2nd Day - November 2020 Trip Report

lvbookworm

SBH Insider
It was rough – but we managed to wake up at a respectable hour. This was our morning view from the New Moon room at Le P’tit Morne.

9E3E1421-8DA3-4CE2-B670-562620363345.jpg

We have never before considered staying anywhere but a private villa. But this year’s budget had to be restructured significantly to allow for the extra expense of same-day covid tests, CFAR travel insurance, and two $700 one-way return tickets on Tradewinds to SJU. This property is a true gem, and Caroline and Tania at the front office are on top of their game. I would not hesitate to book here again!

Here are a few pictures of our suite which is considered one of their “deluxe rooms.” The outdoor dining table posed a bit of a problem for us because there were a few mosquitos that loved the shady vegetation surrounding the deck. They don’t usually bother me, but Kelly is a skeeter magnet.

57432FA5-2DA4-4DB6-884B-B2BAD7019FAB.jpg

70DB77C6-91D0-4FF3-BC92-6BBC3318DC52.jpg

As the week progressed we spent more time on the chaise lounge deck on the other side of the suite. Next to the loungers was a gate that led directly from our deck to the pool. This was very convenient, and we usually had it all to ourselves.

6229625B-952B-45B4-BB99-4AD56868F3F4.jpeg

The kitchen had everything we needed including a full size refrigerator.

9025B29E-D14A-49A7-9991-2B80FF87B0DE.jpeg

After a trip down the road for breakfast croissants at Le Petite Columbe we returned to our room to pack up everything for a day at the beach. We had lunch reservations at Nikki, but we wanted to spend a couple of hours reading and relaxing beforehand. This is one of my favorite spots on the island, and I never tire of the view.

IMG_3430.jpg

At noon we took down our umbrella and wandered over to lunch. The wine menu looked to be a little more expensive this year, but not enough to discourage us from ordering a bottle of Minuty Rosé et Or. We shared starters of Japanese tuna tartare and shrimp gyoza. The tuna was outstanding – fresh and bright with flavors of ginger and citrus. Unfortunately, it was a little too spicy for me. I’m not sure why, but I seem to be turning into a bit of a spice wimp in my old age. The small dollops of wasabi aioli used as decoration on the plate seemed to cut the heat, and our waitress was happy to bring a small side for us.

897ED0D1-992B-41AF-92A7-1576EF1F9D56.jpeg

The gyoza were crispy on the outside and filled with a flavorful mixture of shrimp and vegetables. They were served with a wakame salad and yuzu aioli for dipping. The wakame salad, although perhaps only meant as a garnish, was quite tasty and provided a nice cool contrast to the warm gyoza.

387E018E-337B-4AB5-9EDC-AFC97F2DA03E.jpeg

For entrees we went with the special of the day – scallop risotto with truffle and caviar. The presentation was absolutely beautiful – it was Christmas on a plate! The combined flavors and creaminess of the risotto were sheer perfection, and I ate at a snail’s pace to savor the experience.

57FA0EC0-0F3B-4FC7-98B3-49F9F73D2BFE.jpeg

I can’t remember the name of our dessert, but I think it was some sort of cheesecake with a cookie crust. It was served with a shot of rhum vanille so that was good enough for me! We had no trouble cleaning the plate – and it was obviously a winner.

5F354305-C537-400C-BBE5-F66150973115.jpeg

The rest of our afternoon was spent swimming and sunning before we headed back to our room. We had just enough time to spruce ourselves up a little bit in preparation for a quick visit and glass of wine with Dennis at Case et Cuisine. Dennis is such a welcoming host and was gracious enough to show us around his beautiful villa. I know others have said it before, but this property is the height of class and style. When you walk in the door you immediately feel at home. There’s just something about the atmosphere - call it feng shui or whatever – that exuded a feeling of peace. Thank you again, Dennis, for the signed book and also for leaving it for me at TopLoc. I will cherish it as a memento of this trip!

We ended our evening streaming The Crown on Netflix while enjoying one of my favorite meals – reheated leftover pizza from Les Bananiers. It was definitely a perfect day!
 
It was a wonderful day.Your food photos are marvelous. Crisp and vibrant! I want to pull up a chair and enjoy right along with you.

