Mood:  special

TURKS & CAICOS

Ambergris Cay, appropriately named after whale’s pearl, is a perfect escape for us from the hustle and bustle of City living. The Caribbean sun sparkles over the vast turquoise ocean, the endless blue sky is dotted with Pelicans, Herons and speckled Doves and the only hint of civilization is the British colonial ruins amidst the lush foliage. Iguanas resembling miniature dinosaurs preside over this curious island of giant grasshoppers, land crabs, trees, windswept cliffs, sandy beaches and golden sunshine.

February 26, 2008

We fly into Paradise. We are greeted by "Belongers" (natives) with iced towels, beverages and friendly smiles when we disembark our little aircraft. Gaston and Sherman take us to our beachfront cottage (a mansion by New York standards) where we begin to execute our vacation plans. RELAX. Alas, Ken’s parents and brother are not due until tomorrow so the only restaurant on the island, Calico Jacks, beckons. Kate, Melissa, Josh, Rich and Stephen fawn over us as we eat vanilla lobster, chicken with wheatgrass and chocolate molten lava cake. Our ears are ringing from their stories. We will eat at home tomorrow.

The Savino clan arrive!!! The mornings noons and nights merge into one another. Jogging on the cliffs at the crack of dawn, exercising at the gym, swimming in the ocean, lounging on the deck chairs by the infinity pool and eating phenomenal food by chef Mrs. Savino and sous-chef Scottie is the order of the day. We hear tales of Savino past, present and future and have a rare auld time.

Ken and Scottie are evaluating their real estate development business for the three prime lots their partnership owns. Through neighborly networking we meet many people on the island - Dave Lloyd and his family, Ann and Doug Bermingham, the Goldman Saks crew from New York, the loud Deets from Atlanta, Andy Stubbs (who trys to woo Mrs. Savino), Clayton, Big Dooley… and spineless Gerry who hides from us. We tour the other cottages and prefer Liz’s design over the minimalist and bland Asian styles. We hear that Rick Elfman (blue package design) is part owner of the Chicago White Socks, Smoltz (two lots down) is a pitcher for the Atlantic Braves, D’Ambrosio is getting a divorce and selling one of his lots, the Butlers are having financial problems (Mrs. Bermingham doesn’t like high maintenance Mrs. Butler) and the wheeler and dealer Dunns from next door are selling one of their lots.

Everyone is friendly. Even the fish are friendly. A fellow fisherman had a squid jump into his boat begging to become fried calamari. Although many fish pilfer our bait and rescue themselves by swimming into the coral reef and breaking our lines, after a couple of hours we are ready to return with our catch to cook up a tasty treat. We meet the press in the form of eight pretty English ladies and listen to the daily news from the kitchen staff … a shipwreck in the ocean. We are already lost in time.

We are not even deterred when reality bites in the form of a scorpion hidden in Ken’s bathing suit. It hurt, but it could have been MUCH worse.

The home cooked meals are so delightful and appetites so healthy that we start to run out of ingredients. Calico Jacks overpriced menu beckons once again but we order a Key Lime Pie take out from Melissa and save a few hundred dollars. High Definition television and high speed internet cable don’t detract from the olde world charm tonight. DVDs have to be watched and work completed. Besides, tomorrow we arise at 6am as the sunshine floods our bedroom again for our final day on this windswept island. Wish I brought my paints to capture the colors of paradise before we leave.

Brenda comes by to say hi after breakfast and fill us in on the island gossip. Apparently, Josh and Melissa cooked up some love in the kitchen, but the extra ingredient of her secret husband made their awkward dish flop. Henry is getting married to his pregnant fiancé before he has his eighth kid from as many women, Andy’s half sisters, brothers, children, wives, ex-wives and grandchildren make an interesting family spiderweb, Sherman is having cold feet about marrying the mother of his second child and only Stephen steps up to make the rare commitment of proposing to marry little Stephanie’s Mammy in June. Ken and Scottie can start polishing their halos now.

Driving lessons in a golf cart, basking in the sunshine by the pool, a picnic on the beach at sunset make for a perfect last evening. I wish I brought my paints to capture the beauty of this pearl of an island!

Breakfast at the Pavillion and leave Paradise

….We’re not saying goodbye, just leaving for a wee while. In the interim, we will e-mail Director of Food and Beverages Kate Moore kate@ambergriscay.com cell 649-231-1329, Director of Communications Mimi Crume  mcrume@dpsdevelopment.com  cell 212-851-6464 and Club Manager Andy Stubbs andy@ambergriscay.com cell 649-232-1237 to say thanks and see you again very soon!!!!