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Our trip so far #199662
07/09/2019 10:19 PM
07/09/2019 10:19 PM
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 110
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RogerAndBeth Offline OP
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Arrived 7/6/19, CLE-PHL-SXM
Exchanged Flamingo for OBBR again. No need to ever stay at Flamingo again. Sunterra was great, Diamond, not so much.
Club O beach every day
Food:
L' Oasis for dinner. 5 stars
Quiches from Bread and Butter, 5 stars
Kontiki for lunch, 4 stars
Nowhere Special for dinner, 3 stars
Bikini Beach for lunch, 4 stars
Quay Ouest for dinner, 5 stars
Yellow Sub for lunch, 5 stars
Avantika for dinner, 5 stars

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Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199665
07/09/2019 10:52 PM
07/09/2019 10:52 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,408
Yonkers, NY
fabila Online content
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Why 3 stars for Nowhere Special?

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199666
07/10/2019 12:54 AM
07/10/2019 12:54 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,081
Clearwater, FL
Biturbo Offline
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Clearwater, FL
I concur with your 5 stars for L'Oasis.


I'm going where the weather suits my clothes.
Re: Our trip so far [Re: fabila] #199676
07/10/2019 07:41 AM
07/10/2019 07:41 AM
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 110
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RogerAndBeth Offline OP
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We were so looking forward to eating at Nowhere Special based on the reviews and found that it lacked that WOW factor. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it just wasn't anything special like some of the other places we have eaten.The people were very nice and the service was great. I had the conch ceviche which was very good and we both had creole dishes which were OK.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199677
07/10/2019 07:45 AM
07/10/2019 07:45 AM
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Posts: 110
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RogerAndBeth Offline OP
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I forgot to mention that we used Kenny's for our rental. Lesley is awesome. That guy works his butt off. We actually got a 'new' car (1600km) now I am scared to death driving it around! We stopped using the American national brands several years ago when one of them tried to charge us $50 for too much sand in our car.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199678
07/10/2019 07:47 AM
07/10/2019 07:47 AM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 103
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Susieville Offline
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Re Nowhere Special. I ordered lobster there in January and it was dry as a bone. Very overcooked. This is place to go for simple kind of pub food.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: Susieville] #199689
07/10/2019 09:12 AM
07/10/2019 09:12 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,466
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Originally Posted by Susieville
Re Nowhere Special. ......... This is place to go for simple kind of pub food.
Never been to this place myself, but to me, isn't that what the name implies? What am I missing?


Carol Hill
Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199696
07/10/2019 09:46 AM
07/10/2019 09:46 AM
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bran Offline
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Well that’s not my experience. Now if you are looking for gourmet French it isn’t. Caribbean definitely. The champagne lobster with oxtail was superb. Having a 2lb lobster Thermidor tonight. Had a Mahi Mahi with coconut sauce and three sides a few months ago for $20.00 which was great. Just a nice change from some of the other pricier joints as well, although all our tastes differ. Oh and they throw in Johnny cakes and the other night was offered free after dinner drinks and a cappuccino. Plus using a10% coupon another bonus. The trouble I often find is that if you come with high expectations you can be disappointed so sometimes finding a place with no information on it can be rewarding but to others a let down.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: Carol_Hill] #199699
07/10/2019 09:51 AM
07/10/2019 09:51 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
ruralcarrier Offline
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I believe it is run by a member of the same family that had Turtle Pier when it existed.


J.D.
Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199701
07/10/2019 10:14 AM
07/10/2019 10:14 AM
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bran Offline
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Talking about expectations. Had my worst meal last night. Wanted to go nearby so just down the road into Cupecoy went to Altros that tries to blend French with Italian $26.00 3 course. Tuna carpaccio followed by Duck Shepard’s pie which was simply horrible and pavlova which consisted of a few pieces of fruit and one tiny cube of meringue. Tiny glass of champagne, bottle of water$7.00 and my wife said her hummus and chick peas was inedible, I tasted it and agreed.
$66.00 including service. So then you could say what do you expect for that price? A lot more than that. A huge disappointment.
Mind you, haven’t done too well in that area over the years. Rendevous or something named similar attached to their hotel is very slow and had a breakfast there once that took forever and did not have a good meal at Mario’s. There is a new bar called Steviez sitting on the water with a huge outdoor screen for viewing sports and films and Mama’s that does Pizza and casual that was busy with families. Charming area though and has a European feel. But Altros was truly bad.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199703
07/10/2019 10:56 AM
07/10/2019 10:56 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,466
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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The reviews for Altros have been kind of mixed over the years. Honestly, if you love the area at Porto Cupecoy, you really should try Orient Village. Just sayin'. Especially on Friday evenings, when there is live entertainment, as well as vendors.


