A Travellerspoint blog

NYC....So Nice I Did it Twice.

In an effort to "catch up," I am going to give you Two Trips......Two Trips......Two Trips In One!

NYC: Take One.

It was fall of 2018 when the husband announced he was going on a hunting trip with the guys.

What's a girl to do?

Buy a ticket to New York with her girlfriends, that's what.

It was a beautiful Thursday in November. We had barely dropped our bags at our AirBNB, and were already strolling the sunny sidewalks of NYC's East Village.

49708530848_38ee314ecd.jpg

49708552108_f6bc68818f.jpg

I'm just not a Time Square, Upper East Side, or even a Midtown kind of girl. I love East Village's funkiness. I love the cool shops. I love the eclectic assortment of bars and restaurants. It's a little grittier but it speaks to me.

49709434277_61e221c9bb.jpg

49708585593_656f6b08ec.jpg

49709438242_2eb51ba1fb.jpg

49708589208_642524a34f.jpg

49709429327_cf506ecc02.jpg

49709133636_e717fa4df8.jpg

We found ourselves at Rubirosa where we would start our weekend with meatballs, the world's largest pizza, and copious amounts of wine.

49709415037_d2f813beb4.jpg

49708559798_06fd447fb8.jpg

49709418992_2149d3d69d.jpg

49709104566_bebfe4fc42.jpg

With our afternoon buzz on, we enjoyed the streets of the city, settled into our apartment (which even had a super cute patio!), and got ourselves ready for Friday night "Dinner and a Show."

49709142611_f8174d0d5b.jpg

49709146771_d849275747.jpg

49709149771_1d47493048.jpg

49709479177_24b989338d.jpg

We had selected Porter House for our one "grown up night out" where we would pretend to be sophisticated, elegant and classy. This did not last long.

49709515947_f36353cc44.jpg

Unfortunately, we had spent too much time in wine comas that afternoon and only had a very rushed hour to have dinner and make it to our show. I felt sorry for our distinguished waiter as we rushed through our drink orders, food orders, and begged him to get it to us really, really fast so we could eat really, really fast. I could see from the look of disdain on his face that he thought we should have gone through the take-out window at McDonald's.

49708627118_74db97f0e3.jpg

49709170636_99581d2371.jpg

Nevertheless, he came through and served up an epic meal in minutes, and didn't even judge us for chugging our wine so we'd be on time.

49708639588_e8a7bbb878.jpg

49709500142_ee8e9a75f5.jpg

49708648323_ef06790bac.jpg

49708653198_d04cde7b4e.jpg

49709514367_f1ab347ede.jpg

We literally RAN to our show.

All the better to burn off those onion rings, I say.

49708660678_936772c52f.jpg

49709526467_63e236e449.jpg

49708667843_9e1502fde2.jpg

49709519752_400556db0b.jpg

Our rushed dinner had not left time for dessert, so after the show, we popped into the fake pawn shop storefront that hides the spectacular secret of Beauty and Essex where we immediately popped into the swanky ladies room for free pink champagne.

49709245006_35b4d53524.jpg

49709243616_f21f6670aa.jpg

49709240086_2202fc4d07.jpg

49709558217_f2053dea30.jpg

49708678753_a7f3f87773.jpg

49708697888_cfe301d5f7.jpg

49708745583_56e11d76a4.jpg

Then it was cocktails and an adorable ferris wheel full of dessert.

49709215086_194898fdb1.jpg

49709219831_1c2a81f45f.jpg

49709222261_074ba65e74.jpg

49709224771_71c40da8a4.jpg

49708726558_3d66018487.jpg

Friday morning found me looking in every cupboard of our 25 square foot apartment for a coffee maker.

Hello, coffee maker...are you in this drawer? This closet? The shower???? This cabinet? Where the f&*% is the f$#%*&@ coffee maker?

I eventually figured out that New Yorkers don't own coffee makers. Why would they when there is a coffee shop every 10 feet?

So I improvised.

49708720138_6333a85386.jpg

49708723488_7bfcab2772.jpg

You can take the girl out of the trailer park, people, but you can never take the trailer park out of the girl. Grow up poor and you learn how to make do.

We had walking and shopping to do, so we popped over to Russ and Daughters for a bagel and a schmear.

49708742683_e4076fda74.jpg

49708737468_e5796a4fe8.jpg

49708728778_b1f7e7f984.jpg

49709587352_a1f0e7375b.jpg

49708732703_dd3905d35f.jpg

49709280946_245bb7ffa2.jpg

And for some weirdos, a plastic container of German potato salad to eat while waiting for the subway at 9:00 a.m.

49709674952_6ede75169a.jpg

The rest of the morning was spent walking the streets of the city and taking it all in.

49708751793_c70fba99ab.jpg

49709296431_1676806c8e.jpg

49709340516_cabae4e9e2.jpg

49709293506_5edd413d2c.jpg

49709298871_e3be1bb204.jpg

49709639772_e4de65141c.jpg

49708797963_a84e7e0e6d.jpg

49709666302_3ea951b2d5.jpg

49709351286_828397299c.jpg

49709844052_085f564e57.jpg

49708987853_5c1bf29db9.jpg

We were enjoying the beautiful streets and sights of the City when suddenly, an angel dropped down from heaven and said, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all women. For unto you is born in the City of New York a sale which is Lord and Taylor."

And we wept for joy.

49708785293_aeb929810f.jpg

49708787283_77957e45a1.jpg

Many, many, many hours and significant credit card expense later, we were exhausted and famished. We headed back to East Village for a lively bottomless brunch at Poco.

