50th Anniversary Trip; Jardin D'O and Rancho del Sol, 16-17Dec
So we moved to Jardin D'O Monday AM, just a 5 minute drive but quite a different neighborhood from Club Fantastico. Here is their website: Jardin D'O. It's located across N7 (main road around the island) from Mt. Vernon behind 2 gates. Seems secure but also a bit of a pain to get to . The idea of this place (and our unit Indigo) here is more like a group of small 1 BR apartments each with their own kitchen and patio area. Guests are on their own more than at Club F, i.e. no breakfast, provide your own stuff like paper towels and hooch! Nice little kitchen with BIG frig, TV in living room but with only French stations, big bathroom, queen bed (vs king at Club F). Nice pool, (no hot water for the shower), fairly uncomfortable wicker lounge chairs, no view other than the garden flora. But we do like it anyway, we feel somehow more like French locals here. And really close to the pharmacy, bakery and supermarkets!
We hit the beach again today (a pattern has been set?) but it was REALLY windy- must be the famous Christmas winds that are prevalent here this time of year. Nice day otherwise, no rain. We took a walk down the beach to the remains of Papagayo restaurant and took a few pics along the way. just in case some readers haven't yet seen what Irma did to Club O! No trace of the duplex studios (in the second row from the beach) that we used to stay in.
It was a bit rainy Tuesday so we only stayed on the beach for an hour until we saw the showers coming "off the point" i.e. right upwind. Hardly anyone on the beach, no umbrellas and the Perch never opened. But that was ok, it gave us a chance to check out Rancho del Sol for lunch , located on N7 on a hillside with great view. Excellent food (yep we had another pizza!) too, plus they deliver so we plan to have them cater a little dinner here at Jardin some night. It's right around the corner. And if you wait in their parking lot a few minutes, a herd of a dozen or so goats will mosey in from the field across the street. Maybe looking for baguette heels left over? We had a slice of pizza in a doggie box but didn't think to offer it.
Next day we managed to hang in for happy hour at the Perch (1:30-2:30) and scored a few good rum punches. Shared same with our new friends, Mike and Ginger the "almost honeymooners". Then we went to lunch with them at the new Kontiki and it is beautiful! (see pic) Less shrubbery and fewer palms than pre-Irma but great landscaping. Very pricey though, $20 for a cheeseburger, so it seems that maybe they are trying to do some catching up income-wise from Irma.
Mike and Ginger leave tomorrow on an innovative way to the airport- by way of St. Barts! Taking the St. Barth Commuter plane from Grand Case, staying there a night (we told them to go to Grand Saline Beach) and then flying back into Juliana for their flight to Miami the next day. That's the idea, just fly around the mess! They work for USAA in San Antonio, by the way (our insurance co. for everything!). And he is a former semiconductor engineer like me!
After picking up some bread, cheese and cereal at the Super U (huge store, almost all French groceries, good prices on liquors, etc), we had our own little Ma Dou Dou happy hour. We decided to eat dinner in after the big lunch so we made baguette grill cheese sandwiches! Just enough!
There is still some strike stuff going on, i.e. I read that that was a big march today somewhere and some more road blockages (maybe for the march?). Here's a report from Susi Sahlman, our fellow Club F guest, who had a bit of trouble getting over here last weekend. Link
Here are photos of Jardin D'O, the destruction at Club O, including Papagayo, the cairns built by tourists next to Papagayo, the Perch Lite Bar and Kontiki, including our new friends Mike and Ginger.!
:
https://sahlmanartblog.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/road-blocks
We hit the beach again today (a pattern has been set?) but it was REALLY windy- must be the famous Christmas winds that are prevalent here this time of year. Nice day otherwise, no rain. We took a walk down the beach to the remains of Papagayo restaurant and took a few pics along the way. just in case some readers haven't yet seen what Irma did to Club O! No trace of the duplex studios (in the second row from the beach) that we used to stay in.
It was a bit rainy Tuesday so we only stayed on the beach for an hour until we saw the showers coming "off the point" i.e. right upwind. Hardly anyone on the beach, no umbrellas and the Perch never opened. But that was ok, it gave us a chance to check out Rancho del Sol for lunch , located on N7 on a hillside with great view. Excellent food (yep we had another pizza!) too, plus they deliver so we plan to have them cater a little dinner here at Jardin some night. It's right around the corner. And if you wait in their parking lot a few minutes, a herd of a dozen or so goats will mosey in from the field across the street. Maybe looking for baguette heels left over? We had a slice of pizza in a doggie box but didn't think to offer it.
Next day we managed to hang in for happy hour at the Perch (1:30-2:30) and scored a few good rum punches. Shared same with our new friends, Mike and Ginger the "almost honeymooners". Then we went to lunch with them at the new Kontiki and it is beautiful! (see pic) Less shrubbery and fewer palms than pre-Irma but great landscaping. Very pricey though, $20 for a cheeseburger, so it seems that maybe they are trying to do some catching up income-wise from Irma.
Mike and Ginger leave tomorrow on an innovative way to the airport- by way of St. Barts! Taking the St. Barth Commuter plane from Grand Case, staying there a night (we told them to go to Grand Saline Beach) and then flying back into Juliana for their flight to Miami the next day. That's the idea, just fly around the mess! They work for USAA in San Antonio, by the way (our insurance co. for everything!). And he is a former semiconductor engineer like me!
After picking up some bread, cheese and cereal at the Super U (huge store, almost all French groceries, good prices on liquors, etc), we had our own little Ma Dou Dou happy hour. We decided to eat dinner in after the big lunch so we made baguette grill cheese sandwiches! Just enough!
There is still some strike stuff going on, i.e. I read that that was a big march today somewhere and some more road blockages (maybe for the march?). Here's a report from Susi Sahlman, our fellow Club F guest, who had a bit of trouble getting over here last weekend. Link
Here are photos of Jardin D'O, the destruction at Club O, including Papagayo, the cairns built by tourists next to Papagayo, the Perch Lite Bar and Kontiki, including our new friends Mike and Ginger.!
https://sahlmanartblog.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/road-blocks
I meant to mention that the mosquitoes and no see ums have been bad at both places so far.
ReplyDeleteWe love Rancho del Sol for the same reasons you do...Food, view and delivery. A little perplexed about The Perch as you said it was closed but you hung in for Happy Hour.
ReplyDeleteWe always love your reports so keep em coming.
Closed one day, open the next. I kind of switched the days around a bit. Island fever maybe?
Delete