Remember when you were little and you were complaining about something, your dad would always say, “When I was your age, I had to walk to school uphill….both ways….in the snow.” Minus the snow, that statement sums up the island of Mayreau perfectly. No matter where you are going or whom you ask for directions, the directions always start with “Go up that hill over there…” So, we began our exploration of Mayreau by walking up a very steep hill that was “over there”. Once we topped that hill, we were rewarded by a small grocery store followed by another very steep hill. Luckily, at the top of that hill was a watering hole so we stopped in for some much earned refreshment. We then proceeded up the next hill to finally reach the summit of the island where we were greeted by some amazing views of the Tobago Cays. Unlike our dads’ school trek, the trip back to the boat was all downhill but we did at least have a rainstorm to make our trek seem harder and more dramatic than it actually was. While Mayreau was a beautiful island with lovely beaches, it did not take long to explore so we planned to head out to the Tobago Cays. Mother Nature intervened and decided that our trip out to the Cays needed to wait because she sent in high winds and seas. Rather than stay in the bay rocking and rolling on the boat, we voted to make our way over to Canouan into the Sandy Lane Marina.
We tucked happily into the marina and set off to explore. We quickly realized that we were the small fish in the pond as we walked by the boat that was owned by Steve Jobs (now owned by his widow) and I pondered if she even knew where the yacht was. Perhaps they spend their holiday dinners asking, “Where do you think Dad parked that boat?” There were a few other superyachts along the dock and for a mere $300,000 a week, you too could enjoy a superyacht vacation! The marina had all the luxuries one would expect for a superyacht destination including a pool, spa, bakery and its’ own private beach. Our first night, we made our way over to the more rustic restaurant, Scruffy’s. Scruffy’s was right on the water and had a beautiful tide pool for swimming. I would have thought that we were at our usual dive beach bar but the fact that someone had raked the sand let us know that we were certainly rubbing elbows with the highty tighties! Our second clue that we were a bit out of our element was the fact that a taxi ride into town was $50.00 round trip. Keep in mind that the entire island of Canouan is only 3.5 miles long by 1.5 miles wide! We found a golf cart rental for the same price so we climbed aboard and began our exploration. We made our way into town which consisted of a few buildings, a vegetable stand, a warehouse that sold beer and a bar. From that point, everywhere we ventured ended at a gated community or resort. Over half the island is privately owned and access is limited to patrons only. We pulled up to one gated area to ask if we could drive through and look around. The guard was dead asleep in the guardhouse and only woke up once I tapped on the window. I am guessing the highty tighties might frown upon a napping security guard but who knows in the islands! One of the resorts was the Mandarin Oriental and the rooms started at $1600.00 a night! There was a golf course so I looked online to see if perhaps we might want to play a round of golf while we were here. The cost to play a round of 18 holes was $350.00 each….but the good news was that if you were under the age of 11 years, it was a mere $125.00. Needless to say, we decided we might not want to play a round of golf after all. Following our snubs from the rich and famous, we happened upon a restaurant that was perched on top of a hill. It had the most beautiful view and for only $15.00, we had curry chicken and a couple of beers….much more our style! Our final meal at the luxury marina was at the restaurant by the pool overlooking a beautiful sunset. While we were eating, a behemoth yacht was making its’ way into the marina. One of the dock hands informed us that it was owned by Arthur Blank, founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons football team. The yacht was 300 feet long and lit up like a Christmas tree. It gave us a bit of pride to know that a home boy from Atlanta had done so well that he had a yacht larger than Steve Jobs! Alas, it is time to give up our life among the rich and famous and set back to sea. We will begin the week with a trip over to the Tobago Cays for some snorkeling with turtles and rays followed by a jaunt over to Bequia. We have heard rumor that Bequia Music Festival is next weekend so we are looking forward to some more local food and culture. Bequia markets itself as the non-Canuoan so we are hoping Bequia folks will be more our style and that the ice cream will cost less than $13.00! Have a wonderful week and for those of you enduring the snow this week, may all of your travels be downhill both ways! ***More pictures on the Pictures Tabs this week***
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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