49709354841_ff1f4ab723.jpg

49709358021_0a6152e65f.jpg

49709683327_d1200f1c18.jpg

49708990393_082416acb9.jpg

49708991168_0bf85143e5.jpg

The atmosphere was one of happiness and loud music. It was like a joyful house party with endless margaritas and mimosas.

Poco is supposed to have a 1.5 hour limit on brunch. Our server let us stay 2 1/2 hours. And kept the drinks coming.

49709359166_753cd95cfb.jpg

49709688727_d0cd8f5a8d.jpg

49709369981_c67bcee7ac.jpg

49709395731_faaaca8b2b.jpg

49709397601_ac77aef7d6.jpg

We got a Lyft back to our place. We were damp and tired. Everyone immediately sank into a deep post-Poco coma.

We had dinner reservations that night at Chinatown's Chinese Tuxedo, and we didn't want to miss it, so I had actually set an alarm to ensure we got up, did our best to make ourselves presentable, and make it to dinner.

ONWARD!

49709830577_f2745b4710.jpg

49709734312_ae70b14cf4.jpg

49709737297_fb256ede9a.jpg

49708892738_ab5bcbc327.jpg

49708895238_bb50377a14.jpg

Chinese Tuxedo was simply amazing. I am so glad I didn't sleep through it. Walking up to the restaurant, we were certain we had the wrong address. It looks like an abandoned storefront in the middle of ....a bunch of abandoned storefronts, but once inside, a dimly lit, uber chic restaurant appears....like magic. Set in an old community opera house, it was part club, part restaurant, all amazing.

49708964153_63d6396194.jpg

49708969768_b7f0f303f0.jpg

49709816662_d1c2688d21.jpg

We ordered way more than two people could eat, but our absolute favorite part? The truffles.

Not eating them, necessarily.

We ordered the homemade egg fettuccine....and the waiter asked if we wanted it with shaved truffles.

Well.....well.....well, yes, thank you, we did.

Next thing we know, a guy comes out with a silver orb. With an immaculately white gloved hand, he opened the orb and extracted a truffle that he proceeded to shave with vigor over our noodles in stoic unsmiling silence.

Truffle shaving is serious business.

As suddenly as he appeared, he departed.

That alone was worth the $35 upcharge.

49709779632_a312d0be4b.jpg

49709775432_ef3ef392d4.jpg

49709552876_a52e6c8024.jpg

49709435501_8b531f111c.jpg

49708914088_72b9703779.jpg

49709481916_e78b4b3f06.jpg

49709812482_54a2138f1b.jpg

49709835692_3b20736294.jpg

49709842412_e9ee854f69.jpg

I'm going to call that a successful day.

49709551891_59cf1f06bb.jpg

49709879557_c3eaee4b80.jpg

Saturday morning, my childhood BFF came over from Philly to join us for the day. We made our first stop the endless small plate brunch at Zengo. This also came with bottomless mimosas....which we did not need....but that we drank anyway.

SO. MUCH. FOOD.

49709568661_26945e1894.jpg

49709025188_e5eb35541c.jpg

49709898322_dc6eb101b3.jpg

49709584286_b954ace126.jpg

49709587646_8574e8a087.jpg

49709592426_43c42285bc.jpg

49709927062_49e53bec99.jpg

49709066783_74e6158378.jpg

49709608196_8435639f45.jpg

49709059573_be458e060f.jpg

49709936097_f49767ac43.jpg

49709939807_c515d3cbed.jpg

49709943142_08e327a4a5.jpg

Not to mention the downstairs lounge area en route to the ladies room, that was empty during lunch hours creating the perfect place for terrible post-mimosa selfies.

49709943697_30088cc802.jpg

49709163128_d36038deb5.jpg

49709623966_786df1844d.jpg

49709097963_64f807aff2.jpg

We spent the afternoon strolling and shopping and made sure we got back to the apartment with plenty of time to rest up for a night out.

49709100423_b20fd0c839.jpg

We were meeting fellow blogger and friend TraceyG at Fonda for dinner.

That girl always knows the prettiest drink to order and the best food to eat.

49709964772_00c823c90a.jpg

49709970947_71eb3445a3.jpg

49709979092_012782a687.jpg

49709663821_818b57f503.jpg

49709990882_971a1d13a0.jpg

49709140878_cc0fe80808.jpg

49710007762_dd2ca54674.jpg

49709155043_f9a776fe24.jpg

She also knows the best place to dance.

Note to self: Old ladies should not stay out until 3 a.m. dancing in stilettos. Especially when they have an early flight to catch.

49710016237_92631ff241.jpg

When I dragged out of bed at 6:00 a.m. to catch our flight, knees throbbing, eyes gritty, totally exhausted.....I didn't regret a minute.

49709695521_32cc006a39.jpg

NYC: Take Two.

It didn't kill me last time, right? So let's do it again.

Fast forward to October 2019. My BFF had a 50th birthday coming up, so we decided to rendezvous in NYC for another girls weekend. This time, just the two of us.

When I got on the plane that Friday morning....I was the only person in the front. Should I be worried?

49710021922_b0132eccc7.jpg

It was early morning when we arrived. Too early to check into our AirBNB, we dropped our bags at a luggage storage, which happened to be a smoothie cafe that locked them in the kitchen. It was so weird but so easy.

We headed to Nomo Kitchen for a lovely brunch to get things started. It was as beautiful as it was delicious.

49709723506_22a3722824.jpg

49709713366_0d6bee3567.jpg

49709182258_e76aa2da2d.jpg

49709701981_a1f1c373d1.jpg

49710027262_6f82a393b3.jpg

49709709351_4fa8954fe8.jpg

49709233238_ceca82eb59.jpg

We spent the next several hours shopping, and shopping, and shopping.

