Feb 17 Mourne Rouge
We’ve visited this beach before but this will be our first stay here; it’s in a small bay, the sand is soft and fine, the swimming is easy and there are trees around the beach to provide shade when needed.
[Linked Image]
Proving once again a passport is more usful than a snow shovel

We took our morning walk then went to Sur Le Mer for breakfast; afterwards we staked a spot out near the hotel where we could stay in the sun or pull the chairs back under a large almond tree if it got too hot. We spent the day just lounging on the beach, I did some swimming while Kim worked on her tan. We went back to Sur Le Mer for lunch, we had a roti here the last time we visited and they were just as good this time.

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
The beach at Mourne Rouge

The beach is peaceful, there are only a couple vendors and they don’t bother you; I don’t know how busy it gets on cruise ship days but I think most of them go to Grand Anse. The only other choice for drinks I could find other than the hotel or Sur Le Mer was a small local bar at the south end of the beach; they weren’t serving food, but the beers were cheaper and the atmosphere was nice and relaxing.
[Linked Image]
Having a drink at the local bar

There aren’t many choices for dining nearby, we had hoped to have dinner at Sur Le Mer, but they had closed by the time we got there so we headed over to the hotel restaurant. The restaurant is on the second floor and has a few tables outside, I’m not sure if they change the menu nightly but the selections were limited and they were out of lambie the night we were there. They must know that they have a captive audience; the prices are quite high for what you get. Kim and I each had the jerk chicken, one breast split between the two of us, accompanied by breadfruit fritters and carrots; I had a bowl of callalou soup and she had a tomato mozzarella salad for starters, we only drank tap water and the bill was 171 EC (that’s almost $65 US!) way overpriced. Anyway it’s live and learn I guess, we kidded that we should have called George to take us to the roundabout for some grilled chicken and pork off the food trucks there. After dinner we sat on the patio and had some nightcaps before taking a late night walk down the beach to look at the stars before calling it a night.

Day 18 Back to Grand Anse
We went for our usual morning walk on the beach and then had some fresh fruit on the patio for breakfast before packing our bags and setting out for the day.
[Linked Image]
The pool at the resort

There is a walkway that goes from the top of the hill near the Flamboyant down to the beach so we walked over from the hotel and headed down to meet Norm and Lulu. We stopped at the Spiceland Mall to pickup a baguette to make sandwiches for lunch and a small bottle of Jack Iron for tonight. The walk from the hotel to the craft market on the beach took an hour and fifteen minutes including the time spent at the store. It was a windy day so we rented chairs to avoid being sandblasted by the constant wind. It was a usual day, I swam while Kim sunned herself; Norm kept us entertained with his sharp wit.
[Linked Image]
A local climbs for some coconuts

Kim bought some black coral bracelets from Bob for the grandchildren and I had a few drinks with the guys that hang out at the rum shacks there. Around 6:00 we walked up to the road and took a bus to St. Georges for dinner, we were going to one of our favorite places, The Creole Shack, located above the supermarket. Now this is more like it, we each had a large plate of good local food, stewed ox tails for me and BBQ pork for Kim, with soft drinks the total bill was less than 40 EC ($15 US). We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the cool breeze as we ate our meal.
[Linked Image]
At the Creole Shack, one of our favorite places to eat

After dinner we walked over to the bus terminal and grabbed a bus back; I made arrangements with the conductor to drop us off at the hotel for 10 EC each, a lot cheaper than a taxi would have been. We had some nightcaps on the patio; Kim packed since we are leaving for St. Lucia tomorrow while I did my best to make sure no opened bottles of alcohol would go to waste. I went out for a stroll on the beach around midnight, while Kim slept, I tried to wake her but she wasn’t budging. It was a beautiful night and I had hoped to catch a glimpse of a shooting star or two, but with the moon so bright I didn’t see any. After a while, the Iron Jack almost gone, I turned in for the night.

Drink all day at home, your friends worry about you; do it on vacation and they say "what a good time you're having". Save your friends needless worry, travel more!