Golf, Sea and Tropical Romance

Another night's fidgety sleep and we were up at 6:15. We quickly showered and donned our golf attires - today we will try out the golf course at the Regency. Just before we left the room, the phone rang. It was Mike, the Mountie from Vancouver, telling us he plan to join us for golf that morning. We got to the hotel lobby where the shuttle departs many times a day, the first of which leaves at 6:45.

We arrived at the Regency just before 7:30 and we decided to have some breakfast before the game. The Pavilion restaurant at the Regency is an enormous open-concept hall facing the ocean with majestic pillars covered in glittering inlays. High cathedral ceiling and marble floor give the place a very clean and crisp look. We were surprised to find the breakfast buffet is somewhat different from the Grande's. For the first time in my life, I tasted cornmeal (cooked much like cream of wheat) and really liked it. The Regency buffet has more Caribbean treats than the other resorts. Fares such as ackee and salt fish, corned beef and baked fries are completely new to me. We ate quickly since we were anxious to tee off. A drizzle has started at this time so we picked up our pace. But the tropical rain is faster than the most swift feet. Before we could get to the pro shop (which is only about 3 minutes' walk from the hotel lobby), the drizzle has turned into cats and dogs and we were soaked through.

Tropical rain

We sat on the covered porch outside the pro shop and watched the rain coming down. Pretty soon streams appeared on the golf course which quickly turned into small rivers. We were quite certain we had been rained out when one of the staff ventured into the rain to rescue a lawn mower which had been left out by someone and was being washed away by a newly-formed river near the 9th hole! But we didn't want to give up so easy and our friend Mike didn't seem to mind it at all as he drank one Piton after another. Our prayers must have paid off because a clear patch finally came over the golf course. But we still had to wait until the course is properly drained. Finally, close to 10 AM, the course has drained enough for us to head out.

We were assigned a caddy, which is mandatory at this golf course. We got a young local lad by the name of Shervy. Shervy is only 24 with bright kind eyes and broad shoulders. He is built like most African youth - with perfect proportions and beautiful muscle tone. I always think God showed some favouritism when he created the African race. I was very surprised when Shervy told me he would be caddying for both of us. We have carried down our two sets of clubs in one bag and it is very heavy - about 20 kgs. I was concerned about Shervy because Kenny and I almost broke our back trying to carry the bag from our room to the front lobby! Shervy just gave me a shy smile and in his very laid-back island accent reassured me he would be OK. The way he hoisted the heavy bag onto one shoulder as if it was a feather was a comforting sight.

The golf course at the Regency is beautiful and charismatic. It is a 9 hole course with two different 7th and 8th holes (so practically it is an 11-hole course). The 9 holes meander through hills and valleys, with the blue ocean as the distant backdrop. Front 9 measures 2,303 from the white and back 9 is 2,228. Slope is 113 for men and 109 for ladies - not a particular tough course to play on but as we quickly find out, it tolerated little mistakes.

The course was still quite wet and one had to watch one's footing to stay clear of the puddles. Everywhere we looked, emerald green met the eye - much of St Lucia is covered by rain forest. The fairways are narrow and unforgiving. Having Shervy was a treat. He made sure we used the right club for each shot and showed us the line on the greens. Our clubs are wiped clean after every shot and he was very attentive throughout the entire game. I also enjoyed a good chat with him and found out he has a 10 handicap! But that knowledge didn't intimidate me at all because of his kind and shy manners. His most-used phrase was "yeah maan", with a heavy island accent. When we got to the 7th hole, it was already 11:30. We knew our shuttle would leave at 12 and if we miss it, we had to wait until 2 PM. So we wrapped up after the 7th hole reluctantly. There was little point in keeping score as we were completely thrown off by the strange layout of the course, the big puddles of water on the fairway, the breath-taking beauty along the way, and the fact that if we hooked or sliced just a little bit, we could just kiss our balls goodbye. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our game immensely.

A target course, for sure

We got back to the Grande before 1 and went for lunch at Josephine's. Their thin-crusted veggie pizza was fantastic, with an unusual medley of vegetables including artichokes and straw mushrooms. We also tried their sushi appetizer but I must admit the portions of fish was so tiny that we might as well be eating rice balls! But the renowned milkshake from Josephine's more than made up for the sushi. We sat outside on the beautiful patio overlooking the main pool and enjoyed the tropical surroundings with sights of colorful flora, humming birds and cooing doves. The mourning doves and blackbirds are always eyeing the sugar tray. They cannot wait to seize the opportunity of an empty table and steal sugar packets. Some restaurants (like the Bayside) at the resorts are open-air so a net must be put around the place to prevent these winged intruders. It is really quite a sight. We were told the blackbirds were the most intelligent. When they get to a table with packets of mustard, ketchup and mayo, they will manage to identify the mayo packets every single time and simply ignore the others. Hmm - literate mayo-loving blackbirds...

We went for our first swim in the sea. The beach in front of the Grande is supposed to be the best on the entire island. Sheltered in a bay with mountains on both sides, there is hardly any wave on the beach. The Caribbean-signature aquamarine water gently laps onto the shore and kisses the ankles of beach-walkers. The drop into the ocean is very gradual and is all covered with fine white sand, soft and rippled under our feet. The hotel has placed several large floating disks in the sea about 15 feet from the shore. Couples could just swim out and relax in these floats. Kenny and I spotted an empty one and swam to it. It was so relaxing to lie in the float, soaking in warm salty water and gazing at the white clouds gliding by. I really didn't want to leave the water but my fingers were starting to prune!

We came out of the water dripping wet and decided to try the sauna. Sandals has the Red Lane spa line. The spa is two floors directly beneath our room and provides a variety of interesting services. Behind the main spa room, there are two round huts, each containing a sauna and a steam room. Between the huts is a gazebo with a sunk-in hot tub surrounded by several large lounge chairs. The sauna is nice and hot. Within 20 minutes, we were drenched in perspiration.

All refreshed after a sauna and a hot shower, we dressed up to go out for dinner. Our concierge has given us a complementary voucher to dine at Gordon's - the upscale restaurant at the Grande reserved for guests with butler-level services. Regular guests could dine at Gordon's for $170. We were very pleased with the offer as Kenny and I are really fond of good food. Gordon's is an unassuming-looking brown hut perched at the end of a pier that extends into the ocean. The hut doesn't look like much during the day but takes on a magical personality at night. The pier is lit underneath with cool blue lights and pools of cornet fish danced close to the lights. The tables are romantically set with gentle candle lights and fresh orchids. We were given a table at the end overlooking the bay. We were greeted by the restaurant manage Phelix and our waiter Vianney wore a white uniform with white gloves. The food is of the same calibre, from the veggie-stuffed-mussel amuse-bouche, nut-crusted pan-seared sea bass, to the fisherman platter, and the creme caramel. Night breeze blew through the restaurant and the full moon cast many silver shimmers into the dark ocean. People told us about the romantic atmosphere we could expect to find at Sandals and I must say Gordon's is a perfect example of how this is done. Under a velvety night sky with a full moon, with the sound of gentle ocean waves beside our dining table, what romantic could not be rekindled?

Fisherman's Platter from Gordon's