49709771611_d9706079bf.jpg

49710079222_d0ec81ecc5.jpg

49709221253_459353fc5a.jpg

49709200363_69d0801923.jpg

49709731271_cf3d0155b0.jpg

49710051922_0732f13662.jpg

49709225913_cf86aabc6f.jpg

Tired and hungry, we stumbled into St. Marks Tacqueria, not because it was fancy, but because it was close to our apartment and I had read that it was divey but had good food.

It was the BEST kind of divey. I instantly loved this place. I don't know if it was the darkness, the strange 80s rock n'roll and movie decor, the 80s music, the insanely good margarita, or the "We don't give a s*$t menu," but it spoke to me.

49709752021_e10cc93c92.jpg

49710095792_475ceaf911.jpg

49709737331_9b201d7470.jpg

49710062032_b05e7fe8b9.jpg

49710064992_b58a13a5e9.jpg

49710082977_c3411d1f7d.jpg

We were finally able to check into our apartment. Sam had agreed, against her better judgment and that little voice inside her that said, "Never do what Vicki says....", to stay in an apartment I found on AirBNB instead of a hotel.

First, let me say that the apartment itself was FINE. It was large and comfortable, with 2 bedrooms and everything we needed.

It was, however, above a tattoo parlor with a downright terrifying looking shop owner who sat on the front step about 12 hours out of the day and never smiled. It was also up six flights of ungodly steep stairs...that we found ourselves dragging heavy suitcases up....while sweating and using a great deal of profanity....and the front door to the apartment didn't quite shut.

49709892251_e5e134ce22.jpg

49709894771_c0e29bd7aa.jpg

But, you know, like I told Sam....it's FINE.

After some down time, we grabbed happy hour cocktails at the TINY Keybar in East Village where, somehow, we managed to score two of what appeared to be about 10 total barstools in the entire place.

49709249913_fcfbb2351f.jpg

49709244888_3ff47358d2.jpg

I wanted Sam to experience the awesomeness that is Rubirosa, so we headed there for a much fought for dinner reservation. No joke. I actually set my alarm to wake me up at midnight the day reservations opened up for the Friday night we wanted to go, and even though I was online within 30 seconds, the only reservation I could get was 10:00 p.m. I was happy to have it!!

49710101547_a96e443bb4.jpg

Besides, nothing is better than late night pizza after drinking two-for-one happy hour cocktails at a neon infested dive bar.

We slept in on Saturday and headed for a leisurely brunch at Jack's Wife Frieda.

49709255743_468d972b12.jpg

49709816126_a1d5b5625c.jpg

49710139752_c66b8f9d5b.jpg

49710141647_fa02945a2b.jpg

This place was tiny, lively, and packed. The food was worth the wait.

And I was instantly mesmerized by their sugar packets. Sam had to stop me from stuffing a handful into my pocket.

49709257178_a40a594095.jpg

49710131827_70259649a0.jpg

49709278683_5808d01cec.jpg

49710106082_ae2198cd26.jpg

After some shopping, we had a late lunch/early dinner at Birreria by Serra atop Eataly in Flatiron. We did not go for the food. While not bad, the food really wasn't the draw. This restaurant goes all out with "over the top" seasonal decor and the tacky in me had a desperate need to see it.

49710144432_a2ea50333c.jpg

49710145727_03f8e48f3e.jpg

49710149112_c32e9330a5.jpg

49709296863_33a72c6eb5.jpg

49709398518_f33199e23e.jpg

49710153997_cf1b95aef9.jpg

49709841851_e295fc756e.jpg

49709405043_f5043e1e92.jpg

49709311148_d2a08a0247.jpg

49709834546_3ea7481fa6.jpg

It fed my need for all things sparkly and gaudy. I loved it the way I love glitter and rhinestones. I loved it the way I love too many lights on the Christmas tree. I loved it the way I love the plastic pink flamingos in my yard.

It was everything I hoped it would be...with surprisingly decent food and cocktails.

That was one mighty fine giant bowl of kale.

49709302558_38603a122e.jpg

49709840001_86af15e2df.jpg

To celebrate Sam, I had purchased VIP tix to an annual food and wine festival, just a short walk from Birreria. Our tickets gave us early access (aka, being able to sample all the wine without standing in line) and gave us access to a special "bubbly lounge" filled with all manner of sparkling wines and champagne once the crowds upstairs became unbearable.

49709930366_398e5723f8.jpg

49709417493_8003e580c9.jpg

49709848716_56f2e356c6.jpg

49710173102_c4a83a24d0.jpg

49710174882_5154a3cf7e.jpg

49709348353_6183e9a999.jpg

49710178632_6460649cd0.jpg

49709409068_b357b6a317.jpg

Not only was there SO MUCH WINE...there were giant plates of bacon.

There is only one thing you can do after an all you can drink wine and bacon event.

Dance.

I am drawn to East Village's Pyramid Club like Whitney to Bobby. I know it's not good for me, but I just can't quit it. A text and a Lyft later, TraceyG was back at the scene of the crime with us. She is the Yin to my Yang. The Cher to my Sonny. The chocolate to my peanut butter.

49710208642_7d21f0da1c.jpg

49710206092_8af1c54608.jpg

49710211882_757f426f83.jpg

We danced until the wee hours, but this time no one lost their coat ticket and no one fell off a table, so it was all good.

On my Friday flight, I had posted the photo of me allllll alone in the front of the plane and got an immediate text from a long time friend telling me he was also en route to NYC. What were the odds? We agreed to meet up and found ourselves meeting at the Highline on Sunday morning.

