Thank you to all who helped make our 16th vacation on the Island the best ever (I think I say that every year). <br><br>I've never filed a trip report and feel a bit intimidated....<br><br>Food: <br><br>Peg Leg's Pub - excellent steak but a little confused over the tax added to the bill. I didn't think this was right from what I've read on this board but it was such a small amount and the folks there were really great and the filet mignon outstanding so I let it slide....<br><br>Sebastiano's -- excellent as always, great, innovative cuisine and what more can you say about the ambience and staff...all fabulous, but expensive ($250 for 5 - no alcohol). <br><br>Boathouse -- same menu and staff -- still good and reliable. Conch chowder, fried shrimp, steaks--all were good, reasonable prices.<br><br>Jimbos - Great place, great setting and Jimbo is a very good host. Tex mex with a flare! Very extensive menu from burgers to a shrimp dish in a tortilla with cheese that was excellent.<br><br>Mezzanotte: Good Italian food, delicious ravioli.<br><br>Goodfellows: disappointed....not as good as recent years, definitely better thin crust pizza at Mama Mia's. Pasta dishes were just "ok". <br><br>Mama Mia: Good thin crust pizza, catch the preview of the show at Casino Royale if you eat outside. <br><br>White Swan: Good Chinese food, inexpensive and was a good change of pace for us.<br><br>Greenhouse: Good appetizers, a bit too much parmesan on that Chicken Caesar but burgers, fish, were good.<br><br>St. Germain: Good food and the waiter is hilarious...watch out for some of his tricks--you may wind up pouring a drink in your lap! Good rack of lamb, crepes for dessert were the best.<br><br>Don Camillos: Very good Italian food, very accommodating staff and priced just right. (we were a group of 11 that night and they went out of their way to seat us in minutes)<br><br>Johnny B under the Tree : Not sure what the Food Channel was talking about or maybe we caught it on a bad night, but I know there are better ribs and chicken on the Island....very disappointed!<br><br>LeCroissantiere: Excellent breakfast crepes and croissants.<br><br>As for prices, most nights ran about $150 for five. Sometimes there was a cocktail or two, occasionally an appetizer and a dessert. All in all, I thought prices were similar to last year, maybe slightly higher. <br><br>Car Rental:<br><br>Rented from Michael at Unity, met at the airport by his associate and had a cold Carib in my hands within minutes of exiting the airport. <br><br>Resort:<br><br>Stayed at Divi Little Bay. Overall, the resort looked good. They were doing some work on the hotel rooms and the gardeners were busy working on the grounds. Still one of the prettiest spots on the Island. That being said, the timeshare beach is still littered with rocks and shells and a bit of a drop which makes it difficult for some to enter and exit the water. The beach in front of the hotel is much nicer but not as convenient as the timeshare beach. Some minor inconveniences in the rooms, things that remain broken from one year to the next, some of the rooms could use updating, etc. Hopefully the Island can be Hurricane free this year and the Divi group will put some cash into refurbishing some of the buildings. Still troubling at night to visit for example room 321 and be in the dark walking through the building on broken floor tiles. The resort has so much to offer, it's a shame that better care isn't taken of the condition of the buildings. <br><br>The Divi is always quiet, but that's how we like it--at least during the day. No major inconvenience caused by the "boat people". Divi put on quite a show for them, hopefully some will come back for a visit. We enjoyed lunch everyday at the pool (beach) and the wait staff there are all fabulous. Divi should know that the staff is one of the "selling" points of the resort. Some of the staff have been there since we started going to Divi and they go out of their way to make you feel like you've returned home.<br><br>Weather: <br><br> Fabulous..little overcast some days but who noticed.<br><br>Gambling:<br><br>Went to the Dolphin once but spent the rest of the time at Hollywood -- Great Staff, probably the best on the Island. Very friendly place--so friendly, I didn't even mind losing. We saw a few people win some decent cash and we were happy for them. Nice to see at least someone you know win!!<br><br>New Things Accomplished Courtesy of TTOL:<br><br>Sunset Beach Bar--lots of fun, great crowd<br>Pinel Island--not much effort to get there and very enjoyable, peaceful place. Met some great people from Canada and had a good day.<br>Madoudou--found the shack and bought/drank the rum!!!<br>Etna Ice Cream -- Enjoyed by all.......<br>Read: Tell No One (very good) and the Beach House (also very good) -- so good I had to leave them will fellow timeshare friends.<br>Atlantico Bakery -- first stop after Unity Car Rental. Finished the Baguettes before we reached the mountain to Divi!<br><br>Should have, would have done more, but my beach chair kept calling.....<br><br>I recently found this board--thanks to everyone for making the trip a good one and the days in between a bit better and brighter too. Even after 16 years, I can't wait till next year.....too many days but counting anyway.....<br><br><br><br>
