Trip Report 9/11-10/1/22

[Pegmeister]

Yes it was quite a treat for me. I was able to get a day pass and Amy had reserved a six person cabana because they were five of them anyway. Most of my photos are on my camera so I won’t be able to share them until after I get home but I do try to remember to snap of you with my phone so I can post as I go. I hope you are able to get the cabana and enjoy your day at the island when you go

We always stay at the Renaissance the last few days of our trips. Starting to think about planning for May. We’ve also done the cabanas at the Ritz which I loved, but I like that the Renaissance has the hammocks.

Glad you are enjoying your trip!!

[robin]

I sound like a wonderful trip. We have wanted to try that place in SN for years and have never made it there.

[cpjones]

You really make me wanna be there with you folks! Thanks for taking the time to share!

[Laura in NH]

Moving day was a pain but I survived. More friends came in and they wanted to try TOF so I went back there for dinner for a third time. I like it there but I think I’m done LOL. I had the Mexican shrimp app Which was basically a shrimp cocktail with salsa instead of cocktail sauce.
Monday 4 of us went downtown. I bought a hat for the hubster then headed to west deck to meet them for lunch. I was 40 minutes early because I’m not a shopper but I got to watch a net fisherman while I sipped a frosty beverage. I split the keshi yena with Cindy. I haven’t tried it before and thought it was really tasty. Marsha and Susan split a chicken sandwich and salad.

Monday night 6 of us went to Bavaria. 4 had the escargot, all 6 of us had the veal stroganoff and I also got a side of the red cabbage. Not at all what I was expecting but it was so flippin’ good. I’m sure many of you have had it before but I have never had fried cabbage prepared with cinnamon honey. It was almost like a dessert and I passed the bowl around the table so everybody could try it. We all enjoy the view very much as well.

Today I spent most of the day I had a little pool and then went to the members cocktail party. Marsha and susan’s cousin/niece flew in today so the four of us went up to Smokey Joe’s. Two hamburgers and two of us had the ribs appetizer plate. My ribs are OK, but nothing to write home about this time, although I did finish my plate.

Tomorrow morning I have my Seaglass excursion and then I’ll probably spend the rest of the day in the pool.

[Laura in NH]

i

[Pegmeister]

I love to see the food photos. I think it helps people when they’re trying to decide where to dine, giving them a peak at the experience. West Desk is a great spot to enjoy a drink and watch the activity. There’s usually pelicans hanging out around the boats and it makes for some good photo ops.

[ArubaAce]

i

I missed Bavaria on last trip as they were closed and opened the day I left or after. Love the food photos!

[crimms]

Fantastic trip. We enjoyed your reviews.
Sean and Susan

[Laura in NH]

TLDR: Got some sun, got some rain, lost some beach, ate more than my share of food.

Full version: Wednesday morning we went on our sea glass excursion. Gaby’s husband, Dave, picked us up and took us to the same spot as before. We all found some great pieces and were taken back to the studio to see what we found and choose our art pieces. I got a necklace this time. I also had written to Gaby a few weeks ago and asked her to make a bead for me and make it into a bracelet. She had it ready for me on the day of our hunt and our new pieces will be ready for pickup Wednesday. They are both so knowledgeable about the glass and it’s fun and interesting to learn what type of bottle a piece most likely came from and how long it has probably been churning in the waves. Dave had recommended Local Store to us last year and was happy to hear we finally tried it out.

After glass, Nancy and I went to La Cabana to get a fruit bowl from Eduardo’s. Just as we were leaving, the skies opened up and it poured for a bit, and we had a few light showers in the afternoon. The night before, it had rained pretty hard and some of the water got into my bedroom. This happens because of the way DV is constructed, not necessarily because it was torrential. But it cleared up enough to paint the sky some pretty colors as the sun set. I don’t think I had real dinner Wednesday. I think I had some sugar bread toast and a couple pieces of bacon as I was grazing most of the afternoon.