What an awesome place to walk!

49709944471_12d2f8d4fe.jpg

49710218392_836f32237c.jpg

49709365463_a88df09b58.jpg

49710225027_7e7e8faa64.jpg

49710242097_5452902f98.jpg

49709913776_ddb488b13c.jpg

49710232212_29a0796c4e.jpg

49710223222_0d0a1c5d91.jpg

49709905791_4d2d08d8de.jpg

49709373838_6aef80b6cd.jpg

We ended our visit at Chelsea Market, where we grabbed a quick bite and said our goodbyes.

49709922031_2509061c8d.jpg

49709418368_6bc2313fe6.jpg

49709392718_1dd7e365cd.jpg

49709948216_135edec215.jpg

49709924041_465c9a2957.jpg

I had a Sunday afternoon flight to catch, but spending time with with my 8th grade BFF was totally worth the quick trip!!

49709954351_e063f57a8b.jpg49709916281_fb63c5ac1e.jpg

Here's to 36 years of friendship!

Posted by vicki_h 12:22 Archived in USA Tagged new_york nyc manhattan east_village Comments (1)

Hatfield Follies

Taking the Fam to Folly Beach

Those of you that have been with me a long time remember the blue bucket. Who can forget the BLUE BUCKET?

98e0e740-7106-11ea-bb62-19858e80e926.jpg

For those who don't know, the blue bucket was what we used, quite inelegantly, to get my mother-in-law in and out of a Jeep on a trip to St. John back in 2005. We took it everywhere and used it as a step to propel her into the vehicle. (I never claimed to be a great daughter-in-law, folks....)

Fast forward 15 years and you can only imagine how the mobility issues have deteriorated, but her love for travel has not.

Her last trip, and I don't mean most recent...I mean LAST....was in 2014. I don't mean she died. She is alive and well, but travel has simply become too challenging for her. It's heartbreaking to see someone you love lose their ability to do something they love, so we still try to take her where we can.

Last fall, knowing her traveling days were limited due to her extreme mobility issues, we asked where she wanted to go. It had to be somewhere Matt could fly her to, because commercial travel has become an impossibility.

She said Charleston. On the beach.

Jo wanted to see Charleston, but mostly wanted her toes in the sand one more time. We decided to take the clan to Folly Beach.

I had to find a house ON THE BEACH.....not over the dunes, not down a zillions steps, not across a walkway...ON THE BEACH. We had to be able to get her just a few steps from the house into the sweet, soft sand.

This trip wasn't about diving into Charleston's culinary scene. We barely touched it. It wasn't about enjoying the area's wonderful shopping. We didn't enter a single store. It wasn't even about beaching it. We barely beached.

It was simply spending time as a family in a place someone we loved wanted to see. It was about letting her eat some seafood, dig her toes into the sand. and sit and listen to the waves.

So that's what we did.

It was simple. It was sweet. It was just two days and it was perfect for her.

And we didn't even need the blue bucket.

49707829533_f6de9a7b91.jpg

49080541308_0daca7e488.jpg

49707911208_cf5ca31025.jpg

49708419621_7c25143616.jpg

49708461111_09ee2c5269.jpg

49707874278_7dc425d284.jpg

49707889173_cb6f5b12c2.jpg

49707886638_432a744ff5.jpg

49708757827_dbae7a3a87.jpg

49081305272_950d97dfe4.jpg

49708368331_a94f34f989.jpg

49080793443_e4573e50dd.jpg

49708438181_8f2bfa1848.jpg

49081247746_2f00ab3a55.jpg

49707906363_30eb789ac6.jpg

49080623588_e76268361b.jpg

49081287986_b80b3fd722.jpg

49081335976_2df6d6b836.jpg

49081279221_6bf14915cf.jpg

49708688512_50883f7168.jpg

49080819358_e9a67aca7b.jpg

49080643248_9af953d587.jpg

49081356677_53f988ab09.jpg

49080788708_d82f3a0785.jpg

49081244231_e2184a4000.jpg

49081227211_a9717e961e.jpg

49081584472_6761feeaea.jpg

49081403057_6354e07ef4.jpg

49080726153_c283e884c4.jpg

49081484367_9a14071a8c.jpg

49081362812_f4af18de40.jpg

49081296932_62fc8c6d33.jpg

49080797693_2ca7af2123.jpg

49081376992_94c7894686.jpg

49080674088_6085bd7bca.jpg

49081274701_4caebf50b4.jpg

49081355092_c938da65dd.jpg

49708449756_16ed8419e3.jpg

49081379351_8d96e28354.jpg

Posted by vicki_h 07:56 Archived in USA Tagged beach south_carolina charleston folly_beach Comments (1)

Playing Catch Up

Yes, I have been lazy. Yes, I have let this blog get WAAAAAY behind.

Nothing says, "You have time to catch up, my friend," like being stuck at home during a pandemic!

So...for those loyal followers that are still here, it's time to play catch up.

I am doing my best to get some work done, and will try to get caught up on about a year and half worth of travel, but my current co-workers are somewhat distracting.

0cf4d040-7104-11ea-b0fb-81b85352fab5.jpg

Staying home and staying safe. I hope you are doing the same!

Obviously, all our immediate travel plans are ON HOLD, so let's revisit where we've been.

Stay tuned and we'll do some virtual travel since none of us can do the real thing.

Posted by vicki_h 07:51 Comments (2)

Help Guana Cay Get a FireBox!

