Well the first day of our last week dawned bright and clear (again). I got in the ocean here at Dawn Beach, but the waves are just too strong to make the snorkeling enjoyable. We’ve heard this is one of the best beaches, but only when the current is mild. So far, it has not been mild at all. The swimming is a lot of fun, but again, the current can be challenging.
We talked to some locals and they suggested Friar’s Bay as a great snorkeling place. We had already been there and had a nice enough time. They told us that we had snorkeled the wrong side of the bay, and that we should have gone up the right hand side. So, we figured, what the heck, let’s go give it a whirl. And they were right!
The bay was very calm today, with hardly a ripple on the ocean. Entry to the ocean was on some nice soft sand, and we quickly headed over to the rocks. We saw tons of stuff we had not seen anywhere else on the island. AND we saw some things we’ve not seen on any island! For me, the highlight was seeing stick crabs, crabs that have long very skinny legs. We had never seen any before, except in nature shows. That was so cool.
We also spotted four types of moray eel. There were Queen Angelfish, another boxfish, and Pam’s favorite fish, a Nassau Grouper! There were plenty of other fish we have not seen before and which we haven’t even been able to name yet!
The problem again, is my photography. I’m doing a terrible job of capturing these beauties. You’d think after all this time I’d be getting good at it, but it’s so hit and miss. It’s very discouraging actually.
We had lunch at Friar’s Bay Beach Cafe. If you should come to this beach, be sure to bypass this ripoff joint. We had two clubhouse sandwiches, one meat and cheese sandwich, and “chicken fingers” (with only two “fingers”), two beer and two coke. Price: $117.00. The food was not even very good. Ordinary would be stretching it. Eight bucks for a beer, when the most we’ve paid has been $2.50 anywhere else, even on pricey Pinel Island. Outrageous.
We piled back into the ocean for another leisurely snorkel up the right coast. It was great fun, and we got to see just tons of fish. The water clarity was very good, and we saw more morays, other fun stuff.
We got back to the hotel for a soak in the hot tub, then off to dinner at a French restaurant called “Le Plainteur” just across the marina from our hotel on the French side. It is perched on top of a hill with a beautiful view of our hotel and the surrounding hillside. That was as good as it got.
We should have learned from the French ripoff at lunch, but I guess we’re stubborn. The owner’s children playing far too loudly in the dining room was off-putting from the minute we walked in.
I ordered French Onion Soup. It was too cold to be called soup really. The Mahi Mahi Creole was served in tinfoil, and didn’t resemble anything Creole I’ve ever had. It was accompanied by a scoop of some overcooked mass of something indiscernible. The plating technique left something to be desired, to say the least. Dessert was Flambeed Bananas that were cooked beyond recognition. For me, this was one the worst meals I’ve ever had to pay so much money for! Honestly, for “French Food” this wouldn’t even pass as cafeteria food. Again give this place a bypass. You’ll be glad you did.
