I know it’s hot out now, but it’s important to look ahead, anticipate problems, and take action to avoid disasters. Inevitably you’ll be dying for warmth this winter, sending letters to Santa asking for a Caribbean island vacation. If you want one, now’s the time to pick an island. Fortunately, our Senior Island and Indiana Correspondents, Rocky and Kathy Enfield, are on the case. They’ve graciously field tested a top destination whether with the family or as a couple, Coconut Bay.
It’s a large all-inclusive resort laid out along wide St. Lucia’s Paradise Beach. It has two sections. Family-friendly Splash wing features the island’s largest waterpark, a 50,000 sq ft Kidz Klub. Across the way is the adults-only (18+) Harmony wing for people who don’t want to be bothered by noisy children, or who don’t want to expose children of tender years to their own behavior. It was just the place to go for Rocky and Kathy’s 25th wedding anniversary. Here are the lovebirds, flying south,
and here’s their report —
My wife Kathy and I are celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year. Due to her job in the school system we had to take our anniversary trip over spring break not on April 22 when our anniversary actually is. After much discussion and research we settled on traveling to Coconut Bay Resort on St Lucia. It is on the Atlantic near the airport and the town of Vieux Fort.
We did all on dining at the resort. The breakfast buffet had loads of fresh fruit, including fresh St Lucian bananas which are the sweetest in the world. There were multiple stations with omelets, crepes, waffles, and more. Breakfast buffets in the Caribbean tend to range from “great” to “world class”.
One morning we did have breakfast at Veranda, an adult only restaurant. We both had custom made omelets that were very good. [Ed. Note the French fold. Nice.]
You can see by the photo how nicely it was presented, with finely diced fresh veggies. It isn’t often I eat the garnish but there was none left 😀. In addition. I got the pastry basket that had an exceptional chocolate croissant. Forgot the photo. It was a great view overlooking the resort on the outdoor veranda.
Coconut Bay sits on Paradise Beach,
where an open palapa bar lures you to sit and enjoy refreshments. Next to it was small shack where Teddy was making hamburgers, fish burgers and veggie burgers. Who can resist having a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” overlooking the ocean?
A fine burger it was with all the toppings freshly chopped by Teddy. Even the pickles were hand sliced and had a nice bit of heat that livened the burger up. We ate under the palapa
while enjoying the view of the ocean and looking at the various t-shirts left behind by previous visitors.
Most days we had lunch at the delightful Jerk Treehouse.
The cooks, as seen in the picture, were fun and engaging, justifiably proud of the food.
Jerk seasoned chicken, pork and sausage burst with flavor. It was balanced by the best fried plantains we’ve ever had. So simple but so good. The other outstanding dish they served was escovitch fish. Fresh and delicious!
There was another snack shop for lunch called Flip Flops that served a variety of burgers, wraps and the like. We both had the catch of the day – mahi mahi. I would say it was quite possibly the best fried fish sandwich we have ever had! Unfortunately, I rarely had my phone at lunch or was so hungry I forgot to take pics at lunch.
Most evening meals were at the resort’s various restaurants. The first was the Italian restaurant Trattoria. We started with very fresh salads (a lot of the produce, herbs and garnishes are grown in their onsite greenhouses and gardens). Kathy had the lamb shank that she raved about how delicious and tender it was.
I had a New York strip that was just okay. A bit overcooked but not enough to complain about. For dessert we both had the chocolate lava cake. We were disappointed that when we cut into there was no chocolate flowing out.
The dinner we had was at Silk, the resort’s Asian fusion restaurant. For the appetizer I had the Tuna Tartare and fried spring rolls. The tartare had a spice that John Tanner would enjoy but caught me off guard. Both appetizers were very good and Kathy enjoyed her sushi immensely. For the entrees I had glazed rare tuna and Kathy had glazed salmon. Both included al dente veggies and were delicious! For dessert (forgot pictures) I had a lychee crème brûlée that was fantastic, smooth & flavorful with that bruleed sugar on top. Kathy had a very good sponge cake.
Calabash is Coconut Bays’ Caribbean fusion restaurant. Based on the recommendation of a fellow Hoosier that we met at the lobby bar just prior to dinner, we both ordered the surf and turf. it was two very good coconut shrimp and a filet.
I am not sure that I can appropriately describe just how good this steak was. Perfectly cooked at medium rare, tender, juicy, just perfect. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a steak that much. For dessert Kathy had a mango cheesecake that she liked but wasn’t overjoyed with. Calabash and Silk share the same kitchen, and when the waitress asked what I wanted for dessert I told her I was leaning towards the white chocolate bread pudding but I noticed the shared kitchen and asked about possibly getting the crème brûlée from Silk. She brought both, lucky me!
Friday night I had made a reservation for a private ocean side dinner ($159 added charge). La Luna is the name for this restaurant. The setting is stunning! The table is set in a private room with a beautifully set table. The scene out of the window with the moonlight shining off the rippling water was magical. We started with a pumpkin bisque with shrimp. Neither of us are fans of pumpkin but this bisque was great! The seasoning was spot on and the shrimp perfectly cooked. In addition, they served us a vegetable flat bread that was very good. Remember that almost all veggies, fruits and herbs are grown on site and you can taste the freshness. Every time we had vegetables they were cooked al dente.
The salad course was a tropical salad that was delicious — the crunchy diced sweet potato was a nice touch. For our entrees I had chosen rack of lamb with a chimichurri (fresh, bright and a kick) with sea scallops with a citrus buerre blanc.
It was subtle and a great choice for the scallops. Unfortunately my medium rare lamb was surprisingly tough. It was well seasoned but not as tender as I would expect it to be. The scallops made up for it. Perfectly cooked and fantastic! Kathy’s entree was salmon with jumbo shrimp. They should have called them ginormous shrimp, they were huge! She really enjoyed her meal. For dessert I had Chocolate Zabaglione and Kathy had cheesecake. The zabaglione was dense but smooth and had an intense chocolate flavor. The serving was so big I couldn’t eat it all. Kathy liked her cheesecake. The lamb aside, the setting, the personal service and the food made for a perfect romantic anniversary dinner. If you ever go to Coconut Bay I would highly recommend the La Luna experience, it is well worth the upcharge — the perfect setting for an anniversary dinner.
There you have it, a wonderful getaway for an anniversary, or a fun vacation for a family with children. Any place that gives you two desserts has got to be a vacation winner. Give it a try!
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