Carol Hill
Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199704
07/10/2019 11:04 AM
07/10/2019 11:04 AM
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bran Offline
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Next trip Carol, it’s just a bit far too travel. Getting old and one tends to get fairly boring with doing the same things that work. Well for us anyway. But then again, it’s only 10 mins I think from GC, where we have already made 5 trips so possibly making more of this than I should.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199705
07/10/2019 11:06 AM
07/10/2019 11:06 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,466
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Frankly, by the time you traverse through the road in Grand Case, you could be almost to the turn-off for Orient. Make a trip over there during the day and see what you think...


Carol Hill
Re: Our trip so far [Re: Carol_Hill] #199717
07/10/2019 01:34 PM
07/10/2019 01:34 PM
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bran Offline
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Originally Posted by Carol_Hill
Frankly, by the time you traverse through the road in Grand Case, you could be almost to the turn-off for Orient. Make a trip over there during the day and see what you think...


ok ok, got it, so will try to do this tomorrow. Full day though for our last day...breakfast at yacht club, lunch at skipjacks and dinner in GC. Plus packing. So Carol if you don’t mind.....where is the most concentrated area of restaurants to peruse and to get the atmosphere you were talking about. Plus any open for late afternoon drinks and the odd appetizer. Thx....

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199718
07/10/2019 01:38 PM
07/10/2019 01:38 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,466
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Orient Village is where basically all the restaurants except the beach restaurants are clustered. If you look in my report on Orient Village, all the restaurants that I took pictures of the menus are clustered right there around that square. As far as being open for late afternoon, I'm not sure any of the restaurants in the square are open for late afternoon, other than Yellow Sub would be open, for sure. Not sure about appetizers there though. Link to Orient Village report

Last edited by Carol_Hill; 07/10/2019 01:41 PM.

Carol Hill
Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199721
07/10/2019 01:53 PM
07/10/2019 01:53 PM
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bran Offline
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Yep, thx... had already written those down. Forgot that they are all grouped together.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199728
07/10/2019 02:51 PM
07/10/2019 02:51 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
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Portland, OR
That's too bad about your Altro experience. I ate there a couple of weeks ago and also had the fixed-price, three-course dinner. I wouldn't label it five stars, but I also wouldn't label it horrible. My only complaint was the quite small portions.

I also ate at Mama's Pizza and had a pizza that was very good. I was surprised at how extensive their non-pizza menu was.

Overall, I was glad to see how vibrant the Porto Cupecoy area was.


[Linked Image]
Re: Our trip so far [Re: ruralcarrier] #199748
07/10/2019 05:24 PM
07/10/2019 05:24 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,258
Kennys Online content
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It's run by the Daughter that took over Turtle Pier after his Brother passed away. Al.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199749
07/10/2019 05:25 PM
07/10/2019 05:25 PM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,258
Kennys Online content
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PS: Sidney had passed and Al took over .

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199762
07/10/2019 09:53 PM
07/10/2019 09:53 PM
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bran Offline
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Met Al the other night. Had Lobster Thermidor tonight. Must admit was disappointed but I am no lobster expert, in fact far from it. The Thermidor part was basically a grilled cheese affair as opposed to what I was originally told and there was really hardly any lobster? But again what do I know? The traffic by the airport to the restaurant was horrendous, took about an hour and was told that people do this every day and when the bridge is up, even worse.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199763
07/10/2019 10:27 PM
07/10/2019 10:27 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,564
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
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Auburn, WA
Didn't sound very appetizing.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199768
07/11/2019 07:20 AM
07/11/2019 07:20 AM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 347
Long island
VGerfo Offline
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Long island
Wow, we went there twice in February and had a very good experience.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: VGerfo] #199813
07/12/2019 09:06 AM
07/12/2019 09:06 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,562
Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY
There being Nowhere Special or Altros?