And you are right, Dennis is an island treasure and the tender loving care he and his wife Wendy have put into their villa is evidnt in every room and garden.

Can you share the titles of any good books you enjoyed?..my favorite past time.
 
Thank you so much for the trip report, and especially for the photos of P'tit Morne. It was on my short list of places to stay for our (cancelled) April 2020 trip, but they were fully booked. I've promised myself to stay there one day...looks heavenly...
 
Great report! Hanging with Dennis is very near the top of my list of must-do’s while on island...I’m very happy you got that opportunity. I’m also happy to hear that P’Tit Morne’s New Moon Suite worked for you. It was my island cocoon several times.

I agree with Amy that your food photos are spot on!

Thanks for sharing in such detail.
 
Wow. These reports are fantastic! And thanks so much for the insights to Petite Morne. Looks like a great way to afford more time - which for us always becomes the opium of this place.
 
Your reports are a treasure for all of us, Amy! Magnificent food photography! Thank you for taking us along on your trip . . . and I'll be looking forward to more of it! It also was my pleasure to have a visit with you and Kelly -- and happy to have been able to share "Case et Cuisine" with you. We'll meet again, I'm sure!
 
Wonderful report and photos!!! Thank you!

And I'm with you on the items on the plate: Unless they tell me specifically not to eat it, I'll eat everything on the plate!!


Regarding your Netflix watching, are you able to stream movies through wifi at your place or are these downloaded onto your phone? Last time I was there in 2018 (sniff, sniff) my wifi would barely allow me to upload photos to this site, so I'm guessing streaming would have been out of the question.
 
Regarding your Netflix watching, are you able to stream movies through wifi at your place or are these downloaded onto your phone? Last time I was there in 2018 (sniff, sniff) my wifi would barely allow me to upload photos to this site, so I'm guessing streaming would have been out of the question.

We used our Amazon Prime Fire stick and remote to access the Netflix app via internet. It was slow at times resulting in a bit of buffering, but all in all it did well. One interesting tid-bit: not all Amazon Prime series/movies we have watched at home were available to watch internationally. I suppose this has to do with the various programs' licensing agreements?
 
Thanks for the intel on P'tit Morne.

I've always eyeballed that place as a potiential "reasonable" place to stay.

Looks lovely.
 
Thanks for the update. That's truly amazing you could get it to work at all!

The only time we attempted to use the fire stick was after 9 or 10 p.m. Perhaps we were the only guests still up and utilizing the internet at that hour? There were many times during our stay that the internet was quite slow. I have no doubt that had we tried to use it then we would not have had the same success.
 
The only time we attempted to use the fire stick was after 9 or 10 p.m. Perhaps we were the only guests still up and utilizing the internet at that hour? There were many times during our stay that the internet was quite slow. I have no doubt that had we tried to use it then we would not have had the same success.

i use a Firestick 4K on our TV here in Lurin and it works great. I did have an older one that was a bit sketchy. BTW, you can get around the blocked content by using a VPN. There are several which work well with the Firestick.

Phil
 
Phil - are you saying that the Firestick itself is responsible for you being able to stream?!!??! I think that's what you're saying, but I had no idea that the firestick could be the "gate" on data flow. I figured the limiting factor, especially on SBH where the internet speeds are not what they are in the States, was the strength or the volume of the data flow.
 
The Firestick is indeed a streaming device, with services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. There are also many hacking hints for getting other streaming services that you can find by Googling. The internet up here is ok, but certainly nowhere near the speeds we get at home, but the Firestick works perfectly. Installation of a VPN unblocks Amazon Prime as well as many other services. There is more content than you can imagine, and if you are a good shopper you can pick up the 4K model [that's definitely the one you want] for $25-30 on Amazon. At that price, it's the bargain of the century.

PM me if you have any other questions.

Phil
 
Phil - are you saying that the Firestick itself is responsible for you being able to stream?!!??! I think that's what you're saying, but I had no idea that the firestick could be the "gate" on data flow. I figured the limiting factor, especially on SBH where the internet speeds are not what they are in the States, was the strength or the volume of the data flow.


Bart, you need to discover this thing called Amazon!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079QHML21


Screen Shot 2020-12-17 at 9.39.21 AM.jpg
 
Top