BEACHES

ORIENT BEACH

Check out this web site about Orient Beach.

BAIE ROUGE

The 1999 hurricanes caused some changes at this beach but it is still wonderful. Standing at the top of the hill overlooking the beach, you'll think at first glance that the beachfront consists almost entirely of large boulders. You'll find, however, that there are several sandy entrances to the water among the boulders and the beach itself is still gorgeous. I was there on a Sunday and there were dozens of people there, mostly French and American, I think. The two lo-lo's (Gus' Place and Raymond's) are still going strong, the price for a bottle of beer is still $2, and menus at these restaurants are getting more and more sophisticated.

This is a nice family beach. Tops Optional. Oh, and the parking lot has been expanded.

PRUNE BAY

Prune Bay was simply exquisite. Perfect.

I know... I rave about this beach every year. This is the Le Pressoir of beaches. Like the restaurant Le Pressoir, it is not to be missed. Mostly French and American, and more people this year than in years past (maybe they read my travelogues?!). There are no facilities and no concessions. It is a gorgeous beach with great swimming conditions. An excellent place for the family. Tops Optional.

As I mentioned last year, Prune Bay is hard to get to because there are no signs after the one on the main road; but at least this year the road has been regraded so that it's not just a string of potholes. These directions are better (quicker) than the ones I gave you last year.

• Use your map to get to the Prune Bay "exit" from the main road (between Baie Rouge and Long Bay). There's a sign at the exit road and now there's also a guardhouse that operates between 6:00pm and 6:00am each day. When you see the sign and/or guard house, leave the main road.
• Take the left fork in the road for one mile, at which point you'll see a cement wall on the right side that is about eight feet tall. The wall is weird - just two small sections that intersect with each other to form a wedge. The wall is at an intersection with Rue Dufy. Turn right onto Rue Dufy.
• Take your first left and follow it all the way. The beach is at the end of this winding road.

Stop someplace to get food and drink before you go to Prune Bay - there are no facilities there. You might consider also bringing your own umbrella, because there isn't much shade.

FRIAR'S BAY

There are three beach restaurants at Friars Bay: Kali's Beach Bar, Cranberry Cafe, and Friar's Bay Beach Cafe. They are all good, but we prefer Friar's Bay Beach Cafe, which is an experience in itself. I would recommend - strongly - that you head for the area in front of Friars Bay Beach Cafe (FBBC).

As I said last year, the beach is excellent and there is good snorkeling at both ends of the beach. The beach is in excellent shape after the 1999 hurricanes. The lounge chairs and umbrellas in front of the FBBC are free if you eat at the FBBC...and I assure you that the food there is excellent. They have an extensive menu with very reasonable prices. And the music...just as eclectic as ever!

One reason that this beach is so much fun is because of the broad mix of people who go there: French, Italians, Latin Americans, and folks from the USA. It's a nice family place. Tops Optional ... lots.

HAPPY BAY

What a romantic spot! Happy Bay was in great shape and was just as deserted as in years past. Most folks don't want to take the 20 minute hike over the hill from Friar's Bay to get to Happy Bay, so it is common to have only one or two couples on the entire beach. To find Happy Bay:

• First, go to Friar's Bay...park your vehicle...and then walk to the path up the hill that starts right behind the Cranberry Cafe.
• When you get to a point where the path splits, you can go left to follow the longer, more interesting path (which also passes a few very small coves that are full of sea shells); or you can bear to the right. The path gets hard to see in the tall grass, but follow your instincts - you can't get lost.
• On both paths you'll step over a small rock wall that is topped with a trampled down string of barbed wire. On the right path you'll see some houses that are being rebuilt after Hurricane Luis destroyed them...just follow the path that passes the houses to the ocean. In either case the walk takes about 15-20 minutes.

There still are no facilities (so stop somewhere before going).

CUPECOY BEACH

Biggest disappointment of the vacation this year! This was my favorite beach last year but the 1999 hurricanes really made a mess of Cupecoy. Sand erosion left boulders at the water's edge and what what little beach is left is mostly ugly; the treeline suffered severe damage from erosion; the concession was destroyed (but the locals still set up a small lo-lo on the beach). I'm talking about the beach furthest from the Sapphire resort. It's mostly a naturalist beach, but there are plenty of people who wear their bathing suits.

This was funny. A couple of timeshare hawkers named Pascal and Sandra (from France) - the most enthusiastic, likeable shysters I ever met - gave us a scratch-off card in the parking lot next to Sapphire Beach Club. Sure enough, we won "a valuable prize" ("Oh! Oh! C'est impossible!") and qualified for a timeshare presentation at the Sapphire...which we didn't do.)

A small number of people still go to Cupecoy and you could check it out to see if it's okay for you. But don't rent your chair and umbrella until you actually see the condition of the beach.

PELICAN RESORT BEACH

I'll just repeat what I said in last year's travelogue. Nothing's changed.

Real beach aficionados probably wonder why I mention this beach every year, but I'm tellin' 'ya, this is a good little beach - especially if you have little kids. The Pelican provides free lounge chairs and umbrellas, a very nice beach protected by rock jetties on both sides, and two beach bars - the thatched one serves up the best barbecued burgers I've had on the island. And of course you have all the other amenities of the Pelican Resort right there.

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