Rick and Grace
Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199825
07/12/2019 12:56 PM
07/12/2019 12:56 PM
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,297
CT
pony600 Offline
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Originally Posted by bran
Met Al the other night. Had Lobster Thermidor tonight. Must admit was disappointed but I am no lobster expert, in fact far from it. The Thermidor part was basically a grilled cheese affair as opposed to what I was originally told and there was really hardly any lobster? But again what do I know?


Where did you have it! My experience is that is is all lobster in the thermidore sauce...


[Linked Image]



If life hands you a lemon, just squeeze it on a lobster!
Re: Our trip so far [Re: bran] #199873
07/13/2019 08:13 AM
07/13/2019 08:13 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,040
falmouth,MA
wendyk Offline
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I'm really sorry to hear you had a bad meal at Altro. I live in that area, and Altro is one of my favorite restaurants for lunch or dinner. I wonder if their regular chef might be on vacation? Having read your restaurant reports, I think we have similar tastes. Have not seen the duck shepard's pie on their menu, but I frequently have the tuna carpaccio (or octopus), as well as the Pavlova, and have always loved everything.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: pony600] #199890
07/13/2019 11:25 AM
07/13/2019 11:25 AM
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bran Offline
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Originally Posted by pony600
Originally Posted by bran
Met Al the other night. Had Lobster Thermidor tonight. Must admit was disappointed but I am no lobster expert, in fact far from it. The Thermidor part was basically a grilled cheese affair as opposed to what I was originally told and there was really hardly any lobster? But again what do I know?


Where did you have it! My experience is that is is all lobster in the thermidore sauce...


"Nowhere Special". Just felt that there was very little lobster in these babies..it was a 2lber

Re: Our trip so far [Re: wendyk] #199891
07/13/2019 11:28 AM
07/13/2019 11:28 AM
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bran Offline
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Originally Posted by wendyk
I'm really sorry to hear you had a bad meal at Altro. I live in that area, and Altro is one of my favorite restaurants for lunch or dinner. I wonder if their regular chef might be on vacation? Having read your restaurant reports, I think we have similar tastes. Have not seen the duck shepard's pie on their menu, but I frequently have the tuna carpaccio (or octopus), as well as the Pavlova, and have always loved everything.


Don't know Wendy. Perhaps I'm too fussy, but it was poor. However, forgotten about it already and yes, just one of those things and could have been a bad night or chef not there but very few people actually think about how we are so different in taste, what works for some doesn't for others. Hence sometimes making recs doesn't mean its the best for us all.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: RogerAndBeth] #199923
07/14/2019 07:27 AM
07/14/2019 07:27 AM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,989
Westchester /NYC
Colour1 Offline
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IMHO, I think people are expecting this place to replace the old Lee's grill. Where almost everything was great!! Yes it was our go to place when we had no plans. Always had great times there. We drove past it last oct-nov, it had a lil crowd, I would be willing to try it out for something small and simple. We have our go to places for lobsters and duck. This would not be one of them.


Sand Gravity, got to love it!
Re: Our trip so far [Re: Carol_Hill] #199928
07/14/2019 07:44 AM
07/14/2019 07:44 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,346
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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Originally Posted by Carol_Hill
The reviews for Altros have been kind of mixed over the years. Honestly, if you love the area at Porto Cupecoy, you really should try Orient Village. Just sayin'. Especially on Friday evenings, when there is live entertainment, as well as vendors.


Since this place sold to the people who also own La Main et Pate it has gone downhill. When it first opened Bridget & Christopher formally of Sol e Luna had it and it was awesome. Last March, had the worse meal of the entire trip. B&C have opened a restaurant now in Spain. Miss them.

Re: Our trip so far [Re: Colour1] #199930
07/14/2019 08:18 AM
07/14/2019 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Colour1
IMHO, I think people are expecting this place to replace the old Lee's grill. Where almost everything was great!! Yes it was our go to place when we had no plans. Always had great times there. We drove past it last oct-nov, it had a lil crowd, I would be willing to try it out for something small and simple. We have our go to places for lobsters and duck. This would not be one of them.


Where are your preferred places for lobster and duck?


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