In the lap of luxury!
by Rachael71 about The Calabash
We were fortunate enough to spend two weeks at the Calabash Hotel in L'Anse Aux Epines, and it was an experience unlike any other. I think the staff:guest ratio is something like 2:1, so you can imagine how well they look after you.
Our room was extremely spacious and clean. There was good air conditioning, a fridge (a bit pricey, so we stocked up on Carib beer at the supermarket instead!), sofas and a CD player. Televisions are available on request. The bathroom was also big, and included a jacuzzi bath! The piece de resistance had to be our private pool at the back of the room though. This was described as a 'plunge pool', but was easily big enough to swim a few strokes in, or just to laze about on an air bed (provided by the hotel) with a beer and a good book.
Breakfast is served on your private terrace every morning by the maid, you have to complete a menu the day before. Hors d'oeuvres are brought to your room each evening at around 6pm. Afternoon tea is available in the restaurant at around 3pm.
The hotel is by the beach, and it's nice to lie and watch the yachts arrive to visit the dockyard just a little further around the bay. The Calabash is the only hotel on this beach, so there aren't many hawkers - those that do visit are happy to pass the time of day if you don't want to buy anything. If you don't like the beach, there is a pleasant swimming pool. Other facilities include a library, internet access, a snooker table and a beauty salon/hairdresser (for an additional charge). The big draw of this hotel is the food. The British chef Gary Rhodes is a consultant to the Calabash and designs the menus himself using local produce. He visits several times a year, and we were lucky enough to meet him during our stay. The restaurant is open to diners who are not staying at the hotel, so even if you don't stay at the Calabash, I recommend visiting for a meal one evening.
Other than that, the sheer luxury of this hotel makes it a very special place.
Lap of Luxury
by dbeatty about Calabash Hotel
Our whirlpool suite #28 was really nice. It was decorated beautifully. There was a separate sitting area with the television and air conditioning in both rooms. The bed was very comfortable.
The only negative things I would have to say are the shower pressure was really bad and so was the pressure in the bidet which made it inoperable, and, this was one of those places where the men had to dress in trousers for dinner. The room service menu was not great either. The hotel was having some phone problems while we were there and the phones were out for two days. They don't have electrical transformers so I was invited to charge my cell phone in the lobby.
Your breakfast menu was requested the evening before. At your requested breakfast time , staff would set the table outside of your door on your private patio and serve breakfast. Be careful of the birds! They know exactly when you are done and will swoop down for the leftovers. They watch from the roofs!
They have a large grassy area next to the beach, and a more casual beach restaurant and bar area. We did have lunch here a couple of times and the food was good. I would recommend the chicken salad which was called something like "coronation chicken" or something like that, it was in a curry mayonaise and really yummy.
It was really hot here though for some reason. Maybe they just didn't have a breeze in the area.
The staff were all pretty friendly and the service was good.
We enjoyed our stay here, it was very comfortable and a great way to end our trip. Breakfast served on your private patio.
Good Driver!
by dbeatty
Matthew Thomas taxi from the Calabash Hotel in St. Georges, was a great driver. He was there whenever we needed him. He provided us with his card which showed his cell phone number. Friendly and informative and always on call. One of the few drivers we could understand too!
A real treat!
by Rachael71 about The Calabash Hotel
We actually stayed at the Calabash so were able to eat there each night of our stay, but the restaurant is also open to non-residents and is well worth a visit. The British chef Gary Rhodes designed the menu, which is based around locally available produce, and also trained the chefs, so the food is really special. The restaurant was due to be remodelled just after we stayed, but hopefully the ambience won't change too much. We dined under flower-strewn vines and there was musical entertainment every evening. A little more pricey than other restaurants, but well worth it. My favourite was the salt and pepper duck breasts, but the 'fish of the day' was also always excellent. And you have to try the toffee pudding!
Concord Falls
by dbeatty
The drive from the Calabash Hotel in Lance aux Epines is 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how fast you drive. All of a sudden you come to the end of the road. There are a few vendors selling spices and jewelry. There are supposed to be three falls but we only reached the lower fall because of the rain. It is very green and lush in the area and it must have been much more beautiful before the hurricane. There are nutmeg trees and cocoa trees.
I thought it was very interesting to see the fruit from the nutmeg tree. It has three layers, the outside skin, then this red fiber called mace, and then the nut which. The red fiber is used as a preservative for fish and meat and of the course the nut is a spice. The mace makes these grooves in the nutmeg seed, really cool.
The cocoa tree grows these huge red pods. Inside the pods are cocoa seeds which are ground up, combined with some other ingredients and water, and formed into balls. These balls are dried and become very hard and they smell really good. They sell them at the vendor stands with instructions on how to make hot cocoa. Of course I bought some but I haven't tried it yet!
Our driver also pointed out the Callaloo plant. Callaloo is kind of like spinach. It can be used in soup and other food preparations. I tried the soup and it's very good and very good for you!
Photos
Monument Bianca C
The waterfront of St. Georges
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