The biggest hurdle Guana is currently facing is how to get rid of SO MUCH DEBRIS. The command team has gotten tremendous matching funds to purchase an Air Curtain Firebox for safely burning debris, but needs your help! A matching donation is being made to the Great Guana Cay Foundation for approximately $63k from a Foundation in Nassau Bahamas. Guana Cay needs to raise $63k. One person has raised $25k of this amount, including a $10K personal contribution. The balance of 38k must be raised privately. If you can contribute please consider donating to the Air Curtain Firebox project.

Donate Here: DONATE

firebox.jpg

Posted by vicki_h 10:31 Comments (0)

Beached on Beautiful Bequia....Part 2

Day 5:

There was no beautiful breakfast on the patio on Wednesday because we were meeting a boat very early that morning.

In my customary neurotic fashion, I had contacted Michael Tours MONTHS before our trip to inquire about booking a day trip to the Tobago Cays and Mayreau.

They found it hilarious and basically told me to calm down, crazy lady.

Who knew if they would be going, when they would be going, or where they would be going this early? I was told to check in with them when we arrived on the island and they’d let me know what they had based on weather and other interested parties. Despite the fact that this gave me heart palpitations and required deep breathing exercises, this is exactly what I did.

We had managed to work out trip for Wednesday because another group was interested in going and that gave them enough people to justify the trip.

This required us to actually set an alarm on vacation.

Oh the horror.

48702109246_20285110b0.jpg

Even with the alarm and no breakfast or coffee stop…we were late. Not only was everyone waiting for us when we arrived, but we had forgotten our money.

We were total losers.

They let us go anyway and told us to just “come by and pay them later in the week.” Seriously laid back, these Bequians.

No vex.

Much to my delight, there was coffee and banana bread on the boat. This was actually good for everyone, not just me, because there are those people who can wake up, chug nothing more than a whey protein smoothie, run 10 miles, and go about their day. Matt is those people. I, on the other hand, wake up with the speed of a sloth and do well to get my pants on right side out and find matching socks before I have had a cup of coffee. Until I have coffee, everyone is in danger.

I arrived at the boat a tousled mess. Every yawn was just a noiseless scream for caffeine. I think I heard angels singing when I saw the coffee set up.
In cute little handmade pottery cups that looked like the ocean, no less!

48702122746_be05a82c47.jpg

The captain let us know it would be a long ride to the Tobago Cays and told everyone to just find a spot and settle in. It was a really big boat and there were only 6 of us, so finding a private space wasn’t hard to do.

48702134506_ab976d4d0c.jpg

48702294412_8ea5ea2a9d.jpg

48701800703_0065886d36.jpg

Shortly after leaving, we cruised past the Moonhole, an abandoned dream found on the secluded western end of Bequia.

In the late 1950s, Tom and Gladdie Johnston retired from the rat race and decided to go all in and move to Bequia, a quiet tropical paradise they had come to love. In their exploration of the island, they visited a geological arch formation known as the Moonhole, far on the very western tip of the island. At the time, that end of the island was accessible only by a wet hike along the bottom of the cliffs.

They began to spend time there, picnicking and camping out, and it quickly became their favorite spot on the island. In the 1960s, they impulsively bought the entire 30-acre tract and started constructing a house underneath the arch, working with local masons from a nearby village who walked in daily with food and supplies.

Tom and Gladdie worked side by side with carpenters and masons from the island and created an architectural wonder, a house literally built from the rock, surrounded by the sea, fashioned out of only natural materials, built into the hillside, and completely reliant on solar electricity, rainwater and propane tanks. The architecture was open-air, with lines blurred between indoors and out. It was their dream.

Before long they started inviting friends and relatives, entertaining them at the huge bar made out of a recovered humpback whale jaw bone. Everyone was enamored with their Robinson Crusoe lifestyle and natural home and they wanted it too.

This might be where the Johnston’s “paradise found” began to become their “paradise lost.”

Persistent dream-seekers urged Tom to build houses for them. Soon, the former ad man who had no architectural or building training, was an in demand architect on the island of Bequia. He agreed to build more houses and wanted to develop the Moonhole as a preserve for writers, artists, friends and others who wanted to get away from it all. Over the next thirty years, he built sixteen more houses, a commissary, office, living quarters for Moonhole staff and a gallery where the community could congregate every Sunday.

Tom died in 2001, and things went south pretty quickly. Moonhole began to lose its once devoted but now-disillusioned staff, and many of the houses became seriously neglected. People left. Homes fell into disrepair, and the dream was lost.

Today, only a few homes remain habitable and the original Moonhole house is in total disrepair and, unsafe to enter, can only be viewed from the sea.

Looking at that house was like facing a ghost. It was eerie and sad.

48702313327_f930f96573.jpg

48701815948_3d04d367b1.jpg

48702763487_e37541eeae.jpg

48702271443_1ea08295ae.jpg

48702587271_f140bd05be.jpg

As we pulled away from Bequia, the rest of the boat ride was just a smooth passage filled with beautiful water and colorful islands.

We sat back, relaxed, and simply took it all in.

48702158991_62a6384a2a.jpg

48702164621_d445b65d3c.jpg

48702188126_1f7ebe0009.jpg

48702181721_bfb03de773.jpg

48701830313_3c863ef27e.jpg

48702193616_f7cd7f46a1.jpg

48701836308_461c331702.jpg

The family of four wanted to snorkel for turtles, but Matt and I opted to be dropped off on a deserted little island to explore. I had seen more than my share of sea turtles and prefered to snorkel where there aren’t gobs of life-vested people bobbing about in the water. The Tobago Cays, while lovely, were quite overvisited. In my experience, snorkeling with groups typically resulted in your peaceful experience, gliding through the calm water admiring the beauty of the underwater world, being abruptly interrupted at some point by some person in a bright yellow vest flapping around, half swimming, half drowning, definitely scaring away all the fish, and more often than not, standing upright on the coral to get their breath.

