Day 1
- Thread starter PeterLynn
- Start date
What’s the update?
PeterLynn
Senior Insider
Crazy day. Unlike previous trips, Southwest had a direct flight to SJU this year, which is great because Hobby (the Laguardia of Houston) is so much closer and we could rise at a more human hour (6am vs 3am for IAH). Leisurely drive to the airport only to find the A/C out in the whole terminal! Oh well, I guess we begin the acclimation process early. Uneventful flight and easy transition to the Tradewind lounge. Flight was 20 minutes late, which caused enough anxiety that next year we'll spring for the VIP service again. Speaking of, someone had posted recently that they weren't greeted at the gate as expected. Another couple was sitting in the lounge with us, when they got a call from the ticket counter saying their bags were there, but they hadn't checked in. Apparently the greeter was absent this time as well. Staffing problems, perhaps?
Equally uneventful Tradewind flight ending with always fun drop down over the hill. Since the Super U is now closed on Sundays, we asked the SiBarth rep to escort our luggage to the villa while we went grocery shopping. Next, a visit with the always pleasant Odile who handed us the keys to the latest model Jimny. Boxier and more peppy, with a much more responsive transmission. Didn't need to do any of the manual shifting necessary in the prior model. We'll see if this continues to hold true. Only apparent downside is that it seems bigger (wider?) and not quite as maneuverable with lot's of forward, steering, reverse, steering, forward, reverse, etc... when I missed my first turn off.
Super U was quite crowded as it was now Saturday evening and the various items were pretty well picked over. Fortunately, there was plenty of Malo yoghurt, butter and especially rosé. Previous trips we either arrived mid-afternoon or overnighted at the Sunset in Gustavia so we had time to unpack, unwind and enjoy the sunset before dinner. This time, we pulled in to the villa with the headlights on and less than an hour until our reservation. Crazy unpacking, quick phone charging and changing. Without enough time to survey the pathway down the beach, we opted to "stroll" down to the Langouste in the Jimny. Started with the first Ti Punch of the trip (now only sans glaçons) and a coupe of champagne. Starters were my wife's usual gazpacho and I had a tuna and mango tartare, which was a wonderful combination. I apologize for the picture as I was halfway finished before remembering to take the requisite food porn shot. For the mains, sole meunière was to be ordered, but since our rule is that we never order the same dishes and my wife gets first right of refusal, I ordered the sea bass with a pastis buerre blanc sauce. Not sure if it was fatigue, hunger or the staff getting busy, but neither fish was filleted (past tense of filet doesn't look right, but the Google tells me otherwise) and we dove in bones and all. Not a pleasant experience. Restaurant became completely filled by eight, but unlike previous post-Benjamin visits, the new guy and helper were quite efficient and the usual semi-chaos was absent. Dessert was a shared moelleux au chocolat with pistachio ice cream. A nice combination. More forward-reverse-steering, etc... to maneuver out of our parking spot and we're back at the villa.
Nightcap is the traditional champagne toast to the stars accompanied by the sound of the waves a few feet in front of us. Ahhhhh.
Read that this is/was the best selling champagne in France, so decided to give it a try. Nice. Not as acidic as VC.
Equally uneventful Tradewind flight ending with always fun drop down over the hill. Since the Super U is now closed on Sundays, we asked the SiBarth rep to escort our luggage to the villa while we went grocery shopping. Next, a visit with the always pleasant Odile who handed us the keys to the latest model Jimny. Boxier and more peppy, with a much more responsive transmission. Didn't need to do any of the manual shifting necessary in the prior model. We'll see if this continues to hold true. Only apparent downside is that it seems bigger (wider?) and not quite as maneuverable with lot's of forward, steering, reverse, steering, forward, reverse, etc... when I missed my first turn off.
Super U was quite crowded as it was now Saturday evening and the various items were pretty well picked over. Fortunately, there was plenty of Malo yoghurt, butter and especially rosé. Previous trips we either arrived mid-afternoon or overnighted at the Sunset in Gustavia so we had time to unpack, unwind and enjoy the sunset before dinner. This time, we pulled in to the villa with the headlights on and less than an hour until our reservation. Crazy unpacking, quick phone charging and changing. Without enough time to survey the pathway down the beach, we opted to "stroll" down to the Langouste in the Jimny. Started with the first Ti Punch of the trip (now only sans glaçons) and a coupe of champagne. Starters were my wife's usual gazpacho and I had a tuna and mango tartare, which was a wonderful combination. I apologize for the picture as I was halfway finished before remembering to take the requisite food porn shot. For the mains, sole meunière was to be ordered, but since our rule is that we never order the same dishes and my wife gets first right of refusal, I ordered the sea bass with a pastis buerre blanc sauce. Not sure if it was fatigue, hunger or the staff getting busy, but neither fish was filleted (past tense of filet doesn't look right, but the Google tells me otherwise) and we dove in bones and all. Not a pleasant experience. Restaurant became completely filled by eight, but unlike previous post-Benjamin visits, the new guy and helper were quite efficient and the usual semi-chaos was absent. Dessert was a shared moelleux au chocolat with pistachio ice cream. A nice combination. More forward-reverse-steering, etc... to maneuver out of our parking spot and we're back at the villa.
Nightcap is the traditional champagne toast to the stars accompanied by the sound of the waves a few feet in front of us. Ahhhhh.
Read that this is/was the best selling champagne in France, so decided to give it a try. Nice. Not as acidic as VC.
