bartender could produce a menu and breakfast, dinner, snacks…you name it. More than adequate, and the two meals I ate there were very tasty. Rooms were clean (but spartan) and the AC was strong enough to keep cool, so overall it was a bargain for the price paid. I would definitely stay here again, although you really need a taxi to get anywhere. That said, when asked, the hotel staff could easily arrange taxis to get you anywhere you needed.
I finished off the evening watching reruns of the Tour de France Prologue, and a couple local beers, while trying to explain cycling to the Trinidadians. They found it “a challenging sport, but I could never wear all that elastic clothes.” Hmmm!
Local brews consumed, I passed out for almost 10 straight hours due to sheer exhaustion. It was time to rise, and start the day. It took me a good hour to get moving, but when I did I found “breakfast” was just at the bar. Sat outside watching the waves, and when the bartender brought the menu I just skipped it…and told him to bring me what he’d eat for breakfast. Turned out to be a perfect choice!
Salt fish, hot peppers, and some local bakes (bread rolls) which I swear weighed at least a pound each they were so dense…but OMG it was delicious. Coffee consumed, I was ready to try and arrange a day of touring! Oh, but first I caught up on a bit of internet time, while enjoying the view from breakfast:
I must admit…it was 10am, and I was just not feeling it. I don’t know if it was jet-lag, the 10 hours of sleep was too much, but I was absolutely exhausted and sluggish. I’ll admit taking an hour nap post-breakfast, before stopping by the front desk and asking to arrange a tour. She got to work on it, while I headed back to the bar for more wave-watching and a couple of delicious diet cokes. Soon, a torrential downpour started, and I was informed that my tour could begin at 12:30 and the driver was mine for $50 to take me wherever I wanted for up to four hours. Perfect!