Eight of us went to Linda’s Dutch Pancakes Thursday morning. It was very good as always. I had apple, gouda and honey on mine. Upon return, we all had letters stuck in our doors warning of possible rain/wind and hallway/deck/and room flooding. We were given extra bath towels to place under doors/sliders to hold back the water. 13 of us had a 6:30 reservation for El Gaucho and I called to change that to 6:00 in hopes of getting home before the heavy rain started.

My dinner at El Gaucho was delicious. I made the mistake of ordering and eating the wedge salad and when my gaucho steak arrived I wasn’t very hungry. I had a few bites and it was perfect. I had everything boxed up to go and also got the dessert trio to go. I believe it consisted of a caramel crepe, chocolate crepe, brownie and an apple turnover. I ate the caramel crepe there and brought the rest home. Over the next few days I polished off the desserts. The brownie was meh but the rest was pretty good! Two of our group had seafood and everyone else had beef of some sort. Cindy and Steve split a pitcher of sangria that looked very good. I believe our server was Linden and he was wonderful with our big group. We made it back just before a light shower began.

Mike, Steve and I met for bourbon and cigars at Steve and Cindy’s deck while watching Mike’s weather app. We kept waiting for the rain which had been predicted for 8-11, but there wasn’t much happening. A good thing, yes, but after all the hype, we were expecting something. So we listened to my eclectic music on my iPod and chatted for a bit and at 11:30, we said our goodnights and I woke up at 5:30 to a flooded bedroom again. Next time I’ll try 6 towels instead of four hahaha. Friday turned out to be a gorgeous day for the pool and I spent most of the day there. The waves were still pretty rough across the street and more of our beach was taken, as well as some beach for Divi AI. Thankful it wasn’t worse and hopeful the beach comes back soon.

Four of us went to Bugaloe for music and cocktails. The band, Travel Session Band, was very good and I actually danced bit. I had a couple of chills and the grouper ceviche since I had not eaten dinner. We left around 10 when the band stopped playing. Saturday most of us went to the infinity pool since Divi Golf is Saturday to Saturday. We came back to the DV pool around 3 and then about 10 of us went to Beach Bar at 5 for happy hour. I joined Cindy and Steve for dinner at Fusion. They had cowboy steak and lobster tail dinner for two. It looked and smelled so wonderful and they both enjoyed their meal. I had the cheese board (I need to up my Fusion game), and a Bailey’s. The three of us shared a crème brulee.

This morning I packed all my stuff and stashed it in Kathy’s room and then 7 of us girls went to Windows for brunch. I’ve been wanting to try it for over 10 years and finally did. I enjoyed it, but… my first few dishes were not hot – barely warm. Let’s hope they were having and off day. For $59 it’s all you can eat, but you can only order one thing at a time and there was some down time between orders. So, while we were there for 3 hours, we didn’t eat as much as one might think. The portions are small so you can enjoy several different options, or just keep ordering the same thing over again if that’s your jam. So I will fess up and tell you in order what I had… Lobster ravioli – it was ok. There were two and one was kind of grainy. Crepe Suzette – very tasty. Scallops – 2 scallops in vodka sauce with a little spinach risotto. Delicious, but could have been warmer. Beef tenderloin – had caramelized onion, mashed and French fry potatoes and a truffle mushroom sauce and something red sauce. Fabulous. If I had room to fit more food I might have ordered a second. Mango passionfruit mousse – I had bought a piece of this very thing at Superfood last week. If I had known what it was, I would not have chosen it. Not my fave although I think the one from Windows was fresher, so better. Beef empanada – served with pico and a garlic cilantro aioli. This was very good. Loved the beef mixture and the aioli. Then I had a little scoop of coconut ice cream with some caramel sauce. Add 1 mimosa, 1 coffee and a few glasses of water. We had a great time. 4 of the girls ordered the lamb lollipops and then ordered them again – they were that good. Our server, Raynair, was a joy and helped make the experience great.

After brunch, my room was ready so I grabbed my stuff from Kathy’s and got situated back into the room I had my first week. Headed down to the pool for a bit and then over to the beach to try for some sunset pics, but it was less than spectacular. It’s about 10 now so when I’m done writing this I will probably warm up some of my gaucho leftovers. I guess that’s it for now. Four of us heading to Baby Beach tomorrow.

[Laura in NH]