Tiamo (Bahamas)

The Tiamo Resort is so remote, that only one other couple found it and made arrangements during our stay. It felt as if we had an entire island just for ourselves. Fred, the manager picked us up at the harbor where the road from Congo Town ends.

The new chef from Argentina and his wife treated us with their wonderful creations. Both of them joined us on some of our snorkeling trips. Especially those to the blue holes are memorable. Fresh water is coming up from caverns deep under ground. This is how they fill up the Ocean. Not only are there a lot of coral, but also a plethora of fish, big and small, and some of them very colorful. We (the chef) caught a big lobster (his first), and for dinner we were able to enjoy a fantastic appetizer.

Before dinner we always had an aperitive served by the main lodge. Sometimes, it was early enough to enjoy the drink by the pool and sometimes we chose to sip it by the bar.

For lunch, we usually preferred to sit closer to the beach underneath the blue sails. These sails inspired us to put up our own sails in the backyard at home. It creates such a nice and cozy atmosphere even though we don't have a beach. That's why our sails are tan.

The water is calm and warm and because it's not that deep it presents itself in turquoise color as one would expect in the Bahamas. Isn't this one of the reasons why we come here. And yes, it is close and convenient also.

One of a new snorkel site site we visited is called "Swimming Pool". It started out as a harbor for the US Navy on an island just north of the tip of South Andros. The visibility was great and the water was calm. This pool is home to a lot of fish and a couple of turtles. We snorkeled the entire perimeter back and forth. 

Even though we had our own plunge pool by our villa, the resort has a bigger one by the main lodge. We never took advantage, because we are here for the Ocean.

In front of the resort, the water is typically very calm and ideal for paddle boarding. Early in the morning we went an our daily kayak trip up or down the coast. Some of the sting rays were very big and one could easily spot them with our polarized glasses.

We had a great time and left early in the morning to catch a small plane from Congo Town back to Nassau and then back to the states.

Taha'a (French Polynesia)

Staying in an over-the-water bungalow has always been on my bucket list. It seemed unreal and out of this world. This year, we decided to just go for it and we spent a lot of time researching a perfect location in French Polynesia, where the over-the-water concept started about 50 years ago. This South Pacific island nation is comprised of 121 islands and atolls.  Since we are not honeymooners (anymore), Bora Bora was out of the question and the reviews also indicated that it's just the name. We found this wonderful place via Relais & Châteaux on the island of Taha'a called, not surprisingly, Le Taha'a.

The flight from San Francisco to Papeete, the capital, takes about 9 hours, which pretty much the same as going to Europe from the Midwest. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti near the airport. Why near the airport, you might ask. Well, it was late and it was just a layover, not our end destination. Despite the close proximity to the airport, I don't remember hearing a single plane.

The next day we took another 45 minute domestic flight from Papeete to Raiatea, the sister island of Taha'a. From there we were picked up by a boat directly from the airport and shuttled to the outer island. 40 minute later we arrived at the resort.

The over-the-water bungalow was truly fantastic and during the night the fish were congregating together with sting rays which one could observe from the bed through the glass cabinet. It was outstanding. We went snorkeling every day at the coral gardens, where we saw a big eel, sting rays and an octopus that changed shape to look like a coral. The water level was not very deep and the hotel did not recommend bringing fins, to not damage the coral. Even though we are familiar with fins, we reluctantly complied. There was some current and I personally think that I would have felt more comfortable with fins. I would never touch anything, neither fish nor coral.

It seems as if guests come to the resort for like 3 nights and then go to another island. We felt that it's a waste of time (consider boat ride to island with airport, then flight to new island, possible boat ride to smaller island and so on) and so we stayed here for an entire week. This was the reason why we had bookings for multiple different villas and only the first two nights were in an over-the-water bungalow. The plan was to spend one night in a beach villa and then move to other over-the-water bungalow. The front desk called us to ask if we were willing to move to the Royal Pool Beach Villa a day earlier and we agreed.  You'd think that is crazy, because that is not really what your dream was about. Oh boy, were we surprised by the villa.

It was very modern with a Polynesian twist, such as the thatched roof. Obviously it was on the beach and it features not just one pool but also a plunge pool and a private tub carved out of a rock.

The privacy was guaranteed by the wonderful stone wall made from basalt.

One day we took the boat from our resort to Taha'a and rented a bicycle to go around the island. The lady in the distillery Mana'o Tahiti was kind enough to call a colleague who rents electric assistant bikes. When we drove by locals going about their business and we said hello in Tahitian la Orana (yo-rah-nah) they all waved back and returned a friendly (yo-rah-nah).

Half away around the island we stopped at La vallée de la vanille to get a better understanding of how vanilla is grown and harvested. It's all hand pollinated and the beans here on Taha's are a lot bigger than anywhere else. Since every step in the process is manual, it's not a surprise that vanilla is considered the second most expensive spice right behind Safran.

After two steep hills we ended up at the distillery again where we sampled the rum and it was quite tasty. The entire 25 mile trip took us about 3 hours of biking. The drizzle we had in the beginning was actually appreciated, because otherwise it would have been too hot.

Right in front of our villa we started snorkeling heading West, closer to the deep blue. We found this area had a lot to offer as well and we saw sting rays and black tip sharks patrolling the shallow waters.

Another advantage was that you could see Bora Bora from here. The mountain looks like where you would expect King Kong to live. The famous island is just about 12 miles away.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food, except the BBQ, was delicious. The buffet in the morning had everything you could think of. My favorite was the local fruit and the French toast with vanilla syrup.

Despite the fact that the resort was fully booked, I always had the feeling we were alone. There was so much space and we always found a quiet spot to relax and enjoy being alone.