No thanks.

I would save my snorkeling for the beautiful reefs of Abaco, where I didn’t have to share it with hysterical people screaming because a fish nibbled their leg hair and relentlessly kicking me in the face mask with their fins, completely unaware of their surroundings.

Being marooned for an hour on a deserted island sounded infinitely more entertaining.

Especially one this beautiful.

48702257646_fff73c5e68.jpg

48702296781_bbfc8cb19b.jpg

48701992088_70df33680a.jpg

48702200531_7c995aa47b.jpg

48701871553_86a45a2771.jpg

48702387602_bf2d9f0383.jpg

48702394217_2d53379c2b.jpg

48702234416_d073bbd42a.jpg

48702408667_0646f89e4c.jpg

48702248776_bc2b04d2ce.jpg

48702487707_7ecf69c557.jpg

48701941138_ba52c0a2c2.jpg

48701949058_9bf6f84301.jpg

48702440892_eb60bde4c2.jpg

48701967468_36684843ac.jpg

48702334021_35053e6a28.jpg

48701976868_55eab37d95.jpg

48702003393_2d11df630d.jpg

Deserted island + Matt + Yeti thermos filled with (VERY STRONG) rum punch = Bliss.

After the Cays, we were going to stop at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. I was pretty excited about this – actually, more excited than seeing the Cays. The beach looked lovely and I knew there were several good bars and restaurants scattered along the crescent of palm filled beach.

En route, one of the deck guys handed us a laminated menu and told us we were eating lunch at the Last Bar Before the Jungle and they would call in our order in advance. Wha….??

Not wanting to rock the boat, we complied and gave him our order, only to be told they were “out of that.”

STRIKE ONE.

We made an alternative selection. No worries. No vex. It was all good.

When we arrived on Mayreau, a long beautiful beach stretched out before us and, inexplicably, the boat pulled up onto the dirtiest, rangiest, most seaweed littered section on the far end and let us off. Because THIS is where the Last Bar Before the Jungle was located.

48702035708_a48ebc90cf.jpg

48702352521_efcfbb0a72.jpg

48702364091_e32ced807a.jpg

Matt and I gave each other a look as we walked warily up to the bar/restaurant. We’ve enjoyed our share of dilapidated, disheveled, and less-than-sanitary beach shacks. We’ve loved them. This one…gave us pause.

Nonetheless, our food was ordered so we powered on. We went up to the bar, which actually had an impressive drink menu, only to find that they didn’t have the ingredients to make most of the drinks. We ordered two painkillers and were brought something extremely NON painkiller like. Whatever it was, it was TERRIBLE. When the Hatfields refuse alcohol, something is amiss.

STRIKE TWO.

The final blow came when I decided I’d like to wash my hands and made the mistake of going BEHIND the bar in search of a bathroom. What I saw was a grill and counter set up underneath the trees in the open air. Our fish sat there, waiting to be cooked, as large black birds hopped about on the counters, picking at things and pooping as they pleased. Flies covered everything. A guy stood mixing a large bowl of salad with his bare hands.

Y’all…..I can eat in some unsanitary conditions. I have. I do. I am the person that gets diarrhea from the street vendor on almost every vacation. I nearly died from food poisoning on the way home from Honduras because, against Matt’s warnings, I ate an inordinate amount of one restaurant’s house made hot sauce as their pet pig watched. My standards are extremely low.

When I say that “kitchen” made me feel nauseous, you know it was bad.

I walked out and told Matt to pay for our food and drinks and leave.

And that’s exactly what we did.

STRIKE THREE…..AND YER OUT!

We walked to the opposite end of the beach. The walk itself took us past several little shacks of bars and racks of colorful beach sarongs.

48702581722_72641f79df.jpg

48702592562_cf8b383b98.jpg

48702551697_242838c2a6.jpg

48702559577_65d387d8d8.jpg

48702065378_f8b1daf363.jpg

At the very far end, we found a beautiful oasis at the Saltwhistle Bay resort. The setting was lovely, the menu was varied and upscale, the drinks were perfect, and the food was amazing.

Happy with our choice, we worried about those two poor kids that were down there eating that fish. Those parents were going to have a long night.

48702199378_2a61ed6818.jpg

48702698682_e0403e1df5.jpg

48702606852_86e5d79113.jpg

48702628947_496b8bd0f6.jpg

48702158623_d1f6c86960.jpg

48702542916_fe024368c4.jpg

48702522921_f0b338e93e.jpg

48702749537_eaeabb04bf.jpg

We enjoyed our remaining time on Mayreau at the Salt Whistle Bay beach before we knew it was time to head back to the boat. I can’t resist a low slung palm tree. Can anyone??

48702446466_ce36df32b7.jpg

48702454496_19a6143455.jpg

48702485766_32efc30929.jpg

48702548196_5e1033a949.jpg

48702513141_8ebd564bdf.jpg

48702572956_0014d303c2.jpg

48702673617_c2129fef18.jpg

48702468531_bb99b3d61c.jpg

48702559121_6f343b0b4d.jpg

48702565601_df814b3ff6.jpg

48702720482_0921e60ee4.jpg

It was pretty late when we got back, and we still had to pay the Captain for the boat day. The Captain knew the house where we were staying and told us he’d just swing by on his way home and grab our money.

SO LAID BACK, these people.

We got cleaned up, got him paid, and headed to …..where else…..Da Reef for sunset.

