Arrival - United Airlines nonstop from Washington and 2 hour drive to Orient Beach due to last bag off the luggage carousal, car pick up and traffic. First 3 nights at Green Cay Village then 4 nights at Hotel la Plantation. As this was an inspection trip, this will provide some of our highlights...

Villas - Green Cay Village… stayed in newly renovated Villa-1 that is unique with many custom features, an outdoor kitchen and largest village pool with a spectacular view of the bay .. 8 villas are managed by the original company with extraordinary landscaping. Some of client friends staying at Club Orient joined us for a gathering at the villa – a perfect place for entertaining and nude pool use if so desired. For TV fans, 109 channels with many American programs.

Casa Boniti was inspected as previously unavailable .. an excellent location above Green Cay Village with a large pool, privacy and excellent water views. Features 3 bedrooms on one level – priced very reasonably.

Hotels - La Plantation… stayed in a top-level suite for the view and, like Green Cay Village, among beautiful tropical landscaping .. a separate bedroom, basic kitchen and full air-conditioning .. staff especially friendly .. minor maintenance issues were quickly addressed – a favorite place for the quieter ambiance offered along with an excellent restaurant.

Club Orient... The grounds were nicer than ever seen in our 23 years due to the abundant rainfall. Replacement of unit furnishings continues including new bedspreads, linens, larger safes to accommodate laptops. While we did not dine at the Papagayo, good reports were received from our many clients there. The only issue is the WiFi connection due to limited board band availability at times of heavy use. Staff will have new uniforms in the near future.

We were impressed by continuing improvements at Hotel Palm Court along with a coded security gate entrance. In the same complex, L’Hoste and Caraibes Beach Hotels continue to be maintained in fine condition as was the nearby Esmeralda. The Alamanda now provides free WiFi connection to nearly all rooms.

Condos & Townhouses – A major renovation and up-grading of 8 condos at the Caribbean Princess was nearing completion. This will be one of the nicest accommodations to be found anywhere at the beach. We were impressed by the recently refurbished Riviera-15 on the 2nd level overlooking the community pool and garden with some water views – new appliances and especially bright and airy. Another, Riviera-1 is unique by its location fronting the beach – single beach level 2-bedroom unit with a small private garden area, but no pool.

Restaurants & Groceries – Our best dinner was at Hotel la Plantation – relaxing by the pool. Also at the new Piazza Pascal in Grand-Case – very reasonably priced and with dining on the 2nd level that we enjoyed being above the usual motorcycle and boom-box street noise. An early lunch at Aloha was suburb. Diner at Le Cottage was excellent although most costly. Pizza at Le Piment enjoyed, but for us didn’t live up to some other reviews. The Palm Beach Lounge is the nicest facility for non-naturel beach sunning and lunch at Orient Beach. The US Imports supermarket at Hope Estate should not be missed for the great variety of food and booze – a big plus for the convenience of those staying at Orient Bay. A new 2% tax is now applied to French restaurant meals and most grocery items.

Tidbits – Weather was perfect for the week, not even a shower. We were surprised by very few mosquitoes encountered anywhere, but wondered if spraying due to earlier dengue concern had affected the local birdlife as fewer birds were seen than ever. Interestingly, Iguanas are apparently become quite common again, look for them near the pool in the palms at Hotel Palm Court. The French hotel and villa tax is expected to drop from 4% to 2% - possibly as early as the beginning of 2011.

Departure - After sitting on the plane for 2 hours on the tarmac, United Airlines canceled the fully-packed Saturday flight, arranged overnight at the Sonesta and we departed on Sunday with a further flight delay. Even with another 2 hours standing in line for check-in and security, amazingly, none of the passengers voiced their outrage other than a few groans for an extra day in paradise.

...Jim