Even on our way to the beach villa we found a serene place to just be. It almost looked like a local art creation.

The resort proved a wonderful service to help the environment by giving every guest a very nice stainless steel bottle to fill up on multiple water stations serving cold and hot water around the resort. Obviously, the bottles are reusable and now we have a couple at home that are not just convenient but also sleek looking.

I also wanted to point out that since our flight was late in the day, management offered us to stay in our fabulous villa and check out at 16:00, so that we could take a shower after lunch and then head to the dock for the boat ride to the airport on Raiatea. What a service. Thank you.

Bahamas

We had such a wonderful time. That summarizes a great vacation at the Tiamo Resort on South Andros Island in the Bahamas. We chose this retreat because of its remote location as well as the great food all the reviews raved about. And it's only about 3.5 hours of flying, instead of 8.5 to Hawaii.

Getting there, reminds me of the movie "Around the World in 80 Days" because we took a Lyft to the airport, a plane to Nassau, then another 10 minute flight to the International Airport in Congo Town, followed by a cab ride to the port where Fred, the Manager of the resort, picked us up by boat. A short smooth ride later, we arrived at the actual resort and were greeted by a lemon shark swimming around the pier. What an experience.

We stayed in a villa right on the sandy beach, with a plunge pool. There was enough privacy to take a dip as nature intended. 

The sunsets are just beautiful and very romantic. Every day, we enjoyed the today's special drink by the elevated pool. Since we shared the entire resort with just another couple, there was plenty of alone time. The music was great in the background and as you can see the mood was perfect.

Waking up in the morning was followed by a great breakfast with espresso. There was a Nespresso machine in the cabin, but we forgot our favorite pods. 

The daily program included snorkeling, paddle boarding and kayaking. The water is very clear and thanks to the sandy bottom very turquoise. We often saw sting rays and one even breached the surface and looked at me before he or she scratched his or her back underneath the kayak. 

After a great lunch, it was time to walking along the white sandy beach. With nobody around, it felt like being in paradise.

Fred and Chef Antoine took us out on a boat to a couple of blue holes in the middle of the channel. We were positively surprised by the different varieties of coral and fish. These blue holes have fresh water coming up from the ground and that was very weird. I couldn't help myself to remove the snorkel and taste the water. It was really fresh in the middle of the salty sea.

Dinner was served by the pool and we always enjoyed the choices that were on the menu. Because we are on an island, I tremendously appreciated the fish dishes.

The chef was hunting lion fish and lobster, both of which he prepared for lunch and dinner. The delicious food couldn't have been any fresher. Every meal came with one of my favorite food items, a real, fresh French baguette. No kidding, it was delicious and as a bread connoisseur, I couldn't help myself to eat it all, although it added a couple of pounds to my slender body.

On a side note, just for full transparency, I need to mention the no-see-ums (Ceratopogonidae). We read about people being upset about them and so we prepared for them. Beside us bringing some bug repellant stuff, Tiamo Resort provided a nicely scented oil and it really help to keep those buggers at bay. Usually, I get bit all the time and event though I picked up my share, honestly, the bites didn't bother me that much. Just don't forget your neck and hair line. It must have something to do with a positive attitude. Being here in paradise made more than up for it.

Victor Boulard, the food and beverage manager, was very accommodating and he always recommended the perfect wine, complementing lunch and dinner.

Chef Antoine Laudinot is not just an excellent spear fisherman but also an accomplished creator of the best shrimp I've ever had. He was able to convince me with a conch ceviche that was simply out of this world.

Fred, the manager, is a man of a thousand talents. He, like all the other staff, went out of his way to make our stay as comfortable and memorable as possible.

Thanks you Tiamo!

Maui (The Wave)

Well, COVID is not over yet, and unfortunately, there are still many uncertainties as to what exactly is required to travel to other countries. Maui is the perfect choice for people from the mainland, who want to stay in the US and want to enjoy very comfortable temperatures.

I remember quite vividly last time we came here and for the exact reason, we chose to rent the same condo again. The snorkeling is a stone throw away and this time we were lucky and we saw quite a few eels, such as the Magnificent Snake Eel, besides some other permanent and more obvious inhabitants such as turtles. For the first two days, the visibility was absolutely great, but declined after that to a point where we wouldn't be able to see a turtle right in front of us.

Waking up in the morning is one of the great pleasures of this wonderful world, first because of the view from our lanai.

Second, a cup of Nespresso Palermo Kazaar that is smooth yet strong. We are so dedicated (espresso crazy) that we brought our own Nespresso machine. It filled half of the suite case, but it was worth it. The other half was occupied by fins, mask and wet suits.

Third, it's the sound of the constant surf that is almost hypnotizing. Due to the impending full moon, the beach was almost fully consumed by the high tide.

We took a coconut tour and I never knew what one can learn. It was more than educational and that is why I would highly recommend it.

Going up to Haleakala was one of our goals. This time, we got up a little earlier so that we had enough time to hike almost all the way down (and back up again) and we didn't have a dinner reservation, so we had no stress, just hiking. The day's forecast contained some rain, but up on the top it was beautiful. We made it all the way on the right side where the path disappears.

The fauna is unique and obviously protected. One of the distinctive plants are the Haleakala Silverswords and below species are not blooming yet, but they still make quite an impression.

The toy chest in front of our door contained two boogie boards and we took advantage of the good surf conditions due to the full moon and went body boarding for the first time. It was a lot of fun and it won't be the last time.

You may have been wondering why this vacation has wave in the title. Well, here is the beautiful sculpture we found at Makai Glass Maui. They have a great showroom with so many magnificent pieces of glass art.