48702786812_506db41054.jpg

48702626066_07f722dd93.jpg

48702336218_c7482aa001.jpg

48702329463_31d4bf20f9.jpg

48702296293_832d16df8b.jpg

Again, we had no plans for dinner. Bequia was managing to calm even my over planned, neurotic brain. We headed toward town, the post-sunset views literally igniting the sky.

48702679701_cf88870cc3.jpg

48702684621_079c260da6.jpg

48702858472_ec57b92b81.jpg

48702697371_de58cec030.jpg

We had seen Laura’s on our previous stroll along the Belmont Walkway and decided to give it a try. It was open!

Wine, salad, pasta and a beautiful view of the harbor ended a long day on the right note.

48702369948_65775872a7.jpg

48702710521_3fc753a822.jpg

48702387673_e4dae4453b.jpg

48702899862_86beaa2ec5.jpg

48702736931_0487e0690b.jpg

48702414198_c80cceed83.jpg

48702762751_3d8fb0ab3f.jpg

48702406438_26d3c9b9cf.jpg

Day 6:

BREAKFAST! I loved having breakfast on the patio at the villa. The views never stopped being amazing.

48702937432_c77cd3aba4.jpg

On every vacation, Matt and I like to take at least one day to explore and drive around. We decided this would be the day. Bequia was so small, it would take no time at all to drive the entire island.

So we did.

Our first stop was to drive over to a relatively new resort called “The Liming.” Located on the southwestern tip of the island, the Liming was situated on lovely Adams Bay between the airport runway and the Moonhole. I had gathered from my browsing of the interwebs that this was a relatively controversial development.

Promoters of the resort and travel articles touted it as the “next best thing” on Bequia, an uber luxury resort situated on a beautiful beach. However, devoted fans of Bequia, locals, and long time visitors obviously considered it a blight, a development that virtually destroyed one of the most beautiful and pristine stretches of Bequia. It reminded me very much of the struggle between Bakers Bay and the Guana Cay community in my beloved Abaco. I could feel their pain.

I was glad it was the off season, because I wasn’t sure how I felt about supporting the development by visiting the restaurant, but I really wanted to see the beach. As we drove up, a guard stood at the entrance. We simply asked if it was okay to drive inside and he motioned us in. He did keep an eye on us the entire time, however, like we were going to grab a light fixture and make a sudden run for it.

48702446543_dca9552f06.jpg

48702959637_8995f6dc06.jpg

48702463163_52a9a83d84.jpg

48702978367_75d0c0151f.jpg

48702856401_8049e4bc90.jpg

48702987487_5f85985fe3.jpg

48702994262_1ddbf0b125.jpg

48702498378_b75e07e065.jpg

48703012017_0707a0dca2.jpg

48703017692_e213f39d0c.jpg

48703031557_142bf358a9.jpg

The beauty of the place didn’t disappoint, but it did make me sad to see what was probably much more lovely before someone decided to gobble it up and put a resort on it.

We decided to continue our drive out toward Hope Bay, Industry Bay, and Spring Bay. The beaches on the southern side of Bequia were wild and wonderful. They weren’t the calm, turquoise, gin clear beaches that you find on many Caribbean islands, so probably not the best bet for a swim or a beach day, but for exploring and just soaking in their sheer beauty, they were perfect.

48702536263_ceb3f30ece.jpg

48703049662_61ef044cba.jpg

48703058312_a4d06ff59b.jpg

48702563703_5a3bb0dedf.jpg

48702911191_135e9122ba.jpg

48702583568_f65d9a24d3.jpg

48702928351_57bb3fcf1a.jpg

48702599123_fcb895708d.jpg

48703106917_9eab951613.jpg

48702612723_734181187c.jpg

The biggest drawback to visiting the south side in the off season was that the one or two restaurants and bars on that side were closed for the season, forcing us back into Port Elizabeth for lunch.

We found ourselves at Mac’s, just a short hop along the Belmont Walkway, for their famous pizza and what should be famous margaritas.

48703123102_880dfc5e87.jpg

48702985986_76e5ebcf95.jpg

48702963346_ceff550cfb.jpg

48702635498_660fb72f7f.jpg

48702642638_766d341852.jpg

48702657478_58acc62cc7.jpg

48702665538_079d0e67a6.jpg

48703017881_4871ce9d94.jpg

48702673923_f47632cffe.jpg

48703028221_1f3d288386.jpg

And sweet dogs. So many sweet dogs.

Dogs are ever present on Bequia and we loved this. These weren’t sad and thin island dogs, strays looking for love or a handout, these were fat and happy island dogs, ready to eat your pizza crust, follow you down the beach, or just lick your face, whatever the moment demanded.

Then it was back to the villa for naps.

We had noticed a great happy hour was held each night at The Firefly, so we decided to forgo sunset at Da Reef and partake in Firefly’s two-for-one happy hour. Not only did it give us a chance to see this lovely, tropical restaurant and bar in the daylight, it allowed us to sample their house special, the “praying mantis” martini, made from a bottle of house infused vodka stuffed with lemongrass and ginger... TWICE!

48703231952_9c479702fe.jpg

48703204317_8ddb24ef10.jpg

48703048741_ee61bec8c7.jpg

48702752978_3ce7d3c644.jpg

48703243192_dd6b7cdaa8.jpg

48703081521_5f337b01ae.jpg

48703259142_62cee2f92b.jpg

I’m not sure what I loved more, the martini or the bar dog. Both were delightful.

For dinner, we decided at the last minute (I was really starting to get into this “fly by the seat of my pants” vacation) to see if Fig Tree on the walkway was open. Once again, we found ourselves to be the only patrons of the restaurant, but this time, we also had an ENTIRE BAND to ourselves. It was like a private serenade.

48702764423_bc8d4af185.jpg

48702771038_10dc714639.jpg

48703279682_8f724a096d.jpg

48702783113_bff3b5b7f4.jpg

48703293867_5315e28f35.jpg

48703132121_4f4228c0ae.jpg

48703137996_c16ac529dc.jpg

We clapped, we whistled, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of local island specialties. As we got up to leave, the members of the band told us for our last song they would play anything we wanted.

Anything? Never say that to someone from Knoxville, TN.

Day 7:

It was our last day on Bequia. That meant it was our last lovely outdoor breakfast.

48702811333_5f6ea5ec0b.jpg

48703321872_c941aa9b56.jpg

I wanted to spend my last day at my favorite spot, so we headed to Princess Margaret Beach to see if I was so captivated by it earlier in the week because it was truly lovely or because I’d had one too many margaritas.

It was definitely the beach.

48703160241_a3b48ab315.jpg

48702851343_a9705a65e9.jpg

48703369652_335208fa21.jpg

48702838373_a15b69b25c.jpg

48702873883_073d0bebe4.jpg

48703194666_452d6444e5.jpg

The Belmont Walkway ends at Jack’s, so we decided to walk up and over to see the views, landing us at Bequia Plantation Hotel, which was closed for the season but a beautiful spot, nonetheless.

48703386727_f5a7fd6921.jpg

48703394312_b846e3de24.jpg

48703252061_a6ab8ea1f6.jpg

48703231651_9d52e26a52.jpg

48702930823_748ef52e02.jpg

48703424512_082b34e1b3.jpg

48703428102_126ec8c94b.jpg

48702909173_c94dee4702.jpg

We sunned, sipped, and slothed until lunch and then….margaritas!!

Along with Jack’s amazing burger and fries.

48703281121_298b6c364d.jpg

48703285871_f760a3f69d.jpg

48702875023_0f67244999.jpg

48703459792_a715d3eca7.jpg

48702963113_0055688053.jpg

48703314056_ae44417f86.jpg

48703506172_01f66bb1a2.jpg

48703319221_81c51235ea.jpg

48703306711_c3f5a90d8b.jpg

48703323456_1de075cf84.jpg

48703495177_7f953d7777.jpg

48703330556_cac37f72bf.jpg

48702997573_2dab0da6a2.jpg

All week, we had seen a little floating houseboat in the bay that we knew to be Bar One, a super cool floating bar that was purported to have very unique cocktails. The bartenders at Jack’s called them up and before we could say “Duck Fart,” a dingy from Bar One was at the dock at Jack’s ready to take us over.

48703273201_5bedfc612d.jpg

The little floating bar was a whimsical delight. Beautiful views, fun swings, and really unique cocktails like the mango black pepper gin and tonic, the ultimate dirty bloody Mary, and, yes……the duck fart, which was crazy good.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

48703346381_5614fc17f2.jpg

48703519247_d2c72ab79f.jpg

48703027228_8816f1d699.jpg

48703368866_14651aac71.jpg

48703540617_839277b816.jpg

48703545597_363f0b5360.jpg

48703383596_6dfe138be9.jpg

48703557992_b96c971d33.jpg

48703052013_c474752a39.jpg

48703562357_122f1119d8.jpg

48703066238_c24dc5e250.jpg

48703573562_ac66ebb765.jpg

It was our last night, so obviously we had to experience just one more, VERY STRONG rum punch happy hour at Da Reef.

Do you realize that $5 EC is $1.85? Just want to make sure that is clear.

48703428176_e3f9435b53.jpg

48703418181_ed14618c17.jpg

48703099773_2cfb4e71a3.jpg

48703086748_9f43e73e9b.jpg

We had seen the restaurant at Frangipani several times as we wandered up and down the Belmont Walkway and I had heard they were supposed to have the best pie, so we headed in and scarfed down mile high crispy chicken sandwiches and weird green pie for our final dinner.

Weird green pie was good.

48703105653_602587d0fe.jpg

48703446596_8a4df9e2c0.jpg

48703618857_d9cd0c9fde.jpg

48703632402_d0df36e299.jpg

48703471686_211f87f7fb.jpg

Day 8:

It came and went so fast. Bequia has been all we had hoped for and more. It reminded us of all the things we loved about our old favorite haunt, St. John, and a more recent favorite, Jost Van Dyke, without the things we didn’t like. It was beautiful and offered stunning beaches but wasn’t overcrowded or overdeveloped. The pace was easy and the people were kind. The food was good and the drinks were strong. Dogs slept under your beach chair as you wasted the day doing nothing more than staring at the sky. It was peaceful, quaint, and hit a sweet spot that we hadn’t anticipated.

48703478921_1215b54d29.jpg

Unfortunately, to be cliché, all good things must come to an end. But in true Bequian fashion, even the end was sweet. How better to see us off than with a box of puppies on the ferry!

PUPPIES!

48703481531_bb1070ec15.jpg

Thank you, Bequia! You’ll see us again.

PUPPIES!

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET OUR BEAUTIFUL ISLAND HOME OF GREAT GUANA CAY URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR HELP.
The media is gone, the government paralyzed but the crisis continues. PLEASE CONSIDER A SMALL DONATION. Thank you for your consideration. These are lovely people and my friends. If this WONDERFULLY FREE blog has brought you any joy, please share the joy: https://greatguanacayabacos.com/donate/

Posted by vicki_h 10:43 Archived in St Vincent/The Grenadines Tagged beach island caribbean tropical bequia grenadines port_elizabeth saint_vincent_and_the_grenadine princess_margaret_beach Comments (2)

(Entries 1 - 5 of 255) Page [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 .. »